And you will certainly find that the people most hostile against the believers are the Jews and the ones who ascribe partners to Allah. You will certainly find that the closest of them in friendship with the believers are those who say, “We are Christians.”That is because among them there are priests and monks, and because they are not arrogant.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Mentioned earlier was the friendliness of Jews with disbelievers. Mentioned now is their hostility towards Muslims in tandem with the disbelievers - which was the real cause of that friendship (the enemy of my enemy is my friend! ). And since the Qur'an upholds justice universally, it has not counted everyone even among Jews and Christians as being in the same lot. Whoever among them had some good quality, that was acknowledged openly - for example, the presence of a particular group among the Christians which did not have the kind of prejudice the Jews were known for, and the statement about the Christians who had responded heartily to the call of truth and for which they were considered worthy of the best of praise and reward. This particular group was that of the Christians of Ethiopia who did nothing which could cause problems for Muslims who had migrated to Ethiopia from their home in Makkah, before the Hijrah to Madinah. Any Christian, other than them, who is like them, shall also be legally counted as one of them. As for those who had accepted the truth, they are the King of Ethiopia, Najashi (Negus) and his courtiers who wept on hearing the Qur'an in their own country and embraced Islam. After that, a deputation of thirty men from there came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who recited the Qur'an to them which they heard in tears and took their Shahadah as Muslims. This is the Cause or Back-ground of the revelation of this verse.
Commentary
Some Votaries of the Truth among the People of the Book
Mentioned in these verses are those among the people of the Book who, had no feelings of malice or enmity for Muslims because of their godliness and tilt towards truth. But, people of such quality - like Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam - were very rare, rather almost nonexistent among the Jews. Speaking comparatively, there were more such people among the Christians. Specially so, during the blessed period of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، there was a large number of such people in Ethiopia which included King Najashi and his civil servants. For this reason, when the Muslims of Makkah al-Mukarramah were fed up with being continually oppressed by the Quraysh, the Holy Prophet ﷺ advised them to migrate to Ethiopia saying that he had heard that the King of Ethiopia himself was no oppressor of people, nor did he allow anyone to oppress others, therefore, Muslims should go there for some time.
Following this advice, the first group of eleven persons started their journey towards Ethiopia. Included in the group were Sayyidna ` Uthman ibn ` Affan and Sayyidah Ruqaiyyah, his respected wife and the daughter of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . After that, a large caravan of Muslims comprising of eighty two men in addition to women, led by Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib ؓ reached Ethiopia. Received there nicely and gently by the King and his people, they started living there in peace.
But, the wrath of the Quraysh of Makkah knew no bounds. They could not bear by the idea that Muslims persecuted by them could live in peace in some other country. This they did not wish to allow. They sent a deputation of their men, with gifts as customary, to the King of Ethiopia with the request that he should expel Muslims from his country. But, the King of Ethiopia decided to first investigate into the matter. He talked to Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and his companions about Islam and its Prophet. When he heard about the life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the teachings of Islam, he found these true to the prophecy of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and Injil which contained the glad tidings of the coming of the Last of the Prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ a brief outline of his teachings, and his physical features as well as those of his Companions (for ready identification). Impressed with and convinced by what he found out, he returned the gifts brought by the Quraysh deputation telling them plainly that he could never order such people to leave his country.
The Effect of Sayyidna Ja` far's Presentation on Najashi
Sayyidna Ja'far ؓ had succeeded in presenting a brief but very comprehensive portrayal of Islam and its teachings in the court of Najashi, the King of Ethiopia. Then, there was their very stay (as Muslim role models) in Ethiopia which had generated not only in his heart but in the hearts of his officials and common people genuine feelings for Islam and its Prophet. Consequently, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah al-Tayyibah and the news that they were comfortable and at peace there reached Ethiopia the immigrating guests of the country decided to go to Madinah. Then, Najashi, the King of Ethiopia sent with them a deputation of leading scholars and missionaries from among his co-religionists to present his compliments before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This group was comprised of seventy persons, out of which, there were sixty from Ethiopia itself, and eight from Syria.
The Visit of Ethiopian Delegation
Attired in the coarse robes of monks, this deputation presented itself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He recited Surah Yasin before them. As they heard it, tears kept flowing from their eyes. They all said how similar that was to what was revealed to Sayyidna 'Isa (علیہ السلام) . All of them embraced Islam.
After their return to Ethiopia, King Najashi also embraced Islam. He sent his son as the leader of another deputation to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، with a letter from him. Unfortunately, the boat carrying them was drowned in the sea. In short, the King of Ethiopia, its officials and citizens did not only treat Islam and Muslims gently, fairly and justly, but they themselves embraced Islam finally.
According to the majority of commentators, the verses cited above were revealed about these blessed souls:
And you will certainly find that the closest of them in friend-ship with the believers are those who say, "We are Christians."
And about the verses which follow, and in which their weeping in fear of Allah and their acceptance of the truth has been described, the majority of commentators also agree that - though these verses have been revealed about Najashi and the deputation sent by him - yet, its words are general. Therefore, its legal force covers and includes all such Christians who are devoted to truth and justice similar to the people of Ethiopia. That is, they were followers of the Injil before Is-lam, and after the coming of Islam, they became followers of Islam.
Though, there were some people of this class even among Jews who adhered to the Torah since the period of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) ، but when came Islam, they entered the fold of Islam. However, the number of such people was so small that it cannot be considered significant in the context of communities and nations. As for the rest of the Jews, they were the foremost in their hostility towards Muslims. Therefore, their attitude was identified at the very beginning of the verse by saying:
You will certainly find that the most hostile people against the believers are the Jews ...
Limits of Interpretation
To recapitulate, it can be said that a particular group of the Christians has been praised in this verse, a group which was God-fearing and upright in matters of truth. It includes King Najashi, his officials and citizens - as well as other Christians who had these qualities, or would have in times to come. But, it does not mean - neither based on what the text says, nor could it possibly be - that the Christians have to be taken as friends of Muslims, no matter how astray they go and how aggressive in their anti Islam hostility they become, and yet Muslims will have to extend their hand of friendship towards them. This interpretation, as obvious, is false and is absolutely against facts. Therefore, Imam Abu Bakr Al-Jassas (رح) has said in his Ahkam al-Qur'an: that the thinking of some people who take the praise of Christians in this verse in an absolute sense and consider them better than the Jews, again in an absolute sense, is open ignorance - because a comparison of the religious beliefs of the two groups will show that the Christians are more pronounced in being Mushriks (as ascribers of partners in the divinity of Allah); and as for their dealings with Muslims are concerned, common modern-day Christians have not been any less than Jews in their anti-Islam activities. However, it is correct that there have been a good many God-fearing and truth-loving. people among them. That is why they had the Taufiq to accept Islam and be-come Muslims. It must be kept in mind that these verses were revealed to show this particular difference between the two groups. The Qur'an has itself pointed out to this fact at the end of this very verse (82) in the following words: ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ "That is because among them there are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant (which could make them unwilling to listen and think)." Comparison makes it clear that this was not the condition of Jews. They were not God-fearing and truth-loving. Their scholars and rabbis were far removed from renouncing the material pleasures of mortal life for the sake of knowledge and religion, instead of which, they had harnessed their knowledge and learning as a source of accumulating material benefits. This lust for the mundane had gripped them to the extent that they did not care to make a distinction between the true and the false or the lawful and the unlawful.
Those who side with Truth are the moving
spirit of a community
The statement given in the verse also tells us something crucial about the life of a community or nation (of true believers) - , that its `.Ulama' and Mashaikh are its real movers and makers, the very spirit of the system. Until such time that there are present in the society (genuine) ` Ulama' and Mashaikh, who would not follow their worldly desires (in matters of Din and public good of Believers) motivated by nothing but the fear of Allah and answerability before Him, then, the community or nation in which they are shall never be deprived of real good and real blessing.
When they hear what has been sent down to the Messenger, you will see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognized. They say, “Our Lord, we have come to believe. So, record us along with those who bear witness.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Mentioned earlier was the friendliness of Jews with disbelievers. Mentioned now is their hostility towards Muslims in tandem with the disbelievers - which was the real cause of that friendship (the enemy of my enemy is my friend! ). And since the Qur'an upholds justice universally, it has not counted everyone even among Jews and Christians as being in the same lot. Whoever among them had some good quality, that was acknowledged openly - for example, the presence of a particular group among the Christians which did not have the kind of prejudice the Jews were known for, and the statement about the Christians who had responded heartily to the call of truth and for which they were considered worthy of the best of praise and reward. This particular group was that of the Christians of Ethiopia who did nothing which could cause problems for Muslims who had migrated to Ethiopia from their home in Makkah, before the Hijrah to Madinah. Any Christian, other than them, who is like them, shall also be legally counted as one of them. As for those who had accepted the truth, they are the King of Ethiopia, Najashi (Negus) and his courtiers who wept on hearing the Qur'an in their own country and embraced Islam. After that, a deputation of thirty men from there came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who recited the Qur'an to them which they heard in tears and took their Shahadah as Muslims. This is the Cause or Back-ground of the revelation of this verse.
Commentary
Some Votaries of the Truth among the People of the Book
Mentioned in these verses are those among the people of the Book who, had no feelings of malice or enmity for Muslims because of their godliness and tilt towards truth. But, people of such quality - like Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam - were very rare, rather almost nonexistent among the Jews. Speaking comparatively, there were more such people among the Christians. Specially so, during the blessed period of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، there was a large number of such people in Ethiopia which included King Najashi and his civil servants. For this reason, when the Muslims of Makkah al-Mukarramah were fed up with being continually oppressed by the Quraysh, the Holy Prophet ﷺ advised them to migrate to Ethiopia saying that he had heard that the King of Ethiopia himself was no oppressor of people, nor did he allow anyone to oppress others, therefore, Muslims should go there for some time.
Following this advice, the first group of eleven persons started their journey towards Ethiopia. Included in the group were Sayyidna ` Uthman ibn ` Affan and Sayyidah Ruqaiyyah, his respected wife and the daughter of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . After that, a large caravan of Muslims comprising of eighty two men in addition to women, led by Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib ؓ reached Ethiopia. Received there nicely and gently by the King and his people, they started living there in peace.
But, the wrath of the Quraysh of Makkah knew no bounds. They could not bear by the idea that Muslims persecuted by them could live in peace in some other country. This they did not wish to allow. They sent a deputation of their men, with gifts as customary, to the King of Ethiopia with the request that he should expel Muslims from his country. But, the King of Ethiopia decided to first investigate into the matter. He talked to Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and his companions about Islam and its Prophet. When he heard about the life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the teachings of Islam, he found these true to the prophecy of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and Injil which contained the glad tidings of the coming of the Last of the Prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ a brief outline of his teachings, and his physical features as well as those of his Companions (for ready identification). Impressed with and convinced by what he found out, he returned the gifts brought by the Quraysh deputation telling them plainly that he could never order such people to leave his country.
The Effect of Sayyidna Ja` far's Presentation on Najashi
Sayyidna Ja'far ؓ had succeeded in presenting a brief but very comprehensive portrayal of Islam and its teachings in the court of Najashi, the King of Ethiopia. Then, there was their very stay (as Muslim role models) in Ethiopia which had generated not only in his heart but in the hearts of his officials and common people genuine feelings for Islam and its Prophet. Consequently, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah al-Tayyibah and the news that they were comfortable and at peace there reached Ethiopia the immigrating guests of the country decided to go to Madinah. Then, Najashi, the King of Ethiopia sent with them a deputation of leading scholars and missionaries from among his co-religionists to present his compliments before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This group was comprised of seventy persons, out of which, there were sixty from Ethiopia itself, and eight from Syria.
The Visit of Ethiopian Delegation
Attired in the coarse robes of monks, this deputation presented itself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He recited Surah Yasin before them. As they heard it, tears kept flowing from their eyes. They all said how similar that was to what was revealed to Sayyidna 'Isa (علیہ السلام) . All of them embraced Islam.
After their return to Ethiopia, King Najashi also embraced Islam. He sent his son as the leader of another deputation to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، with a letter from him. Unfortunately, the boat carrying them was drowned in the sea. In short, the King of Ethiopia, its officials and citizens did not only treat Islam and Muslims gently, fairly and justly, but they themselves embraced Islam finally.
According to the majority of commentators, the verses cited above were revealed about these blessed souls:
And you will certainly find that the closest of them in friend-ship with the believers are those who say, "We are Christians."
And about the verses which follow, and in which their weeping in fear of Allah and their acceptance of the truth has been described, the majority of commentators also agree that - though these verses have been revealed about Najashi and the deputation sent by him - yet, its words are general. Therefore, its legal force covers and includes all such Christians who are devoted to truth and justice similar to the people of Ethiopia. That is, they were followers of the Injil before Is-lam, and after the coming of Islam, they became followers of Islam.
Though, there were some people of this class even among Jews who adhered to the Torah since the period of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) ، but when came Islam, they entered the fold of Islam. However, the number of such people was so small that it cannot be considered significant in the context of communities and nations. As for the rest of the Jews, they were the foremost in their hostility towards Muslims. Therefore, their attitude was identified at the very beginning of the verse by saying:
You will certainly find that the most hostile people against the believers are the Jews ...
Limits of Interpretation
To recapitulate, it can be said that a particular group of the Christians has been praised in this verse, a group which was God-fearing and upright in matters of truth. It includes King Najashi, his officials and citizens - as well as other Christians who had these qualities, or would have in times to come. But, it does not mean - neither based on what the text says, nor could it possibly be - that the Christians have to be taken as friends of Muslims, no matter how astray they go and how aggressive in their anti Islam hostility they become, and yet Muslims will have to extend their hand of friendship towards them. This interpretation, as obvious, is false and is absolutely against facts. Therefore, Imam Abu Bakr Al-Jassas (رح) has said in his Ahkam al-Qur'an: that the thinking of some people who take the praise of Christians in this verse in an absolute sense and consider them better than the Jews, again in an absolute sense, is open ignorance - because a comparison of the religious beliefs of the two groups will show that the Christians are more pronounced in being Mushriks (as ascribers of partners in the divinity of Allah); and as for their dealings with Muslims are concerned, common modern-day Christians have not been any less than Jews in their anti-Islam activities. However, it is correct that there have been a good many God-fearing and truth-loving. people among them. That is why they had the Taufiq to accept Islam and be-come Muslims. It must be kept in mind that these verses were revealed to show this particular difference between the two groups. The Qur'an has itself pointed out to this fact at the end of this very verse (82) in the following words: ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ "That is because among them there are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant (which could make them unwilling to listen and think)." Comparison makes it clear that this was not the condition of Jews. They were not God-fearing and truth-loving. Their scholars and rabbis were far removed from renouncing the material pleasures of mortal life for the sake of knowledge and religion, instead of which, they had harnessed their knowledge and learning as a source of accumulating material benefits. This lust for the mundane had gripped them to the extent that they did not care to make a distinction between the true and the false or the lawful and the unlawful.
Those who side with Truth are the moving
spirit of a community
The statement given in the verse also tells us something crucial about the life of a community or nation (of true believers) - , that its `.Ulama' and Mashaikh are its real movers and makers, the very spirit of the system. Until such time that there are present in the society (genuine) ` Ulama' and Mashaikh, who would not follow their worldly desires (in matters of Din and public good of Believers) motivated by nothing but the fear of Allah and answerability before Him, then, the community or nation in which they are shall never be deprived of real good and real blessing.
What excuse do we have if we do not believe in Allah and in the truth that has come to us, while we hope that our Lord will admit us to the company of the righteous people?”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Mentioned earlier was the friendliness of Jews with disbelievers. Mentioned now is their hostility towards Muslims in tandem with the disbelievers - which was the real cause of that friendship (the enemy of my enemy is my friend! ). And since the Qur'an upholds justice universally, it has not counted everyone even among Jews and Christians as being in the same lot. Whoever among them had some good quality, that was acknowledged openly - for example, the presence of a particular group among the Christians which did not have the kind of prejudice the Jews were known for, and the statement about the Christians who had responded heartily to the call of truth and for which they were considered worthy of the best of praise and reward. This particular group was that of the Christians of Ethiopia who did nothing which could cause problems for Muslims who had migrated to Ethiopia from their home in Makkah, before the Hijrah to Madinah. Any Christian, other than them, who is like them, shall also be legally counted as one of them. As for those who had accepted the truth, they are the King of Ethiopia, Najashi (Negus) and his courtiers who wept on hearing the Qur'an in their own country and embraced Islam. After that, a deputation of thirty men from there came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who recited the Qur'an to them which they heard in tears and took their Shahadah as Muslims. This is the Cause or Back-ground of the revelation of this verse.
Commentary
Some Votaries of the Truth among the People of the Book
Mentioned in these verses are those among the people of the Book who, had no feelings of malice or enmity for Muslims because of their godliness and tilt towards truth. But, people of such quality - like Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam - were very rare, rather almost nonexistent among the Jews. Speaking comparatively, there were more such people among the Christians. Specially so, during the blessed period of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، there was a large number of such people in Ethiopia which included King Najashi and his civil servants. For this reason, when the Muslims of Makkah al-Mukarramah were fed up with being continually oppressed by the Quraysh, the Holy Prophet ﷺ advised them to migrate to Ethiopia saying that he had heard that the King of Ethiopia himself was no oppressor of people, nor did he allow anyone to oppress others, therefore, Muslims should go there for some time.
Following this advice, the first group of eleven persons started their journey towards Ethiopia. Included in the group were Sayyidna ` Uthman ibn ` Affan and Sayyidah Ruqaiyyah, his respected wife and the daughter of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . After that, a large caravan of Muslims comprising of eighty two men in addition to women, led by Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib ؓ reached Ethiopia. Received there nicely and gently by the King and his people, they started living there in peace.
But, the wrath of the Quraysh of Makkah knew no bounds. They could not bear by the idea that Muslims persecuted by them could live in peace in some other country. This they did not wish to allow. They sent a deputation of their men, with gifts as customary, to the King of Ethiopia with the request that he should expel Muslims from his country. But, the King of Ethiopia decided to first investigate into the matter. He talked to Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and his companions about Islam and its Prophet. When he heard about the life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the teachings of Islam, he found these true to the prophecy of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and Injil which contained the glad tidings of the coming of the Last of the Prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ a brief outline of his teachings, and his physical features as well as those of his Companions (for ready identification). Impressed with and convinced by what he found out, he returned the gifts brought by the Quraysh deputation telling them plainly that he could never order such people to leave his country.
The Effect of Sayyidna Ja` far's Presentation on Najashi
Sayyidna Ja'far ؓ had succeeded in presenting a brief but very comprehensive portrayal of Islam and its teachings in the court of Najashi, the King of Ethiopia. Then, there was their very stay (as Muslim role models) in Ethiopia which had generated not only in his heart but in the hearts of his officials and common people genuine feelings for Islam and its Prophet. Consequently, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah al-Tayyibah and the news that they were comfortable and at peace there reached Ethiopia the immigrating guests of the country decided to go to Madinah. Then, Najashi, the King of Ethiopia sent with them a deputation of leading scholars and missionaries from among his co-religionists to present his compliments before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This group was comprised of seventy persons, out of which, there were sixty from Ethiopia itself, and eight from Syria.
The Visit of Ethiopian Delegation
Attired in the coarse robes of monks, this deputation presented itself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He recited Surah Yasin before them. As they heard it, tears kept flowing from their eyes. They all said how similar that was to what was revealed to Sayyidna 'Isa (علیہ السلام) . All of them embraced Islam.
After their return to Ethiopia, King Najashi also embraced Islam. He sent his son as the leader of another deputation to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، with a letter from him. Unfortunately, the boat carrying them was drowned in the sea. In short, the King of Ethiopia, its officials and citizens did not only treat Islam and Muslims gently, fairly and justly, but they themselves embraced Islam finally.
According to the majority of commentators, the verses cited above were revealed about these blessed souls:
And you will certainly find that the closest of them in friend-ship with the believers are those who say, "We are Christians."
And about the verses which follow, and in which their weeping in fear of Allah and their acceptance of the truth has been described, the majority of commentators also agree that - though these verses have been revealed about Najashi and the deputation sent by him - yet, its words are general. Therefore, its legal force covers and includes all such Christians who are devoted to truth and justice similar to the people of Ethiopia. That is, they were followers of the Injil before Is-lam, and after the coming of Islam, they became followers of Islam.
Though, there were some people of this class even among Jews who adhered to the Torah since the period of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) ، but when came Islam, they entered the fold of Islam. However, the number of such people was so small that it cannot be considered significant in the context of communities and nations. As for the rest of the Jews, they were the foremost in their hostility towards Muslims. Therefore, their attitude was identified at the very beginning of the verse by saying:
You will certainly find that the most hostile people against the believers are the Jews ...
Limits of Interpretation
To recapitulate, it can be said that a particular group of the Christians has been praised in this verse, a group which was God-fearing and upright in matters of truth. It includes King Najashi, his officials and citizens - as well as other Christians who had these qualities, or would have in times to come. But, it does not mean - neither based on what the text says, nor could it possibly be - that the Christians have to be taken as friends of Muslims, no matter how astray they go and how aggressive in their anti Islam hostility they become, and yet Muslims will have to extend their hand of friendship towards them. This interpretation, as obvious, is false and is absolutely against facts. Therefore, Imam Abu Bakr Al-Jassas (رح) has said in his Ahkam al-Qur'an: that the thinking of some people who take the praise of Christians in this verse in an absolute sense and consider them better than the Jews, again in an absolute sense, is open ignorance - because a comparison of the religious beliefs of the two groups will show that the Christians are more pronounced in being Mushriks (as ascribers of partners in the divinity of Allah); and as for their dealings with Muslims are concerned, common modern-day Christians have not been any less than Jews in their anti-Islam activities. However, it is correct that there have been a good many God-fearing and truth-loving. people among them. That is why they had the Taufiq to accept Islam and be-come Muslims. It must be kept in mind that these verses were revealed to show this particular difference between the two groups. The Qur'an has itself pointed out to this fact at the end of this very verse (82) in the following words: ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ "That is because among them there are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant (which could make them unwilling to listen and think)." Comparison makes it clear that this was not the condition of Jews. They were not God-fearing and truth-loving. Their scholars and rabbis were far removed from renouncing the material pleasures of mortal life for the sake of knowledge and religion, instead of which, they had harnessed their knowledge and learning as a source of accumulating material benefits. This lust for the mundane had gripped them to the extent that they did not care to make a distinction between the true and the false or the lawful and the unlawful.
Those who side with Truth are the moving
spirit of a community
The statement given in the verse also tells us something crucial about the life of a community or nation (of true believers) - , that its `.Ulama' and Mashaikh are its real movers and makers, the very spirit of the system. Until such time that there are present in the society (genuine) ` Ulama' and Mashaikh, who would not follow their worldly desires (in matters of Din and public good of Believers) motivated by nothing but the fear of Allah and answerability before Him, then, the community or nation in which they are shall never be deprived of real good and real blessing.
So, because of what they said, Allah has awarded them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will live forever. That is the reward of those who are good in their deeds.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Mentioned earlier was the friendliness of Jews with disbelievers. Mentioned now is their hostility towards Muslims in tandem with the disbelievers - which was the real cause of that friendship (the enemy of my enemy is my friend! ). And since the Qur'an upholds justice universally, it has not counted everyone even among Jews and Christians as being in the same lot. Whoever among them had some good quality, that was acknowledged openly - for example, the presence of a particular group among the Christians which did not have the kind of prejudice the Jews were known for, and the statement about the Christians who had responded heartily to the call of truth and for which they were considered worthy of the best of praise and reward. This particular group was that of the Christians of Ethiopia who did nothing which could cause problems for Muslims who had migrated to Ethiopia from their home in Makkah, before the Hijrah to Madinah. Any Christian, other than them, who is like them, shall also be legally counted as one of them. As for those who had accepted the truth, they are the King of Ethiopia, Najashi (Negus) and his courtiers who wept on hearing the Qur'an in their own country and embraced Islam. After that, a deputation of thirty men from there came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who recited the Qur'an to them which they heard in tears and took their Shahadah as Muslims. This is the Cause or Back-ground of the revelation of this verse.
Commentary
Some Votaries of the Truth among the People of the Book
Mentioned in these verses are those among the people of the Book who, had no feelings of malice or enmity for Muslims because of their godliness and tilt towards truth. But, people of such quality - like Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam - were very rare, rather almost nonexistent among the Jews. Speaking comparatively, there were more such people among the Christians. Specially so, during the blessed period of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، there was a large number of such people in Ethiopia which included King Najashi and his civil servants. For this reason, when the Muslims of Makkah al-Mukarramah were fed up with being continually oppressed by the Quraysh, the Holy Prophet ﷺ advised them to migrate to Ethiopia saying that he had heard that the King of Ethiopia himself was no oppressor of people, nor did he allow anyone to oppress others, therefore, Muslims should go there for some time.
Following this advice, the first group of eleven persons started their journey towards Ethiopia. Included in the group were Sayyidna ` Uthman ibn ` Affan and Sayyidah Ruqaiyyah, his respected wife and the daughter of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . After that, a large caravan of Muslims comprising of eighty two men in addition to women, led by Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib ؓ reached Ethiopia. Received there nicely and gently by the King and his people, they started living there in peace.
But, the wrath of the Quraysh of Makkah knew no bounds. They could not bear by the idea that Muslims persecuted by them could live in peace in some other country. This they did not wish to allow. They sent a deputation of their men, with gifts as customary, to the King of Ethiopia with the request that he should expel Muslims from his country. But, the King of Ethiopia decided to first investigate into the matter. He talked to Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and his companions about Islam and its Prophet. When he heard about the life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the teachings of Islam, he found these true to the prophecy of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and Injil which contained the glad tidings of the coming of the Last of the Prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ a brief outline of his teachings, and his physical features as well as those of his Companions (for ready identification). Impressed with and convinced by what he found out, he returned the gifts brought by the Quraysh deputation telling them plainly that he could never order such people to leave his country.
The Effect of Sayyidna Ja` far's Presentation on Najashi
Sayyidna Ja'far ؓ had succeeded in presenting a brief but very comprehensive portrayal of Islam and its teachings in the court of Najashi, the King of Ethiopia. Then, there was their very stay (as Muslim role models) in Ethiopia which had generated not only in his heart but in the hearts of his officials and common people genuine feelings for Islam and its Prophet. Consequently, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah al-Tayyibah and the news that they were comfortable and at peace there reached Ethiopia the immigrating guests of the country decided to go to Madinah. Then, Najashi, the King of Ethiopia sent with them a deputation of leading scholars and missionaries from among his co-religionists to present his compliments before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This group was comprised of seventy persons, out of which, there were sixty from Ethiopia itself, and eight from Syria.
The Visit of Ethiopian Delegation
Attired in the coarse robes of monks, this deputation presented itself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He recited Surah Yasin before them. As they heard it, tears kept flowing from their eyes. They all said how similar that was to what was revealed to Sayyidna 'Isa (علیہ السلام) . All of them embraced Islam.
After their return to Ethiopia, King Najashi also embraced Islam. He sent his son as the leader of another deputation to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، with a letter from him. Unfortunately, the boat carrying them was drowned in the sea. In short, the King of Ethiopia, its officials and citizens did not only treat Islam and Muslims gently, fairly and justly, but they themselves embraced Islam finally.
According to the majority of commentators, the verses cited above were revealed about these blessed souls:
And you will certainly find that the closest of them in friend-ship with the believers are those who say, "We are Christians."
And about the verses which follow, and in which their weeping in fear of Allah and their acceptance of the truth has been described, the majority of commentators also agree that - though these verses have been revealed about Najashi and the deputation sent by him - yet, its words are general. Therefore, its legal force covers and includes all such Christians who are devoted to truth and justice similar to the people of Ethiopia. That is, they were followers of the Injil before Is-lam, and after the coming of Islam, they became followers of Islam.
Though, there were some people of this class even among Jews who adhered to the Torah since the period of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) ، but when came Islam, they entered the fold of Islam. However, the number of such people was so small that it cannot be considered significant in the context of communities and nations. As for the rest of the Jews, they were the foremost in their hostility towards Muslims. Therefore, their attitude was identified at the very beginning of the verse by saying:
You will certainly find that the most hostile people against the believers are the Jews ...
Limits of Interpretation
To recapitulate, it can be said that a particular group of the Christians has been praised in this verse, a group which was God-fearing and upright in matters of truth. It includes King Najashi, his officials and citizens - as well as other Christians who had these qualities, or would have in times to come. But, it does not mean - neither based on what the text says, nor could it possibly be - that the Christians have to be taken as friends of Muslims, no matter how astray they go and how aggressive in their anti Islam hostility they become, and yet Muslims will have to extend their hand of friendship towards them. This interpretation, as obvious, is false and is absolutely against facts. Therefore, Imam Abu Bakr Al-Jassas (رح) has said in his Ahkam al-Qur'an: that the thinking of some people who take the praise of Christians in this verse in an absolute sense and consider them better than the Jews, again in an absolute sense, is open ignorance - because a comparison of the religious beliefs of the two groups will show that the Christians are more pronounced in being Mushriks (as ascribers of partners in the divinity of Allah); and as for their dealings with Muslims are concerned, common modern-day Christians have not been any less than Jews in their anti-Islam activities. However, it is correct that there have been a good many God-fearing and truth-loving. people among them. That is why they had the Taufiq to accept Islam and be-come Muslims. It must be kept in mind that these verses were revealed to show this particular difference between the two groups. The Qur'an has itself pointed out to this fact at the end of this very verse (82) in the following words: ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ "That is because among them there are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant (which could make them unwilling to listen and think)." Comparison makes it clear that this was not the condition of Jews. They were not God-fearing and truth-loving. Their scholars and rabbis were far removed from renouncing the material pleasures of mortal life for the sake of knowledge and religion, instead of which, they had harnessed their knowledge and learning as a source of accumulating material benefits. This lust for the mundane had gripped them to the extent that they did not care to make a distinction between the true and the false or the lawful and the unlawful.
Those who side with Truth are the moving
spirit of a community
The statement given in the verse also tells us something crucial about the life of a community or nation (of true believers) - , that its `.Ulama' and Mashaikh are its real movers and makers, the very spirit of the system. Until such time that there are present in the society (genuine) ` Ulama' and Mashaikh, who would not follow their worldly desires (in matters of Din and public good of Believers) motivated by nothing but the fear of Allah and answerability before Him, then, the community or nation in which they are shall never be deprived of real good and real blessing.
But those who disbelieved and denied Our signs, they are the people of the Fire.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Mentioned earlier was the friendliness of Jews with disbelievers. Mentioned now is their hostility towards Muslims in tandem with the disbelievers - which was the real cause of that friendship (the enemy of my enemy is my friend! ). And since the Qur'an upholds justice universally, it has not counted everyone even among Jews and Christians as being in the same lot. Whoever among them had some good quality, that was acknowledged openly - for example, the presence of a particular group among the Christians which did not have the kind of prejudice the Jews were known for, and the statement about the Christians who had responded heartily to the call of truth and for which they were considered worthy of the best of praise and reward. This particular group was that of the Christians of Ethiopia who did nothing which could cause problems for Muslims who had migrated to Ethiopia from their home in Makkah, before the Hijrah to Madinah. Any Christian, other than them, who is like them, shall also be legally counted as one of them. As for those who had accepted the truth, they are the King of Ethiopia, Najashi (Negus) and his courtiers who wept on hearing the Qur'an in their own country and embraced Islam. After that, a deputation of thirty men from there came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who recited the Qur'an to them which they heard in tears and took their Shahadah as Muslims. This is the Cause or Back-ground of the revelation of this verse.
Commentary
Some Votaries of the Truth among the People of the Book
Mentioned in these verses are those among the people of the Book who, had no feelings of malice or enmity for Muslims because of their godliness and tilt towards truth. But, people of such quality - like Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam - were very rare, rather almost nonexistent among the Jews. Speaking comparatively, there were more such people among the Christians. Specially so, during the blessed period of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، there was a large number of such people in Ethiopia which included King Najashi and his civil servants. For this reason, when the Muslims of Makkah al-Mukarramah were fed up with being continually oppressed by the Quraysh, the Holy Prophet ﷺ advised them to migrate to Ethiopia saying that he had heard that the King of Ethiopia himself was no oppressor of people, nor did he allow anyone to oppress others, therefore, Muslims should go there for some time.
Following this advice, the first group of eleven persons started their journey towards Ethiopia. Included in the group were Sayyidna ` Uthman ibn ` Affan and Sayyidah Ruqaiyyah, his respected wife and the daughter of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . After that, a large caravan of Muslims comprising of eighty two men in addition to women, led by Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib ؓ reached Ethiopia. Received there nicely and gently by the King and his people, they started living there in peace.
But, the wrath of the Quraysh of Makkah knew no bounds. They could not bear by the idea that Muslims persecuted by them could live in peace in some other country. This they did not wish to allow. They sent a deputation of their men, with gifts as customary, to the King of Ethiopia with the request that he should expel Muslims from his country. But, the King of Ethiopia decided to first investigate into the matter. He talked to Sayyidna Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and his companions about Islam and its Prophet. When he heard about the life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the teachings of Islam, he found these true to the prophecy of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and Injil which contained the glad tidings of the coming of the Last of the Prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ a brief outline of his teachings, and his physical features as well as those of his Companions (for ready identification). Impressed with and convinced by what he found out, he returned the gifts brought by the Quraysh deputation telling them plainly that he could never order such people to leave his country.
The Effect of Sayyidna Ja` far's Presentation on Najashi
Sayyidna Ja'far ؓ had succeeded in presenting a brief but very comprehensive portrayal of Islam and its teachings in the court of Najashi, the King of Ethiopia. Then, there was their very stay (as Muslim role models) in Ethiopia which had generated not only in his heart but in the hearts of his officials and common people genuine feelings for Islam and its Prophet. Consequently, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ migrated to Madinah al-Tayyibah and the news that they were comfortable and at peace there reached Ethiopia the immigrating guests of the country decided to go to Madinah. Then, Najashi, the King of Ethiopia sent with them a deputation of leading scholars and missionaries from among his co-religionists to present his compliments before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This group was comprised of seventy persons, out of which, there were sixty from Ethiopia itself, and eight from Syria.
The Visit of Ethiopian Delegation
Attired in the coarse robes of monks, this deputation presented itself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He recited Surah Yasin before them. As they heard it, tears kept flowing from their eyes. They all said how similar that was to what was revealed to Sayyidna 'Isa (علیہ السلام) . All of them embraced Islam.
After their return to Ethiopia, King Najashi also embraced Islam. He sent his son as the leader of another deputation to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، with a letter from him. Unfortunately, the boat carrying them was drowned in the sea. In short, the King of Ethiopia, its officials and citizens did not only treat Islam and Muslims gently, fairly and justly, but they themselves embraced Islam finally.
According to the majority of commentators, the verses cited above were revealed about these blessed souls:
And you will certainly find that the closest of them in friend-ship with the believers are those who say, "We are Christians."
And about the verses which follow, and in which their weeping in fear of Allah and their acceptance of the truth has been described, the majority of commentators also agree that - though these verses have been revealed about Najashi and the deputation sent by him - yet, its words are general. Therefore, its legal force covers and includes all such Christians who are devoted to truth and justice similar to the people of Ethiopia. That is, they were followers of the Injil before Is-lam, and after the coming of Islam, they became followers of Islam.
Though, there were some people of this class even among Jews who adhered to the Torah since the period of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) ، but when came Islam, they entered the fold of Islam. However, the number of such people was so small that it cannot be considered significant in the context of communities and nations. As for the rest of the Jews, they were the foremost in their hostility towards Muslims. Therefore, their attitude was identified at the very beginning of the verse by saying:
You will certainly find that the most hostile people against the believers are the Jews ...
Limits of Interpretation
To recapitulate, it can be said that a particular group of the Christians has been praised in this verse, a group which was God-fearing and upright in matters of truth. It includes King Najashi, his officials and citizens - as well as other Christians who had these qualities, or would have in times to come. But, it does not mean - neither based on what the text says, nor could it possibly be - that the Christians have to be taken as friends of Muslims, no matter how astray they go and how aggressive in their anti Islam hostility they become, and yet Muslims will have to extend their hand of friendship towards them. This interpretation, as obvious, is false and is absolutely against facts. Therefore, Imam Abu Bakr Al-Jassas (رح) has said in his Ahkam al-Qur'an: that the thinking of some people who take the praise of Christians in this verse in an absolute sense and consider them better than the Jews, again in an absolute sense, is open ignorance - because a comparison of the religious beliefs of the two groups will show that the Christians are more pronounced in being Mushriks (as ascribers of partners in the divinity of Allah); and as for their dealings with Muslims are concerned, common modern-day Christians have not been any less than Jews in their anti-Islam activities. However, it is correct that there have been a good many God-fearing and truth-loving. people among them. That is why they had the Taufiq to accept Islam and be-come Muslims. It must be kept in mind that these verses were revealed to show this particular difference between the two groups. The Qur'an has itself pointed out to this fact at the end of this very verse (82) in the following words: ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ "That is because among them there are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant (which could make them unwilling to listen and think)." Comparison makes it clear that this was not the condition of Jews. They were not God-fearing and truth-loving. Their scholars and rabbis were far removed from renouncing the material pleasures of mortal life for the sake of knowledge and religion, instead of which, they had harnessed their knowledge and learning as a source of accumulating material benefits. This lust for the mundane had gripped them to the extent that they did not care to make a distinction between the true and the false or the lawful and the unlawful.
Those who side with Truth are the moving
spirit of a community
The statement given in the verse also tells us something crucial about the life of a community or nation (of true believers) - , that its `.Ulama' and Mashaikh are its real movers and makers, the very spirit of the system. Until such time that there are present in the society (genuine) ` Ulama' and Mashaikh, who would not follow their worldly desires (in matters of Din and public good of Believers) motivated by nothing but the fear of Allah and answerability before Him, then, the community or nation in which they are shall never be deprived of real good and real blessing.
O you who believe, do not hold as unlawful the good things that Allah has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Verily, Allah does not like the transgressors.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Upto this point, the subject revolved around the people of the Book. Onwards, there is a return to subsidiary injunctions some of which were taken up early in the Sarah, and some others also in between. Also reported is a particular link as relevant to -the occasion - that monasticism has been mentioned in a complimentary sense a little earlier (82), though it is there in terms of a particular feature in it, which is the abandonment of worldly desires. But, since there was a probability that someone may take the whole concept of monasticism as praiseworthy, it was considered appropriate at this point that the making unlawful of what Allah has made lawful be forbidden. (As abridged from Bayan a1-Qur'an by Mau1na Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi)
Commentary
Leaving the worldly pleasures, when permissible
The verses appearing above tell us that the renunciation of worldly life and the abstinence from appetites and passions is favourable within a certain limit, but any transgression of the Divinely-ordained limits in this matter too shall be blameworthy حَرَام and haram (unlawful, for-bidden). Details are being given below.
How Halal is turned into حَرَام haram : The Three Forms
There are three forms in which something made Halal (lawful and good) by Allah could be declared as حَرَام haram (unlawful and evil): (1) BELIEFWISE, that is, something is taken to be حَرَام haram by believing it to be so. (2) VERBALLY, that is, something is taken to be حَرَام haram for oneself by saying so - for instance, someone swears that he will not drink cold water, or would not eat such and such Halal food, or would not do something which is permissible. (3) PRACTICALLY, that is, someone who neither believes nor says anything, yet decides in practice that he or she would abandon something Halal forever.
1. Under the first situation, if that thing being Halal stands confirmed by absolute proofs, then, the person who takes it to be حَرَام haram shall become a disbeliever (kafir) because of that open contravention of the Divinely-ordained law.
2. And under the second situation, if someone has made something حَرَام haram for oneself by declaring it with words of oath, the oath will become effective. There are many words of oath details of which appear in Fiqh books - for example, someone clearly says: ` I swear by Allah, I will never eat that' or ` by Allah, I will not do that' or one might say, ` I make taking this or doing that حَرَام haram for me.' The rule which governs such actions is that taking such oaths unnecessarily is a sin. If taken, one must break the oath and make amends by paying the Kaffarah (expiation) of that oath, the detail about which will appear later.
3. The third will be a situation in which no Halal has been made حَرَام haram either by belief or word of mouth, but practically what one does is similar to what is done with something حَرَام haram, that is, takes it as obligatory to abandon it forever. The rule in this case is: If one takes the abandonment of the Halal to be an act of Thawab (merit, reward), then, it is Bid'ah (innovation in established religion) and Rahbaniyah (monasticism) - which is a grave sin as categorically laid down (Mansus) in the Qur'an and Sunnah; and acting against it is Wajib (necessary as an obligation); and adhering to such a restriction is an act of sin. Of course, if such a restriction is not there with the intention of Thawab, instead, it is there for some other reason, such as, some physical or spiritual sickness because of which one abandons something permanently, then, there will be no sin in doing so. Reports about some noble Sufis and other pious elders that they had abandoned some Halal things are all included under this third kind as they had found them to be harmful for their desiring self, or were advised by a pious elder to abstain from it as harmful in their case which they abandoned as a treatment and remedy. If so, it does not matter.
The Correct Attitude towards Halal Things
At the end of the first verse (87), it was said: وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ that is, ` and do not transgress the limits set by Allah because Allah does not like such transgressors.' Here, transgressing means that one abandons something Halal, without any valid excuse, as an act of Thawab. This is something an ignorant person takes to be Taqwa, fear of Allah, while, in the sight of Allah, that is transgression, which is impermissible. Therefore, it was said in the next verse (88): وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ الَّذِي أَنتُم بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ that is, `(eat from the good and pure sustenance Allah has blessed you with) and keep fearing Allah whose believers you are.' Stated clearly in this verse is that leaving off good and pure things as a source of Thawab (reward) is no Taqwa. Rather, quite contrary to that, Taqwa lies in using them as the blessings of Allah and showing one's gratitude for them. However, if something is abandoned as a curative measure against a physical or spiritual disease, that does not count here.
Eat from what Allah has provided you as good and lawful, and fear Allah in whom you believe.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Upto this point, the subject revolved around the people of the Book. Onwards, there is a return to subsidiary injunctions some of which were taken up early in the Sarah, and some others also in between. Also reported is a particular link as relevant to -the occasion - that monasticism has been mentioned in a complimentary sense a little earlier (82), though it is there in terms of a particular feature in it, which is the abandonment of worldly desires. But, since there was a probability that someone may take the whole concept of monasticism as praiseworthy, it was considered appropriate at this point that the making unlawful of what Allah has made lawful be forbidden. (As abridged from Bayan a1-Qur'an by Mau1na Ashraf ` Ali Thanavi)
Commentary
Leaving the worldly pleasures, when permissible
The verses appearing above tell us that the renunciation of worldly life and the abstinence from appetites and passions is favourable within a certain limit, but any transgression of the Divinely-ordained limits in this matter too shall be blameworthy حَرَام and haram (unlawful, for-bidden). Details are being given below.
How Halal is turned into حَرَام haram : The Three Forms
There are three forms in which something made Halal (lawful and good) by Allah could be declared as حَرَام haram (unlawful and evil): (1) BELIEFWISE, that is, something is taken to be حَرَام haram by believing it to be so. (2) VERBALLY, that is, something is taken to be حَرَام haram for oneself by saying so - for instance, someone swears that he will not drink cold water, or would not eat such and such Halal food, or would not do something which is permissible. (3) PRACTICALLY, that is, someone who neither believes nor says anything, yet decides in practice that he or she would abandon something Halal forever.
1. Under the first situation, if that thing being Halal stands confirmed by absolute proofs, then, the person who takes it to be حَرَام haram shall become a disbeliever (kafir) because of that open contravention of the Divinely-ordained law.
2. And under the second situation, if someone has made something حَرَام haram for oneself by declaring it with words of oath, the oath will become effective. There are many words of oath details of which appear in Fiqh books - for example, someone clearly says: ` I swear by Allah, I will never eat that' or ` by Allah, I will not do that' or one might say, ` I make taking this or doing that حَرَام haram for me.' The rule which governs such actions is that taking such oaths unnecessarily is a sin. If taken, one must break the oath and make amends by paying the Kaffarah (expiation) of that oath, the detail about which will appear later.
3. The third will be a situation in which no Halal has been made حَرَام haram either by belief or word of mouth, but practically what one does is similar to what is done with something حَرَام haram, that is, takes it as obligatory to abandon it forever. The rule in this case is: If one takes the abandonment of the Halal to be an act of Thawab (merit, reward), then, it is Bid'ah (innovation in established religion) and Rahbaniyah (monasticism) - which is a grave sin as categorically laid down (Mansus) in the Qur'an and Sunnah; and acting against it is Wajib (necessary as an obligation); and adhering to such a restriction is an act of sin. Of course, if such a restriction is not there with the intention of Thawab, instead, it is there for some other reason, such as, some physical or spiritual sickness because of which one abandons something permanently, then, there will be no sin in doing so. Reports about some noble Sufis and other pious elders that they had abandoned some Halal things are all included under this third kind as they had found them to be harmful for their desiring self, or were advised by a pious elder to abstain from it as harmful in their case which they abandoned as a treatment and remedy. If so, it does not matter.
The Correct Attitude towards Halal Things
At the end of the first verse (87), it was said: وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ that is, ` and do not transgress the limits set by Allah because Allah does not like such transgressors.' Here, transgressing means that one abandons something Halal, without any valid excuse, as an act of Thawab. This is something an ignorant person takes to be Taqwa, fear of Allah, while, in the sight of Allah, that is transgression, which is impermissible. Therefore, it was said in the next verse (88): وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ الَّذِي أَنتُم بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ that is, `(eat from the good and pure sustenance Allah has blessed you with) and keep fearing Allah whose believers you are.' Stated clearly in this verse is that leaving off good and pure things as a source of Thawab (reward) is no Taqwa. Rather, quite contrary to that, Taqwa lies in using them as the blessings of Allah and showing one's gratitude for them. However, if something is abandoned as a curative measure against a physical or spiritual disease, that does not count here.
Allah does not hold you accountable for your laghw (ineffectual) oaths, but He does hold you accountable for the oath with which you have bound yourself. Its expiation is to feed ten poor persons at an average of what you feed your family with, or to clothe them, or to free a slave. However, if someone cannot afford, he has to fast for three days. That is expiation for the oaths that you have sworn. Take care of your oaths. That is how Allah makes His signs clear to you, so that you may be grateful.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Mentioned earlier was the taking of Halal things as unlawful. Since statements to this effect are sometimes sworn, therefore, the in-junction about taking of oaths follows in the present verse.
Commentary
Three Forms of Oaths and their Injunctions
1. Some forms in which oaths are taken have been described in this verse. Some have appeared in Surah al-Baqarah as well (Ma` ariful-Qur’ ا an, Volume I, Verse 2:225, pages 562-563). The gist of all these is that false swearing about a past event knowingly is, in the terminology of Muslim jurists, Yamin Ghamus (disastrous oath) - for instance, if a person has done something, and he knows that he has done it, and then he knowingly swears that he has not done it. This is false swearing, a grave major sin the curse of which falls in the present life and in the life-to-come. But, there is no Kaffarah (expiation) necessary for it. Taubah (repentance) and Istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah) are, however, necessary. That is the reason why the Muslim jurists call it the disastrous oath. Ghamus literally means that which drowns. This kind of oath drowns man into sin and its curse, a disaster for one's present and future life.
2. The second form is that someone declares on oath that a past event was true, as based on his knowledge, while it was actually false - for example, he learnt from someone that a certain person has come and trusting him, he declared on oath that the person has come, then, he came to know that this was contrary to what had actually happened. This is called Yamin Laghw لَغو (ineffectual oath), that which is not counted. Similarly, if a word denoting oath, such as ` by' or ` I swear,' comes to be said unintentionally, that too is known to be what is ` ineffectual oath.' It brings neither Kaffarah (expiation) nor sin.
3. The third form of oath is that one declares on oath that he would or would not do something in the future. This is known as al-Yamin al-Mun'aqidah (Binding oath). The rule which governs it is that, in the event the oath is broken, Kaffarah (expiation) becomes necessary - and under some situations, it brings sin as well, while in some others, it does not.
At this place in the present verse of the Qur'an, ` Laghw' (ineffectual, not counted) obviously means the oath which brings no Kaffarah (expiation) - whether a sin, or not; because it has been mentioned in contrast with : عَقَّدتُمُ الاَیمَانَ (the oaths you have bound yourselves with). This tells us that the accountability (Mu'akhadhah) mentioned here is only the accountability in the present world which comes in the form of Kaffarah (expiation). Then, in Surah al-Baqarah, it is said: لَّا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّـهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن يُؤَاخِذُكُم بِمَا كَسَبَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ (And Allah does not hold you accountable for what is not countable from among your oaths, but holds you accountable for what your hearts have designed - 2:225). Here, ` Laghw' (what is not countable) means an oath which slips out from one's tongue without intention or volition, or an oath one takes about something assuming it to be true while it turns out to be false actually. Then, mentioned in contrast, is the other oath in which an intentional lie has been told. This is known as Yamin Ghamus explained earlier. Therefore, as for Yamin Laghw, it brings no sin, according to this verse - instead, what brings sin is Yamin Ghamus where the lie is intentional. Thus, the sin mentioned in the verse from Surah al-Baqarah refers to the sin one shall incur in the Hereafter for disobeying the Divine injunction. And in the present verse of Surah al-Ma'idah, the injunction concerns present life of the world, where Kaffarah (expiation) is required. The outcome is that Allah does not hold you accountable for what is not countable in your oaths, that is, does not make it obligatory for you to make amends for them by paying Kaffarah (expiation). Instead, Kaffarah is made necessary against the particular oath which has been accomplished about doing or not doing something in the future - and then, it has been broken. After that, the details of how Kaffarah has to be given is described in the following words كَفَّارَتُهُ إِطْعَامُ عَشَرَةِ مَسَاكِينَ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ مَا تُطْعِمُونَ أَهْلِيكُمْ أَوْ كِسْوَتُهُمْ أَوْ تَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ (89). Three options have been given here which one may choose at one's discretion: (a) feed ten poor persons two average meals, or (b) clothe ten poor persons (sufficient to give them proper cover, such as, a garment for the lower body and another for the upper), or (c) free a slave (if in possession).
Said immediately after is: فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ (And whoever finds none shall fast for three days). It means if some breaker of such an oath does not have the ability to bear the cost of this financial expiation (Kaffarah) that is, one who does not have the means to feed ten poor persons, or clothe them, or free a slave, then, his or her Kaffarah is to fast for three days. In some narrations, for the fasts mentioned at this place in the text, the command is said to be that of ‘three consecutive days.’ Therefore, according to Imam Abu Hanifah and some other Imams, it is necessary that the three fasts against the Kaffarah (expiation) of Oath should be consecutive.
In this verse, the first word used in connection with the Kaffarah of Oath is: "It` am" which, according to Arabic usage, could either mean ` feed' or ` give food' to someone. Therefore, as determined by the Fuqaha' (Muslim Jurists), may the mercy of Allah be upon them, the sense of the verse is that the person giving Kaffarah can choose either of the two options. He can invite ten poor persons and feed them; or, he can give the food in their possession (literally in milkiyat or ownership). But, in the first situation, it is necessary that he should feed ten poor persons two meals of the day to their fill and satisfaction from the average food he usually eats with his family at home. And in the second situation, he should give to each of the ten poor persons at the rate of one Fitrah per person, that is 1-3/4 kilograms of wheat, or its cost in cash. He can go by any one of the three he likes. But, fasting can be sufficient only when one does not have the ability to take any of the three options.
Paying Kaffarah, before Oath is Broken, is not Valid
Towards the end of the verse, the need to observe caution has been commanded about two things. The first one appears in: ذَلِكَ كَفَّارَةُ أَيْمَانِكُمْ إِذَا حَلَفْتُمْ (that is expiation for your oaths when you have sworn). According to Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) and other Imams, it means: When you give a sworn statement about doing or not doing something in the future - following which occurs its violation - then, its Kaffarah is what has been mentioned above. The essence of the statement is that the Kaffarah should be given after the oath has broken. A Kaffarah given before the breaking of the oath will not be valid. The reason is that the cause which makes Kaffarah necessary lies in the breaking of the oath. As long as the oath does not break, Kaffarah just does not become necessary. As there is no Salah before its time, and there is no Ramadan fast before the month of Ramadan, so it is with the Kaffarah of Oath which cannot be given before the oath breaks.
After that comes the second note of caution: (And take care of your oaths). In this sense of guarding an oath it would mean: If you have sworn to something, then do not break your oath without a legal or physical necessity. Some other respected scholars have said that it means that one should not hasten to give a sworn statement. One should guard and protect one's oath, as if kept in reserve. Unless it be under severe compulsion, one should not take oaths casually. (Mazhari)
O you who believe! Wine, gambling, altars and divining arrows are filth, made up by Satan. Therefore, refrain from it, so that you may be successful.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Linkage of Verses
Earlier, considered abandonment of Halal things was prohibited. Prohibited now is the use of some Harm things.
Commentary
Creation of the Universe is for the Benefit of Human Beings
Through these verses, the purpose is to tell that the Master of the Universe has created it to serve human beings. Everything in it has been appointed to take care of their wishes. They are the served ones in this Universe. There is only one restriction placed on them: Do not transgress the limits set by Allah when you benefit from what He has created. Abstaining from good and lawful things made Halal for you is mannerlessness and ingratitude; and the contravention of what has been prohibited in a certain form is disobedience and rebellion. A servant of Allah must make use of what has been created for him or her following the instructions of the Creator and Master. This is the ` abdiyyah (the state of being a slave of Allah, which requires total sub-mission to as related to Allah which is the highest possible achievement human beings can look forward to).
The first verse (90) describes the prohibition of four things: (1) Drinking, (2) Gambling, (3) Idols and (4) Divining Arrows. Another verse on this subject in almost similar words has appeared in Surah al-Baqarah as well [ Ma'ariful-Qur'an, Volume I, Verse 2:219, Pages 539-553]. There too, as here, these four things have been called "Rijs" (filth). In the Arabic language, the word "Rijs" refers to something foul, which is disgusting for human taste. All four things mentioned here are, for anyone with commonsense and good taste, repulsive and disgusting.
An Explanation of "Al-Az lam"
One of the four things is Azlam which is the plural of Zalam. Azlam is the name of the arrows which were used to draw lots in gambling, an Arab practice at that time. The custom was that ten people would get together as partners and slaughter a camel. Then, rather than distribute ten equal shares from the meat to each participant, they had a way of gambling with the exercise. They had ten arrows, out of which they would pick out seven and mark them out with signs indicating the number of some shares on each - some arrow would have one, others would have two or three. The three remaining arrows were kept blank. They would put all these arrows in the quiver and give it a good shake. Then, for every participant, they would draw out one arrow from the quiver. If the arrow so drawn had a certain number of shares marked on it, the recepient of the arrow became de-serving of that many shares. Whoever drew a blank arrow in his name would remain deprived of a share. This is similar to many kinds of lottery-based games and enterprises common today. Drawing lots in this manner is Qimar or gambling which is حَرَام haram according to the Qur'an.
The Permissible Way of Drawing Lots
However, there is one way of drawing lots which is permissible, and proved from the Holy Prophet ﷺ According to this method, when the rights everyone has are equal and the shares too have been distributed equally, then, the shares can be determined by drawing lots. Let us take an example - a house has to be divided among four sharers so we come up with four equal shares in terms of the price. Now, we have to determine as to who keeps which share. If it cannot be done by mutual compromise and consent, it is also possi-ble that we can settle this by drawing lots whereby whoever gets a certain portion of the house as his share may have it. Or, the number of people eager to have something is one thousand, and the rights everyone has are equal, but the number of what has to be distributed is only one hundred. In this condition, the matter can be decided by drawing lots.
As for the prohibition of the pagan custom of distributing meat by drawing of lots through divining arrows, it has already appeared in a verse of Surah al-Ma'idah itself, that is: وَأَن تَسْتَقْسِمُوا بِالْأَزْلَامِ (and that you determine shares through the arrows - 5:3).
In short, two out of the four things declared Harm in this verse, that is, ` Maisir' (gambling) and ` Azlam' (divining arrows), in terms of the outcome, are just the same. As for ` Ansab' (altar-stones), the word Al-Ansab is the plural of Nusub. It refers to what has been made to stand as an object of worship, whether an idol, a stone or tree.
Physical and Spiritual Disorders Caused by Drinking and Gambling
The main objective in this verse, as evident from the background of its revelation and the verse which follows it, is to indicate that drinking and gambling, being agencies of corruption, have been made حَرَام haram. The addition of altar-stones or idols to this list is there for listeners to understand that this matter of drinking and gambling is as serious a crime as the worship of idols.
In a Hadith from Ibn Majah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: شَارِبُ الخمرِ کَعَابِدِ الوَثنِ , that is, one who drinks is (a criminal) like the one who worships idols. In some narrations, the words appear as: شَارِبُ الخَمرِ کَعَابدِ اللَّاتِ وَ العُزَّی ، that is, one who drinks is like the one who worships (the idols) Al-Laat and Al-'Uzza.
In brief, by saying رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ that these things are filth, a work of Satan, taken up first were their spiritual ills. The sense is that indulgence in these activities is disgusting. This is a trap of Satan. Whoever walks in never walks out, only to become a victim of many more vices. Then, the command given was: فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ (Therefore, refrain from it) since the nature of these indulgences requires it. In the end it was said: لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (so that you may be successful). It means that one's chances of succeeding and prospering in the present world and in the Hereafter depend on doing just that - abstain.
Satan wishes only to plant enmity and malice between you through wine and gambling, and to prevent you from the remembrance of Allah and from Salāh. Would you, then, abstain?
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The second verse (91) describes the physical and outwardly visible defects of drinking and gambling: إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ فِي الْخَمْرِ that is, the Satan wants nothing but to plant enmity and malice between you through drinking and gambling.
In fact, these verses were revealed in the background of events when actions taken under the influence of hard drinks became the cause of mutual anger and aggression. Things like this do not simply happen by chance. When drunk, man loses reason and would compulsively act in that manner.
So it is with gambling. No doubt, the loser takes the loss on the gambling counter, but malice and anger against the adversary continue influencing his behaviour. Explaining this verse, Sayyidna Qatadah (رح) says: It was the habit of some Arabs that they would bet all their belongings, even family, and lose them, after which, they would live a sorry life.
Towards the end of the verse, yet another drawback of this addiction has been pointed out in the words: وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاةِ (and to prevent you from the remembrance of Allah, and from Salah).
Obviously, this is a spiritual harm brought by drinking and gambling which has been mentioned again after mentioning their worldly bad effects. It may be a hint to the fact that the real harm is the spiritual harm, because the real life is the eternal life of the Hereafter for which one should be more careful and concerned. A wise person should take the betterment of that life as the real betterment and the suffering of that life as the real suffering. As for this worldly life, its time span is very limited. Within these limitations, neither good nor bad stand out as something to be proud of or pine about - because both conditions will vanish in a very short time.
It can also be said that negligence towards the Dhikr of Allah or the Salah is harmful both in this world and in the Hereafter and for the body and soul too. That it is harmful for the Hereafter and the soul of a person is all too obvious - one who skips Salah forgetting all about Allah ruins his life to come and causes his soul to become dead. A little reflection will show that the person heedless to Allah makes his own life a curse for himself. When one turns away from Allah and makes the acquisition of wealth and recognition his ultimate objective in life, they bring so many involvements with them which result in sorrows and concerns. Once in them, one becomes deprived of his chosen objective of peace and comfort through worldly possessions. Thus men of the material are never at peace with or without what they work for in their lives. In contrast to them is one whose heart is lit with the thought of his Creator and the bliss of his Salah. Wealth and power and office come to him with all peace and comfort they can bring. But, if they go away, nothing happens to their hearts. They are not affected by the change, for things are no happiness and losses are no sorrow as they are visiting guests of the doers of the right.
In short, if we were to think about the neglect of the Dhikr of Allah and the Salah, we shall come to the conclusion that its effects are equally bad for our life in the present world as well as in that of the Hereafter. Therefore, it is possible that by saying: رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ (... filth, a work of Satan), the purpose could be to state the other-worldly and spiritual harmfulness exclusively; and by saying: يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ (Satan wants nothing but to plant enmity and malice between you), the aim could be to point out to worldly and physical evils exclusively; and by saying: يَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ وَعَنِ الصَّلَاة (to prevent you from the re-membrance of Allah, and the Salah), the objective could be to mention the total destruction of the life in this world and in the Hereafter both.
It will be noticed here that Salah has been mentioned separately - though, Salah is a part of the Dhikr of Allah. What is the wisdom behind mentioning Salah distinctly? The answer is that Salah has been mentioned separately because the text aims to indicate that Salah is important in its own place and certainly the superior most among all kinds of Dhikrullah (the remembrance of Allah).
After having described the physical and spiritual drawbacks of drinking and gambling, the way in which people have been asked to stay away from these indulgences is certainly disarming and heart-winning. It is said: فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّنتَهُونَ (Would you, then, abstain?).
Described in the first two verses (90:91) was the unlawfulness of drinking and gambling, and its strict prohibition - an article of Divine Law, so to say. To make the word of law easy to act upon,
Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and be heedful. If you still turn back, be assured that the duty of Our Messenger is only to convey the Message clearly.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
it is in the third verse (92) that the Holy Qur'an, in its characteristic way with words, has this to say:
And obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and be careful. If you turn back, be sure that the duty of Our Messenger is only to convey the Message clearly.
The lesson to be learnt is that the command to obey Allah and His Messenger is in one's own interest, and benefit. If one does not listen to the good counsel, their action brings no loss to Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu or to His Messenger. That Allah is far above any gain or loss was quite obvious, but in the case of the Messenger someone might have thought that a refusal to listen to him might affect or lessen the degree of his reward or station. To remove this doubt, it was said: أَنَّمَا عَلَىٰ رَسُولِنَا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِي . It means: Even if none of you were to listen to and obey Our Messenger, it would still not make any difference to his integrity and station because he has completed the mission entrusted with him. His mission was to convey the commands of Allah Ta ala, openly and clearly. This he has accomplished. Now, after that, whoever chooses not to obey him will bring loss on his or her person - Our Messenger has nothing to lose in this case.
There is no sin, for those who believe and do good deeds, in what they might have partaken earlier, if they fear Allah, and believe, and do good deeds; and again fear Allah, and believe, and still again fear Allah and do good deeds. Allah loves those who are good in their deeds.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
A report from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ appearing in the Musnad of Ahmad, quoted in Al-Lubab, says: When the Verse forbidding drinking and gambling had been revealed, some people asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ that there were many people who drank wine and lived off earnings from gambling and then died before these were forbidden. What would happen to them, now that we know about these being حَرَام haram? Thereupon, the verse : لَيْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (On those who believe and do good deeds, there is no sin ...) was revealed.
In a verse appearing earlier (87): يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ ( O those who believe, do not make unlawful good things ...), the making of good things unlawful was prohibited. Now, in the verse (94) : يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَيَبْلُوَنَّكُمُ اللَّـهُ بِشَيْءٍ ( those who believe, Allah shall certainly test you with some ... ), it is said that it is Allah Who has that absolute power to declare particular things unlawful in particular circumstances. (Bayan al Qur'an)
Commentary
Scholars have said that there are several degrees of Taqwa (abstaining from what is likely to harm the purity of one's faith). Similarly, the degrees of faith and belief are also different in terms of personal strength and weakness. The touchstone of experience and the inviolable authority of the Shari’ ah both prove that the more one progresses in the remembrance of Allah (Dhikr), concern for life here and hereafter (Fikr), good deeds (Al-Amalus-Salih) and Jihad in the way of Allah (Al-Jihad fi Sabilillah), the more filled his heart is with the fear of Allah and the awe of His greatness and majesty, with his faith and belief becoming firm and fortified more than ever. Thus, there are degrees of one's ascent onto the pathways of Allah (referred to as Sayrilallah by spiritual masters). The considered repetition in verse 93 of the basis of Taqwa (fear of Allah) and 'Iman (faith) is a pointer in this direction. Finally, at the end of the verse, what stands identified is the seeker's last station - Ihsan (righteousness at its best) - and the re-ward for it too, which is, the love of Allah. (Tafsir Usmani)
Rulings:
1. The game صَید (Sayd) which is حرام haram (unlawful) in the حرَم Haram (the precincts of the Sacred Mosque) and in اِحرَام Ihram (the state of consecration for Hajj or ` Umrah) is general in sense. It may be eatable, that is, a Halal (lawful) animal, or one uneatable, that is, a حَرَام haram (unlawful) animal (as generalized in the verse).
2. Sayd صَید ، that is, game, is the name of animals which are wild and who habitually do not live close to human beings. Thus, as for those which are naturally domesticated, such as, sheep, goats, cows and camels, slaughtering and eating them in Ihram is correct.
However, animals that have been exempted by a specific rule can be trapped and killed. It is Halal, for example, the hunting of sea (or water) game as permitted by Allah Ta` a1a: أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ (lawful for you is the game of the sea). This applies to some land animals, crawlers and birds as well, such as, the wolf, the biting dog, the crow, the kite, the snake and the scorpion. Similarly, permissible is the killing of an attacking beast. Their exemption has been mentioned in Hadith. This tells us that the letter Alif-Lam in' اَلصَیدُ ' (Al-Sayd - 5:95) is that of Ahd.1
1. The Lam of ` Ahd indicates that the word is used in a restricted sense and not in a general sense. Here it means that all types of games are not prohibited, but the prohibition is restricted to some of them. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
3. It is permissible for a Muhrim (person in Ihram) to eat from Halal game which has been hunted in a state other than that of lhram and in a place other than that of the sacred precincts of the حَرَم Haram - subject to the condition that this person (in Ihram) has not been an assistant or adviser or guide in the hunting and killing of that game. This is exactly what the Hadith says. In addition to that, there is an indication towards this rule in the words: لَا تَقتُلُوا (la taqtulu: do not kill) in this verse (95) - because what is said here is "la taqtulu" (do not kill) and not لَاتَاکُلُوا ` la ta'kulu' (do not eat).
4. The way it is obligatory (Wajib) to pay compensation (Jaza' ) against killing land game in the sacred precincts of the Haram (Sacred Mosque) intentionally, similarly, it is also obligatory (Wajib) if done by mistake or forgetfulness. (As deduced in Ruh al Maini)
5. The compensation (Jaza' ) which becomes obligatory (Wajib) the first time shall remain equally obligatory (Wajib) in such killing a second or a third time as well.
6. The substance of the compensation (Jaza' ) is that, after having determined the (facts of) time and place of the killing of this animal, one should get an estimate of the cost of this animal from two just person, which is better, but, it is also permissible that he can have only one just person do it. Then, there are other details: If the killed animal is inedible (that is, حَرَام haram), then, this obligatory cost will not be more than the cost of a she-goat.
And if the animal was edible (that is, Halal), then, whatever the estimate (of cost), the whole of it will be obligatory (Wajib). Now, beyond these two situations, he has three options: (1) Whether he buys an animal at this price keeping in view the (standard) conditions which govern a sacrificial animal, and after slaughtering it properly within the sacred precincts of the حَرَم Haram (the Sacred Mosque and its environs), distributes it to persons poor and needy; or, (2) gives grains equivalent to the price of the animal, in accordance with the conditions of Sadaqatul-Fitr, at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per poor and needy person; or, (3) keeps as many fasts as would be the number of poor and needy persons to whom the amount of grains could reach at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per person. As for the distribution of the grains and the keeping of fasts, there is no restriction that these be done with-in the sacred precincts of the Haram. And in case the obligatory (Wajib) amount is a price less than 1/2 Sa`, then, one has the choice of either giving it to a poor and needy person, or keep a fast. Similarly, if one is left with less than 1/2 SW even after giving at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per poor and needy person, still then, one has the choice of either giving the remainder to one poor and needy person, or keep a fast. The weight of 1/2 Sa` is the equivalent of 1.75 Seers or 1.62 kg approximately (usually rounded as a matter of precaution).
7. If in lieu of giving the share of the number of poor and needy persons arrived at in the said estimate, one were to feed them two meals of the day, to their fill and satisfaction, that too will be permissible.
8. If an animal matching the cost arrived at in the estimate was selected for slaughter - but, some amount was left over - then, in this remainder, on'e has the choice of either buying another animal, or giving grain against it, or fasting in terms of the distributability of the grains. As compensation (Jaza' ) is obligatory in killing, similarly, in the case of such an animal becoming wounded, an estimate would have to be taken to determine how low the price of the animal has become as a result of its being wounded. Once again, in this amount of the cost, the same three options will be permissible.
9. The animal the hunting of which is حَرَام haram (unlawful) for a Muhrim (one in the consecrated state of Ihram), its slaughtering is حَرَام haram too. If the Muhrim were to slaughter it, its legal status will be that of carrion, dead animal. (In ` la-taqtulu,: [ do not kill ] there is a hint towards slaughter being like killing).
10. If the place where the animal was killed was a forest, then, the estimate will be made in terms of the habitation close to it.
11. Pointing to, guiding along or assisting in hunting is حَرَام haram (unlawful) as hunting itself.
O you who believe, Allah shall certainly test you with some of the game coming in the range of your hands and spears, so that Allah may know those who fear Him, even though He is Unseen. Whoever transgresses the limit after all this, for him there is a painful punishment.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
A report from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ appearing in the Musnad of Ahmad, quoted in Al-Lubab, says: When the Verse forbidding drinking and gambling had been revealed, some people asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ that there were many people who drank wine and lived off earnings from gambling and then died before these were forbidden. What would happen to them, now that we know about these being حَرَام haram? Thereupon, the verse : لَيْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (On those who believe and do good deeds, there is no sin ...) was revealed.
In a verse appearing earlier (87): يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ ( O those who believe, do not make unlawful good things ...), the making of good things unlawful was prohibited. Now, in the verse (94) : يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَيَبْلُوَنَّكُمُ اللَّـهُ بِشَيْءٍ ( those who believe, Allah shall certainly test you with some ... ), it is said that it is Allah Who has that absolute power to declare particular things unlawful in particular circumstances. (Bayan al Qur'an)
Commentary
Scholars have said that there are several degrees of Taqwa (abstaining from what is likely to harm the purity of one's faith). Similarly, the degrees of faith and belief are also different in terms of personal strength and weakness. The touchstone of experience and the inviolable authority of the Shari’ ah both prove that the more one progresses in the remembrance of Allah (Dhikr), concern for life here and hereafter (Fikr), good deeds (Al-Amalus-Salih) and Jihad in the way of Allah (Al-Jihad fi Sabilillah), the more filled his heart is with the fear of Allah and the awe of His greatness and majesty, with his faith and belief becoming firm and fortified more than ever. Thus, there are degrees of one's ascent onto the pathways of Allah (referred to as Sayrilallah by spiritual masters). The considered repetition in verse 93 of the basis of Taqwa (fear of Allah) and 'Iman (faith) is a pointer in this direction. Finally, at the end of the verse, what stands identified is the seeker's last station - Ihsan (righteousness at its best) - and the re-ward for it too, which is, the love of Allah. (Tafsir Usmani)
Rulings:
1. The game صَید (Sayd) which is حرام haram (unlawful) in the حرَم Haram (the precincts of the Sacred Mosque) and in اِحرَام Ihram (the state of consecration for Hajj or ` Umrah) is general in sense. It may be eatable, that is, a Halal (lawful) animal, or one uneatable, that is, a حَرَام haram (unlawful) animal (as generalized in the verse).
2. Sayd صَید ، that is, game, is the name of animals which are wild and who habitually do not live close to human beings. Thus, as for those which are naturally domesticated, such as, sheep, goats, cows and camels, slaughtering and eating them in Ihram is correct.
However, animals that have been exempted by a specific rule can be trapped and killed. It is Halal, for example, the hunting of sea (or water) game as permitted by Allah Ta` a1a: أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ (lawful for you is the game of the sea). This applies to some land animals, crawlers and birds as well, such as, the wolf, the biting dog, the crow, the kite, the snake and the scorpion. Similarly, permissible is the killing of an attacking beast. Their exemption has been mentioned in Hadith. This tells us that the letter Alif-Lam in' اَلصَیدُ ' (Al-Sayd - 5:95) is that of Ahd.1
1. The Lam of ` Ahd indicates that the word is used in a restricted sense and not in a general sense. Here it means that all types of games are not prohibited, but the prohibition is restricted to some of them. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
3. It is permissible for a Muhrim (person in Ihram) to eat from Halal game which has been hunted in a state other than that of lhram and in a place other than that of the sacred precincts of the حَرَم Haram - subject to the condition that this person (in Ihram) has not been an assistant or adviser or guide in the hunting and killing of that game. This is exactly what the Hadith says. In addition to that, there is an indication towards this rule in the words: لَا تَقتُلُوا (la taqtulu: do not kill) in this verse (95) - because what is said here is "la taqtulu" (do not kill) and not لَاتَاکُلُوا ` la ta'kulu' (do not eat).
4. The way it is obligatory (Wajib) to pay compensation (Jaza' ) against killing land game in the sacred precincts of the Haram (Sacred Mosque) intentionally, similarly, it is also obligatory (Wajib) if done by mistake or forgetfulness. (As deduced in Ruh al Maini)
5. The compensation (Jaza' ) which becomes obligatory (Wajib) the first time shall remain equally obligatory (Wajib) in such killing a second or a third time as well.
6. The substance of the compensation (Jaza' ) is that, after having determined the (facts of) time and place of the killing of this animal, one should get an estimate of the cost of this animal from two just person, which is better, but, it is also permissible that he can have only one just person do it. Then, there are other details: If the killed animal is inedible (that is, حَرَام haram), then, this obligatory cost will not be more than the cost of a she-goat.
And if the animal was edible (that is, Halal), then, whatever the estimate (of cost), the whole of it will be obligatory (Wajib). Now, beyond these two situations, he has three options: (1) Whether he buys an animal at this price keeping in view the (standard) conditions which govern a sacrificial animal, and after slaughtering it properly within the sacred precincts of the حَرَم Haram (the Sacred Mosque and its environs), distributes it to persons poor and needy; or, (2) gives grains equivalent to the price of the animal, in accordance with the conditions of Sadaqatul-Fitr, at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per poor and needy person; or, (3) keeps as many fasts as would be the number of poor and needy persons to whom the amount of grains could reach at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per person. As for the distribution of the grains and the keeping of fasts, there is no restriction that these be done with-in the sacred precincts of the Haram. And in case the obligatory (Wajib) amount is a price less than 1/2 Sa`, then, one has the choice of either giving it to a poor and needy person, or keep a fast. Similarly, if one is left with less than 1/2 SW even after giving at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per poor and needy person, still then, one has the choice of either giving the remainder to one poor and needy person, or keep a fast. The weight of 1/2 Sa` is the equivalent of 1.75 Seers or 1.62 kg approximately (usually rounded as a matter of precaution).
7. If in lieu of giving the share of the number of poor and needy persons arrived at in the said estimate, one were to feed them two meals of the day, to their fill and satisfaction, that too will be permissible.
8. If an animal matching the cost arrived at in the estimate was selected for slaughter - but, some amount was left over - then, in this remainder, on'e has the choice of either buying another animal, or giving grain against it, or fasting in terms of the distributability of the grains. As compensation (Jaza' ) is obligatory in killing, similarly, in the case of such an animal becoming wounded, an estimate would have to be taken to determine how low the price of the animal has become as a result of its being wounded. Once again, in this amount of the cost, the same three options will be permissible.
9. The animal the hunting of which is حَرَام haram (unlawful) for a Muhrim (one in the consecrated state of Ihram), its slaughtering is حَرَام haram too. If the Muhrim were to slaughter it, its legal status will be that of carrion, dead animal. (In ` la-taqtulu,: [ do not kill ] there is a hint towards slaughter being like killing).
10. If the place where the animal was killed was a forest, then, the estimate will be made in terms of the habitation close to it.
11. Pointing to, guiding along or assisting in hunting is حَرَام haram (unlawful) as hunting itself.
O you who believe, do not kill game when you are in IHrām (state of consecration for Hajj or ‘Umrah). If someone from among you kills it deliberately, then compensation (will be required) from cattle equal to what one has killed, according to the judgement of two just men from among you, as an offering due to reach the Ka’bah, or an expiation, that is, to feed the poor, or its equal in fasts, so that he may taste the punishment of what he did. Allah has forgiven what has passed, but whoever does it again, Allah shall subject him to retribution. Allah is Mighty, Lord of Retribution.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
A report from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ appearing in the Musnad of Ahmad, quoted in Al-Lubab, says: When the Verse forbidding drinking and gambling had been revealed, some people asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ that there were many people who drank wine and lived off earnings from gambling and then died before these were forbidden. What would happen to them, now that we know about these being حَرَام haram? Thereupon, the verse : لَيْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (On those who believe and do good deeds, there is no sin ...) was revealed.
In a verse appearing earlier (87): يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ ( O those who believe, do not make unlawful good things ...), the making of good things unlawful was prohibited. Now, in the verse (94) : يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَيَبْلُوَنَّكُمُ اللَّـهُ بِشَيْءٍ ( those who believe, Allah shall certainly test you with some ... ), it is said that it is Allah Who has that absolute power to declare particular things unlawful in particular circumstances. (Bayan al Qur'an)
Commentary
Scholars have said that there are several degrees of Taqwa (abstaining from what is likely to harm the purity of one's faith). Similarly, the degrees of faith and belief are also different in terms of personal strength and weakness. The touchstone of experience and the inviolable authority of the Shari’ ah both prove that the more one progresses in the remembrance of Allah (Dhikr), concern for life here and hereafter (Fikr), good deeds (Al-Amalus-Salih) and Jihad in the way of Allah (Al-Jihad fi Sabilillah), the more filled his heart is with the fear of Allah and the awe of His greatness and majesty, with his faith and belief becoming firm and fortified more than ever. Thus, there are degrees of one's ascent onto the pathways of Allah (referred to as Sayrilallah by spiritual masters). The considered repetition in verse 93 of the basis of Taqwa (fear of Allah) and 'Iman (faith) is a pointer in this direction. Finally, at the end of the verse, what stands identified is the seeker's last station - Ihsan (righteousness at its best) - and the re-ward for it too, which is, the love of Allah. (Tafsir Usmani)
Rulings:
1. The game صَید (Sayd) which is حرام haram (unlawful) in the حرَم Haram (the precincts of the Sacred Mosque) and in اِحرَام Ihram (the state of consecration for Hajj or ` Umrah) is general in sense. It may be eatable, that is, a Halal (lawful) animal, or one uneatable, that is, a حَرَام haram (unlawful) animal (as generalized in the verse).
2. Sayd صَید ، that is, game, is the name of animals which are wild and who habitually do not live close to human beings. Thus, as for those which are naturally domesticated, such as, sheep, goats, cows and camels, slaughtering and eating them in Ihram is correct.
However, animals that have been exempted by a specific rule can be trapped and killed. It is Halal, for example, the hunting of sea (or water) game as permitted by Allah Ta` a1a: أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ (lawful for you is the game of the sea). This applies to some land animals, crawlers and birds as well, such as, the wolf, the biting dog, the crow, the kite, the snake and the scorpion. Similarly, permissible is the killing of an attacking beast. Their exemption has been mentioned in Hadith. This tells us that the letter Alif-Lam in' اَلصَیدُ ' (Al-Sayd - 5:95) is that of Ahd.1
1. The Lam of ` Ahd indicates that the word is used in a restricted sense and not in a general sense. Here it means that all types of games are not prohibited, but the prohibition is restricted to some of them. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
3. It is permissible for a Muhrim (person in Ihram) to eat from Halal game which has been hunted in a state other than that of lhram and in a place other than that of the sacred precincts of the حَرَم Haram - subject to the condition that this person (in Ihram) has not been an assistant or adviser or guide in the hunting and killing of that game. This is exactly what the Hadith says. In addition to that, there is an indication towards this rule in the words: لَا تَقتُلُوا (la taqtulu: do not kill) in this verse (95) - because what is said here is "la taqtulu" (do not kill) and not لَاتَاکُلُوا ` la ta'kulu' (do not eat).
4. The way it is obligatory (Wajib) to pay compensation (Jaza' ) against killing land game in the sacred precincts of the Haram (Sacred Mosque) intentionally, similarly, it is also obligatory (Wajib) if done by mistake or forgetfulness. (As deduced in Ruh al Maini)
5. The compensation (Jaza' ) which becomes obligatory (Wajib) the first time shall remain equally obligatory (Wajib) in such killing a second or a third time as well.
6. The substance of the compensation (Jaza' ) is that, after having determined the (facts of) time and place of the killing of this animal, one should get an estimate of the cost of this animal from two just person, which is better, but, it is also permissible that he can have only one just person do it. Then, there are other details: If the killed animal is inedible (that is, حَرَام haram), then, this obligatory cost will not be more than the cost of a she-goat.
And if the animal was edible (that is, Halal), then, whatever the estimate (of cost), the whole of it will be obligatory (Wajib). Now, beyond these two situations, he has three options: (1) Whether he buys an animal at this price keeping in view the (standard) conditions which govern a sacrificial animal, and after slaughtering it properly within the sacred precincts of the حَرَم Haram (the Sacred Mosque and its environs), distributes it to persons poor and needy; or, (2) gives grains equivalent to the price of the animal, in accordance with the conditions of Sadaqatul-Fitr, at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per poor and needy person; or, (3) keeps as many fasts as would be the number of poor and needy persons to whom the amount of grains could reach at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per person. As for the distribution of the grains and the keeping of fasts, there is no restriction that these be done with-in the sacred precincts of the Haram. And in case the obligatory (Wajib) amount is a price less than 1/2 Sa`, then, one has the choice of either giving it to a poor and needy person, or keep a fast. Similarly, if one is left with less than 1/2 SW even after giving at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per poor and needy person, still then, one has the choice of either giving the remainder to one poor and needy person, or keep a fast. The weight of 1/2 Sa` is the equivalent of 1.75 Seers or 1.62 kg approximately (usually rounded as a matter of precaution).
7. If in lieu of giving the share of the number of poor and needy persons arrived at in the said estimate, one were to feed them two meals of the day, to their fill and satisfaction, that too will be permissible.
8. If an animal matching the cost arrived at in the estimate was selected for slaughter - but, some amount was left over - then, in this remainder, on'e has the choice of either buying another animal, or giving grain against it, or fasting in terms of the distributability of the grains. As compensation (Jaza' ) is obligatory in killing, similarly, in the case of such an animal becoming wounded, an estimate would have to be taken to determine how low the price of the animal has become as a result of its being wounded. Once again, in this amount of the cost, the same three options will be permissible.
9. The animal the hunting of which is حَرَام haram (unlawful) for a Muhrim (one in the consecrated state of Ihram), its slaughtering is حَرَام haram too. If the Muhrim were to slaughter it, its legal status will be that of carrion, dead animal. (In ` la-taqtulu,: [ do not kill ] there is a hint towards slaughter being like killing).
10. If the place where the animal was killed was a forest, then, the estimate will be made in terms of the habitation close to it.
11. Pointing to, guiding along or assisting in hunting is حَرَام haram (unlawful) as hunting itself.
Made lawful for you is the game of the sea and eating thereof, as a benefit for you and for travellers. But the game of the land has been made unlawful for you as long as you are in the state of IHrām. Fear Allah (the One) towards Whom you are to be brought together.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
A report from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ appearing in the Musnad of Ahmad, quoted in Al-Lubab, says: When the Verse forbidding drinking and gambling had been revealed, some people asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ that there were many people who drank wine and lived off earnings from gambling and then died before these were forbidden. What would happen to them, now that we know about these being حَرَام haram? Thereupon, the verse : لَيْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (On those who believe and do good deeds, there is no sin ...) was revealed.
In a verse appearing earlier (87): يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُحَرِّمُوا طَيِّبَاتِ ( O those who believe, do not make unlawful good things ...), the making of good things unlawful was prohibited. Now, in the verse (94) : يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَيَبْلُوَنَّكُمُ اللَّـهُ بِشَيْءٍ ( those who believe, Allah shall certainly test you with some ... ), it is said that it is Allah Who has that absolute power to declare particular things unlawful in particular circumstances. (Bayan al Qur'an)
Commentary
Scholars have said that there are several degrees of Taqwa (abstaining from what is likely to harm the purity of one's faith). Similarly, the degrees of faith and belief are also different in terms of personal strength and weakness. The touchstone of experience and the inviolable authority of the Shari’ ah both prove that the more one progresses in the remembrance of Allah (Dhikr), concern for life here and hereafter (Fikr), good deeds (Al-Amalus-Salih) and Jihad in the way of Allah (Al-Jihad fi Sabilillah), the more filled his heart is with the fear of Allah and the awe of His greatness and majesty, with his faith and belief becoming firm and fortified more than ever. Thus, there are degrees of one's ascent onto the pathways of Allah (referred to as Sayrilallah by spiritual masters). The considered repetition in verse 93 of the basis of Taqwa (fear of Allah) and 'Iman (faith) is a pointer in this direction. Finally, at the end of the verse, what stands identified is the seeker's last station - Ihsan (righteousness at its best) - and the re-ward for it too, which is, the love of Allah. (Tafsir Usmani)
Rulings:
1. The game صَید (Sayd) which is حرام haram (unlawful) in the حرَم Haram (the precincts of the Sacred Mosque) and in اِحرَام Ihram (the state of consecration for Hajj or ` Umrah) is general in sense. It may be eatable, that is, a Halal (lawful) animal, or one uneatable, that is, a حَرَام haram (unlawful) animal (as generalized in the verse).
2. Sayd صَید ، that is, game, is the name of animals which are wild and who habitually do not live close to human beings. Thus, as for those which are naturally domesticated, such as, sheep, goats, cows and camels, slaughtering and eating them in Ihram is correct.
However, animals that have been exempted by a specific rule can be trapped and killed. It is Halal, for example, the hunting of sea (or water) game as permitted by Allah Ta` a1a: أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ الْبَحْرِ (lawful for you is the game of the sea). This applies to some land animals, crawlers and birds as well, such as, the wolf, the biting dog, the crow, the kite, the snake and the scorpion. Similarly, permissible is the killing of an attacking beast. Their exemption has been mentioned in Hadith. This tells us that the letter Alif-Lam in' اَلصَیدُ ' (Al-Sayd - 5:95) is that of Ahd.1
1. The Lam of ` Ahd indicates that the word is used in a restricted sense and not in a general sense. Here it means that all types of games are not prohibited, but the prohibition is restricted to some of them. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
3. It is permissible for a Muhrim (person in Ihram) to eat from Halal game which has been hunted in a state other than that of lhram and in a place other than that of the sacred precincts of the حَرَم Haram - subject to the condition that this person (in Ihram) has not been an assistant or adviser or guide in the hunting and killing of that game. This is exactly what the Hadith says. In addition to that, there is an indication towards this rule in the words: لَا تَقتُلُوا (la taqtulu: do not kill) in this verse (95) - because what is said here is "la taqtulu" (do not kill) and not لَاتَاکُلُوا ` la ta'kulu' (do not eat).
4. The way it is obligatory (Wajib) to pay compensation (Jaza' ) against killing land game in the sacred precincts of the Haram (Sacred Mosque) intentionally, similarly, it is also obligatory (Wajib) if done by mistake or forgetfulness. (As deduced in Ruh al Maini)
5. The compensation (Jaza' ) which becomes obligatory (Wajib) the first time shall remain equally obligatory (Wajib) in such killing a second or a third time as well.
6. The substance of the compensation (Jaza' ) is that, after having determined the (facts of) time and place of the killing of this animal, one should get an estimate of the cost of this animal from two just person, which is better, but, it is also permissible that he can have only one just person do it. Then, there are other details: If the killed animal is inedible (that is, حَرَام haram), then, this obligatory cost will not be more than the cost of a she-goat.
And if the animal was edible (that is, Halal), then, whatever the estimate (of cost), the whole of it will be obligatory (Wajib). Now, beyond these two situations, he has three options: (1) Whether he buys an animal at this price keeping in view the (standard) conditions which govern a sacrificial animal, and after slaughtering it properly within the sacred precincts of the حَرَم Haram (the Sacred Mosque and its environs), distributes it to persons poor and needy; or, (2) gives grains equivalent to the price of the animal, in accordance with the conditions of Sadaqatul-Fitr, at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per poor and needy person; or, (3) keeps as many fasts as would be the number of poor and needy persons to whom the amount of grains could reach at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per person. As for the distribution of the grains and the keeping of fasts, there is no restriction that these be done with-in the sacred precincts of the Haram. And in case the obligatory (Wajib) amount is a price less than 1/2 Sa`, then, one has the choice of either giving it to a poor and needy person, or keep a fast. Similarly, if one is left with less than 1/2 SW even after giving at the rate of 1/2 Sa` per poor and needy person, still then, one has the choice of either giving the remainder to one poor and needy person, or keep a fast. The weight of 1/2 Sa` is the equivalent of 1.75 Seers or 1.62 kg approximately (usually rounded as a matter of precaution).
7. If in lieu of giving the share of the number of poor and needy persons arrived at in the said estimate, one were to feed them two meals of the day, to their fill and satisfaction, that too will be permissible.
8. If an animal matching the cost arrived at in the estimate was selected for slaughter - but, some amount was left over - then, in this remainder, on'e has the choice of either buying another animal, or giving grain against it, or fasting in terms of the distributability of the grains. As compensation (Jaza' ) is obligatory in killing, similarly, in the case of such an animal becoming wounded, an estimate would have to be taken to determine how low the price of the animal has become as a result of its being wounded. Once again, in this amount of the cost, the same three options will be permissible.
9. The animal the hunting of which is حَرَام haram (unlawful) for a Muhrim (one in the consecrated state of Ihram), its slaughtering is حَرَام haram too. If the Muhrim were to slaughter it, its legal status will be that of carrion, dead animal. (In ` la-taqtulu,: [ do not kill ] there is a hint towards slaughter being like killing).
10. If the place where the animal was killed was a forest, then, the estimate will be made in terms of the habitation close to it.
11. Pointing to, guiding along or assisting in hunting is حَرَام haram (unlawful) as hunting itself.
Allah has made the Ka’bah, the Sacred House, a source of stability for people, and also the sacred month and the sacrificial animal and the garlands. All this is because you may learn that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. Allah is All-Knowing in respect of everything.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Four Sources of Tranquility
The first verse (97) mentions four things as the cause of constancy, survival and tranquility for people.
The first is the Ka'bah. In Arabic, Ka'bah is the name of a place which is square. Another house made by the Arab tribe of Khath'am carried the same name, that is, al-ka'bah-al-Yamaniyah, to be exact. Therefore, to distinguish the Baytullah (House of Allah) from this place, the words: الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ (Al-Baytul-Haram: The Sacred House) were added to the name of the Ka'bah.
The word "Qiyam" and Qiwam are verbal nouns. They refer to that on which the stability and survival of something depends. Therefore, " قِيَامًا لِّلنَّاسِ " in the text comes to mean that the Ka'bah and its adjuncts are the cause and source of the stability and survival of people.
Lexically, the word: النَّاسِ (annas) is used for people in general. At this place, because of the topical context, they could mean the people of Makkah proper, or the people of Arabia and the peoples of the world as well. Obviously, it includes human beings of the whole world - however, the people of Makkah and the people of Arabia do have a unique status. Therefore, the sense of the verse would be that Allah Ta` ala has made Ka'batullah کعبۃُ اللہ (The Ka'bah of Allah) and what is mentioned later, the source of stability, survival and tranquility for people. As long as people of the world from each country, each region and each direction keep turning their orientation towards Baytullah to say their Salah, and the Hajj of Baytullah continues to be performed by those on whom its performance has become obligatory (fard) - until then, this whole world will keep going and stay safe. And if, there ever comes that fatal year when no one makes Hajj, or no one turns towards Baytullah to offer Salah, then, the whole world will be overtaken by mass Punishment.
Baytullah is the Mainstay of the Universe
The respected master of Tafsir, 'Ata' has stated the subject in the words which follow: لَو ترکوہ عامًا واحدا لم ینظروا یؤخروا (Al-Bahr Al-Mubit). This tells us that, significance-wise, Baytullah is the pillar of this whole world. As long as people keep turning towards it and Hajj keeps being performed, the world will stay. And if, this reverence of Baytullah were to terminate at some time, the world will also be terminated. However, there remains the question: What is the connection and linkage between the universal system and Baytullah? But then, knowing its reality is not necessary - who knows the reality behind the mutual connection of magnet and iron and lightening and straw? But, it is a reality proved through observation. It cannot be rejected. The comprehension of the reality of the mutual linkage between Baytullah and the universal system is also not within the reach and control of mortal man. That can be known only when the Creator of the universe tells us about it. That Baytullah is the cause of the survival of the whole universe is a thing of the spirit. Physical insight or formal research cannot reach it. But, its being the cause of peace and tranquility for Arabia and the people of Makkah stands proved by long experiences and observations.
Baytullah : Symbol and Substance of Peace
Peace is generally maintained in the world through government laws and its implementation. That is why robbers, thiefs, killers and plunderers do not dare. But, during the Arab Jahiliyyah, there was no formal government nor was there some general law to maintain public peace. Whatever political system there was, it was based on tribal con-siderations. One tribe could attack the life, property and honour of another tribe anytime at its choice. Therefore, no tribe had the occasion to enjoy peace and tranquility any time. Allah Almighty, with His perfect power, made the Baytullah in Makkah al-Mukarramah stand as a regular government ushering peace and tranquility. As anyone in his right frame of mind would not dare breaking the law of a strong government in our day, so it was, even during those days of ignorance, that Allah Almighty had impinged the reverence of the Baytullah on the hearts of common people in a manner that they would throw all their personal desires and emotions behind their backs when it came to upholding its honour and station.
So, this was Arab Jahiliyyah, the so called Age of Ignorance, proverbial for tribal prejudices and long drawn wars. But, such was the reverence for Baytullah and its adjuncts which Allah had placed in their hearts that they would say just nothing to even their sworn enemy despite their anger and chagrin - if the enemy had entered the Haram. A son who met the killer of his father in the Haram would lower his gaze and walk away from him.
Similarly, as much respect was also given to a person who had embarked on his Hajj and ` Umrah or who had been carrying animals for sacrifice in the Haram. The result was that even the worst person around would not hurt him in anyway - to the limit that they would say nothing to even a sworn enemy if he was in a condition when signs of his being on Hajj and ` Umrah, such as the garments of Ihram or garlands, were all too visible.
Take an example. The year was Hijrah 6. The Holy Prophet ﷺ accompanied by a group of his Sahabah entered into the Ihram of ` Umrah and started for his journey towards Baytullah. He stopped at Hudaybiyah close to the Haram limits and sent Sayyidna ` Uthman al-Ghani ؓ to Makkah along with some colleagues so that they can tell the chiefs of Makkah that Muslims have come at this time not for fighting but for performing ` Umrah, therefore, they should not be obstructed.
It was after a good deal of debate that they sent a representative of theirs to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . When he saw him, he said: This person is an upholder of the sanctities of Baytullah, therefore, the sacrificial animals marked for sacrifice should be brought before him.
When the representative saw these sacrificial animals, he conceded that such people should never be stopped from going to Baytullah.
So, as said earlier, Allah Almighty had placed such awe of the venerated Haram - even during the days of Jahiliyyah - that it became the very cause and source of peace and tranquility. As a direct result of this reverence, only those who either went in and out of Haram, or those who came for their Hajj and ` Umrah with some sign of the intended pilgrimage on them, were the ones who remained protected - outsiders did not benefit from this peace and tranquility. But, in Arabia itself, the way they honoured the site of Baytullah and its environs universally, they would also give equal respect to the months of Hajj. They called these, the Sacred Months. Some had included the month of Rajab along with them. During these months, fighting and killing - even outside the Haram - was considered by the whole Arabia as prohibited, from which they would abstain.
1. Therefore, the Holy Qur'an has included three more things as being قِيَامًا لِّلنَّاسِ (stability for people) along with the Ka'bah. The first is: الشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ , that is, the Sacred Month. Since the word, شَّهْرَ (shahr: month) has been placed here in its singular form, most commentators say that it means the month of Dhul-Hijjah at this place, the month during which the rites of Hajj are performed. Some commentators have said that, though the word used is singular, but it signifies category where-by all Sacred Months are included here.
2. Mentioned secondly is "al-hady" الْهَدْيَ which refers to an animal sacrificed in Haram. It was common Arab practice not to check and obstruct anyone carrying such sacrificial animals who could travel on in peace and be able to do what he intended to do. Thus, ` sacrificial animals' also became a cause of the establishment of peace.
3. The third thing is الْقَلَائِدَ "Al-Qala'id." The word is the plural form of Qiladah. It means a garland. There was a custom in the age of Arab Jahiliyyah that a person who went out for Hajj would put a garland round his (sacrificial animal) neck as a sign so that people may know that here was someone going for Hajj and that he should not be molested. Similarly, they would put garlands round the necks of their sacrificial animals too. These were also known as the قَلَائِدَ Qala'id. So, the Qala'id also became a source of peace and tranquility.
A little thought will show that ` the sacred month,"the sacrificial animal,' and ` the Qala'id' are all adjuncts or auxiliaries of the Baytullah. Reverence for them is part of the reverence of Baytullah. Allah Ta` ala has made the combination of these a source of stability (even constancy and resilience) in all matters relating to the worldly and otherworldly life of the people of Arabia, and that of the people of Makkah particularly - as well as, for all humanity in general.
While explaining the expression: قِيَامًا لِّلنَّاسِ (stability for people), some commentators have said that it means that the Baytullah and the Sacred Haram around it has been made a place of peace for everyone. Others have said that it refers to the extended means of sustenance for the people of Makkah, for what is not grown or made there indigenously keeps reaching them from all over the world by the grace of Allah Ta` ala. Still some others have said that people of Makkah known as the custodians of Baytullah were held in great esteem as special people serving the House of Allah, therefore, it is the particular distinc-tion of these people which has been identified in the Qur'anic expression translated as ` stability for people.'
Imam al-Razi has said that there is no contradiction in all these sayings which are included within the sense of قِيَامًا لِّلنَّاسِ (stability for people) since Allah Ta` ala has made Baytullah the source of betterment, prosperity and success (both materially and spiritually) for the stay, survival, stability, sustenance and return (to it, as well as, through it to the final destination of the Hereafter) for all peoples. And as for the people of Arabia, particularly those of Makkah, they have been blessed by Allah with its outward and inward blessings.
At the end of the verse, it was said: ذَٰلِكَ لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّـهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَنَّ اللَّـهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ (All this so that you may learn that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth, and that Allah is All-Knowing in respect of everything). It means that Allah has made Baytullah and its adjuncts the source of stability, survival, peace and tranquility for people, something the people of Arabia keep witnessing particularly. This has been said so that everyone should know that Allah Ta` ala knows everything in the earth and the heavens and He alone is capable of managing and administering it.
Be sure that Allah is severe in punishment and that Allah is Very-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the second verse (98), it was said اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّـهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ وَأَنَّ اللَّـهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ(Be sure that Allah is severe in punishment and that Allah is Most Forgiving, Very Merciful). This is telling us that the prescribed injunctions of Halal (lawful) and حَرَام haram (unlawful) are based on ideal wisdom and consideration. As long as they are obeyed and followed, they would bring nothing but good for the person who does just that. However, electing to do what is contrary to them is nothing but embracing the worst of curse and punishment. Along with the warning, it was also said that, should someone commit a sin forgetfully or heedlessly, then, Allah Ta` ala does not punish instantly, instead of which, the doors of Allah's forgiveness stay open for those who repent and feel ashamed of what they have done.
The duty of Our Messenger is only to convey the Message. Allah knows what you disclose and what you conceal.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the third verse (99), it was said: مَّا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا تَكْتُمُونَ ﴿99﴾that is, the duty of Our Messenger is only to convey Our Ahkam (injunctions) to people created by Us. After that, whether they accept and believe, or reject and disbelieve, its profit and loss reaches only them. That they disbelieve brings no loss to Our Messenger. And let this be understood that Allah cannot be deceived for He knows every-thing done by anybody, openly or secretly.
Say, “The evil and the good are not equal, even though the abundance of (what is) evil may attract you. So, fear Allah, O people of understanding, so that you may be successful.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the fourth verse (100), it was said: قُل لَّا يَسْتَوِي الْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ (Say, "The bad and the good are not equal ... ). In Arabic, the words "Tayyib" and "Khabith" are antonyms. Tayyib refers to what is the best and purest in everything and Khabith to what is the most condemned and evil. In this verse, as held by the majority of commentators, Khabith means حَرَام haram or impure, while Tayyib means Halal and pure. Thus, the verse would come to mean that with Allah Ta` ala, rather with every-one having sound reason and good taste, pure and impure or Halal and haram cannot be equal.
In view of the general sense of Khabith and Tayyib at this place, it is inclusive of wealth and property which is Halal or حَرَام haram, and human beings who are good or bad, and deeds and morals which are virtuous or vicious, all of the three. The sense of the verse is clear from the truth that good and bad are not equal. According to this natural law, Halal and حَرَام haram and pure and impure things are not equal in the sight of Allah Ta` ala, similar to which, also not equal are good and bad deeds and morals, similarly again, also not equal are virtuous and vicious human beings.
Following immediately in this verse (100), it was said: وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ (even though you are attracted by the profusion of the bad). It means that, though onlookers are sometimes awed by the abundance of things evil and impure, they would even go on to take these very things to be good just because they have spread out all over and be-cause they seem to be winning the day, but, this is only a disease of human knowledge and consciousness, and certainly a shortcoming of the inherent feeling for the right.
The Background of the Revelation of the Verse
Reporting the background of the revelation of this verse, some narrations say that when liquor, and its buying and selling too, was prohibited in Islam, a dealer in liquor who had some cash savings from that business asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ Ya Rasul Allah, I have with me this saving from my liquor business, if I were to spend this in some good and pious cause, would that be beneficial for me?
The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: If you will spend it in Jihad or Hajj or something similar, it would not even be worth the weight of the tiny feather of a mosquito, for Allah Ta` ala does not accept anything other than what is pure and Halal (lawful).
This devaluation and depreciation of wealth is in terms of the Hereafter. If we look a little deeper and keep the ultimate end of things in sight, we shall discover that Halal and حَرَام haram wealth or property are not equal even in the businesses of this mortal world. The kind of benefits, favourable consequences, real comfort and bliss which come through Halal, never do and never can come from حَرَام haram.
Citing Ibn Abi Hatim, Tafsir Al-Durr Al-Manthur reports that when Sayyidna ` Umar ibn ` Abd Al-Aziz, the rightly-guided Khalifah of the age of the Tabi` in, stopped impermissible taxes imposed by the oligarchy before him, returned monies and properties taken illegally to the rightful owners, the government treasury became empty and the graph of usual income came very low. Then, the governor of a province wrote a letter to him in which he complained about the low income of the public treasury and asked him as to how would the affairs of the government run under such circumstances. Sayyidna ` Umar ibn ` Abd al-` Aziz رحمۃ اللہ علیہ answered him by quoting this very verse: لَّا يَسْتَوِي الْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ ; (The bad and the good are not equal, even though you are attracted by the profusion of the bad). He also wrote: People before you had used injustice and oppression to fill the treasury, now you match it by establishing equity and justice and let the holding of your treasury stand reduced. And do not care. The expenditures of our government shall be met within this reduced income.
Though the cause of the revelation of this verse is a particular event, the basic message of the verse is that numbers being low or high do not mean much. Matters cannot be measured by majority and minority and a human hand-count of fifty one against forty nine cannot go on to become the touchstone of that which is right and true.
In fact, if we were to even casually look into the state of affairs prevailing around every section of society in the world, then, we shall see less of good and more of evil. Compare belief with disbelief; godliness, purity, honesty and trust with sinfulness and debauchery; justice and equity with injustice and oppression; knowledge with ignorance; reason with unreason - one is bound to find more of the later in all these comparisons. This leads us to become certain that the numerical abundance of something, group or party cannot be an absolute proof of its being good or true. Instead of that, the good in that thing or group or party depends on relevant particulars and states. If they are good, they are good, and if they are bad, they are bad. This is the reality the Holy Qur'an has stated clearly by saying: وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ (even though you are attracted by the profusion of the bad).
Of course, Islam too has declared numerical majority to be decisive on some occasions, and that too where there be no ruling authority competent enough to decide by the power of argument and the assessment of intrinsic qualities. On occasions like this, in order to resolve the disputes among masses of people, majority vote is resorted to. Take the example of the problem of appointing an Imam or leader in a situation when there is no Imam or Amir or leader present to give a decision. Therefore, on some occasions, majority opinion has been preferred to ward off possible dispute and resolve matters peacefully. It never means that what has been adopted by a majority of people should become Halal and permissible and true.
At the end of the verse it was said: فَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ (So, fear Allah, O men of understanding). By addressing the men of understanding this verse indicates that it is not the attitude of the men of wisdom to be attracted to something because of its numerical or quantitative abundance, or to take the majority as the touchstone of what is true and correct. Intelligent people would not do something like that. Therefore, it is to caution all people of understanding against these at-titudes that they have been commanded with: فَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ (fear Allah).
O you who believe, do not ask about things which, if disclosed, would displease you. If you ask about them while the Qur’ān is being revealed, they will be disclosed to you. Allah has pardoned you for it. Allah is Most-Forgiving, Forbearing.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The Prohibition of Asking Unnecessary Questions
These verses warn people who keep investigating unnecessarily into Divine injunctions. So fond and bent are they in this exercise that they would go to the outer limit of asking questions even about in-junctions which have not been prescribed at all and for which there is really no genuine need that they be asked. In this verse, such people have been instructed not to ask questions lest they are subjected to some trial, or they have to face disgrace as a result of the disclosure of their secrets.
The Background of the Revelation
As narrated in Sahib Muslim, the background or the cause of the revelation of these verses is as follows. When the verse concerning the obligation of Hajj was revealed, Sayyidna Al-Aqra` ibn Habis ؓ asked: ` Have we been obligated with Hajj every year?' The Holy Prophet ﷺ did not answer that question. He asked again. The Holy Prophet still remained silent. When he asked a third time, the Holy Prophet ﷺ reprimanded him by saying: If, in answer to your question, I had said, ` Yes, the Hajj is obligatory every year' - so it would have become, and you would have been unable to do it. After that, he added: Things about which I give you no command, leave them as they are. Do not ask questions by digging and prying into them. Communities before you have been damned eternally through this very proliferation of questioning because they, questions after questions about what Allah and His Messenger did not make obligatory on them, and in consequence of their unnecessary enquiry, these optional things were made obligatory - and then, they got involved in the unfortunate practice of disobeying these. Your estab-lished routine should be: Do what I order you to do, with the best of your ability, and leave what I order you not to do (that is, do not dig and pry into things about which no injunctions are given).
There is No Nubuwwah (Prophethood) and Wahy (Revelation) after the Holy Prophet ﷺ
It has also been tacitly said in this verse: وَإِن تَسْأَلُوا عَنْهَا حِينَ يُنَزَّلُ الْقُرْآنُ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ : ` and if you ask about them while the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be disclosed to you (through revelation).' Here, by restricting it with the time duration of the revelation of the Qur'an, the indication given is that it will be after the completion of the revelation of the Qur'an, that the process of Prophethood (Nubuwwah) and Revelation (Wahy) will be discontinued.
Though, after the discontinuation of this process of Prophethood and Revelation, the consequences that new injunctions may come, things not obligatory may become obligatory or someone's secret may be disclosed through revelation are not likely to take effect - but, minting unnecessary questions, falling for investigations into them or asking about things for which there is no need, shall still remain prohibited, even after the discontinuation of the process of Prophethood. The reason is simple. This is a waste of time - your own and that of others. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said:
مِن حُسنِ اِسلامِ المرَءِ تَرکُہ مَالَایَعنِیہِ
One of the qualities making someone a good Muslim is that one leaves what is unnecessary.
This tells us that many of our brother Muslims who keep investigating into unnecessary subjects, such as, the name of the mother of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) or the precise length and breadth of the Ark of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) ، indulge in what has no effect on one's conduct in life. Therefore, asking such questions is blameworthy - especially when it is already known that people who tend to ask such questions are mostly unaware of the basics of their religion. The problem is that falling for what is wasteful invariably results in making one stay deprived of doing what is necessary. As for the large body of work left by Muslim jurists in which they have answered assumed religious problems and questions, it was not something unnecessary. Later events proved that they were needed by future generations. Therefore, they do not fall under the purview of wasteful or meaningless questions. It is also a part of Islamic teachings that one should not indulge in any activity, whether intellectual or practical, a task or a conversation, and waste precious time through it, unless there is some gain to be made from it in terms of the worldly or other-wordly life.
People before you asked such questions, and then, as a result, became disbelievers.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The Prohibition of Asking Unnecessary Questions
These verses warn people who keep investigating unnecessarily into Divine injunctions. So fond and bent are they in this exercise that they would go to the outer limit of asking questions even about in-junctions which have not been prescribed at all and for which there is really no genuine need that they be asked. In this verse, such people have been instructed not to ask questions lest they are subjected to some trial, or they have to face disgrace as a result of the disclosure of their secrets.
The Background of the Revelation
As narrated in Sahib Muslim, the background or the cause of the revelation of these verses is as follows. When the verse concerning the obligation of Hajj was revealed, Sayyidna Al-Aqra` ibn Habis ؓ asked: ` Have we been obligated with Hajj every year?' The Holy Prophet ﷺ did not answer that question. He asked again. The Holy Prophet still remained silent. When he asked a third time, the Holy Prophet ﷺ reprimanded him by saying: If, in answer to your question, I had said, ` Yes, the Hajj is obligatory every year' - so it would have become, and you would have been unable to do it. After that, he added: Things about which I give you no command, leave them as they are. Do not ask questions by digging and prying into them. Communities before you have been damned eternally through this very proliferation of questioning because they, questions after questions about what Allah and His Messenger did not make obligatory on them, and in consequence of their unnecessary enquiry, these optional things were made obligatory - and then, they got involved in the unfortunate practice of disobeying these. Your estab-lished routine should be: Do what I order you to do, with the best of your ability, and leave what I order you not to do (that is, do not dig and pry into things about which no injunctions are given).
There is No Nubuwwah (Prophethood) and Wahy (Revelation) after the Holy Prophet ﷺ
It has also been tacitly said in this verse: وَإِن تَسْأَلُوا عَنْهَا حِينَ يُنَزَّلُ الْقُرْآنُ تُبْدَ لَكُمْ : ` and if you ask about them while the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be disclosed to you (through revelation).' Here, by restricting it with the time duration of the revelation of the Qur'an, the indication given is that it will be after the completion of the revelation of the Qur'an, that the process of Prophethood (Nubuwwah) and Revelation (Wahy) will be discontinued.
Though, after the discontinuation of this process of Prophethood and Revelation, the consequences that new injunctions may come, things not obligatory may become obligatory or someone's secret may be disclosed through revelation are not likely to take effect - but, minting unnecessary questions, falling for investigations into them or asking about things for which there is no need, shall still remain prohibited, even after the discontinuation of the process of Prophethood. The reason is simple. This is a waste of time - your own and that of others. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said:
مِن حُسنِ اِسلامِ المرَءِ تَرکُہ مَالَایَعنِیہِ
One of the qualities making someone a good Muslim is that one leaves what is unnecessary.
This tells us that many of our brother Muslims who keep investigating into unnecessary subjects, such as, the name of the mother of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) or the precise length and breadth of the Ark of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) ، indulge in what has no effect on one's conduct in life. Therefore, asking such questions is blameworthy - especially when it is already known that people who tend to ask such questions are mostly unaware of the basics of their religion. The problem is that falling for what is wasteful invariably results in making one stay deprived of doing what is necessary. As for the large body of work left by Muslim jurists in which they have answered assumed religious problems and questions, it was not something unnecessary. Later events proved that they were needed by future generations. Therefore, they do not fall under the purview of wasteful or meaningless questions. It is also a part of Islamic teachings that one should not indulge in any activity, whether intellectual or practical, a task or a conversation, and waste precious time through it, unless there is some gain to be made from it in terms of the worldly or other-wordly life.
Allah has made no BaHīrah, no Sā’ibah, no WaSīlah and no Hāmī (names of animals dedicated to idols on different grounds). But those who disbelieve coin a lie against Allah, and most of them do not understand.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The Definition of Bahirah and Sa'ibah
The names Bahirah, Sa'ibah, WasiIah and Hami are connected with customs prevailing during the days of Jahiliyyah. Commentators differ in their exegesis. It is possible that all these words were applied each to a different situation. We limit ourselves to the explanation given by Sayyidna Said ibn al-Musaiyyib ؓ as it appears in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari:
BAHIRAH, an animal the milk from which was dedicated in the name of idols, and was not used by anyone personally.
SA'IBAH, an animal which was released in the name of idols, like a bull in some rural areas of our time.
HAMI, a male camel having copulated with a particular number, which was also released in the name of idols.
WASILAH, a she-camel giving birth to female offspring continuously, uninterrupted by the birth of a male, was also released in the name of idols.
In addition to doing what was Shirk, these people were challenging the right of benefiting from the meat of an animal, or its milk, or riding it, declared permissible by Almighty Allah, and placing their own restrictions on their being lawful or unlawful - as if the office of making Divine laws belonged to them! And the cruel joke was that they took these polytheistic customs of theirs to be the source of attaining the pleasure and nearness of Almighty Allah. The answer to this was: Almighty Allah had never appointed these customs. If their elders did it, they fabricated lies against Him, and the ignorant masses accepted them. In short, a two-pronged warning has been given here by saying that the way it is a crime to invite hardships in Divine injunctions by asking purposeless questions, similarly, it is much more serious a crime that one goes about proposing things as Halal or حَرَام haram based on one's personal opinions and desires without the will and command of the Law-Giver. (Tafsir Usmani )
When it is said to them, “Come to what Allah has sent down, and to the Messenger;” they say, “Sufficient for us is that on which we have found our forefathers.” Is it so, even though their forefathers knew nothing, and had no guidance either?
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Mentioned earlier was one ignorant habit of the disbelievers who were very rigid in their customs. There were many more of such habits which made Muslims grieve. Therefore, the text now addresses Muslims asking them not to worry about others. They have been asked to correct themselves first - and then try to reform others within the limit of what they can do. Onward from there, that their efforts bear fruit is something beyond their control. Therefore, for them the best course is: Do your own job and not the job of others.
Commentary
The Background of the Revelation of the Verses
Following forefathers was one of the many customs of Jahiliyyah which had involved them in all sorts of evils, and equally deprived them of all kinds of virtues too. As reported in the Tafsir Al-Durr Al-Manthur from Ibn Abi Hatim, if a lucky person listened to the truth and embraced Islam, he was put to shame on the plea that he had proved his forefathers to be no good since he took to another way at the cost of the way of his forefathers. It was this compounded error of theirs whereupon the following verse was revealed:
And when it is said to them, "Come to what Allah has sent down, and to the Messenger;" they say, "sufficient for us is what we have found our forefathers on."
In other words, when they were asked to turn to the truth and to the injunctions revealed by Allah Ta` ala, and to the Messenger who is, in all possible respects, the guarantor of good for them, then, they have no answer to give but that the customs on which we found our forefathers are sufficient for us.'
This is the master argument of Shaytan which made millions of people fall into error despite having at least average sense, knowledge and skills. Answering it, the Qur'an said: أَوَلَوْ كَانَ آبَاؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا (Is it so, even if their forefathers knew nothing ... ). For those who would care to ponder, this one sentence of the Qur'an has provided a correct principle to uphold when following a person or group or party - a principle which brings sight to the unsighted and reality to the ignorant and the heedless. It makes sense if those who do not know follow those who do, the uninitiated follow the experienced and the ignorant follow the learned. But, what does not make sense is that one elects to move away from the standards of knowledge, reason and guidance and ends up making the following of forefathers as preferred practice - without realizing as to where this leader of theirs is and to where would he take them yet having the compulsion to tag along behind him?
This is how some people take a mob of people as the yardstick of right and wrong. Wherever they see a lot of people going, they will start moving in that direction. This too is absurd - because the majority of people in this world is always that of those who are not the wisest or the smartest or the most virtuous in deeds. Therefore, following a mob of people cannot become the criterion of distinction between truth and untruth or good and bad.
Following an Undeserving Leader is Asking for Trouble
This sentence of the Qur'an gives everyone a clear lesson in wisdom - that none of these criterions are at all sufficient to help in choosing someone as a leader to be followed. The correct attitude is that every-one should first determine the aim of his life and the direction of his journey in it. Then, in order to achieve that purpose, he has to look for a person who has the knowledge of that direction and is himself proceeding to it. When one finds a person like that, then, tagging along behind him can certainly take one all the way to his destination. This is the reality underlying what we know as the Taqlid (following) of the Mujtahid Imams. They know دین Din and they follow it too. Therefore, those who do not know can, by following them, achieve the main purpose of religion, that is, the obedience to Allah and His Messenger, and the following of their commands. As for one who is already astray, who does not himself know the destination, or is knowingly going in a direction opposite to the destination, then, following him shall be, in the sight of every wise person, a waste of one's efforts and deeds, rather the signing of one's own warrant of destruction. It is a pity that in the present age of so-called knowledge and enlightenment, even the people of education and foresight are ignoring the fact that the greatest cause of world upheaval is the locked following of leaders who are incompetent, undeserving, and false.
O you who believe, take care of your own selves. The one who has gone astray cannot harm you, if you are on the right path. To Allah all of you have to return. Then He will tell you what you have been doing.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The Criterion of Leadership
This sentence of the Qur'an gives two clear criterions of choosing a leader. These are having Knowledge (` Ilm) and Guidance (Ihtida' ). Knowledge means the knowing of the desired purpose or destination and the knowing of the methods to reach it, while having Guidance means moving towards the chosen objective. Combined together, it would mean constant effort based on sound knowledge.
To explain, it can be said that it is necessary to first find out - before making the choice of a leader - if he is fully conversant with the objectives and methods chosen to be followed. Then, it has to be seen whether he himself is traveling on the same path and in the same direction. And then, it has to be determined whether or not his conduct is in accordance with his knowledge. So, in order to take someone as a leader to be followed, it is necessary to test him on the anvil of sound knowledge and steady conduct. None of the other options based on ancestry and lineage, or being in the lead followed by masses of people, or being wealthy through money or property, or being in power and authority, not one of them is worthy of being considered as the criterion of leadership in the real sense.
An Effective Method of Criticism
At this place, the Qur'an has pointed out to the error of people who are used to following their ancestral customs blindly. However, right along with it, it has told us about an effective method which can be used when needed to identify the error of the other person, so that the addressee is not hurt or provoked. It will be noticed that the comment made in the text is not direct. It does not say that their forefathers were ignorant or astray. Instead of that, it employs a subtle interrogative style in asking if the practice of following one's forefathers could be reasonable in a situation when they did not have either knowledge or guidance.
Comfort for the Reformers of People
In the second verse (105), Muslims who sacrificed a great deal in their concern for reforming people have been comforted by saying that they had done their best to spread the call of truth and they had done their duty of conveying to people what was good for them. Now, if there were people who chose to stick by their error, that was not for them to worry about for their going astray will bring no loss to them. It was said:
0 those who believe, take care of your own selves. Those who have gone astray cannot harm you, if you are on the right path.
These words of the verse, if looked at outwardly, sometimes are taken in the sense that it is enough for one to only take care of one's own conduct, and just correct it when necessary. This would leave out the others who may keep doing what they do - there was no need to think about that. Such thinking is contrary to a great many very clear statements of the Qur'an where Bidding the Fair (al-amr bil-ma` ruf) and Forbidding the Unfair (al-nahy 'anil-munkar) has been declared to be an important duty in Islam and a singular distinction of the Muslim community. When this verse was revealed, some people faced doubts. The Holy Prophet ﷺ clarified by saying that the verse was not contradictory to the injunctions regarding the Bidding of the Fair. If they were to leave the mission of Bidding the Fair, they will be answerable for that. Therefore, Sayyidna Said ibn Jubayr ؓ has, in his Tafsir of the Verse as reported in Al-Bahr Al-Muhit, said: Keep doing what your religion obligates you with, which includes Jihad and Al-amr bil-ma` ruf (Bidding the Fair). If, even after doing all this, those who remain astray could bring no loss on you. A little deliberation in the words: إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ (if you are on the right path) of the Qur'an itself makes this explanation all the more clear as the converse of it shows that one who has abandoned the duty of Bidding the Fair is obviously not on the right path.
Reported in Tafsir Al-Durr Al-Manthur, is an event relating to Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ . Someone mentioned before him a serious dispute between certain people he named who were calling each other Mushriks (polytheists). Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ said: Do you think I am going to tell you to go and fight them? Never! Go, talk to them softly. If they listen, fine. If not, stop worrying about them. Get busy taking care of your own selves. After having said that, it was this very verse that he recited as the confirmation of his answer to their statement.
Sayyidna Abu-Bakr رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ on Checking of Sins
Sensing the doubt generated by a surface view of the words of the verse, Sayyidna Abu-Bakr ؓ said in a Khutbah (address): You people recite this verse and use it out of context - that Al-amr bil-Ma` ruf (Bidding the Fair) is not required. Understand it very clearly that I have myself heard the Holy Prophet ﷺ say that people who see a sin being committed and do not try to stop it (to the best of their ability) then, it is likely that they too are seized by the divine punishment along with the actual sinners.
This narration is there in Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. However, the words in Abu Dawud appear as follows: those who see an oppressor oppressing and do not stop him from his oppression (to the best of their ability), then, Allah Ta` ala will seize everyone in punishment.
The Meaning of Ma` ruf مَعرُوف and Munkar مُنکَر
From the details given earlier, we know that it is the duty of a Muslim that he should do what he can to check what is not permissible, or, at the least, show his dislike for it. Let us now find out what is Ma` ruf and Munkar.
The word, Ma` ruf is from Ma` rifah and the word, Munkar is from Inkar. Ma` rifah means to know, and to understand and recognize something after deliberation. In contrast, there is Inkar which means not to know, and not to understand and recognize something. These words are taken to be antonyms. The Holy Qur'an says: يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَتَ اللَّـهِ ثُمَّ يُنكِرُونَهَا (16:83). It means that they recognize the blessings of Allah by seeing the manifestations of His perfect power, but thereafter they deny them as if they do not know them. This tells us that, lexically, Ma` ruf signifies something well-recognized while Munkar refers to something unrecognized. Keeping this congruity in view, Imam a1-Raghib al-Isfahan has, in his Mufradat al-Qur'an, given the meaning of Ma‘ruf and Munkar as used in the terminology of the Shari’ ah. According to him, Ma` ruf refers to what is known to be good in the light of reason (` Aql) and revelation (Shar`). And Munkar means what is strange and unrecognized, that is, what is taken as bad. Therefore, Al-Amr bil Ma` ruf comes to mean bidding toward the Fair, while, Nahy 'anil-Munkar signifies forbidding from the Unfair.
There is nothing Legally Unfair in the sayings of the Mujtahid Imams
But here, the use of the words, Ma` ruf and Munkar, in place of sin and reward or obedience and disobedience, may perhaps be indicating towards the possibility that there can be two opinions in matters which are deep and in problems which require Ijtihad due to brevity or ambiguity left in the Qur'an and Sunnah - the basis on which sayings of Muslim jurists (fuqaha' ) differ - therefore, they are excluded from this scope. The brilliance of Ijtihad done by the great Mujtahid Imams is an accepted fact among scholars and jurists of Muslim Ummah. If two views are different about a religious problem, none of them can be considered to be censurable in Shari` ah1 (al-munkar ash-Shar` i). In fact, both the sides are included under Ma` ruf. In such problems, a person who considers one opinion weightier does not have the right to reject and censure the other in the manner it is done in the case of sin. This is the reason why, despite many differences in matters of Ijtihad and opposing opinions, it has not been reported anywhere that the noble Saba-bah and Tabi` in ever called each other sinners. Debates, dialogues, and polemics - they had all that. They presented their point of view, explained the reasons for their preference and did not hesitate in questioning what others had to say. But, nobody took anyone to be a sinner just because of this difference of opinion.
1. It must be noted here that the author is referring to the views expressed by the competent mujtahids who are equipped with deep knowledge of the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah and have expressed their bona fide view after doing their best to reach the truth. Conversely, if an incompetent person, Iacking the standard of knowledge required for ijtihad, declares a view based on his whims and conjectures, his view cannot be taken as a view based on ijtihad, therefore, he cannot claim immunity from 'Nahy anil munkar'. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
To put it briefly, it can be said that on occasions where Ijtihadi difference exists, every knowledgeable person (having the optimum subject knowledge) has the choice to take a side which is weightier in his sight. This much he can do. But, no one has the right to reject and censure what someone else has done by taking it as Munkar (evil and sinful). From here we learn that all those writings which spread mutual hatred and hostility in Ijtihadi problems and issues are not included under the purview of Al-Amr bil-Ma’ ruf or Nahy 'anil-Munkar (Bidding the Fair and Forbidding the Unfair). Opening a war front on the basis of such religious issues can only be because of unawareness or ignorance.
O you who believe, when death draws near one of you, that is, at the time of making a will, the evidence (recognized) between you shall be of two witnesses from among you, or of two others not from you, if you are travelling on the earth and the trauma of death visits you. (Then) you shall detain them after the prayer, if you have some doubt, and they shall swear by Allah, “We shall not take a price for it, even if there be a relative; and we shall not conceal the evidence (as due) of Allah, otherwise we should certainly be among the sinners.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Prior to this, there were injunctions relevant to religious considerations. Now some injunctions relevant to worldly considerations have been mentioned. The hint given is that the way Allah Ta` ala, in His mercy, helps His servants with better life in the Hereafter, He also takes care of better sustenance for them in the present world. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
The Background of Revelation
The event in the background of the revelation of the cited verses is that Budayl, a Muslim accompanied by Tamim and ` Adiyy, who were Christians at that time, travelled to Syria on a business visit. After reaching Syria, Budayl became sick. He made out a list of his things in writing and put it in his baggage. He did not inform his companions of the trip about it. When his sickness became serious, he called his Christian trip companions and made a will before them that they should deliver everything to his heirs. When they returned, they delivered everything to them. But, they took out a silver bowl which was polished with gold, or had gold inlay work on it, from the belongings. When the heirs found the list of things in the baggage left for them by the deceased, they asked the caretakers of the will if the deceased had sold something from the property, or was he very sick which may have compelled him to make unusual expenses. They answered their inquiry in the negative. Finally, the case came up for hearing before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Since the heirs had no witnesses, the two Christians were put under oath. They declared that they had neither committed any breach of trust in what belonged to the deceased, nor had they hidden any of his things. In the end, based on the oath, the verdict was given in their favour. After the passage of some time, it was found that the two of them had sold that bowl to a goldsmith in Makkah. When asked, they said that they had bought it from the de-ceased. Since they had no witnesses at the time of purchase, they pleaded, they did not mention it earlier lest they be falsified.
The heirs of the deceased appealed in the court of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Now, contrary to the earlier situation, the executers of the will were claiming to have purchased the missing item while the heirs were denying it. In view of the absence of evidence, two persons closest of the deceased gave a sworn statement that the bowl was owned by the deceased and that the two Christians were liars in their oath. So, the amount of money for which they had sold it (1, 000 Dirhams) was made to be handed over to the heirs.
Commentary
'These verses are meant to give general instructions to the Muslims with regard to making will before death. The advice given is that the will should be evidenced by witnesses, so that they may prove the will in case of a dispute after the death of the testator. It has also been advised that two pious Muslims are chosen for witnessing the will. However, if the Muslim witnesses are not available, non-Muslim witnesses may also serve the purpose. The words 'two witnesses from you" signify the preference of Muslim witnesses, but the following words "or of two others not from you" point out to the permissibility of non-Muslim witnesses.
Then, the words "if you have some doubt" refers to a situation where the legal heirs of the deceased have a claim against the executors of the will, as in the case of Budayl the heirs claimed that a bowl of silver was delivered by the deceased to the executors. Since, in this case the heirs are the plaintiffs, they should produce witnesses to prove their claim, but on their failure to do so, the defendants, i.e. the trustees are required to declare on oath that they did not commit any breach of trust. For that purpose, the Holy Qur'an advises the judge by saying, you shall detain them after the prayer, and they shall swear.
Although it is not legally compulsory to take this oath in the mosque after a prayer, yet the Holy Qur'an has advised to take oath after a prayer, so that the sanctity of time and place may further persuade the people to give a truthful statement.
In the next verse the Holy Qur'an says, "Then, if it is discovered that the two had rendered themselves liable to a sin..." It means that they had given a false evidence, as in the case of Budayl they themselves admitted that the bowl was purchased by them which implied that the property of Budayl contained a bowl and their earlier testimony was false. At this stage they claimed that they had purchased the bowl from Budayl. They should have substantiated this claim by witnesses, but they failed to do so, therefore, the oath was given to the legal heirs of Budayl that no such sale took place to the best of their knowledge. It is this oath of the heirs which has been mentioned in the verse by saying, "then, in their place shall stand two others closest of those whose right has been taken away and they shall swear by Allah..."
Some Rulings
1. The person with whom the deceased leaves his or her property in trust with the request that it be given to someone is called Wasiyy (authorized guardian, executor, trustee, caretaker; plural: Awsiya' ). A Wasiyy can be one individual, or more.
2. That a Wasiyy should be Muslim and just, is better but not necessary, no matter whether the will is being made in journey or at home.
3. In a dispute, the complainant is called the Mudda'i (plaintiff) while the other party is Mudda` a ` alayh (respondent).
4. Witnesses from the Plaintiff are taken first. If he presents them as recognized under the legal norms set by the Shari’ ah of Islam, the case is decided in his favour. If he cannot do that, the Respondent is put on oath and the case is decided in his favour. However, if he denies it, the Plaintiff wins the case.
5. Taking oath at a particular time or place in order to make it more emphatic, as done in the cited verse, depends on the opinion of the judge - it is not required compulsorily. Its compulsory nature is not proved from this verse too, while the converse is proved from other verses and Hadith reports.
The Witness of a Kafir is Acceptable in the case of another Kafir
In the opening words of the verse (106): يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا شَهَادَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ translated as : ` when death draws near one of you, that is, at the time of making a will, the evidence (recognized) between you shall be of two just witnesses from among you, or of two others not from you,' Muslims have been commanded that at the time death draws near one of them, they should appoint two good and just men from among them as their Wasiyy (executor of the will), and if they do not have such people from their own, then, they can have two others (that is, from disbelievers).
It is from here that Imam Abu Hanifah has deduced the ruling that the witness given by disbelievers for each other is permissible. Since the witness of the disbelievers has been declared permissible in the case of Muslims in this verse, as obvious from: أَوْ آخَرَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ (or of two others not from you), so the witness of disbelievers for each other is permissible as more suited. But, later on, the witness of the disbelievers for Muslims was abrogated under the authority of the verse: وَاسْتَشْهِدُوا شَهِيدَيْنِ مِن رِّجَالِكُمْ (And have two witnesses from among your men - 2:282). But, the evidence of disbelievers for each other remains valid as it was. (Qurtubi Al-Ahkam Al-Qur'an by Jassas)
The support for the position of Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) also comes from what a Hadith says about a Jew who had committed Zina (adultery). His people smeared his face with black soot and produced him before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Looking at his condition, he asked for the reason. They told him that the man had committed adultery (Zina). After hearing the testimony of the witnesses, he gave orders that he be stoned to death (Rajm). (Jassas)
Two Words, Two Rules
1. The word, تَحْبِسُونَهُمَا (You shall detain them) in the context of this verse (106) tells us that a person who (genuinely) owes something to someone (having the right of return), the later can have him detained for the retrieval of his right, if and when needed. (Qurtubi)
The word, "Salah" in: مِن بَعْدِ الصَّلَاةِ (after the prayer) means the Salah or prayer of عَصر ` Asr. That this time has been chosen is because the people of the Book held it in esteem. Telling a lie at this time was particularly prohibited among them. This tells us that the placing of the restriction of special time or place for taking a solemn and sacred oath (Taghliz) is permissible. (Qurtubi)
Then, if it is discovered that the two had rendered themselves liable to a sin, then, in their place shall stand two others, closest of those whose right has been taken away, and they shall swear by Allah, “Our evidence is more truthful than their evidence, and we have not transgressed; otherwise we should be among the unjust.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Prior to this, there were injunctions relevant to religious considerations. Now some injunctions relevant to worldly considerations have been mentioned. The hint given is that the way Allah Ta` ala, in His mercy, helps His servants with better life in the Hereafter, He also takes care of better sustenance for them in the present world. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
The Background of Revelation
The event in the background of the revelation of the cited verses is that Budayl, a Muslim accompanied by Tamim and ` Adiyy, who were Christians at that time, travelled to Syria on a business visit. After reaching Syria, Budayl became sick. He made out a list of his things in writing and put it in his baggage. He did not inform his companions of the trip about it. When his sickness became serious, he called his Christian trip companions and made a will before them that they should deliver everything to his heirs. When they returned, they delivered everything to them. But, they took out a silver bowl which was polished with gold, or had gold inlay work on it, from the belongings. When the heirs found the list of things in the baggage left for them by the deceased, they asked the caretakers of the will if the deceased had sold something from the property, or was he very sick which may have compelled him to make unusual expenses. They answered their inquiry in the negative. Finally, the case came up for hearing before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Since the heirs had no witnesses, the two Christians were put under oath. They declared that they had neither committed any breach of trust in what belonged to the deceased, nor had they hidden any of his things. In the end, based on the oath, the verdict was given in their favour. After the passage of some time, it was found that the two of them had sold that bowl to a goldsmith in Makkah. When asked, they said that they had bought it from the de-ceased. Since they had no witnesses at the time of purchase, they pleaded, they did not mention it earlier lest they be falsified.
The heirs of the deceased appealed in the court of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Now, contrary to the earlier situation, the executers of the will were claiming to have purchased the missing item while the heirs were denying it. In view of the absence of evidence, two persons closest of the deceased gave a sworn statement that the bowl was owned by the deceased and that the two Christians were liars in their oath. So, the amount of money for which they had sold it (1, 000 Dirhams) was made to be handed over to the heirs.
Commentary
'These verses are meant to give general instructions to the Muslims with regard to making will before death. The advice given is that the will should be evidenced by witnesses, so that they may prove the will in case of a dispute after the death of the testator. It has also been advised that two pious Muslims are chosen for witnessing the will. However, if the Muslim witnesses are not available, non-Muslim witnesses may also serve the purpose. The words 'two witnesses from you" signify the preference of Muslim witnesses, but the following words "or of two others not from you" point out to the permissibility of non-Muslim witnesses.
Then, the words "if you have some doubt" refers to a situation where the legal heirs of the deceased have a claim against the executors of the will, as in the case of Budayl the heirs claimed that a bowl of silver was delivered by the deceased to the executors. Since, in this case the heirs are the plaintiffs, they should produce witnesses to prove their claim, but on their failure to do so, the defendants, i.e. the trustees are required to declare on oath that they did not commit any breach of trust. For that purpose, the Holy Qur'an advises the judge by saying, you shall detain them after the prayer, and they shall swear.
Although it is not legally compulsory to take this oath in the mosque after a prayer, yet the Holy Qur'an has advised to take oath after a prayer, so that the sanctity of time and place may further persuade the people to give a truthful statement.
In the next verse the Holy Qur'an says, "Then, if it is discovered that the two had rendered themselves liable to a sin..." It means that they had given a false evidence, as in the case of Budayl they themselves admitted that the bowl was purchased by them which implied that the property of Budayl contained a bowl and their earlier testimony was false. At this stage they claimed that they had purchased the bowl from Budayl. They should have substantiated this claim by witnesses, but they failed to do so, therefore, the oath was given to the legal heirs of Budayl that no such sale took place to the best of their knowledge. It is this oath of the heirs which has been mentioned in the verse by saying, "then, in their place shall stand two others closest of those whose right has been taken away and they shall swear by Allah..."
Some Rulings
1. The person with whom the deceased leaves his or her property in trust with the request that it be given to someone is called Wasiyy (authorized guardian, executor, trustee, caretaker; plural: Awsiya' ). A Wasiyy can be one individual, or more.
2. That a Wasiyy should be Muslim and just, is better but not necessary, no matter whether the will is being made in journey or at home.
3. In a dispute, the complainant is called the Mudda'i (plaintiff) while the other party is Mudda` a ` alayh (respondent).
4. Witnesses from the Plaintiff are taken first. If he presents them as recognized under the legal norms set by the Shari’ ah of Islam, the case is decided in his favour. If he cannot do that, the Respondent is put on oath and the case is decided in his favour. However, if he denies it, the Plaintiff wins the case.
5. Taking oath at a particular time or place in order to make it more emphatic, as done in the cited verse, depends on the opinion of the judge - it is not required compulsorily. Its compulsory nature is not proved from this verse too, while the converse is proved from other verses and Hadith reports.
The Witness of a Kafir is Acceptable in the case of another Kafir
In the opening words of the verse (106): يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا شَهَادَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ translated as : ` when death draws near one of you, that is, at the time of making a will, the evidence (recognized) between you shall be of two just witnesses from among you, or of two others not from you,' Muslims have been commanded that at the time death draws near one of them, they should appoint two good and just men from among them as their Wasiyy (executor of the will), and if they do not have such people from their own, then, they can have two others (that is, from disbelievers).
It is from here that Imam Abu Hanifah has deduced the ruling that the witness given by disbelievers for each other is permissible. Since the witness of the disbelievers has been declared permissible in the case of Muslims in this verse, as obvious from: أَوْ آخَرَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ (or of two others not from you), so the witness of disbelievers for each other is permissible as more suited. But, later on, the witness of the disbelievers for Muslims was abrogated under the authority of the verse: وَاسْتَشْهِدُوا شَهِيدَيْنِ مِن رِّجَالِكُمْ (And have two witnesses from among your men - 2:282). But, the evidence of disbelievers for each other remains valid as it was. (Qurtubi Al-Ahkam Al-Qur'an by Jassas)
The support for the position of Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) also comes from what a Hadith says about a Jew who had committed Zina (adultery). His people smeared his face with black soot and produced him before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Looking at his condition, he asked for the reason. They told him that the man had committed adultery (Zina). After hearing the testimony of the witnesses, he gave orders that he be stoned to death (Rajm). (Jassas)
Two Words, Two Rules
1. The word, تَحْبِسُونَهُمَا (You shall detain them) in the context of this verse (106) tells us that a person who (genuinely) owes something to someone (having the right of return), the later can have him detained for the retrieval of his right, if and when needed. (Qurtubi)
The word, "Salah" in: مِن بَعْدِ الصَّلَاةِ (after the prayer) means the Salah or prayer of عَصر ` Asr. That this time has been chosen is because the people of the Book held it in esteem. Telling a lie at this time was particularly prohibited among them. This tells us that the placing of the restriction of special time or place for taking a solemn and sacred oath (Taghliz) is permissible. (Qurtubi)
Thus, it is more likely that the former people (i.e. the executors of the bequest) will bear witness in its proper way, or they will fear that oaths will be taken in rebuttal of their oaths. Fear Allah and listen. Allah does not lead sinning people to the right path.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Sequence of Verses
Prior to this, there were injunctions relevant to religious considerations. Now some injunctions relevant to worldly considerations have been mentioned. The hint given is that the way Allah Ta` ala, in His mercy, helps His servants with better life in the Hereafter, He also takes care of better sustenance for them in the present world. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
The Background of Revelation
The event in the background of the revelation of the cited verses is that Budayl, a Muslim accompanied by Tamim and ` Adiyy, who were Christians at that time, travelled to Syria on a business visit. After reaching Syria, Budayl became sick. He made out a list of his things in writing and put it in his baggage. He did not inform his companions of the trip about it. When his sickness became serious, he called his Christian trip companions and made a will before them that they should deliver everything to his heirs. When they returned, they delivered everything to them. But, they took out a silver bowl which was polished with gold, or had gold inlay work on it, from the belongings. When the heirs found the list of things in the baggage left for them by the deceased, they asked the caretakers of the will if the deceased had sold something from the property, or was he very sick which may have compelled him to make unusual expenses. They answered their inquiry in the negative. Finally, the case came up for hearing before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Since the heirs had no witnesses, the two Christians were put under oath. They declared that they had neither committed any breach of trust in what belonged to the deceased, nor had they hidden any of his things. In the end, based on the oath, the verdict was given in their favour. After the passage of some time, it was found that the two of them had sold that bowl to a goldsmith in Makkah. When asked, they said that they had bought it from the de-ceased. Since they had no witnesses at the time of purchase, they pleaded, they did not mention it earlier lest they be falsified.
The heirs of the deceased appealed in the court of the Holy Prophet ﷺ Now, contrary to the earlier situation, the executers of the will were claiming to have purchased the missing item while the heirs were denying it. In view of the absence of evidence, two persons closest of the deceased gave a sworn statement that the bowl was owned by the deceased and that the two Christians were liars in their oath. So, the amount of money for which they had sold it (1, 000 Dirhams) was made to be handed over to the heirs.
Commentary
'These verses are meant to give general instructions to the Muslims with regard to making will before death. The advice given is that the will should be evidenced by witnesses, so that they may prove the will in case of a dispute after the death of the testator. It has also been advised that two pious Muslims are chosen for witnessing the will. However, if the Muslim witnesses are not available, non-Muslim witnesses may also serve the purpose. The words 'two witnesses from you" signify the preference of Muslim witnesses, but the following words "or of two others not from you" point out to the permissibility of non-Muslim witnesses.
Then, the words "if you have some doubt" refers to a situation where the legal heirs of the deceased have a claim against the executors of the will, as in the case of Budayl the heirs claimed that a bowl of silver was delivered by the deceased to the executors. Since, in this case the heirs are the plaintiffs, they should produce witnesses to prove their claim, but on their failure to do so, the defendants, i.e. the trustees are required to declare on oath that they did not commit any breach of trust. For that purpose, the Holy Qur'an advises the judge by saying, you shall detain them after the prayer, and they shall swear.
Although it is not legally compulsory to take this oath in the mosque after a prayer, yet the Holy Qur'an has advised to take oath after a prayer, so that the sanctity of time and place may further persuade the people to give a truthful statement.
In the next verse the Holy Qur'an says, "Then, if it is discovered that the two had rendered themselves liable to a sin..." It means that they had given a false evidence, as in the case of Budayl they themselves admitted that the bowl was purchased by them which implied that the property of Budayl contained a bowl and their earlier testimony was false. At this stage they claimed that they had purchased the bowl from Budayl. They should have substantiated this claim by witnesses, but they failed to do so, therefore, the oath was given to the legal heirs of Budayl that no such sale took place to the best of their knowledge. It is this oath of the heirs which has been mentioned in the verse by saying, "then, in their place shall stand two others closest of those whose right has been taken away and they shall swear by Allah..."
Some Rulings
1. The person with whom the deceased leaves his or her property in trust with the request that it be given to someone is called Wasiyy (authorized guardian, executor, trustee, caretaker; plural: Awsiya' ). A Wasiyy can be one individual, or more.
2. That a Wasiyy should be Muslim and just, is better but not necessary, no matter whether the will is being made in journey or at home.
3. In a dispute, the complainant is called the Mudda'i (plaintiff) while the other party is Mudda` a ` alayh (respondent).
4. Witnesses from the Plaintiff are taken first. If he presents them as recognized under the legal norms set by the Shari’ ah of Islam, the case is decided in his favour. If he cannot do that, the Respondent is put on oath and the case is decided in his favour. However, if he denies it, the Plaintiff wins the case.
5. Taking oath at a particular time or place in order to make it more emphatic, as done in the cited verse, depends on the opinion of the judge - it is not required compulsorily. Its compulsory nature is not proved from this verse too, while the converse is proved from other verses and Hadith reports.
The Witness of a Kafir is Acceptable in the case of another Kafir
In the opening words of the verse (106): يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا شَهَادَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ translated as : ` when death draws near one of you, that is, at the time of making a will, the evidence (recognized) between you shall be of two just witnesses from among you, or of two others not from you,' Muslims have been commanded that at the time death draws near one of them, they should appoint two good and just men from among them as their Wasiyy (executor of the will), and if they do not have such people from their own, then, they can have two others (that is, from disbelievers).
It is from here that Imam Abu Hanifah has deduced the ruling that the witness given by disbelievers for each other is permissible. Since the witness of the disbelievers has been declared permissible in the case of Muslims in this verse, as obvious from: أَوْ آخَرَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ (or of two others not from you), so the witness of disbelievers for each other is permissible as more suited. But, later on, the witness of the disbelievers for Muslims was abrogated under the authority of the verse: وَاسْتَشْهِدُوا شَهِيدَيْنِ مِن رِّجَالِكُمْ (And have two witnesses from among your men - 2:282). But, the evidence of disbelievers for each other remains valid as it was. (Qurtubi Al-Ahkam Al-Qur'an by Jassas)
The support for the position of Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) also comes from what a Hadith says about a Jew who had committed Zina (adultery). His people smeared his face with black soot and produced him before the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Looking at his condition, he asked for the reason. They told him that the man had committed adultery (Zina). After hearing the testimony of the witnesses, he gave orders that he be stoned to death (Rajm). (Jassas)
Two Words, Two Rules
1. The word, تَحْبِسُونَهُمَا (You shall detain them) in the context of this verse (106) tells us that a person who (genuinely) owes something to someone (having the right of return), the later can have him detained for the retrieval of his right, if and when needed. (Qurtubi)
The word, "Salah" in: مِن بَعْدِ الصَّلَاةِ (after the prayer) means the Salah or prayer of عَصر ` Asr. That this time has been chosen is because the people of the Book held it in esteem. Telling a lie at this time was particularly prohibited among them. This tells us that the placing of the restriction of special time or place for taking a solemn and sacred oath (Taghliz) is permissible. (Qurtubi)
(Be mindful of) the day when Allah will assemble the messengers and will say to them, “How were you responded to?” They will say, “We have no knowledge. Surely You alone have the full knowledge of all that is unseen.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The Linkage of Verses
Earlier, mention was made of various injunctions. In between came inducements to put these in practice along with warnings against opposing them. Now it is to reemphasize the approach that people are reminded of the frightening happenings of the Day of Qiyamah so that obedience is promoted and antagonism is checked. This is the prevailing style of the Holy Qur'an. Then, towards the closing stages of the Surah, there is that dialogue with the people of the Book which has also appeared earlier through several verses where the purpose is to acquaint the people of the Book with facts about Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) facts which affirm his being a servant of Allah and negate the erroneous ascribing of godhood to him (though, the actual locale of this address will be the Last Day of Qiyamah).
Commentary
The First Question Asked of Prophets (علیہم السلام) on the Last Day
Verse 109 opens with the statement: يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُ اللَّـهُ الرُّسُلَ `(Remember) the day Allah will assemble the messengers' which is ominous. Though, the day of Qiyamah will be the Day of Doom when all human beings born from the beginning to the end shall be standing on open grounds. Human beings, no matter what their region, country or time, shall all be present on those grounds and there will come that hour of ultimate reckoning for a whole lifetime of deeds. But, in the statement quoted above, mentioned particularly are the blessed prophets whom Allah will assemble on that day of reckoning. The sense is that, as for assembling, the whole world will be assembled, but the first question asked will be from the prophets, may peace be upon them all - so that the whole creation of Allah may see that, on that day, no one is exempted from reckoning. Then, the question asked of the prophets will be: مَاذَا أُجِبْتُمْ (How were you responded to?). It means when you invited your communities towards Allah and His true religion, how did they react to your call. Did they act as they were commanded to? Or, did they say no to the call and opposed it?
Though the question will be addressed to the prophets, but it would really be beamed at their communities. In other words, the prophets will be the first ones to testify about the good or bad deeds done by their communities. And for them this would be a trying time, for, on their part, they would be hoping for the intercession of their prophets to rescue them from this nerve shattering experience, while, on the other hand, there would come this question addressed to their prophets themselves requiring them to explain the conduct of their communities. Under such circumstances, it is obvious that prophets would never say anything but the truth, so the criminals and sinners will have apprehensions that the prophets themselves will become witnesses to their wrong-doings. Who, then, they would wonder, was now left to intercede on their behalf?
The answer that the prophets will give will be: قَالُوا لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ (We have no knowledge. Surely You have the full knowledge of all that is unseen).
The Removal of a Doubt
As for the people of every community who were born after passing away of their prophets from this world, this answer given by the prophets (علیہم السلام) correct and clear in that they are unaware of the actual state of their faith and deeds - because no one has the knowledge of the unseen except Allah. But, the question arises with regard to the great majority of people within the community, who professed belief at the hands of their prophet as a result of his work among them, and proved that they kept following before their eyes what they were asked to follow. Similarly, there were disbelievers who did not listen to the prophets, even treated them with hostility. How would it be correct to say about them that ` we have no knowledge of their faith and deeds.'? It appears in Tafsir Al-Bahr Al-Muhit that Imam Razi has answered this doubt by saying: There are two separate things here. One is عِلم ` Ilm which means perfect certitude, while the other is ظَن Zann which means conjecture or weighty likelihood. And it is obvious that if a person can, despite his being sitting next to the other person, testify about his faith and deed, then, it will be on no other basis but that of ظَن Zann or conjecture or likelihood. Otherwise, real faith ('Iman) is a secret of the heart which no one can find out with any certitude without a Divine revelation. Every religious community had their groups of hypocrites who obviously did profess faith and did follow what they were commanded to follow. But, their hearts had no faith in them nor they had the real feeling and drive for carrying out those commands. All they had was hypocricy. , But, like all laws, religious laws too were applied on what was visible from the outside. Anyone who called himself a believer, followed Divinely ordained laws, and no word or deed from him or her stood proved against faith and belief, was a good believer in the sight of the prophets and their believing communities. Whether some-one was a true believer at heart, or simply a hypocrite, it did not count for they had no choice in the matter. Therefore, it was said by the Holy Prophet: ﷺ
We judge on the basis of outward deeds while Allah is (Himself) the custodian of the secrets (of the hearts).
Under this rule, the noble prophets, their deputies and the learned could confirm, at least in the mortal world, that someone was a true believer as based on their favourable opinion deduced from his out-ward deeds. But, that mortal world where everything revolved round opinions and conjectures is all gone. This is the Yowm al-Hashr, the fateful day of Resurrection when the dead shall rise and where things will be sorted out and realities will be unfolded. Criminals will stand on trial. People will witness against them. If they do not confess, other witnesses will be brought in, very special, and very official witness-es. With mouths and tongues silenced, the wrong-doer's hands and legs and the skin will be asked to testify. They will tell everything الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿65﴾ (That Day We shall set a seal on their mouths while their hands will speak to Us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they did -36:65). Human beings will then surely find out that parts of their own body could also act as secret service agents when summoned to do so by the Lord of the universes. After such disarming testimony no denial will remain possible.
In short, that would be a state of being in which no judgment will be based on opinion, estimate and conjecture. Instead, certitude will be the order of the day. And as we have just seen that no one has the real knowledge about anyone's faith and belief except Allah, therefore, when the prophets will be asked on the day of Resurrection: مَاذَا أُجِبْتُمْ (How were you responded to?), they would recognize the reality behind the question, that the question is not being asked in the world of our experience where it could be answered by conjecture, instead, that question was being asked in the horrendous scenario of the Day of Resurrection where nothing other than certitude was going to work. Therefore, their answer: ` We have no knowledge' about it, that is, they do not have that certain knowledge needed to answer the question, is right and correct.
The Answer Shows the Affection Prophets have for People
We now know that the prophets did have some opinion about the acceptance or rejection of their call by their communities and knew facts about their obedience or disobedience. On that basis, they could have at least mentioned their apparent attitude as part of their an-swer to the question - and could have referred the certainty in knowledge to the sole domain of Almighty Allah. But, what we see here is that the prophets said nothing about what they knew, nor did they mention any events which had passed before them. They simply re-signed these to the Divine knowledge and chose to remain silent.
This was a great demonstration of consideration. Prophets are very affectionate to their people, and to the creation of Allah in general. They would not elect to say something as an adverse comment against their community on their own, lest their people are in trouble. If they had to say so, they would. But, here they had the excuse of not having certain knowledge. Using this legitimate excuse to their advantage, they could have avoided saying anything against their communities - and so they did.
Five Questions on the Day of Resurrection
Opened through this verse is a window to Qiyamah, the fateful Day of Doom. Stationed there on the grandstands of reckoning are the highest and the dearest of Allah, His noble messengers and prophets, all in awe and reverence. Think of them and think of what would be happening to others. Therefore, we should start worrying about that Day right from this day. This little time of our life is a blessing in our hands and should be devoted to getting ready for the ultimate accounting. In a Hadith of Tirmidhi, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said:
لَا تَزولُ قدمَا ابنِ اٰدم یَومَ القِیامَۃِ حَتَّی یُسٔلَ عن خَمسِ : عن عُمرِہِ فیمَا اَفنَاہُ وعَن شَبَانِہِ فِیمَا اَبلَاہۃ وعَن مَالِہِ مِن اٰنَ اَنفَقَہ و مَاذَا عَمِلَ بِمَا عَلِمَ
No son of Adam will move a step on the Day of Qiyamah until he is asked five questions: (1) About his age: In what did he use it up? (2) And about his youth: In what did he spend it? (3) And about his wealth: From where did he earn it? (4) And where did he spend it? (5) And what was it that he did following that which he knew?
Great is the mercy and affection of Allah Ta` ala. He puts us to a test and He Himself tells His people about the questions asked during the test. The task was done by the Holy Prophet ﷺ who told his Ummah how to appear in this test. Now, for them, there is nothing left to do but to resolve these questions, find their answers and solutions and keep that preserved (for the day of trial). So, if someone still fails, even after being told what will be in the test, fairly in advance, who else could be more deprived than him?
(Call to mind the time) when Allah will say, “O ‘Īsā, son of Maryam, remember My blessing upon you and upon your mother; when I supported you with the Holy Spirit. You spoke to people while you were still in the cradle and when you grew to middle age. I taught you the Book and the Wisdom, the Torah and the Injīl. You created from clay something in the shape of a bird, then you blew on it, and it became a bird by My leave. You cured those born blind and lepers by My leave.You raised the dead by My leave. I kept the children of Isrā’īl away from you when you came to them with clear signs, and the disbelievers among them said, “This is nothing but a clear magic.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
A Particular Question Asked from Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام)
The first verse (109) referred to prophets in general where a question was asked and its reply was given. In the second verse (100), and after that, in all the nine verses appearing through the end of the Surah, the text talks about Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) ، the last prophet of the Bani Isra'il, and mentions some blessings of Allah on him. A particular question asked from him on the Day of Resurrection (Al-Mahshar) along with its answer has also been mentioned which follows in verses coming next.
The purpose of the question asked and the answer given is to show this disturbing sight to Bani Isra'il and to the entire creation. When on the plains of the Hashr, the one who is called, The Spirit of Allah (Ruhullah) and The Word of Allah (Kalimatullah) is asked the question as to why did his people make him a partner of God, he would be upset despite his being a great prophet and would hasten to plead his being free from what his followers did, not in one way, but in more than one. First he said. سُبْحَانَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِحَقٍّ (Pure are You, it does not be-hove me to say what is not right for me - 116).
Then, he pleads his innocence from another angle when he makes Almighty Allah his witness and says: ` Had I said it, You would have known it. You know what is in my heart and I do not know what is in Your's. You alone have the full knowledge of what is unseen - 116.' After this overture, he answers the main question.
The Answer given by Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) before His Lord
His answer was that he had taught his people precisely what he was commanded to teach, that is: أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّـهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ (Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord - 117). Then, after this teaching, as long as he lived among those people, he was a witness to what they said and did (upto that time, none of them said things like that about him). Then, after he was raised by his Lord towards Him, these people remained under His watch, and it is He who knew their words and deeds fully and truly.
The Mention of Special Blessings on Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام)
Before these verses where questions asked and their answers given by Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) have been mentioned, special blessings which were bestowed upon him as his miracles have also been described (110). Thus, by bringing the bestowal of blessings and the scenario of answerability in juxtaposition, both groups of Bani Isra'il have been ad-monished, one of which insulted, accused and harassed him while the other took him as God or son of God. By describing the blessings, the first group has been admonished while, by mentioning the questions and answers, it is the second group which has been warned. The detailed description of blessings which appears in many verses has one sentence which is worth special consideration, the sentence where it is said: تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا ۖYou spoke to the people when in the cradle and while middle-aged). In other words, a special miracle given to Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) was that he talked to people in a state when he is a child, and he also does that in a state when he is middle-aged.
As for the first spectacle, it is obvious that it is a miracle and certainly a special blessing of Allah. In the early post-birth stage, children cannot talk (meaningfully). If a child were to start talking in the cradle or on the laps of the mother, that would be a particular distinction of the child. As for talking ` while middle-aged,' it does not seem to be worth mentioning, for everyone talks at this age. But, for a moment, think of the conditions surrounding Sayyidna ` Isa and you will realize that this too was a miracle - because Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) was raised from the earth before reaching middle-age. Now that he would talk to people on the earth after reaching his middle-age can become possible only when he returns to this world - as is the collective belief of Muslims which stands proved on the basis of clear statements of the Qur'an and Sunnah. It is from here that we find out that in the manner it was a miracle of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) that he talked when a child, so in the same manner, talking while middle-aged because of his return to this world is nothing but a miracle.
When I enjoined upon the disciples (of ‘Īsā ), “Believe in Me and in My Messenger,” they said, “We believed. Bear witness that we are the submitting ones.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
A Particular Question Asked from Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام)
The first verse (109) referred to prophets in general where a question was asked and its reply was given. In the second verse (100), and after that, in all the nine verses appearing through the end of the Surah, the text talks about Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) ، the last prophet of the Bani Isra'il, and mentions some blessings of Allah on him. A particular question asked from him on the Day of Resurrection (Al-Mahshar) along with its answer has also been mentioned which follows in verses coming next.
The purpose of the question asked and the answer given is to show this disturbing sight to Bani Isra'il and to the entire creation. When on the plains of the Hashr, the one who is called, The Spirit of Allah (Ruhullah) and The Word of Allah (Kalimatullah) is asked the question as to why did his people make him a partner of God, he would be upset despite his being a great prophet and would hasten to plead his being free from what his followers did, not in one way, but in more than one. First he said. سُبْحَانَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِحَقٍّ (Pure are You, it does not be-hove me to say what is not right for me - 116).
Then, he pleads his innocence from another angle when he makes Almighty Allah his witness and says: ` Had I said it, You would have known it. You know what is in my heart and I do not know what is in Your's. You alone have the full knowledge of what is unseen - 116.' After this overture, he answers the main question.
The Answer given by Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) before His Lord
His answer was that he had taught his people precisely what he was commanded to teach, that is: أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّـهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ (Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord - 117). Then, after this teaching, as long as he lived among those people, he was a witness to what they said and did (upto that time, none of them said things like that about him). Then, after he was raised by his Lord towards Him, these people remained under His watch, and it is He who knew their words and deeds fully and truly.
The Mention of Special Blessings on Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام)
Before these verses where questions asked and their answers given by Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) have been mentioned, special blessings which were bestowed upon him as his miracles have also been described (110). Thus, by bringing the bestowal of blessings and the scenario of answerability in juxtaposition, both groups of Bani Isra'il have been ad-monished, one of which insulted, accused and harassed him while the other took him as God or son of God. By describing the blessings, the first group has been admonished while, by mentioning the questions and answers, it is the second group which has been warned. The detailed description of blessings which appears in many verses has one sentence which is worth special consideration, the sentence where it is said: تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا ۖYou spoke to the people when in the cradle and while middle-aged). In other words, a special miracle given to Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) was that he talked to people in a state when he is a child, and he also does that in a state when he is middle-aged.
As for the first spectacle, it is obvious that it is a miracle and certainly a special blessing of Allah. In the early post-birth stage, children cannot talk (meaningfully). If a child were to start talking in the cradle or on the laps of the mother, that would be a particular distinction of the child. As for talking ` while middle-aged,' it does not seem to be worth mentioning, for everyone talks at this age. But, for a moment, think of the conditions surrounding Sayyidna ` Isa and you will realize that this too was a miracle - because Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) was raised from the earth before reaching middle-age. Now that he would talk to people on the earth after reaching his middle-age can become possible only when he returns to this world - as is the collective belief of Muslims which stands proved on the basis of clear statements of the Qur'an and Sunnah. It is from here that we find out that in the manner it was a miracle of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) that he talked when a child, so in the same manner, talking while middle-aged because of his return to this world is nothing but a miracle.
When the disciples said, “O ‘Īsā, son of Maryam, can your Lord send down to us a repast from the heavens?” He said, “Fear Allah if you are believers.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
A True Believer Should Not Demand Miracles
When the disciples of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) asked him to make ` Ma'idah' (food-spread) come down from the heavens, he replied by saying: قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِين (Fear Allah if you are believers). This tells us that it does not behove a faith-bearing servant of Allah that he should test Him by making such requests. Rather than demand what is supernatural, he should seek things, like sustenance, through sources naturally appointed for him.
The Better the Blessing, the Worse the Curse of Ingratitude
From the words of the verse 115: فَإِنِّي أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لَّا أُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ (I shall give him a punishment I shall not give to anyone in the worlds), we learn that in situations when the blessing of Allah is extra-ordinary and unique, the emphasis on the gratitude for it should be far above the ordinary.' As for the punishment of ingratitude, that too will be extra-ordinary and unique.
Whether or not the ` Ma'idah' (food-spread) came down from the heaven is something commentators differ in. The majority of them hold that it did. Accordingly, it has been reported from Sayyidna ` Ammar ibn Yasir ؓ as in a Hadith of Tirmidhi, that ` Ma'idah' did come from the heavens which included bread and meat. It also appears in this Hadith that some of those people committed a breach of trust, and put it off for the next day as well. As a result, they were transformed into monkeys and swines. (May Allah keep us protected from His wrath). This very Hadith also tells us that they ate from it as they wanted to do as mentioned in the word, ` na'kulu' (we eat) - however, storing it for future use was prohibited. (Mayan al-Qur'an)
They said, “We wish that we eat from it, and our hearts be satisfied, and we may know for sure that you have told us the truth, and we may become witnesses to it.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
A True Believer Should Not Demand Miracles
When the disciples of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) asked him to make ` Ma'idah' (food-spread) come down from the heavens, he replied by saying: قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِين (Fear Allah if you are believers). This tells us that it does not behove a faith-bearing servant of Allah that he should test Him by making such requests. Rather than demand what is supernatural, he should seek things, like sustenance, through sources naturally appointed for him.
The Better the Blessing, the Worse the Curse of Ingratitude
From the words of the verse 115: فَإِنِّي أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لَّا أُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ (I shall give him a punishment I shall not give to anyone in the worlds), we learn that in situations when the blessing of Allah is extra-ordinary and unique, the emphasis on the gratitude for it should be far above the ordinary.' As for the punishment of ingratitude, that too will be extra-ordinary and unique.
Whether or not the ` Ma'idah' (food-spread) came down from the heaven is something commentators differ in. The majority of them hold that it did. Accordingly, it has been reported from Sayyidna ` Ammar ibn Yasir ؓ as in a Hadith of Tirmidhi, that ` Ma'idah' did come from the heavens which included bread and meat. It also appears in this Hadith that some of those people committed a breach of trust, and put it off for the next day as well. As a result, they were transformed into monkeys and swines. (May Allah keep us protected from His wrath). This very Hadith also tells us that they ate from it as they wanted to do as mentioned in the word, ` na'kulu' (we eat) - however, storing it for future use was prohibited. (Mayan al-Qur'an)
‘Īsā son of Maryam said, “O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a repast from heaven which may be a happy occasion for us, for all our generations present and future, and a sign from You, and give us provisions. You are the best Giver of Provisions.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
A True Believer Should Not Demand Miracles
When the disciples of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) asked him to make ` Ma'idah' (food-spread) come down from the heavens, he replied by saying: قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِين (Fear Allah if you are believers). This tells us that it does not behove a faith-bearing servant of Allah that he should test Him by making such requests. Rather than demand what is supernatural, he should seek things, like sustenance, through sources naturally appointed for him.
The Better the Blessing, the Worse the Curse of Ingratitude
From the words of the verse 115: فَإِنِّي أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لَّا أُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ (I shall give him a punishment I shall not give to anyone in the worlds), we learn that in situations when the blessing of Allah is extra-ordinary and unique, the emphasis on the gratitude for it should be far above the ordinary.' As for the punishment of ingratitude, that too will be extra-ordinary and unique.
Whether or not the ` Ma'idah' (food-spread) came down from the heaven is something commentators differ in. The majority of them hold that it did. Accordingly, it has been reported from Sayyidna ` Ammar ibn Yasir ؓ as in a Hadith of Tirmidhi, that ` Ma'idah' did come from the heavens which included bread and meat. It also appears in this Hadith that some of those people committed a breach of trust, and put it off for the next day as well. As a result, they were transformed into monkeys and swines. (May Allah keep us protected from His wrath). This very Hadith also tells us that they ate from it as they wanted to do as mentioned in the word, ` na'kulu' (we eat) - however, storing it for future use was prohibited. (Mayan al-Qur'an)
Allah said, “I am going to send it down to you; but whoever among you disbelieves after that, I shall give him such a punishment as I shall not give to anyone else in all the worlds.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
A True Believer Should Not Demand Miracles
When the disciples of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) asked him to make ` Ma'idah' (food-spread) come down from the heavens, he replied by saying: قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِين (Fear Allah if you are believers). This tells us that it does not behove a faith-bearing servant of Allah that he should test Him by making such requests. Rather than demand what is supernatural, he should seek things, like sustenance, through sources naturally appointed for him.
The Better the Blessing, the Worse the Curse of Ingratitude
From the words of the verse 115: فَإِنِّي أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لَّا أُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ (I shall give him a punishment I shall not give to anyone in the worlds), we learn that in situations when the blessing of Allah is extra-ordinary and unique, the emphasis on the gratitude for it should be far above the ordinary.' As for the punishment of ingratitude, that too will be extra-ordinary and unique.
Whether or not the ` Ma'idah' (food-spread) came down from the heaven is something commentators differ in. The majority of them hold that it did. Accordingly, it has been reported from Sayyidna ` Ammar ibn Yasir ؓ as in a Hadith of Tirmidhi, that ` Ma'idah' did come from the heavens which included bread and meat. It also appears in this Hadith that some of those people committed a breach of trust, and put it off for the next day as well. As a result, they were transformed into monkeys and swines. (May Allah keep us protected from His wrath). This very Hadith also tells us that they ate from it as they wanted to do as mentioned in the word, ` na'kulu' (we eat) - however, storing it for future use was prohibited. (Mayan al-Qur'an)
And when Allah said, “O ‘Īsā, son of Maryam, did you say to the people: ‘Take me and my mother as gods beside Allah?” He said, “Pure are You, it does not behoove me to say what is not right for me. Had I said it, You would have known it. You know what is in my heart, and I do not know what is in Your’s. You alone have full knowledge of all that is unseen.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Important Notes
1. In the first verse (116), the question asked and the answer given by Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) establishes that Allah alone has the full knowledge of everything, therefore, He is not asking Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) because He does not know. In fact, the purpose is to admonish his people who call them Christians that the one they are taking to be god is himself confessing to his servitude quite contrary to the belief they hold - and that he is free of all their accusations. (Ibn Kathir)
2. About the sentence: فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنتَ أَنتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ (And when You picked me up You were the One watching over them) in verse 117, a de-tailed discussion of the subject of the ` death' or ` having been raised to-ward Allah' has appeared in the Commentary on Surah Al-'Imran under verse 3:55: إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ (I am to take you in full and lift you towards Me). It may be seen there [ Ma` ariful-Qur'an, English Translation, Volume II, pages 76-81]. As for using the verse 117 : فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي ` falamma tawaffaitani) to reject his ascension to heavens and to establish his natural death is not a sound inference, because the time of this conversation shall be the day of Qiyamah - and at that time, after he has descended down from the heaven, he would have had his natural and real death. Therefore, as reported by Ibn Kathir on the authority of a narration from Sayyidna Abu Musa al-Ash` ari ؓ ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, the prophets and their communities will be summoned. Then, Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will be called. Then, Allah Ta` ala will remind him of His blessings and drawing him closer, He will say, ` O ` Isa son of Maryam: اذْكُرْ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَتِكَ Remember My blessing upon you and upon your mother.' Then, in the end, He would say: يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ أَأَنتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِي وَأُمِّيَ إِلَـٰهَيْنِ مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ : ( O ` Isa son of Maryam, did you say to the people: Take me and my mother as gods beside Allah?). Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will deny it saying that he did not. Then, the question will be asked from the Christians. They will say, ` yes, this is what he had ordered us to do.' After that, they will be driven towards Hell.
I have not said to them anything but what You have ordered me to say, that is, ‘Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord’ and I was a witness over them as long as I was with them. But when You recalled me, You were the One watching over them. You are a witness over everything.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Important Notes
1. In the first verse (116), the question asked and the answer given by Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) establishes that Allah alone has the full knowledge of everything, therefore, He is not asking Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) because He does not know. In fact, the purpose is to admonish his people who call them Christians that the one they are taking to be god is himself confessing to his servitude quite contrary to the belief they hold - and that he is free of all their accusations. (Ibn Kathir)
2. About the sentence: فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنتَ أَنتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ (And when You picked me up You were the One watching over them) in verse 117, a de-tailed discussion of the subject of the ` death' or ` having been raised to-ward Allah' has appeared in the Commentary on Surah Al-'Imran under verse 3:55: إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ (I am to take you in full and lift you towards Me). It may be seen there [ Ma` ariful-Qur'an, English Translation, Volume II, pages 76-81]. As for using the verse 117 : فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي ` falamma tawaffaitani) to reject his ascension to heavens and to establish his natural death is not a sound inference, because the time of this conversation shall be the day of Qiyamah - and at that time, after he has descended down from the heaven, he would have had his natural and real death. Therefore, as reported by Ibn Kathir on the authority of a narration from Sayyidna Abu Musa al-Ash` ari ؓ ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, the prophets and their communities will be summoned. Then, Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will be called. Then, Allah Ta` ala will remind him of His blessings and drawing him closer, He will say, ` O ` Isa son of Maryam: اذْكُرْ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَتِكَ Remember My blessing upon you and upon your mother.' Then, in the end, He would say: يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ أَأَنتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِي وَأُمِّيَ إِلَـٰهَيْنِ مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ : ( O ` Isa son of Maryam, did you say to the people: Take me and my mother as gods beside Allah?). Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will deny it saying that he did not. Then, the question will be asked from the Christians. They will say, ` yes, this is what he had ordered us to do.' After that, they will be driven towards Hell.
If You punish them, they are Your slaves after all, but if You forgive them, You are the Mighty, the Wise.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
1. As for the statement beginning with the words: إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ (If You punish them, they are Your slaves ... ) appearing in the last verse (118), it means that Allah does not bring undue hardship on His servants, therefore, if punishment does come to them, it will only be just, right and wise. And should He forgive them, then, this forgiveness too will not be a matter of not being able to do otherwise - because He is Mighty, fully-capable and overpowering, from whose reach and control no wrong-doer can escape. And since He is Wise too, therefore, it is also not possible that He would let a wrong-doer walk away just for no reason. Thus, the Divine verdict in the case of wrong-doers will be absolutely wise and masterly. Since this saying of Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will take place in the Mahshar (the day of Resurrection) - where no intercession on behalf of the disbelievers, or appeal of mercy for them, will be entertained - therefore, Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) has not referred to the Divine attributes of Ghafurur-Rahim (the Most-Forgiving, the Very-Merciful) in place of "Al-` Aziz Al-Hakim" (the Mighty, the Wise) of the text. This stands in contrast with what Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had said to his Lord during his life in this world: رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ ۖ فَمَن تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي ۖ وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿36﴾ (That is, 0 my Lord, these [ idols ] have made many of the people go astray. Henceforth, whoever has followed me is one of mine. And whoever has disobeyed me, so then, You are the Most-Forgiving, the Very-Merciful - 14:36). It means that the likelihood still exists that Allah may, in His mercy, give them the Taufiq later on to repent and return to the path of truth and thereby forgive their sins. (Shabbir Ahmad Usmani - Notes)
Ibn Kathir reports a narration from Sayyidna Abu Dharr ؓ that once the Holy Prophet ﷺ spent a whole night reciting one single verse. And that verse was: إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ (If You punish them, then, they are Your slaves - 118). When morning came, I said: Ya Rasul Allah, you kept reciting just this verse. You made your Ruku` with it and you made your Sujud with it, right upto this break of dawn. He said: I prayed to my Rabb to bless me with the station of intercession (Shafa’ ah), which He granted. Inshallah, it is going to be for one who has never associated anyone with Allah Ta` ala.
According to another narration, after reciting the verse cited above, he raised his hands facing the heaven and said: اَللَّھُمَّ اُمَّتِی (Allahumma Ummati that is, ` 0 Allah, mercy - mercy on my people.' And then he wept. Thereupon, Allah Ta` ala sent angel Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) to ask why would he weep. He told the angel what he had said. Then, Allah Ta` ala asked angel Jibra'il to go back and tell Muhammad that He will please him soon in his concern for his people and will not let him be unhappy.
Allah will say, “This is a day on which the truth of the truthful shall benefit them. For them there are gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will live forever. Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him. That is the great achievement.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The Linkage of Verses
The first two sections (Ruku`) appearing earlier describe some of the happenings on the day of Qiyamah such as the reckoning, the questions and their answers. Mentioned now is the outcome of the probe and reckoning of that fateful day.
Commentary
Notes
1. Verse 119 opens with the words: قَالَ اللَّـهُ هَـٰذَا يَوْمُ يَنفَعُ الصَّادِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ (Allah said, "This is a day the truth of the truthful shall bring benefit to them). Generally, what is according to what has happened is called truth while that which is not according to what has happened is referred to as false or a lie. But, according to the -Qur'an and Sunnah, sidq (truth) and kidhb کِذب (lie) are general, that is, they refer to both words and deeds. As such, given here is a Hadith in which counter-factual deed has been called kidhb مَن تَحَلَّی بِمَا لَم یُعطَ کَانَ کَلَابِسِ ثَوبَی زُورِ [ that is, whoever adorns himself (or herself) with what has not been given to him (or her) (that is, claims a quality or deed not in him or her) then, it is as if he has put on two garbs of a lie – [ Mishkat ].
There is another Hadith in which one who makes Salah with care and concern, whether in public or in private, has been called a true servant of Allah:
اِن ال (علیہ السلام) عبدَ اِذا صَلَّی فِی السِّرِّ فَاَحسَنَ قَالَ اللہ تَعَالٰی ھٰزَا عَبدی
A person who performs Salah openly, then, does it well; and when performs it in private, then, does it well, then, Allah Ta'ala says: ` This is My servant - in truth. - Mishkat.
2. About the statement: رضِيَ اللَّـهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ (Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him - 119), it appears in Hadith that, after having blessed true believers with Jannah (Paradise), Allah Ta` ala will say: The real blessing is that I am pleased with you and now I shall never be displeased with you.
3. The words appearing after that are: ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ (That is the great achievement). Indeed, so it is. When Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu, the Master, the Creator is pleased with you, what else could it be?
فَلِلَّہِ الحَمدُ اَوَّلَہ وَ اٰخِرَہ
All praises are for Allah from the beginning to the end.
To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and of whatever lies therein, and He is powerful over everything.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The Linkage of Verses
The first two sections (Ruku`) appearing earlier describe some of the happenings on the day of Qiyamah such as the reckoning, the questions and their answers. Mentioned now is the outcome of the probe and reckoning of that fateful day.
Commentary
Notes
1. Verse 119 opens with the words: قَالَ اللَّـهُ هَـٰذَا يَوْمُ يَنفَعُ الصَّادِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ (Allah said, "This is a day the truth of the truthful shall bring benefit to them). Generally, what is according to what has happened is called truth while that which is not according to what has happened is referred to as false or a lie. But, according to the -Qur'an and Sunnah, sidq (truth) and kidhb کِذب (lie) are general, that is, they refer to both words and deeds. As such, given here is a Hadith in which counter-factual deed has been called kidhb مَن تَحَلَّی بِمَا لَم یُعطَ کَانَ کَلَابِسِ ثَوبَی زُورِ [ that is, whoever adorns himself (or herself) with what has not been given to him (or her) (that is, claims a quality or deed not in him or her) then, it is as if he has put on two garbs of a lie – [ Mishkat ].
There is another Hadith in which one who makes Salah with care and concern, whether in public or in private, has been called a true servant of Allah:
اِن ال (علیہ السلام) عبدَ اِذا صَلَّی فِی السِّرِّ فَاَحسَنَ قَالَ اللہ تَعَالٰی ھٰزَا عَبدی
A person who performs Salah openly, then, does it well; and when performs it in private, then, does it well, then, Allah Ta'ala says: ` This is My servant - in truth. - Mishkat.
2. About the statement: رضِيَ اللَّـهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ (Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him - 119), it appears in Hadith that, after having blessed true believers with Jannah (Paradise), Allah Ta` ala will say: The real blessing is that I am pleased with you and now I shall never be displeased with you.
3. The words appearing after that are: ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ (That is the great achievement). Indeed, so it is. When Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu, the Master, the Creator is pleased with you, what else could it be?
فَلِلَّہِ الحَمدُ اَوَّلَہ وَ اٰخِرَہ
All praises are for Allah from the beginning to the end.
All praise belongs to Allah who created the heavens and the earth, and made darkness and light; yet those who disbelieve equate (others) with their Lord.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ has said that one of the distinctions of Surah Al-An'am is that the whole of it, except some 'Ayat, was revealed at one time in Makkah with the complement of seventy thousand angels following it with recitation of the name of Allah. Early Tafsir authorities Mujahid, al-Kalbi, Qatadah and others have said more or less the same thing.
Abu Ishaq Al-Asfra'ini has said that this Surah consists of all principles and subsidiaries of Tauhid (Oneness of Allah). This Surah has been prefaced with الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ (Al-Hamdulillah) whereby people have been told that all praises belong to Allah. The purpose is to educate and help people get the right perspective - that Allah needs no praise from anyone, whether or not anyone praises Him, He is, in terms of His own intrinsic perfection, by Himself, the Praised One. By bringing in the sentence which follows immediately, which mentions the creation of the heavens and the earth and the darkness and the light, given there is the very proof of His being the Praised One. Isn't it that the Being which holds such Power and Wisdom would have to be the One deserving of all praise?
In this verse, ` samawat' (heavens) has been mentioned in the plural while 'ard (earth), in the singular - though, in another verse (65:12), earth has been identified as being seven like the heavens. Perhaps, it is indicative of the mutual distinction the seven heavens have in terms of their form and attributes while the seven earths are like each other, therefore, they were taken as one in number. (Mazhari)
Similarly, by mentioning ` zulumat' (darkness, or layers of darkness) in the plural, and 'nur' (light) in the singular, the indication given may be that nur or light signifies the correct way and the straight path - and that is just one, while zulumat, or many layers of darkness, signifies the path of error - and their number runs in thousands. (Mazharl al-Bahr al-Muhit)
Also noticeable here is that the origination of the heavens and the earth has been expressed through the word, 'khalaqa' (created) while that of darkness and light with the word, ja‘ala' (made). The hint implied is that darkness and light are not independent and self-existent like the heavens and the earth, instead, they are contingents and attributes. And zulumat (darkness) has been given precedence over nur (light) perhaps because zulumat is basic to this world while nur is associated with particulars - when they are there, there is light; and when they are not there, there is darkness.
By pointing out to the reality of Tauhid (Oneness of Allah) and its open proof in this verse the purpose is to warn all those peoples who do not simply believe in Tauhid, or have forsaken the reality of Tauhid despite professing it.
The Magians (Majus) believe in two creators, Yazdan and Ahriman (or Ahraman). Yazdan, according to them, is the creator of good and Ahriman, the creator of evil. They also identify these as (the principles of) light and darkness.
The polytheists in India take an incredibly high number of gods as partners in the divinity of God. The Arya Samajists, despite acknowledging Tauhid, take spirit and matter to be infinitely pre-existent, and independent of the power and creation of God, whereby they have moved way away from the reality of Tauhid. Similarly, the Christians who, despite professing the creed of Tauhid, started taking Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) and his blessed mother as partners in the divinity of God - and then, in order to prop their belief in one God, they to rely on the irrational theory of Unity in Trinity. As for the disbelievers and polytheists of Arabia, they demonstrated such philanthropy in dishing out Godhood that, according to them, every piece of rock on a hill could be good enough to become an object of worship for the whole human-kind! Thus, the wonderful human being whom Allah had made to be the noblest of His creation, someone whom the whole universe was to serve, went so astray from the right path that he took - not just the moon, the sun, the stars, but the fire, water, trees and rocks too - even crawling insects as objects of prostration and worship, providers of needs and resolvers of problems.
By saying in this verse of the Holy Qur'an that Allah Ta` ala is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and He is the Maker of darkness and light, all such false notions have been refuted - when He is the sole Creator and Maker of everything, ascribing partners to His Divinity makes no sense.
He is the One who created you from clay, then destined a term. The fixed term lies with Him, yet you are in doubt.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the first verse, by saying that all those great bodies of things in this big universe created by Allah Ta` ala on Whom they depend, an open and correct lesson has been given to all human beings. After that, in other verses which follow, human beings have been told that their very own being is a small universe. If one were to make a start from this point, right from the beginning to the end - birth, living, death among a great mesh of internal dimensions and distances - it would show that the belief in the Oneness of Allah is a reality all too clear. It is about this that the verse said: هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَىٰ أَجَلًا ; (He is the One who created you from clay, then destined a term). The verse is saying that Allah is the One who created Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) with clay, and then, gave him life - and common human food comes from the moist substance of clay, and from food the sperm, and from the sperm comes the creation of the human being.
Sayyidna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari ؓ عنہ says that he has heard from the Holy Prophet ﷺ that Allah Ta` ala created Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) from a particular blend of clay included wherein are essential ingredients of the whole earth. This is the reason why the children of Adam are different in colour, shape, morals and habits with some black or white or red, and some hard or soft or good-natured or evil-tempered. (Mazhari, from a narration of Ibn ` Adiyy, with good authority)
This was about the human origin. After that, mentioned here are the two stages at the end. One of these is the personal end of a human being which is called death. The other stage is the combined end of the entire humankind along with that of all cosmic servants waiting on them, which is known as the Qiyamah (the day of Doom). The expression - ` the personal end of a human being' - is used here because Allah Ta` ala destined a term for his or her life (on the earth). Reaching the completion of this term is death - though human beings do not know it - but, the angels do. In fact, a human being too, in a way, knows death as incidents of the children of Adam dying all around, everywhere, all the time, are common experience.
After that, comes the mention of the end of the whole world, that is, the Qiyamah, in the following words: وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى عِندَهُ , that is, there is yet another term which stands fixed and which is known to Allah alone. The full knowledge of this ` term' has not been given to any angel, or human being.
Summing up in a sequence, we can say that, in the first verse, we have been told about the ` big universe', that is, the whole wide world, which has been created and made by Allah Ta` ala. Then, in the second verse, very similarly, we have been told that the ` small universe', that is, the human beings, have also been created by Allah. Then, it is to shake human beings out of their negligence that they have been told that every human being has a particular age, after which death is certain. This is a constant fact of life observed by human beings all the time. The words: وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى عِندَهُ ۖ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ (And the fixed term lies with Him, yet you are in doubt) carry the instruction that using the personal death of a human being as the proof of the general and collective death of the whole world system, that is, the Qiyamah, is something very natural and logical. Therefore, there is absolutely no doubt about the coming of the Qiyamah (the much publicized but least believed ` Apocalypse' of the West). Therefore, towards the end of the verse (2), the text wonders as to why would people keep doubting the coming of Qiyamah which stands proved so clearly.
He is the true God in the heavens and the earth. He knows what you conceal and what you reveal, and He knows what you earn.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The third verse contains the consequential outcome of what was said in the first two verses. It declares that Allah is the only Being who is worthy of worship and obedience in all the heavens and the earth, and He is the One who knows everything human beings conceal or reveal and, particularly, everything they say or do.
Yet whenever a sign from the signs of their Lord comes to them, they do nothing but turn away from it.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The fourth verse carries a complaint against the anti-truth doggedness and obstinacy of the chronically heedless human race by saying:
وَمَا تَأْتِيهِم مِّنْ آيَةٍ مِّنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ ﴿4﴾ that is, despite the many clear proofs and open signs of the Oneness of Allah, the dissenters and rejectionists among human beings have taken to a way of their own, using which, they would turn their faces away from whatever sign is shown to them for their guidance, without ever paying the least attention to it.
So they rejected the truth when it came to them.Now there shall come to them a full account of what they used to ridicule.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the fifth and the last verse here, further details of this heedlessness have been indicated through some events. It was said: فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ ۖ (So, they have belied the truth when it came to them). The word, ` Al-Haqq' (the truth) here, could mean the Qur'an - and the blessed person of the noble Prophet ﷺ also.
The reason is that he lived his whole life among these Arab tribes. He grew up from a child into a young man and from his youth into his later years right before their eyes. They also knew fully well that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had remained absolutely untaught by any human teacher, so much so that he could not write even his name by himself. The whole Arabia knew him by his appellation of Ummiyy (unlettered, unschooled). For forty years, this was him amongst them. He never demonstrated any marked interest in poetry (a traditional distinction of the age) nor he had any aptitude for formal education and learning. Then, after having completed his forty years, there came a sudden change, an instant flowering of the unimaginable. His blessed tongue became such fountainhead of insights and realities, learning and arts that went on to disarm the best minds of the world. He challenged every eloquent and learned master of words in Arabia to match the Word brought by him. But his' antagonists, who would have not hesitated to sacrifice anything they had - life, wealth, honour, children, family, anything, anytime - just to defeat him, did not have the courage to accept his challenge and, at the least, produce one 'Ayah (verse) like the 'Ayah of the Holy Qur'an.
Thus, the very presence of the Holy Prophet , U1 and the Glorious Qur'an, was a great sign of irrefutable legitimacy. In addition to that, there were thousands of miracles and open signs which came to pass at his blessed hands and which cannot be denied by any sane person. But, those people belied all such signs totally. Therefore, it was said in the verse: فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ ۖ (So, they have belied the truth when it came to them).
Now, pointed out at the conclusion of the verse is the sad end of their effort to falsify truth: فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِيهِمْ أَنبَاءُ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ (Now, there shall come to them the full account of what they have been laughing at). It means that right now these people who are heedless to their fate mock at the miracles and commandments of Allah brought by the Holy Prophet ﷺ and at the all true message that there is a Qiyamah (Doomsday) and Akhirah (Hereafter), but very soon will come the time when all these realities will be before their eyes. There will be a Qiyamah in fact. There will be a Reckoning (Hisab) when everyone will have to account for one's faith and deed - and everyone shall get the reward or punishment for what he or she has done. But, believing and confessing at that time is not going to work for them because that will be no day of deeds - rather, that day will be the day of Retribution. The time to think is now. Allah Almighty has given the respite - a God-sent piece of luck, so to say. Act now, for it is by having faith alone that you will succeed in this world and in the lasting world to come.
Have they not seen how many generations We have destroyed prior to them-those whom We had given such a strong position in the land as We did not give to you, and We poured on them abundant rains from the sky, and made rivers flow beneath them? Then We destroyed them because of their sins, and raised up another generation after them.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
In previous verses, mention was made of grave consequences to be faced by those who avoid or oppose Divine commandments and prophetic teachings. In the present verses, the same deniers of the truth have been given an opportunity to learn and correct themselves by observing conditions around them as well as those prevailing in times before them. No doubt, events of the past are documents full of chastening lessons which, if seen to find wisdom, would prove to be more effective than a thousand sermons. So, still valid is the saying of the sage: The world is the best book and time, the best teacher. That is why wisdom-based historical anecdotes form a good part of the Holy Qur'an. But, speaking generally, people have not given world history any serious role in conducting lives properly. They have, rather than benefiting from it, made it into an intellectual pastime which would either help to sleep or to while away spare time.
Perhaps, it is for this reason that the Holy Qur'an has taken the essence of history as a server of warning and a dispenser of good counsel. But, this is unlike the customary historical fiction where the story or the event are an end in themselves. So, the Qur'an has not taken up historical events as ongoing events in their own right. Instead of doing something like that, it has chosen to place part of the narrative as relevant to the given subject and setting of the message in the text. Then, there would be another occasion, another place, when it would describe another part of the story as relevant there. This may be indicative of the reality that a report or story is not an end by itself, instead, the purpose is to identify the outcome of the report and the practical implication of the event, therefore, one should be concerned with what is necessary for the objective in sight, move ahead and survey his circumstances in that light - that is, learn that vital lesson from what has gone before and thereby correct oneself.
In the first verse, it was said about the people of Makkah, the direct addressees of the Holy Prophet ﷺ : أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّن قَرْنٍ Havethey not seen how many generations We have destroyed prior to them?' Here, ` seen' means to ponder about, because these generations were not present before them at that time to see. It was after that, that the destruction of many generations (` qarn' ) was mentioned.
The word, قَرن qarn, is used for a group of people collectively present at a given time and period. It is also used to denote a long period of time which could be, depending on different interpretations, between ten to one hundred years. But, some events and narrations do support the position that this word is used for one hundred years as it appears in a Hadith in which the Holy Prophet ii had told Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Busr al-Ma'ziniyy that he will live for one Qarn. Also when the Holy Prophet ﷺ prayed for a certain child that may he live for a whole qarn, he did live for a full one hundred years. The majority of ` Ulama' take the famous Hadith خَیرُالقُرونِ قَرنِی ثُمَّ الَّذین یلونھُم ثُمَ الَّذینَ یَلُونَھُم (still recited as part of the Khutbah of Jumu'ah all over the world) to be meaning exactly this, that is, every qarn is one hundred years.
About past peoples of the world, first it was said that the kind of power and well-being given to them was not given to people later than them, but when these very people took to the ways of belying prophets and disobeying Divine injunctions, all that majesty of power and wealth was rendered futile against the punishment of Allah which annihilated them totally. So, this was a lesson for the addressees of today, the people of Makkah who did not have the power of the legendary people of ` Ad and Thamud, nor the affluence of the people of Syria and Yaman. For them, the need of the hour was to learn a lesson from what happened to the peoples of the past and turn towards an examination of their doings and think where they are going to end up by op-posing the truth.
At the end of the verse, it was said: وَأَنشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ (and raised up, after them, another generation). It means that the great power of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu was not simply limited to seeing that nations of strength, authority and power lay destroyed in a flash, but it was right there on the ashes of their destruction that other peoples were made to rise and populate places, as if nothing had happened there and no one was missing from the scene. This spectacle of Divine power and wisdom is something observable in its own ways during every time and period when thousands die every day but there is no vacuum left anywhere. We never come to realize that people who belonged here are not here anymore.
Once, while on the plains of Arafat with a million men and women spread around, came the thought that only a mere seventy or eighty years earlier, none among this whole assembly of people existed. Yet, on this same place of ` Arafat, nearly that many other human beings were present, no trace of whom exists today. On this analogy, imagine about any assembly of human beings, any animated gathering of people, think about their past and future, and then figure out what you get - somebody telling you. to wise up to the ultimate truth of things فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّـهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ (Praised be Allah, the best of creators).
If We had sent down to you something written on paper, and they had even touched it with their hands, still the disbelievers would have said, “This is nothing but obvious magic.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The second verse (7) was revealed in the background of a particular event when ` Abdullah ibn Umaiyyah came up with a hostile demand before the Holy Prophet ﷺ by saying: ` I cannot believe in you until such time that I see you climbing all the way to the heavens and bringing a book from there before our eyes, in which it should be written in my name that I should attest to your prophethood.' And, on top of saying all this, he went on to even declare that he would still not be impressed enough by his accomplishing all that for he does not seem to be likely to convert to Islam anyway.
Strange are the ways of fate, for this very gentleman embraced Islam later on, and embraced it with such fervor and class that he became a winning warrior in the cause of Islam and received his Shahadah (martyrdom) in the Battle of Ta'if.
Such were the uncalled-for and hostile demands made and mocking and insulting dialogues inflicted on the Holy Prophet ﷺ especially when he himself was more affectionate for his people, more than their own parents could ever be to them. What effect these caustic bad manners would have made on his heart is something we cannot fathom. It can only be sensed by one who is consumed with the good of his people in the same manner as the blessed Prophet himself was.
Therefore, to comfort him, it was said that such demands from his antagonists were not being put forward for any useful purpose, nor did they want to follow it. They were a kind of people who would not stop at what they were demanding. Even if they were presented with far more clear proofs of their Prophet's veracity, they would still not believe. For example, if Allah were to send down, as they demanded, a written book from the heavens - and not only that they see it for them-selves that there is no sleight of hand or sight or magic, they may even physically touch it with their hands to make sure that they were not day-dreaming and that it was a reality - still, after all that, they would say nothing but: اَن ھٰذآ اِلَّا سِحرُ مُّبِینُ (This is nothing but sheer magic): This is because what they are saying comes from malice and hostility.
They say, “Why is it that an angel has not been sent down to him?” Had We sent down an angel, the whole matter would have been closed, and thereafter no further time would have been allowed to them.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The third verse (8) was also revealed because of an event which concerns this very ` Abdullah ibn Abi Umaiyyah who, accompanied by Nadr ibn al-Harith and Nawfal ibn Khalid ؓ ، came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This time their demand was: ` We shall believe in you only when you go and bring a book from the heavens and let four angels come along with it to testify that the book was from none but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.'
One answer Allah gave to them was that by making such demands, these heedless people were inviting their own destruction, because the Divine law is that, should a people ask their prophet to show a miracle of their choice, and as a result of their demand, such miracle is shown by the power and will of Allah, then, should they, even then, remain reluctant to believe and accept faith any longer, they are destroyed by a mass general punishment. These particular people of Makkah were really not making their demands as based on any good intentions, which may have at the least given some hope of their accepting the truth. Therefore, it was said: وَلَوْ أَنزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَّقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لَا يُنظَرُونَ (And had We sent down an angel, the whole matter would have been finished). In other words, it means ` If We do send the miracle they demand, that is, send an angel, then, these people who are not the kind who would accept truth will still act contrary and hostile even after having seen the miracle, then, the Divine command to have them destroyed would stand activated. Since they would be given no respite after that hap-pens, therefore, they should understand that the fact of not showing the miracle demanded by them spells out real good for them, without which they would be nowhere.
The second answer to this problem with them was given in the fourth verse (9) in a different manner where it was said that people asking such questions were certainly strange people who were demanding that angels should come down to them. This is so because there are only two ways angels can come down. Firstly, an angel may come as he is, in his form and state of being. If so, no human being can stand before his real awe - in fact, he is more likely to die at the never imagined sight. The second form in which the angel could come down is that the angel comes in human shape and form, as Sayyidna Jibra'il al-Amin (علیہ السلام) has come to the Holy Prophet ﷺ several times in the shape of a human being. In this situation too, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is told, this questioner will have the same objection against this ` angel' as he has against you - because he would take him to be nothing but human.
After having answered all these hostile questions, solace has been given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the fifth verse (10) by saying that this attitude of mockery and injury directed against him by his people is not something particular to him. Other prophets and messengers before him had to face similar heart-breaking experiences, but they did not lose hope. Finally, what happened was that those who used to mock were overtaken by the punishment which they mocked at.
In short, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been assured that his mission is to convey the commandments of Allah. Once he feels he has done that, let his heart be at rest. Whether someone is affected by the message or not, that is not for him to worry about - for it is not a part of his duty as a Messenger of Allah. So, let this concern bring no sorrow to his heart.
If We had made him an angel, We would have obviously made him a man, and would have caused them the same confusion they are causing now.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The third verse (8) was also revealed because of an event which concerns this very ` Abdullah ibn Abi Umaiyyah who, accompanied by Nadr ibn al-Harith and Nawfal ibn Khalid ؓ ، came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This time their demand was: ` We shall believe in you only when you go and bring a book from the heavens and let four angels come along with it to testify that the book was from none but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.'
One answer Allah gave to them was that by making such demands, these heedless people were inviting their own destruction, because the Divine law is that, should a people ask their prophet to show a miracle of their choice, and as a result of their demand, such miracle is shown by the power and will of Allah, then, should they, even then, remain reluctant to believe and accept faith any longer, they are destroyed by a mass general punishment. These particular people of Makkah were really not making their demands as based on any good intentions, which may have at the least given some hope of their accepting the truth. Therefore, it was said: وَلَوْ أَنزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَّقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لَا يُنظَرُونَ (And had We sent down an angel, the whole matter would have been finished). In other words, it means ` If We do send the miracle they demand, that is, send an angel, then, these people who are not the kind who would accept truth will still act contrary and hostile even after having seen the miracle, then, the Divine command to have them destroyed would stand activated. Since they would be given no respite after that hap-pens, therefore, they should understand that the fact of not showing the miracle demanded by them spells out real good for them, without which they would be nowhere.
The second answer to this problem with them was given in the fourth verse (9) in a different manner where it was said that people asking such questions were certainly strange people who were demanding that angels should come down to them. This is so because there are only two ways angels can come down. Firstly, an angel may come as he is, in his form and state of being. If so, no human being can stand before his real awe - in fact, he is more likely to die at the never imagined sight. The second form in which the angel could come down is that the angel comes in human shape and form, as Sayyidna Jibra'il al-Amin (علیہ السلام) has come to the Holy Prophet ﷺ several times in the shape of a human being. In this situation too, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is told, this questioner will have the same objection against this ` angel' as he has against you - because he would take him to be nothing but human.
After having answered all these hostile questions, solace has been given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the fifth verse (10) by saying that this attitude of mockery and injury directed against him by his people is not something particular to him. Other prophets and messengers before him had to face similar heart-breaking experiences, but they did not lose hope. Finally, what happened was that those who used to mock were overtaken by the punishment which they mocked at.
In short, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been assured that his mission is to convey the commandments of Allah. Once he feels he has done that, let his heart be at rest. Whether someone is affected by the message or not, that is not for him to worry about - for it is not a part of his duty as a Messenger of Allah. So, let this concern bring no sorrow to his heart.
Even before you (O Prophet,) many messengers were ridiculed. Those who laughed at them were, then, besieged by what they used to ridicule.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The third verse (8) was also revealed because of an event which concerns this very ` Abdullah ibn Abi Umaiyyah who, accompanied by Nadr ibn al-Harith and Nawfal ibn Khalid ؓ ، came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This time their demand was: ` We shall believe in you only when you go and bring a book from the heavens and let four angels come along with it to testify that the book was from none but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.'
One answer Allah gave to them was that by making such demands, these heedless people were inviting their own destruction, because the Divine law is that, should a people ask their prophet to show a miracle of their choice, and as a result of their demand, such miracle is shown by the power and will of Allah, then, should they, even then, remain reluctant to believe and accept faith any longer, they are destroyed by a mass general punishment. These particular people of Makkah were really not making their demands as based on any good intentions, which may have at the least given some hope of their accepting the truth. Therefore, it was said: وَلَوْ أَنزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَّقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لَا يُنظَرُونَ (And had We sent down an angel, the whole matter would have been finished). In other words, it means ` If We do send the miracle they demand, that is, send an angel, then, these people who are not the kind who would accept truth will still act contrary and hostile even after having seen the miracle, then, the Divine command to have them destroyed would stand activated. Since they would be given no respite after that hap-pens, therefore, they should understand that the fact of not showing the miracle demanded by them spells out real good for them, without which they would be nowhere.
The second answer to this problem with them was given in the fourth verse (9) in a different manner where it was said that people asking such questions were certainly strange people who were demanding that angels should come down to them. This is so because there are only two ways angels can come down. Firstly, an angel may come as he is, in his form and state of being. If so, no human being can stand before his real awe - in fact, he is more likely to die at the never imagined sight. The second form in which the angel could come down is that the angel comes in human shape and form, as Sayyidna Jibra'il al-Amin (علیہ السلام) has come to the Holy Prophet ﷺ several times in the shape of a human being. In this situation too, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is told, this questioner will have the same objection against this ` angel' as he has against you - because he would take him to be nothing but human.
After having answered all these hostile questions, solace has been given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the fifth verse (10) by saying that this attitude of mockery and injury directed against him by his people is not something particular to him. Other prophets and messengers before him had to face similar heart-breaking experiences, but they did not lose hope. Finally, what happened was that those who used to mock were overtaken by the punishment which they mocked at.
In short, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been assured that his mission is to convey the commandments of Allah. Once he feels he has done that, let his heart be at rest. Whether someone is affected by the message or not, that is not for him to worry about - for it is not a part of his duty as a Messenger of Allah. So, let this concern bring no sorrow to his heart.
Say, “Go about the earth, and see what was the fate of those who rejected (the prophets).”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The third verse (8) was also revealed because of an event which concerns this very ` Abdullah ibn Abi Umaiyyah who, accompanied by Nadr ibn al-Harith and Nawfal ibn Khalid ؓ ، came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This time their demand was: ` We shall believe in you only when you go and bring a book from the heavens and let four angels come along with it to testify that the book was from none but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah.'
One answer Allah gave to them was that by making such demands, these heedless people were inviting their own destruction, because the Divine law is that, should a people ask their prophet to show a miracle of their choice, and as a result of their demand, such miracle is shown by the power and will of Allah, then, should they, even then, remain reluctant to believe and accept faith any longer, they are destroyed by a mass general punishment. These particular people of Makkah were really not making their demands as based on any good intentions, which may have at the least given some hope of their accepting the truth. Therefore, it was said: وَلَوْ أَنزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَّقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لَا يُنظَرُونَ (And had We sent down an angel, the whole matter would have been finished). In other words, it means ` If We do send the miracle they demand, that is, send an angel, then, these people who are not the kind who would accept truth will still act contrary and hostile even after having seen the miracle, then, the Divine command to have them destroyed would stand activated. Since they would be given no respite after that hap-pens, therefore, they should understand that the fact of not showing the miracle demanded by them spells out real good for them, without which they would be nowhere.
The second answer to this problem with them was given in the fourth verse (9) in a different manner where it was said that people asking such questions were certainly strange people who were demanding that angels should come down to them. This is so because there are only two ways angels can come down. Firstly, an angel may come as he is, in his form and state of being. If so, no human being can stand before his real awe - in fact, he is more likely to die at the never imagined sight. The second form in which the angel could come down is that the angel comes in human shape and form, as Sayyidna Jibra'il al-Amin (علیہ السلام) has come to the Holy Prophet ﷺ several times in the shape of a human being. In this situation too, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is told, this questioner will have the same objection against this ` angel' as he has against you - because he would take him to be nothing but human.
After having answered all these hostile questions, solace has been given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the fifth verse (10) by saying that this attitude of mockery and injury directed against him by his people is not something particular to him. Other prophets and messengers before him had to face similar heart-breaking experiences, but they did not lose hope. Finally, what happened was that those who used to mock were overtaken by the punishment which they mocked at.
In short, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been assured that his mission is to convey the commandments of Allah. Once he feels he has done that, let his heart be at rest. Whether someone is affected by the message or not, that is not for him to worry about - for it is not a part of his duty as a Messenger of Allah. So, let this concern bring no sorrow to his heart.
Say, “To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and on the earth?” Say, “To Allah.” He has prescribed Mercy for Himself. He will surely gather you on the Day of Resurrection in which there is no doubt.Those who have brought loss to themselves are not going to believe.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
In the opening verse (12), قل لِّمَن مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ the disbelievers have been asked as to who is the Master of the entire universe and all that it contains. Then, Allah Himself gives the answer through the blessed words of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that Allah is the Master of all. The reason for answering the question, rather than waiting for the disbelievers to answer it, is that the answer given was an accepted fact with the disbelievers of Makkah as well, for they were, though involved with Shirk and idolatry, no deniers of the fact that Allah Al-mighty was the Master of the heavens and the earth and everything they contained.
The word, اِلٰی :ila (towards) in the next sentence: لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ He will surely gather you towards a day of doom) has been used either in the sense of tawaffa meaning to take in full, bring to a finish, or gather, (as in the translation of the meaning given here), in which case, it would mean that Allah Ta` ala will gather everyone, from the beginning to the end, on the day of Qiyamah - or, it could mean ` to gather in the graves,' in which case, it would mean that human beings will be kept being gathered into their resting places unto the day of Qiyamah when they will be raised back to life. (Qurtubi)
As for the sentence: كَتَبَ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ (He has prescribed for Himself to be merciful) appearing a little earlier in verse 12, a narration from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ in the Sahih of Muslim reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When Allah Ta` la made His creation, He made a promise to Himself in writing which is with Him, written in which are the words: اِنَّ رَحمَتِی تَغلِبُ عَلٰی غَضَبِی that is, ` My mercy shall remain dominant over My wrath.' (Qurtubi)
The sentence which appears at the end of the verse: الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ (Those who have brought loss to themselves ... ) indicates that the deprivation of the disbelievers from the universal mercy of Allah Almighty mentioned earlier was caused by their own deeds, for they did not take to the way which brings mercy - that is, the way of belief and faith. (Qurtubi)
To Him belongs all that dwells in the night and the day. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The word, ` sukun' appearing in verse 13: وَلَهُ مَا سَكَنَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ (And to Him belongs what finds rest in the night and the day) could either mean the state of being still or at rest, in which case, the verse would mean that Allah is the Master of everything present in the night and the day. Or, it is also possible that the sense could be that of a combined state of stillness and movement (which would amount to saying - what tarries and what moves), but what was mentioned here is the state of sukun or rest only - because, movement which stands in contrast to it can be understood as being obvious enough.
Say, “Would I take as guardian someone other than Allah Who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and Who feeds others, and is not fed by anyone?” Say, “I have been asked to be the first to submit (to Him) and never to be one of those who ascribe partners to Allah.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The word, ` sukun' appearing in verse 13: وَلَهُ مَا سَكَنَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ (And to Him belongs what finds rest in the night and the day) could either mean the state of being still or at rest, in which case, the verse would mean that Allah is the Master of everything present in the night and the day. Or, it is also possible that the sense could be that of a combined state of stillness and movement (which would amount to saying - what tarries and what moves), but what was mentioned here is the state of sukun or rest only - because, movement which stands in contrast to it can be understood as being obvious enough.
Say, “If I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a momentous day.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
In the previous verses, the command given was to shun Shirk and believe in the perfect power of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu mentioned there-in. In the first of the present verses (15), the punishment for the contravention of this command has been mentioned in a particularly endearing manner, that is, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been ` commanded' that he should tell the people that should he too (God forbid) come to contravene the command of His Lord, then, he too has the fear of the punishment of the day of Qiyamah. It is obvious that the noble Messenger of Allah is (Divinely) protected from every sin - so, the likelihood of disobedience coming from him simply does not exist. But, by mentioning this hypothetical situation, the purpose is to convey the message to the community that the contravention of the Divine command is so serious a matter that even the greatest prophet cannot stand excused from it - if not him, who else?
Whoever is spared from it (the punishment of that day) is, indeed, blessed with His mercy. That is the manifest achievement.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
After that, it was said: مَّن يُصْرَفْ عَنْهُ يَوْمَئِذٍ فَقَدْ رَحِمَهُ (Whoever is spared from it that day is, indeed, blessed with His mercy). It means that the punishment of the day of Resurrection (al-Mahshar) is extremely horrendous and harsh. Whoever finds this removed from him or her should know that it was great mercy from Allah. This has been further strengthened by saying:' وَذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْمُبِينُ that is success, open and clear). The word, اَلفَوزُ : ` al-fawz' (success) means being admitted in Jannah (Paradise). This tells us that deliverance from punishment and admittance into the Paradise are inseparable from each other.
If Allah causes you harm, there is no one to remove it except He Himself; and if He causes you good, then He is powerful over everything.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
All Gain and Loss Comes from Allah: A Cardinal Muslim Belief
In the third verse (17), a basic article of faith in Islam has been described - that it is Allah, in reality, who is the Master-Dispenser of all gain and loss. No one can ` really' bring the least benefit to anyone, nor cause the least harm. As for the outward manifestation of gain or loss, benefit or harm, seen coming from one person to the other, is no more than a matter of appearances. Seen in the full flash of reality, this does not hold out any more than a ready-to-vanish curtain. So succinctly the idea was put in a Persian couplet:
کار زلفِ تست مشک افشانی امّا عاشقاں
مصلِحت راتھمتے برآ ھوۓ چیں بستہ اند
Spraying Musk is the work of your tresses, but those who love you
Have found it expedient to ascribe the blame to the Chinese deer!
This belief too is one of the revolutionary beliefs of Islam, a belief which made Muslims shed the dependence on the created and rely on their Creator alone. It was this belief which put together a large group of unprecedented charmers of the soul on the map of the world, who were, despite their meager means and haunting hunger, weightier and worthier than a whole world - for they would not bow their heads before anyone.
The Holy Qur'an has taken up this subject at many places with different approaches, out of which, quoted here is a verse from Surah Fatir:
What Allah, out of His mercy, does make open to people, there is no one to withhold it; and what He does withhold, there is no one to release it after that - 35:2.
It appears in Sahih Ahadith that the Holy Prophet ﷺ used to say this in his prayers very often:
"0 Allah, there is no withholder of what You have bestowed and there is no giver of what You have withheld and no status of a man of status can be of use to him against You.
Under his comments on this verse, Imam al-Baghawi has reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ that there was an occasion when the Holy Prophet ﷺ mounted a ride, he asked me to sit behind him. After having covered some distance, he turned towards me and said, ` You young man.' I said: ` Here I am, Ya Rasul Allah. Can I do something?' He said: ` You remember Allah. Allah will remember you. If you will remember Allah, you will find Him before you under all circumstances. You recognize Allah when you are in peace and comfort, Allah will recognize you when you are in trouble. When you have to ask, only ask Allah. When you need help, seek help only from Allah. Whatever is going to happen in this world has already been written by the writer of destiny. If all those created were to combine and try to bring a benefit to you in which Allah has kept no share for you, they would never be able to do that. And if they all come together and try to inflict a harm on you which is not in your lot, they would never become capable of doing that. If you are sure of being able to act patiently, then, do just that, by all means. If you do not have the strength and ability to do so, observe patience - because there is great good and barakah in remaining patient against what does not go well with your temperament. And understand it very clearly that the help of Allah is with patience, and comfort with hardship, and prosperity with adversity.' (This Hadkh also appears in Tirmidhi and the Musnad of Ahmad with sound chains of authority)
Alas, despite this clear declaration of the Qur'an and the age long teachings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، this Ummah has started going off course in this critical matter when they have handed out what lies in the exclusive domain of Allah to His created beings. To-day, there is a very large number of Muslims who would, rather than call upon Allah and pray to Him in their hour of distress, cry for help in all sorts of names, but do not seem to remember the name of Allah. As for praying to Allah through the spiritual mediation of prophets and men of Allah, that is a different matter, and that is permissible. Evidences of which are available within the teachings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself. But, calling on or praying to a created being directly for the removal of one's need or solution of problem is an open rebellion against this Qur'anic injunction. May Allah keep all Muslims on the straight path.
He is Dominant over His servants, and He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
At the end of verse 18, it was said: وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِ ۚ وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ ﴿18﴾ (And He is dominant over His slaves, and He is the Ali-Wise, the All-Aware). It means that the mastery of Allah Ta` ala prevails over His servants in the absolute sense and that everyone remains under His power and control all the time. This is the reason why no human being, no matter how great, whether a prophet close to Allah, or the most powerful ruler of the world, nine of them come out successful in everything they do, nor is every wish of theirs granted.
And then, He is Wise too, for everything He does is essential Wisdom. And then, He is All-Aware too, for He is the One who knows everything. Thus, by the word, al-Qahir (the Dominant) pointed to is the perfect power of Allah Ta` ala and, by the word, al-Hakim (the All-Wise), His all-encompassing knowledge - and the two tell us that perfection in knowledge and power are the sole attributes of Almighty Allah and it is only Him that they belong to.
Say, “Whose testimony is the greatest?” Say, “Allah is the witness between me and you, and this Qur’ān has been revealed to me so that I should thereby warn you, and whomsoever it may reach. Do you really bear witness that there are other gods along with Allah?” Say, “I bear no such witness.” Say, “In fact, He is one God. I disown what you associate (with Him).”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
A particular event which is the cause of the revelation of this verse has been generally reported by commentators. It is said that once a deputation of the people of Makkah came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . They said: ` You claim to be a Messenger of Allah. Who is your witness on this? We have yet to see a man who attests to its truth, although we have tried our best to confirm it from the Jews and Christians.'
Thereupon, the verse: قُلْ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَكْبَرُ شَهَادَةً which means: You tell them whose witness could be greater than that of Allah, within whose power lies the gain and loss of everyone in the world? Then, you tell them that Allah is the witness between me and you The witness of Allah refers to those miracles and signs which Allah Ta` ala made manifest to confirm the veracity of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Therefore, addressing the people of Makkah, it was said: أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ مَعَ اللَّـهِ آلِهَةً أُخْرَىٰ. It means: Do you, even after the witness of Allah Ta` ala Himself, stand to witness against Him by saying that there are other gods too along with Allah? If that is so, you are responsible for your fate. As for me, I bear no such witness. Then, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، is asked to tell them: قُلْ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَـٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ that is, He is one God, the only one worthy of worship who has no partners, sharers or associates in His pristine Divinity.
This proves that the Holy Prophet ﷺ is the Last Prophet and the Qur’ an will keep reaching until the day of Qiyamah. It will continue to be recited and taugh right through the day of Qyiamah, and people will remain obliged to follow it.
Sayyidna Said ibn Jubayr ؓ said: To Whomever the Qur'an has reached, he has become like one who has visited Muhammad ﷺ . And it appears in another Hadith: To whomever the Qur'an has reached, I am his warner (` nadhir' ).
Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ had asked his Companions emphatically : بَلِّغُوا عَنِّی وَ لَو آیَۃً 'that is, convey my instructions and teachings to people, even if it be one 'Ayah.
And Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: May Allah keep that person hale and hearty who heard a saying of mine, committed it to his memory and then conveyed it to my Ummah. This is important because it generally happens that a person may not himself appreciate the sense of what is said but which would be understood much better by a person of later times to whom the first person has conveyed it.
Those to whom We have given the Book recognize him (the Messenger) as (certainly as) they would recognize their sons. Those who have brought loss to themselves, they are not going to believe.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In verse 20, there is a refutation of the saying of those who had said that they had checked with the Jews and the Christians and none of them were ready to attest to his truth as a Messenger of Allah. About that it was said: الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمُ ; (That is, as for the Jews and Christians, they recognize Muhammad al-Mustafa as they would recognize their sons.
The reason is that there is, in the Torah and Injil, a full description of the physical features of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، of his home city and then his post-emigration place of residence, and of his habits and morals and achievements - all this in such details that it leaves no room for doubt in the recognition of his identity. In fact, this is not limited to the mention of the Holy Prophet ﷺ the Torah and the Injil carry even the detailed description of his noble Sahabah as well. Therefore, there was no possibility that anyone who recited the Torah and the Injil and believed in them would be unable to recognize the Holy Prophet ﷺ .
At this point, the simile given in the text is that of children - ` as they would recognize their sons.' Not said here is: as children recognize their parents. The reason is that the recognition of children by parents is most detailed and certain. Children remain before parents day and night under all conditions. From infancy to younger years, they are raised in the hands and laps of parents. So, the extent to which parents can recognize their children, their children cannot recognize them.
Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam ؓ عنہ belonged to the Jewish faith, then he became a Muslim. Sayyidna Faruq al-A'zam ؓ asked him: Allah Ta` ala says in the Qur'an that you recognize our Rasul as you would recognize your sons. What is the reason for it? Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam said: Yes, we know the Holy Prophet ﷺ from his qualities and features revealed by Allah Almighty through the Torah. Therefore, this knowledge of ours is certain and absolute. This is contrary to our offspring about whom one could doubt whether or not they were their children.
Sayyidna Zayd ibn Sa'nah who first belonged to the people of the Book had recognized the Holy Prophet ﷺ through the description of his qualities and features stated in the Torah and the Injil. There was only one quality which could not be confirmed from earlier information. So, this he confirmed by testing. That quality was : ` His forbearance will dominate his anger.' Then, he went to see the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، made his test and found him a true bearer of this quality. He instantly became a Muslim.
In the last verse (21), it was said that these people of the Book who, despite knowing the true identity of the Holy Prophet ﷺ do not accept Islam were simply ruining themselves at their own hands: الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ (Those, who have brought loss on themselves, they are not going to believe).
Who is more unjust than one who invents a lie against Allah or rejects His signs? Beware, the unjust shall not prosper.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In verse 20, there is a refutation of the saying of those who had said that they had checked with the Jews and the Christians and none of them were ready to attest to his truth as a Messenger of Allah. About that it was said: الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمُ ; (That is, as for the Jews and Christians, they recognize Muhammad al-Mustafa as they would recognize their sons.
The reason is that there is, in the Torah and Injil, a full description of the physical features of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، of his home city and then his post-emigration place of residence, and of his habits and morals and achievements - all this in such details that it leaves no room for doubt in the recognition of his identity. In fact, this is not limited to the mention of the Holy Prophet ﷺ the Torah and the Injil carry even the detailed description of his noble Sahabah as well. Therefore, there was no possibility that anyone who recited the Torah and the Injil and believed in them would be unable to recognize the Holy Prophet ﷺ .
At this point, the simile given in the text is that of children - ` as they would recognize their sons.' Not said here is: as children recognize their parents. The reason is that the recognition of children by parents is most detailed and certain. Children remain before parents day and night under all conditions. From infancy to younger years, they are raised in the hands and laps of parents. So, the extent to which parents can recognize their children, their children cannot recognize them.
Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam ؓ عنہ belonged to the Jewish faith, then he became a Muslim. Sayyidna Faruq al-A'zam ؓ asked him: Allah Ta` ala says in the Qur'an that you recognize our Rasul as you would recognize your sons. What is the reason for it? Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Salam said: Yes, we know the Holy Prophet ﷺ from his qualities and features revealed by Allah Almighty through the Torah. Therefore, this knowledge of ours is certain and absolute. This is contrary to our offspring about whom one could doubt whether or not they were their children.
Sayyidna Zayd ibn Sa'nah who first belonged to the people of the Book had recognized the Holy Prophet ﷺ through the description of his qualities and features stated in the Torah and the Injil. There was only one quality which could not be confirmed from earlier information. So, this he confirmed by testing. That quality was : ` His forbearance will dominate his anger.' Then, he went to see the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، made his test and found him a true bearer of this quality. He instantly became a Muslim.
In the last verse (21), it was said that these people of the Book who, despite knowing the true identity of the Holy Prophet ﷺ do not accept Islam were simply ruining themselves at their own hands: الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ (Those, who have brought loss on themselves, they are not going to believe).
(Be mindful of) the Day We shall gather them together, then We will say to those who associated partners with Allah, “Where are those you claimed to be partners of Allah?”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Mentioned in the previous verse (21) was that the unjust and the deniers of truth will not receive salvation. Details appear in the present verses. The first (22) and the second (23) verses talk about the great trial to be held on the day of Resurrection before the Lord of all. It was said: وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا (And [ forget not ] the Day We shall gather them together), that is, ` gather all disbelievers and their self-made objects of worship together.' After that, it is said: ثُمَّ نَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَيْنَ شُرَكَاؤُكُمُ الَّذِينَ كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ (then We shall say to those who associated partners with Allah, "Where are those you claimed to be partners of Allah?" ), that is, ` ask them about the objects of worship they had taken to as partners of Allah, and resolvers of their problems, and why would they not come to help them in their hour of trial.'
The word, ثُمَّ :'thumma' (then, after that), used here denotes delay, which tells us that the trial of answering fateful questions will not start soon after having been gathered on the Day of Resurrection. Instead, they shall keep standing in that state of wonder and perplexity for a long period of time. It will be a passage of time in between when the reckoning will commence.
In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said: What would happen to you when Allah Ta’ ala will gather you on the plains of Resurrection as arrows are gathered in the quiver - and you shall be in that state for fifty thousand years. And it ap-pears in another narration that everyone will tarry in the dark on that Day for one thousand years - not being able to even talk to each other. (This narration has been reported by Hakim in Al-Mustadrak, and by Al-Baihaqi)
The difference of fifty thousand and ten thousand in this narration also appears in two verses of the Holy Qur'an as well. In Surah Al-Ma` arij, it is said: كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ [ A Day ] the measure whereof is [ as ] fifty thousand years 70:4.' In Surah Al-Hajj, it is said: وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ :A Day in the sight of thy Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning - 22:47.' The reason for this difference is that this day will be long in terms of the severity of pain and the levels of pain will be different. Therefore, this day will seem to be that of fifty thousand years for some and that of one thousand years for others.
Then, they will have no other mischievous move but that they will say, “By Allah, our Lord, we ascribed no partners to Allah.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In short, on this venue of the great trial, a long period of time will pass for the trial to begin, so much so, that these people will wish that reckoning comes so that they can be relieved from their state of uncertainty, no matter what happens in the end. It is to indicate this length of stay that, as indicated earlier, the word, ثُمَّ (then) was prefixed to ثُمَّ (then We shall say). Similarly, the answer given by the disbelievers mentioned in the second verse (23) also appears with the word, نَقُول ; (then), which indicates that they too will come up with their answer after having deliberated over it for a long period of time, in which they will say: وَاللَّـهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ (By Allah, our Lord, we ascribed no partners to Allah). In this verse, their answer has been identified فِتنَہ 'fitnah' which could mean ` trial' or ` infatuation.' Both meanings can be taken here. In the first case, the answer given by the disbelievers becomes a trial by itself; while, in the second case, it would mean that these people were infatuated with idols and other self-made objects of worship, even made sacrifices for them, but all that infatuation was gone on this day when they had no choice but to declare their total disassociation from them.
There is something very astonishing in their answer. That was a nerve-shattering time with the day being the Day of Retribution with the awesome manifestations of the power and authority of their Lord all there, yet they had the courage to lie before their very Lord, and that too, with such shamelessness that they are swearing by His great name and saying that they were no disbelievers!
Most commentators explain this answer given by the disbelievers as something not based on foresight or hindsight. In fact, it was caused by the heat of surrounding awe and the loss of personal nerves, a condition in which one utters what is not intended. But, by giving some thought to the general happenings and conditions of the Day of Resurrection, it could be said that Allah Ta` ala had given them the freedom to say things as they used to say in their life of the mortal world so that everyone present on the Day of Resurrection could see their full profile and get to know that these people did not stop at disbelief and polytheism, but that they were also unmatched as liars, for they would not desist from lying at least on an occasion so horrifying. Another verse of the Qur'an (Surah Al-Mujdalah): فَيَحْلِفُونَ لَهُ كَمَا يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ (then they will swear to Him as they swear to you - 58:18) gives a hint in this direction which means that very much in the manner they swear falsely before Muslims, they would not hesitate in swearing as falsely before the Lord of all the worlds Himself.
When these people have become sworn deniers of their Shirk and Kufr (attribution of partners to Allah and disbelief) on the day of Resurrection, that will be the time when Allah, in His absolute power, will have their mouths sealed with silence. His command will then go to the limbs of their bodies - ` now, you speak as witnesses to everything they did' - then, will come the proof that their own hands and feet and eyes and ears were all some kind of secret service agents who had been with them all along. They will tell, and tell everything they did. About that, it has been said in Surah Yasin: الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿65﴾ (That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths. But their hands will speak to Us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they did - 36:65). After having witnessed this demonstration of unimaginable power, no one will, then, dare conceal anything or lie about it.
At another place in the Holy Qur'an, it is said: وَلَا يَكْتُمُونَ اللَّـهَ حَدِيثًا (And they shall not conceal anything from Allah - 4:42). Explaining its meaning, this is what Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ had said: That is, they would first lie as much as they could, even swear falsely, but once their own hands and feet shall testify against them, they will not have the courage to say anything wrong after that.
So, we see that a wrong-doer shall be given full freedom to put his statement on record in the court of the Judge of judges. If he chooses to lie, as he did in his mortal life, his right to do that will not be snatched away from him - because Allah will Himself, in His absolute power, demolish the facade of his lie through the testimony of his own body parts.
This is why telling lies after death will not work. Think of an entrance examination or an admission test. After death, man's first test will be given by angels, مُنکَر Munkar and نَکِیر Nakir. Says the Hadith: When Munkar and Nakir will ask a Kafir (disbeliever): مَن رَّبُّکَ وَما دِینِکَ (Who is your Lord and what is your religion?), the Kafir will say: 4'bri bu (Oh 0, I do not know). In contrast a true Muslim will answer by saying: رَبِّی اللہ وَ دِینِیَ الاسلام
(Allah is my Lord and Islam is my religion). It appears no one will have the courage to lie in this test, otherwise a Kafir could have given the same answer as was given by a Muslim. The reason is that the test will be taken by angels who do not have the knowledge of the unseen, nor are they capable of making hands and feet give witness. If man had the choice of lying there, the angels would have simply acted in accordance with the answer given, but this would have disturbed the system. This is contrary to the test of the day of Resurrection where questions will be asked and answers given before Al-mighty Allah which means that no lie will work there even if resorted to.
Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit and Mazheri report from some elders that the people denying their Shirk on oaths will be those who did not openly declare a created being to be God or His deputy, but as for their deed, they had assigned all powers of Godhood to His created beings, and from them sought answers to their needs, in their name they would make offerings, and from them they would ask sustenance, health, children and everything they wished to have. These people did not consider themselves as Mushriks. Therefore, on the day of Resurrection they would swear to it that they were not Mushriks. Ultimately, Allah Almighty will expose their disgrace.
Another question which arises in this verse is about what has been said in some verses of the Qur'an - that Allah Almighty will not speak to the disbelievers and sinners - while, the present verse seems to be indicating clearly that such address will come to pass.
The answer is that such address or speech will not be in the form of honouring them or accepting their prayers. As for the negation of an address based on admonition, that is not intended in this verse. It could also be said that the address mentioned in this verse may be through the angels. As for the verse where Divine speech or address has been negated, it refers to an indirect address.
See how they will lie about themselves, and all that they used to forge will vanish from them.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In verse 24, it was said: انظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۚ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ (See how they lied about themselves - and lost to them was all that they used to coin). The address here is to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who has been asked to see how these people have lied against their own selves, and whatever they used to forge and fabricate against Allah (their idols and so-called partners to Allah) is lost to them. The expression translated as ` lied about themselves' means that the curse of this lie is going to fall on their own selves while the word, اِفتَرَاء translated as ` used to coin' may also mean that ascribing partners to Allah was a fabrication in the mortal world the reality of which was exposed on the day of Resurrection. And it is also possible that ` iftira' or fabrication could be referring to the false oath taken on the day of Resurrection following which the witness of the limbs of the body exposed their lie.
Some commentators say that ` iftira' or fabrication refers to interpretations they used to put on their false objects of worship in the mortal world, for example: مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّـهِ زُلْفَىٰ which means that ` We do not worship them taking them to be God but only do it so that they would intercede on our behalf with Allah and bring us closer to Him - 39:3.' This fabrication of theirs got exposed on the day of Resurrection when no one interceded on their behalf in their hour of trial, nor any one did anything to bring about a reduction in their punishment.
This bring us to a question, for the verse seems to indicate that at the time of trial featuring these questions and answers, all false objects of worship will not be present there, but a verse of the Qur'an says: احْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ ﴿22﴾ (gather (gather up those who have been unjust, and their partners, and what they used to worship - 37:22). This seems to indicate that the false objects of worship will also be present on the day of Resurrection.
The answer is that the sense of their being absent from the plains of Resurrection, as it emerges from this verse, is limited to their being unavailable as partners, sharers or intercessors. Thus, though they would be unable to help their clients in any way but, they would be present there. So, there remains no contradiction between the two verses. Then, it is also possible that all of them could be gathered together at one time and place, then be separated and the question is asked after the separation.
In these two verses, it should be particularly borne in mind that the choice of free speech given to disbelievers on the day of Resurrection which they utilized by denying on false oath that they had any-thing to do with Shirk, is not without its implications. Perhaps, it carries a hint that the habit of telling lies is an evil habit which is never easy to shake off. So much so that these people, who used to swear falsely before Muslims during their life in the mortal world, were unable to stop lying even on the fateful day of Resurrection which put them to disgrace before the entire creation of Allah. Therefore, lying has been strongly condemned in the Qur'an and Hadith which give serious warning to those who tell lies. At many places in the Qur'an liars have been cursed. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Stay away from lying because a lie is the accomplice of sins, and a lie and a sin will both go to Jahannam. (Ibn Hibban in his Sahih)
The Holy Prophet ﷺ was asked what deed could take one to Hell. He said: A lie [ the Musnad of Ahmad ]. And on the night of the Mi` raj (the Ascent to Heaven), the Holy Prophet ﷺ saw a man having the corners of his mouth being slit apart which then fall back into their place and become as they were, and again they are slit apart ... something to keep happening to him throughout the day of Qiyamah. He asked the angel, Jibra'il al-Amin: "Who is he?" Angel Jibra'il said: "He is a liar."
And it appears in a narration from the Musnad of Ahmad that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: One cannot become a complete Muslim unless he gives up lying altogether, to the extent that he would not lie even by way of joke or fun.
In addition to that, it appears in Al-Baihaqi and others, all on sound authority, that the character of a Muslim may have other bad traits - but, not breach of trust and lying. Yet another Hadith says that lying decreases one's Rizq (sustenance).
There are those among them who (apparently) listen to you, but We have put coverings on their hearts, so that they do not understand, and heaviness in their ears. If they were to see all the signs, they would still not believe in them, so much so that, when they come to quarrel with you, the disbelievers say (of the Qur’ān), “It is nothing but tales of the ancients.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In verse 24, it was said: انظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۚ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ (See how they lied about themselves - and lost to them was all that they used to coin). The address here is to the Holy Prophet ﷺ who has been asked to see how these people have lied against their own selves, and whatever they used to forge and fabricate against Allah (their idols and so-called partners to Allah) is lost to them. The expression translated as ` lied about themselves' means that the curse of this lie is going to fall on their own selves while the word, اِفتَرَاء translated as ` used to coin' may also mean that ascribing partners to Allah was a fabrication in the mortal world the reality of which was exposed on the day of Resurrection. And it is also possible that ` iftira' or fabrication could be referring to the false oath taken on the day of Resurrection following which the witness of the limbs of the body exposed their lie.
Some commentators say that ` iftira' or fabrication refers to interpretations they used to put on their false objects of worship in the mortal world, for example: مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّـهِ زُلْفَىٰ which means that ` We do not worship them taking them to be God but only do it so that they would intercede on our behalf with Allah and bring us closer to Him - 39:3.' This fabrication of theirs got exposed on the day of Resurrection when no one interceded on their behalf in their hour of trial, nor any one did anything to bring about a reduction in their punishment.
This bring us to a question, for the verse seems to indicate that at the time of trial featuring these questions and answers, all false objects of worship will not be present there, but a verse of the Qur'an says: احْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ ﴿22﴾ (gather (gather up those who have been unjust, and their partners, and what they used to worship - 37:22). This seems to indicate that the false objects of worship will also be present on the day of Resurrection.
The answer is that the sense of their being absent from the plains of Resurrection, as it emerges from this verse, is limited to their being unavailable as partners, sharers or intercessors. Thus, though they would be unable to help their clients in any way but, they would be present there. So, there remains no contradiction between the two verses. Then, it is also possible that all of them could be gathered together at one time and place, then be separated and the question is asked after the separation.
In these two verses, it should be particularly borne in mind that the choice of free speech given to disbelievers on the day of Resurrection which they utilized by denying on false oath that they had any-thing to do with Shirk, is not without its implications. Perhaps, it carries a hint that the habit of telling lies is an evil habit which is never easy to shake off. So much so that these people, who used to swear falsely before Muslims during their life in the mortal world, were unable to stop lying even on the fateful day of Resurrection which put them to disgrace before the entire creation of Allah. Therefore, lying has been strongly condemned in the Qur'an and Hadith which give serious warning to those who tell lies. At many places in the Qur'an liars have been cursed. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Stay away from lying because a lie is the accomplice of sins, and a lie and a sin will both go to Jahannam. (Ibn Hibban in his Sahih)
The Holy Prophet ﷺ was asked what deed could take one to Hell. He said: A lie [ the Musnad of Ahmad ]. And on the night of the Mi` raj (the Ascent to Heaven), the Holy Prophet ﷺ saw a man having the corners of his mouth being slit apart which then fall back into their place and become as they were, and again they are slit apart ... something to keep happening to him throughout the day of Qiyamah. He asked the angel, Jibra'il al-Amin: "Who is he?" Angel Jibra'il said: "He is a liar."
And it appears in a narration from the Musnad of Ahmad that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: One cannot become a complete Muslim unless he gives up lying altogether, to the extent that he would not lie even by way of joke or fun.
In addition to that, it appears in Al-Baihaqi and others, all on sound authority, that the character of a Muslim may have other bad traits - but, not breach of trust and lying. Yet another Hadith says that lying decreases one's Rizq (sustenance).
From it (the Qur’ān) they prevent others, and from it they keep themselves away. They ruin none but their own selves, while they do not realize it.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The verse: وَهُمْ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ (And from it they prevent - 26), according to early commentators Dahhak, Qatadah and Muhammad ibn Hanafiyah, was revealed about the common disbelievers of Makkah who prevented people from listening to the Qur'an and following it - and saw to it that they themselves stayed away from it. It has also been reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ that this verse concerns the Holy Prophet's ﷺ respected uncle, Abu Talib , as well as other uncles who stopped people from causing pain to him, even supported him, but would not believe in the Qur'an nor follow it. If so, the pronoun in يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ will revert to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and not to the Qur'an. (Mazhari with narration by Ibn Abi a1-Hatim from Said ibn Abi Hilal)
If only you could (be there to) see when they will be made to stand by the Fire, and they will say, “Would that we were sent back, then we would not reject the signs of our Lord, and would join the believers.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
There are three basic principles of Islam: Tauhid (Oneness of Allah), Risalah (Prophethood) and 'Akhirah (Belief in the Hereafter). All other articles of faith fall under these three. These are principles which tell human beings who they are and what is the purpose of their life. This understanding brings a revolution in their lives by showing them the straight path. Out of these, the Belief in the 'Akhirah, the belief that there is a reckoning of deeds to come when good shall be rewarded and evil punished, has pragmatically the most revolutionary effects, as it channels every human deed into a particular direction. This is the reason why all subjects dealt with in the Qur'an revolve around these three. In the verses appearing here, special emphasis has been laid on the reckoning of the 'Akhirah, its rewards and punishments, and the true nature of the mortal world.
In the first verse, portrayed is the condition of wrong-doers and deniers of truth who, when made to stand by the edges of the Hell, and to observe the horrifying punishment far beyond their imagination, would wish that they were sent back into the world where now they would never falsify the signs and commands of their Lord, would believe in them and would be the true believers.
In fact, what they were concealing earlier will become clear to them. If they were sent back, they would again go for what they were forbidden from, as they are sheer liars.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the second verse (28), Almighty Allah, who is All-Knowing and All-Aware, exposes the reality of their wish, which would be nothing but the compulsion of circumstances, by making it clear that these people have always been addicted to lying and that they were liars even in their present wish under trial. The root of the problem with them was that they did not relish the realities brought before them by the prophets of Allah. They knew that the prophets were true, yet they raised dust to keep such realities unmanifested either because of their chronic obstinacy or worldly greed. But, in the Hereafter, every-thing came out in the open. They saw the power of Allah with their own eyes. They realized that the prophets had told the truth. Even, the life after death, something they had denied all along was before them, really and physically. Then, they became direct witnesses to reward and punishment and Hell. After that, they were left with no argument to continue their attitude of denial and opposition. So, when they wished to be returned to the mortal world, that was mere absence of choice.
Then, their All-Knowing, All-Aware Master said that this was what they were saying for now, but if they were to be sent back into the mortal world once again, they would simply forget all about their promises and resolutions and will revert to doing what they have been doing before, and would start getting involved once again with the unlawful from which they were stopped. Therefore, what they were saying now was also a lie and a ploy for deception.
That their present statement has been called a lie could also be based on their ultimate deed, that is, their promising not to lie if returned to the world was not true, for this would never happen because they would still do nothing but keep lying when they go there. This lie could also mean that whatever they were saying at that time was not prompted by true intention. They were doing so simply to buy time and avoid punishment while in the heart of their hearts, they still have no intention of doing it.
They say, “There is nothing but this worldly life of ours, and we are not going to be raised again.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
As for the statement in the third verse (29): وَقَالُوا إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا (And they say, "There is nothing real but this worldly life of ours" ), it reverts back to the word, عَادُوا (` adu: would again go for) in verse 28. Thus, it means that should they be returned to the world, then, once they reach there, they will still say that they do not accept any life other than the life of this world. Life here is the life and they were not going to be raised again.
A question arises here: When they have seen their return to life on the day of Qiyamah - and reckoning and accounting and reward and punishment - how can it be possible that they would deny it once they have been sent back into the world?
The answer is that denial does not make it necessary that, in reality, they remain uncertain about these events and facts. Instead, it would be very much like our contemporary disbelievers and wrong-doers who, despite their knowledge of Islamic realities, keep sticking to their denial and falsification simply because of their hostility, that these people, once they are returned to the world, and despite having personal certainty of the realities of the day of Qiyamah, of rising to life back again, and of what would happen in the Hereafter, they would still resort to their old habit of belying and falsification simply because of their wickedness or hostility. This is what the Qur'an has said about some disbelievers within this present life:
They are striving hard to deny Our signs - while in them-selves being certain of their truth - (only) unjustly, and out of pride - 27:14.
This is also similar to what was said about the Jews that they recognized the Last Prophet ﷺ as they would recognize their sons, yet they remained all bent on opposing him.
To sum up, it can be said that the Creator knows, in His eternal knowledge, that the claim of these people that once they have been sent back to the world, they would become ideal Muslims, is a lie and a deception. If they were, as they wished, to be released into the world put together after its destruction, then, once again, they would do exactly the same things they used to do in their earlier lives.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: At the time of reckoning, Allah Ta` ala will ask Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) to stand near the Scale of Justice and will ask him that he should look at the deeds of his progeny and allow anyone whose good deeds outweigh his sins to go to Paradise. And then He would say: The one I shall admit to the punishment of Hell will be the one about whom I know that he, i f sent to the world again, would do the same thing he had been doing earlier.
If only you could see when they will be made to stand before their Lord! He will say, “Is this not true?” They will say, “Of course, by our Lord, it is.” He will say, “Then, taste the punishment, for you used to disbelieve.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
As for the statement in the third verse (29): وَقَالُوا إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا (And they say, "There is nothing real but this worldly life of ours" ), it reverts back to the word, عَادُوا (` adu: would again go for) in verse 28. Thus, it means that should they be returned to the world, then, once they reach there, they will still say that they do not accept any life other than the life of this world. Life here is the life and they were not going to be raised again.
A question arises here: When they have seen their return to life on the day of Qiyamah - and reckoning and accounting and reward and punishment - how can it be possible that they would deny it once they have been sent back into the world?
The answer is that denial does not make it necessary that, in reality, they remain uncertain about these events and facts. Instead, it would be very much like our contemporary disbelievers and wrong-doers who, despite their knowledge of Islamic realities, keep sticking to their denial and falsification simply because of their hostility, that these people, once they are returned to the world, and despite having personal certainty of the realities of the day of Qiyamah, of rising to life back again, and of what would happen in the Hereafter, they would still resort to their old habit of belying and falsification simply because of their wickedness or hostility. This is what the Qur'an has said about some disbelievers within this present life:
They are striving hard to deny Our signs - while in them-selves being certain of their truth - (only) unjustly, and out of pride - 27:14.
This is also similar to what was said about the Jews that they recognized the Last Prophet ﷺ as they would recognize their sons, yet they remained all bent on opposing him.
To sum up, it can be said that the Creator knows, in His eternal knowledge, that the claim of these people that once they have been sent back to the world, they would become ideal Muslims, is a lie and a deception. If they were, as they wished, to be released into the world put together after its destruction, then, once again, they would do exactly the same things they used to do in their earlier lives.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: At the time of reckoning, Allah Ta` ala will ask Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) to stand near the Scale of Justice and will ask him that he should look at the deeds of his progeny and allow anyone whose good deeds outweigh his sins to go to Paradise. And then He would say: The one I shall admit to the punishment of Hell will be the one about whom I know that he, i f sent to the world again, would do the same thing he had been doing earlier.
Losers indeed are those who deny that they will ever face Allah, until when the Hour will come upon them suddenly, they will say, “Alas! We have been negligent about it.” They shall carry their burdens on their backs. Beware! Evil is the burden they carry.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
About the sentence: وَهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَ أَوْزَارَهُمْ (And they shall be carrying their burdens) in verse 31, it appears in Hadith narrations that, on the day of Qiyamah, the deeds of good people will become their ride while the evil deeds of evil people will be placed like a burden on their heads.
Noteworthy here is that disbelievers and sinners will do everything possible to save their skins on the fateful day of Resurrection. They will be nervous and confused. Sometimes they would hide behind false swearing. At others, they would wish to be returned to the world of their earlier experience. But, none of them will say: Now, we have believed and now we shall be doing nothing but what is good - because they would have seen reality and seen it very clearly - that the phase of Akhirah, the Hereafter, is not the Venue of Deeds (Dar al-Amal), and that the soundness of 'Iman (faith) depends on its being ` bil-ghayb,' that is, without having the need to see what is Unseen. Confirming what has been seen is simply acting in line with what has been personally seen. It is not what the attestation to the truth of Allah and His Messenger is. So, let us be very clear that working for the pleasure of Allah Ta` ala, earning its fruits in the form of the promised state of everlasting bliss, hoping to be blessed with Paradise in the Hereafter, and having a good life of peace and tranquility right here are things which can be achieved only (repeat, only) through the life of the present world, neither before, nor after - for it is not possible to achieve these in the universe of spirits (arwah) before it, nor is it possible to achieve it in the domain of the Hereafter, after the world of our experience is no more there.
The Present Life is a Great Blessing: Invest Wisely, and Prosper
Now we can see that the life of this world is a great blessing, and certainly an asset of unmatched value. (To borrow the terminology of modern investors, ` with such chips in one's hands, who would not go for such a deal of deals?' - Tr.). So, this life is an opportunity which must be taken seriously. That is why suicide is forbidden as Harm in Islam, and equally prohibited is praying for death, even the making of a wish to die. This is so because it shows ingratitude for a great blessing of Allah Ta’ ala.
Also clarified here is the basis on which worldly life has been characterized as game and fun in the last verse (32) here, as well as in several other verses of the Qur'an, or in many Ahadith which condemn worldly life. There, by worldly life what is censured is the time of life which is spent being heedless to the thought and concern of Allah Ta` ala. Otherwise, no wealth of the world is equal in worth to the time one spends in remembering Allah and doing what He has commanded us to do. This is also confirmed by a Hadith which says:
Dunya is cursed and cursed is what is in it, except the Dhikr (Remembrance) of Allah, or ` Alim (a knowledgeable person) or a student.
If seen closely, a teacher (of religion) and a student (of religion) are included under the Dhikr (Remembrance) of Allah because 'Ilm' means the knowledge which becomes the cause of the pleasure of Allah. So, the learning and teaching of such an ` Ilm are both included under Dhikrullah. In fact, according to the clarification of Imam al-Jazri, everything done in this world which is done in conformity with obedience to Allah, that is, in accordance with the injunctions of the Shari'ah, is all included under the Dhikr of Allah. This tells us that everything necessary that must be done in this life of the world, all permissible ways of earning one's livelihood, and the fulfillment of other needs which are not beyond the limits set by the Shari'ah, shall all be considered as being included under the Dhikr of Allah. In fact, the fulfillment of the rights of family, relatives and friends, neighbours and guests and others has been identified as an act of Sadaqah (charity) and 'Ibadah (worship of Allah).
To recapitulate, it can be said that, there is nothing in this world more worthy of Allah's favour than اِطاعہ ` Ita` ah (obedience to Him) and Dhikr (remembrance of Him). Then, the dearest and the worthiest possession man has is his time of life in this world. And we know that this time is limited. And no one knows exactly how long his or her life is, seventy years or seventy hours, or no more than the span of a breath. On the other hand, we know that the pleasure of Allah which is the only guarantee of a good life, here and there, can be acquired only within the limits of our life in this world. Now, every human being, whom Allah has blessed with sense and vision, can decide it for himself how he is going to spend these limited moments and hours of his life, and in what. No doubt, common sense would demand that this precious time should mostly be spent in what would meet the pleasure of Allah. As for chores which are necessary to hold this life together, they should be taken to as needed.
The worldly life is nothing but a game and fun, and the last abode is surely much better for those who fear Allah. Would you still not understand?
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
About the sentence: وَهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَ أَوْزَارَهُمْ (And they shall be carrying their burdens) in verse 31, it appears in Hadith narrations that, on the day of Qiyamah, the deeds of good people will become their ride while the evil deeds of evil people will be placed like a burden on their heads.
Noteworthy here is that disbelievers and sinners will do everything possible to save their skins on the fateful day of Resurrection. They will be nervous and confused. Sometimes they would hide behind false swearing. At others, they would wish to be returned to the world of their earlier experience. But, none of them will say: Now, we have believed and now we shall be doing nothing but what is good - because they would have seen reality and seen it very clearly - that the phase of Akhirah, the Hereafter, is not the Venue of Deeds (Dar al-Amal), and that the soundness of 'Iman (faith) depends on its being ` bil-ghayb,' that is, without having the need to see what is Unseen. Confirming what has been seen is simply acting in line with what has been personally seen. It is not what the attestation to the truth of Allah and His Messenger is. So, let us be very clear that working for the pleasure of Allah Ta` ala, earning its fruits in the form of the promised state of everlasting bliss, hoping to be blessed with Paradise in the Hereafter, and having a good life of peace and tranquility right here are things which can be achieved only (repeat, only) through the life of the present world, neither before, nor after - for it is not possible to achieve these in the universe of spirits (arwah) before it, nor is it possible to achieve it in the domain of the Hereafter, after the world of our experience is no more there.
The Present Life is a Great Blessing: Invest Wisely, and Prosper
Now we can see that the life of this world is a great blessing, and certainly an asset of unmatched value. (To borrow the terminology of modern investors, ` with such chips in one's hands, who would not go for such a deal of deals?' - Tr.). So, this life is an opportunity which must be taken seriously. That is why suicide is forbidden as Harm in Islam, and equally prohibited is praying for death, even the making of a wish to die. This is so because it shows ingratitude for a great blessing of Allah Ta’ ala.
Also clarified here is the basis on which worldly life has been characterized as game and fun in the last verse (32) here, as well as in several other verses of the Qur'an, or in many Ahadith which condemn worldly life. There, by worldly life what is censured is the time of life which is spent being heedless to the thought and concern of Allah Ta` ala. Otherwise, no wealth of the world is equal in worth to the time one spends in remembering Allah and doing what He has commanded us to do. This is also confirmed by a Hadith which says:
Dunya is cursed and cursed is what is in it, except the Dhikr (Remembrance) of Allah, or ` Alim (a knowledgeable person) or a student.
If seen closely, a teacher (of religion) and a student (of religion) are included under the Dhikr (Remembrance) of Allah because 'Ilm' means the knowledge which becomes the cause of the pleasure of Allah. So, the learning and teaching of such an ` Ilm are both included under Dhikrullah. In fact, according to the clarification of Imam al-Jazri, everything done in this world which is done in conformity with obedience to Allah, that is, in accordance with the injunctions of the Shari'ah, is all included under the Dhikr of Allah. This tells us that everything necessary that must be done in this life of the world, all permissible ways of earning one's livelihood, and the fulfillment of other needs which are not beyond the limits set by the Shari'ah, shall all be considered as being included under the Dhikr of Allah. In fact, the fulfillment of the rights of family, relatives and friends, neighbours and guests and others has been identified as an act of Sadaqah (charity) and 'Ibadah (worship of Allah).
To recapitulate, it can be said that, there is nothing in this world more worthy of Allah's favour than اِطاعہ ` Ita` ah (obedience to Him) and Dhikr (remembrance of Him). Then, the dearest and the worthiest possession man has is his time of life in this world. And we know that this time is limited. And no one knows exactly how long his or her life is, seventy years or seventy hours, or no more than the span of a breath. On the other hand, we know that the pleasure of Allah which is the only guarantee of a good life, here and there, can be acquired only within the limits of our life in this world. Now, every human being, whom Allah has blessed with sense and vision, can decide it for himself how he is going to spend these limited moments and hours of his life, and in what. No doubt, common sense would demand that this precious time should mostly be spent in what would meet the pleasure of Allah. As for chores which are necessary to hold this life together, they should be taken to as needed.
Indeed We know that what they say makes you sad, because it is not you whom they reject, but the transgressors actually deny the signs of Allah.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
About the statement: فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ (it is not you they are belying, rather, it is the signs of Allah they are denying) in the first verse (33), there is a related event, reported in Tafsir Mazhari on the authority of a narration by As-Suddiy, according to which, once Akhnas ibn Shuraiq and Abu Jahl, two chiefs of the Quraysh tribe met together. Akhnas asked Abu Jahl: 0 Abul-Hikam, (In Arabia, Abu Jahl was called Abul-Hikam - 'man of wisdom' - but because of his hostility to Islam, he became known as Abu-Jahl - 'man of ignorance' ), you and me are alone here. There is no third person listening to us. Tell me about Muhammad ibn ` Abdulluh. Tell me what you really think about him. Is he telling the truth or is he not?
Swearing by Allah, Abu Jahl said: No doubt, Muhammad is true. He has never lied all his life. But, the problem is that the thought, that only a single branch of the tribe of Quraysh, the Banu Qusayy, is going to become the repository of all sorts of virtues and perfections while the rest of the tribe remains totally deprived, is something that we cannot take. It is too much. They have the flag in their hands. They have the important duty of providing water for the Hajj pilgrims in their hands. They are the custodians of the Ka'bah; its keys are in their hands. Now, if we are to accept that the station of prophethood also belongs to them, what the rest of the Quraysh will be left with?
According to another narration reported from Najiyah ibn Ka'b, once Abu Jahl himself told the Holy Prophet ﷺ . We do not suspect you of lying nor do we belie you, but we do belie the Book or Religion which you have come up with. (Mazhari)
Based on these narrations of Hadith, the verse can be taken in its real sense, that is, 'these disbelievers do not belie you, rather, they be-lie the signs of Allah.' And this verse could also be taken in the sense that these disbelievers, though belie you obviously but, in reality, the outcome of belying you is itself the belying of Allah and His signs - as it appears in Hadith, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever causes pain to me is liable to be judged as causing pain to Allah.
Indeed, many messengers have been rejected before you, but they stood patient against their rejection, and they were persecuted until Our help came to them. No one can change the words of Allah, and of course, some accounts of the messengers have already come to you.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
About the statement: فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ (it is not you they are belying, rather, it is the signs of Allah they are denying) in the first verse (33), there is a related event, reported in Tafsir Mazhari on the authority of a narration by As-Suddiy, according to which, once Akhnas ibn Shuraiq and Abu Jahl, two chiefs of the Quraysh tribe met together. Akhnas asked Abu Jahl: 0 Abul-Hikam, (In Arabia, Abu Jahl was called Abul-Hikam - 'man of wisdom' - but because of his hostility to Islam, he became known as Abu-Jahl - 'man of ignorance' ), you and me are alone here. There is no third person listening to us. Tell me about Muhammad ibn ` Abdulluh. Tell me what you really think about him. Is he telling the truth or is he not?
Swearing by Allah, Abu Jahl said: No doubt, Muhammad is true. He has never lied all his life. But, the problem is that the thought, that only a single branch of the tribe of Quraysh, the Banu Qusayy, is going to become the repository of all sorts of virtues and perfections while the rest of the tribe remains totally deprived, is something that we cannot take. It is too much. They have the flag in their hands. They have the important duty of providing water for the Hajj pilgrims in their hands. They are the custodians of the Ka'bah; its keys are in their hands. Now, if we are to accept that the station of prophethood also belongs to them, what the rest of the Quraysh will be left with?
According to another narration reported from Najiyah ibn Ka'b, once Abu Jahl himself told the Holy Prophet ﷺ . We do not suspect you of lying nor do we belie you, but we do belie the Book or Religion which you have come up with. (Mazhari)
Based on these narrations of Hadith, the verse can be taken in its real sense, that is, 'these disbelievers do not belie you, rather, they be-lie the signs of Allah.' And this verse could also be taken in the sense that these disbelievers, though belie you obviously but, in reality, the outcome of belying you is itself the belying of Allah and His signs - as it appears in Hadith, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever causes pain to me is liable to be judged as causing pain to Allah.
If their aversion is too hard on you, then seek, if you can, a tunnel into the earth or a ladder unto the sky in order to bring them a sign. Had Allah so willed, He would have brought all of them to the right path. So, never be one of the ignorant.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
About the statement: فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ (it is not you they are belying, rather, it is the signs of Allah they are denying) in the first verse (33), there is a related event, reported in Tafsir Mazhari on the authority of a narration by As-Suddiy, according to which, once Akhnas ibn Shuraiq and Abu Jahl, two chiefs of the Quraysh tribe met together. Akhnas asked Abu Jahl: 0 Abul-Hikam, (In Arabia, Abu Jahl was called Abul-Hikam - 'man of wisdom' - but because of his hostility to Islam, he became known as Abu-Jahl - 'man of ignorance' ), you and me are alone here. There is no third person listening to us. Tell me about Muhammad ibn ` Abdulluh. Tell me what you really think about him. Is he telling the truth or is he not?
Swearing by Allah, Abu Jahl said: No doubt, Muhammad is true. He has never lied all his life. But, the problem is that the thought, that only a single branch of the tribe of Quraysh, the Banu Qusayy, is going to become the repository of all sorts of virtues and perfections while the rest of the tribe remains totally deprived, is something that we cannot take. It is too much. They have the flag in their hands. They have the important duty of providing water for the Hajj pilgrims in their hands. They are the custodians of the Ka'bah; its keys are in their hands. Now, if we are to accept that the station of prophethood also belongs to them, what the rest of the Quraysh will be left with?
According to another narration reported from Najiyah ibn Ka'b, once Abu Jahl himself told the Holy Prophet ﷺ . We do not suspect you of lying nor do we belie you, but we do belie the Book or Religion which you have come up with. (Mazhari)
Based on these narrations of Hadith, the verse can be taken in its real sense, that is, 'these disbelievers do not belie you, rather, they be-lie the signs of Allah.' And this verse could also be taken in the sense that these disbelievers, though belie you obviously but, in reality, the outcome of belying you is itself the belying of Allah and His signs - as it appears in Hadith, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever causes pain to me is liable to be judged as causing pain to Allah.
Only those respond who listen (to seek the truth). As for the dead, Allah shall raise them, after which they shall be returned to Him.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
About the statement: فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ (it is not you they are belying, rather, it is the signs of Allah they are denying) in the first verse (33), there is a related event, reported in Tafsir Mazhari on the authority of a narration by As-Suddiy, according to which, once Akhnas ibn Shuraiq and Abu Jahl, two chiefs of the Quraysh tribe met together. Akhnas asked Abu Jahl: 0 Abul-Hikam, (In Arabia, Abu Jahl was called Abul-Hikam - 'man of wisdom' - but because of his hostility to Islam, he became known as Abu-Jahl - 'man of ignorance' ), you and me are alone here. There is no third person listening to us. Tell me about Muhammad ibn ` Abdulluh. Tell me what you really think about him. Is he telling the truth or is he not?
Swearing by Allah, Abu Jahl said: No doubt, Muhammad is true. He has never lied all his life. But, the problem is that the thought, that only a single branch of the tribe of Quraysh, the Banu Qusayy, is going to become the repository of all sorts of virtues and perfections while the rest of the tribe remains totally deprived, is something that we cannot take. It is too much. They have the flag in their hands. They have the important duty of providing water for the Hajj pilgrims in their hands. They are the custodians of the Ka'bah; its keys are in their hands. Now, if we are to accept that the station of prophethood also belongs to them, what the rest of the Quraysh will be left with?
According to another narration reported from Najiyah ibn Ka'b, once Abu Jahl himself told the Holy Prophet ﷺ . We do not suspect you of lying nor do we belie you, but we do belie the Book or Religion which you have come up with. (Mazhari)
Based on these narrations of Hadith, the verse can be taken in its real sense, that is, 'these disbelievers do not belie you, rather, they be-lie the signs of Allah.' And this verse could also be taken in the sense that these disbelievers, though belie you obviously but, in reality, the outcome of belying you is itself the belying of Allah and His signs - as it appears in Hadith, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever causes pain to me is liable to be judged as causing pain to Allah.
They say, “Why is it that no sign (of our choice) has been sent down to him from his Lord?” Say, “Allah is surely powerful enough to send down a sign.” But most of them do not know.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
About the statement: فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ (it is not you they are belying, rather, it is the signs of Allah they are denying) in the first verse (33), there is a related event, reported in Tafsir Mazhari on the authority of a narration by As-Suddiy, according to which, once Akhnas ibn Shuraiq and Abu Jahl, two chiefs of the Quraysh tribe met together. Akhnas asked Abu Jahl: 0 Abul-Hikam, (In Arabia, Abu Jahl was called Abul-Hikam - 'man of wisdom' - but because of his hostility to Islam, he became known as Abu-Jahl - 'man of ignorance' ), you and me are alone here. There is no third person listening to us. Tell me about Muhammad ibn ` Abdulluh. Tell me what you really think about him. Is he telling the truth or is he not?
Swearing by Allah, Abu Jahl said: No doubt, Muhammad is true. He has never lied all his life. But, the problem is that the thought, that only a single branch of the tribe of Quraysh, the Banu Qusayy, is going to become the repository of all sorts of virtues and perfections while the rest of the tribe remains totally deprived, is something that we cannot take. It is too much. They have the flag in their hands. They have the important duty of providing water for the Hajj pilgrims in their hands. They are the custodians of the Ka'bah; its keys are in their hands. Now, if we are to accept that the station of prophethood also belongs to them, what the rest of the Quraysh will be left with?
According to another narration reported from Najiyah ibn Ka'b, once Abu Jahl himself told the Holy Prophet ﷺ . We do not suspect you of lying nor do we belie you, but we do belie the Book or Religion which you have come up with. (Mazhari)
Based on these narrations of Hadith, the verse can be taken in its real sense, that is, 'these disbelievers do not belie you, rather, they be-lie the signs of Allah.' And this verse could also be taken in the sense that these disbelievers, though belie you obviously but, in reality, the outcome of belying you is itself the belying of Allah and His signs - as it appears in Hadith, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever causes pain to me is liable to be judged as causing pain to Allah.
There is no creature moving on the earth, nor a bird flying on its two wings, but they are all communities like you. We have not missed anything in the Book. Then, to their Lord all of them shall be gathered.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The sixth verse (38): وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ (there is no creature moving …) tells us that, on the day of Qiyamah, animals will also be given life along with human beings. Following a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، it has been reported by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Baihaqi that, on the day of Qiyamah, all animals, beasts and birds will also be given life once again. Such will be the measure of Divine justice that a horned animal which had hit the hornless one shall be subjected to retaliation, as would be the case with others too. And when all injustices have been vindicated, all of them would be commanded to become dust - and then, dust they shall become. This would be the time when the disbeliever will say: يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنتُ تُرَابًا [ 78:40] that is, ` would that I too were to become dust, and thus saved from the punishment of Hell!'.
In another narration, again from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، Imam Al-Baghawi reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, rights of all holders of rights shall be vindicated, to the limit that a hornless goat shall be vindicated against the horned one.
Maximum Regard for the Rights of Allah's Creation
Everyone knows that animals have not been obligated to observe the percepts of any Shari` ah or code of laws. Only human beings and Jinns have been so obligated. And it is obvious that the jurisdiction of reward and punishment does not apply to the non-obligated. Therefore, ` Ulama' have said that the retaliation against the behaviour of animals on the day of Resurrection will not be because of their being obligated, but it will be because of the Lord's utmost regard for equity and justice - based on which the cruelty of one living creature against' the other living creature will be recompensed, with no reward or punishment to follow for the rest of their behaviour. This tells us that the matter of mutual rights, and their infringements, pertaining to the creation of Allah is so serious that even non-obligated animals have not been left as exempted from it. But, it is regrettable that there are even many religiously-observing people who would act negligently about it.
Those who gave the lie to Our signs are deaf and dumb, in layers of darkness. He lets whomsoever He wills go astray, and brings whomsoever He wills on the straight path.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The sixth verse (38): وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ (there is no creature moving …) tells us that, on the day of Qiyamah, animals will also be given life along with human beings. Following a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، it has been reported by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Baihaqi that, on the day of Qiyamah, all animals, beasts and birds will also be given life once again. Such will be the measure of Divine justice that a horned animal which had hit the hornless one shall be subjected to retaliation, as would be the case with others too. And when all injustices have been vindicated, all of them would be commanded to become dust - and then, dust they shall become. This would be the time when the disbeliever will say: يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنتُ تُرَابًا [ 78:40] that is, ` would that I too were to become dust, and thus saved from the punishment of Hell!'.
In another narration, again from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، Imam Al-Baghawi reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, rights of all holders of rights shall be vindicated, to the limit that a hornless goat shall be vindicated against the horned one.
Maximum Regard for the Rights of Allah's Creation
Everyone knows that animals have not been obligated to observe the percepts of any Shari` ah or code of laws. Only human beings and Jinns have been so obligated. And it is obvious that the jurisdiction of reward and punishment does not apply to the non-obligated. Therefore, ` Ulama' have said that the retaliation against the behaviour of animals on the day of Resurrection will not be because of their being obligated, but it will be because of the Lord's utmost regard for equity and justice - based on which the cruelty of one living creature against' the other living creature will be recompensed, with no reward or punishment to follow for the rest of their behaviour. This tells us that the matter of mutual rights, and their infringements, pertaining to the creation of Allah is so serious that even non-obligated animals have not been left as exempted from it. But, it is regrettable that there are even many religiously-observing people who would act negligently about it.
Say, “Tell me if the punishment of Allah comes to you or the Hour befalls you, would you call someone other than Allah, if you are truthful?”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The sixth verse (38): وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ (there is no creature moving …) tells us that, on the day of Qiyamah, animals will also be given life along with human beings. Following a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، it has been reported by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Baihaqi that, on the day of Qiyamah, all animals, beasts and birds will also be given life once again. Such will be the measure of Divine justice that a horned animal which had hit the hornless one shall be subjected to retaliation, as would be the case with others too. And when all injustices have been vindicated, all of them would be commanded to become dust - and then, dust they shall become. This would be the time when the disbeliever will say: يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنتُ تُرَابًا [ 78:40] that is, ` would that I too were to become dust, and thus saved from the punishment of Hell!'.
In another narration, again from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، Imam Al-Baghawi reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, rights of all holders of rights shall be vindicated, to the limit that a hornless goat shall be vindicated against the horned one.
Maximum Regard for the Rights of Allah's Creation
Everyone knows that animals have not been obligated to observe the percepts of any Shari` ah or code of laws. Only human beings and Jinns have been so obligated. And it is obvious that the jurisdiction of reward and punishment does not apply to the non-obligated. Therefore, ` Ulama' have said that the retaliation against the behaviour of animals on the day of Resurrection will not be because of their being obligated, but it will be because of the Lord's utmost regard for equity and justice - based on which the cruelty of one living creature against' the other living creature will be recompensed, with no reward or punishment to follow for the rest of their behaviour. This tells us that the matter of mutual rights, and their infringements, pertaining to the creation of Allah is so serious that even non-obligated animals have not been left as exempted from it. But, it is regrettable that there are even many religiously-observing people who would act negligently about it.
Rather, Him alone you will call and He, if He wills, shall remove what you call Him for, and you will forget those you associate with Him.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The sixth verse (38): وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ (there is no creature moving …) tells us that, on the day of Qiyamah, animals will also be given life along with human beings. Following a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، it has been reported by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Baihaqi that, on the day of Qiyamah, all animals, beasts and birds will also be given life once again. Such will be the measure of Divine justice that a horned animal which had hit the hornless one shall be subjected to retaliation, as would be the case with others too. And when all injustices have been vindicated, all of them would be commanded to become dust - and then, dust they shall become. This would be the time when the disbeliever will say: يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنتُ تُرَابًا [ 78:40] that is, ` would that I too were to become dust, and thus saved from the punishment of Hell!'.
In another narration, again from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ ، Imam Al-Baghawi reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, rights of all holders of rights shall be vindicated, to the limit that a hornless goat shall be vindicated against the horned one.
Maximum Regard for the Rights of Allah's Creation
Everyone knows that animals have not been obligated to observe the percepts of any Shari` ah or code of laws. Only human beings and Jinns have been so obligated. And it is obvious that the jurisdiction of reward and punishment does not apply to the non-obligated. Therefore, ` Ulama' have said that the retaliation against the behaviour of animals on the day of Resurrection will not be because of their being obligated, but it will be because of the Lord's utmost regard for equity and justice - based on which the cruelty of one living creature against' the other living creature will be recompensed, with no reward or punishment to follow for the rest of their behaviour. This tells us that the matter of mutual rights, and their infringements, pertaining to the creation of Allah is so serious that even non-obligated animals have not been left as exempted from it. But, it is regrettable that there are even many religiously-observing people who would act negligently about it.
We did send messengers to communities before you and put them to hardships and sufferings, so that they may supplicate in humility.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The verses cited above, if seen in the context of verses appearing immediately previous to them, will show the particular mode in which Shirk and Kufr have been refuted and Tauhid, affirmed. First, the disbelievers of Makkah have been asked: If you are hit by a calamity now, for example, the punishment of Allah descends on you right here in this world or comes death or the very Day of Doom breaks loose, then think and answer who it will be you would call for help to keep this calamity away from you or who it would be you will hope to deliver you from this terrible punishment? Do you think these self-sculpted idols in stone or any others from among the creation of Allah you have given His status would come out to help you in your hour of trial? And then, would you still address your cry of distress to them, or would you rather appeal to none but Allah, the One, the All-Powerful?
There can be no better answer from any sensible human being which was given by Allah Ta` ala Himself on behalf of them - that, at a time of such mass calamity, even the greatest Mushrik will forget all about his idols and self-appointed objects of worship and would call none but Allah. If so, the outcome is obvious. These idols of yours, and the objects of worship whom you have given the status of Allah Ta` ala and whom alone you regard as your problem solvers and granters of wishes, in fact, did not come to help you in your distress, nor could you muster the courage to call them up to help you out. Now then, when would it be that your devotion to them as objects of worship and their role of problems solvers assigned to them by you will start working for you?
What has been said here is a gist of immediately previous verses. Stated here as a matter of supposition is that punishment could befall them within the life of this world as an outcome of their disbelief and disobedience. And, again as a matter of supposition, if the punishment does not visit them in the present life, then, the coming of the Qiyamah is certain after all when account will be taken from all human beings of their deeds and put in effect shall be the law of reward and punishment against these.
` Qiyamah' here could mean the commonly acknowledged Qiyamah or the Day of Doom. It is also possible that, by the particular use of the word, ` As-Sa` ah' (The Hour) -[ 41], the sense could be that of ` The Smaller Doom' (al-Qiyamatus-Sughra) which stands activated for every human being immediately after his or her death - as the saying is: مَن مَّاتَ فَقد قَامَت قِیَامَتُہ (For one who dies, his or her ` Qiyamah' (Doom) stands established right then) because a preliminary sampling of the ultimate reckoning of the Qiyamah will come before the deceased in his or her ` Qabr' (burial place) and in the state of Barzakh (the post-death - pre-Qiyamah state) and the sampling of the ultimate reward and punishment due ` there' would start showing up right from ` here.' (Not too difficult to visualize for those familiar with ` testers' and ` samples' provided on perfume counters in alcoves of major mega stores which are meant to tell the visitor: ` WYSIWYG!' That is, ` what you see is what you get.' - Tr.)
But, despite warnings given in these verses to disobedient people against their attitude of complacency - lest there comes upon them some sudden Divine punishment as has come on past communities, or death, or ultimately the very reckoning after Qiyamah about which there is no doubt - such people have a mind of their own. They tend to take the whole world on the analogy of their limited experience in the already limited time of their life which makes them compulsive excuse seekers in such matters. Present before them the warnings and intimations given by blessed prophets and they will bypass them as ambiguous thinking, specially at times, and which reappear in all ages, when there are people around who, in spite of their open disobedience to Allah and His Prophet ﷺ ، keep prospering in wealth, property, influence, recognition and power, almost everything. So, on the one hand, here is what they witness with their own eyes, while, on the other hand, is the word of the blessed messenger of Allah who tells them that punishments do come upon the disobedient as it is the customary practice of the One they disobey. Now, as they look at the two sides of the argument simultaneously, then, their own excuse seeking disposition and, of course, the Satan hoodwinks them into believing that the word of the prophet is a deception or delusion.
Now, for an answer, we can turn to the present verses where Al-mighty Allah has pointed out to the law which applies to what happened to past communities. It was said: وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ ﴿42﴾. It means that Allah did send, before the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، His prophets to other communities which were tested in two ways. Firstly, they were tested with hardships and sufferings to see if these would become the cause of their turning to Allah. But, when they failed in this test and, rather than turn to Allah and abandon disobedience, became all the more engrossed in it, then, they were subjected to a different kind of test. The doors of worldly comforts were opened to them. They had everything they could wish for in the material world so that through these blessings they could recognize their Benefactor and remember Him. But they, rather than be grateful to Him, were so lost in the labyrinth of luxury that they forgot all about the messages and teachings of Allah and His Messenger. Thus, having traded their souls for the glitter of fleeting comforts, they failed in both tests, and their case before Allah became conclusively established against them. So, they were seized by the punishment of Allah suddenly which destroyed them to the last man. This punishment had come upon earlier communities too, down from the heavens and up from beneath the earth, and such mass punishments have come in other ways too which had reduced whole peoples and nations to ashes. The people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) were deluged in the great flood which did not spare even mountain peaks. The people of عَاد ` Ad were hit by an eight-day long wind storm which left not one survivor. The people of Thamud were destroyed through a terrifying sound. The entire habitation of the people of Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) was overturned, the remnants of which still exist in the west of Jordan in the form of a low lying water level which is not conducive. to the survival of any sea life. Therefore, it is called The Dead Sea, and also the Sea of Lut.
In short, these were some forms in which Divine punishment befell past communities as a result of their disobedience destroying whole nations and peoples in one stroke. However, it has also happened that such people died away naturally leaving no one behind to remember them.
Also clarified in these verses is that Almighty Allah does not send down His punishment upon any people all of a sudden. Instead, punishments come at the level of admonitions the purpose of which is to make it possible for people to shed their heedlessness and take to the correct path. We also know from here that the hardship or distress which is sent to people on the earth as punishment for them, though outwardly looks like punishment but, in reality, it is not. Instead of that, it serves the purpose of a wake-up call designed to shake people out of their heedlessness. As such, it is nothing but mercy. Says another verse of the Qur'an وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴿21﴾, that is, We will make them taste a lesser punishment, leaving the greatest punishment aside, so that they may return - 32:21.
Removed from these very verses is the doubt about this world which is no place for rewards (Darul-Jaza' ), but a place where one must do what one should (Darul-` Amal). What then is the sense of being punished in this world where good and bad seem to be weighed on the same scale and where, in fact, the evil ones fare better than the good? The answer is clear. The real reward and punishment will come on that one day of Qiyamah, which is known as the very Day of Judgement (Yowmud-DIn) or the Day of Retribution (Yowm al-Jaza' ).. But, some hardships are sent in this world as a sample of punishment (Adhab) and some comforts as a sample of reward (Thawab) which are a token of mercy from Allah. Some spiritual masters have even said that all comforts of the world are indicators of the comforts of Paradise so that one learns to long for them. As for all those hardships and sorrows that afflict man in this world, they too are indicators of the punishment of the Hereafter so that man prepares to stay safe against them. Unless there is a sample or model-in sight, no one can be pursuaded towards anything, nor can anyone be detracted from any impending danger or evil.
So, the comforts and discomforts of this mortal life are not rewards and punishments as such. They are, rather, samples or tokens of re-wards and punishments. We may say that this whole world is a show room of Akhirah (the Hereafter) where the trader displays the demonstration pieces of his merchandise in front of his store or shop so that they could attract the buyer. Thus, we can see that worldly prosperity or poverty, happiness or sorrow are not reward and punishment in the real sense. Actually, they are a method of bringing the creation of Allah alienated from its Creator back to His fold.
At the end of verse 42 itself, this element of wisdom finds expression through the words: لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ (so that they may supplicate in humility). It means that the hardship inflicted on them during their life in the present world was really not aimed at punishing them. Since everyone turns to Allah naturally when in distress, the purpose was to make people turn to Allah through a little hardship. This tells us that the hardship or pain which visits a person or group as punishment is, in a sense, the working of Divine mercy.
Why then, did they not supplicate in humility when a calamity from Us came upon them? Instead, their hearts were hardened and Satan adorned for them what they were doing.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The verses cited above, if seen in the context of verses appearing immediately previous to them, will show the particular mode in which Shirk and Kufr have been refuted and Tauhid, affirmed. First, the disbelievers of Makkah have been asked: If you are hit by a calamity now, for example, the punishment of Allah descends on you right here in this world or comes death or the very Day of Doom breaks loose, then think and answer who it will be you would call for help to keep this calamity away from you or who it would be you will hope to deliver you from this terrible punishment? Do you think these self-sculpted idols in stone or any others from among the creation of Allah you have given His status would come out to help you in your hour of trial? And then, would you still address your cry of distress to them, or would you rather appeal to none but Allah, the One, the All-Powerful?
There can be no better answer from any sensible human being which was given by Allah Ta` ala Himself on behalf of them - that, at a time of such mass calamity, even the greatest Mushrik will forget all about his idols and self-appointed objects of worship and would call none but Allah. If so, the outcome is obvious. These idols of yours, and the objects of worship whom you have given the status of Allah Ta` ala and whom alone you regard as your problem solvers and granters of wishes, in fact, did not come to help you in your distress, nor could you muster the courage to call them up to help you out. Now then, when would it be that your devotion to them as objects of worship and their role of problems solvers assigned to them by you will start working for you?
What has been said here is a gist of immediately previous verses. Stated here as a matter of supposition is that punishment could befall them within the life of this world as an outcome of their disbelief and disobedience. And, again as a matter of supposition, if the punishment does not visit them in the present life, then, the coming of the Qiyamah is certain after all when account will be taken from all human beings of their deeds and put in effect shall be the law of reward and punishment against these.
` Qiyamah' here could mean the commonly acknowledged Qiyamah or the Day of Doom. It is also possible that, by the particular use of the word, ` As-Sa` ah' (The Hour) -[ 41], the sense could be that of ` The Smaller Doom' (al-Qiyamatus-Sughra) which stands activated for every human being immediately after his or her death - as the saying is: مَن مَّاتَ فَقد قَامَت قِیَامَتُہ (For one who dies, his or her ` Qiyamah' (Doom) stands established right then) because a preliminary sampling of the ultimate reckoning of the Qiyamah will come before the deceased in his or her ` Qabr' (burial place) and in the state of Barzakh (the post-death - pre-Qiyamah state) and the sampling of the ultimate reward and punishment due ` there' would start showing up right from ` here.' (Not too difficult to visualize for those familiar with ` testers' and ` samples' provided on perfume counters in alcoves of major mega stores which are meant to tell the visitor: ` WYSIWYG!' That is, ` what you see is what you get.' - Tr.)
But, despite warnings given in these verses to disobedient people against their attitude of complacency - lest there comes upon them some sudden Divine punishment as has come on past communities, or death, or ultimately the very reckoning after Qiyamah about which there is no doubt - such people have a mind of their own. They tend to take the whole world on the analogy of their limited experience in the already limited time of their life which makes them compulsive excuse seekers in such matters. Present before them the warnings and intimations given by blessed prophets and they will bypass them as ambiguous thinking, specially at times, and which reappear in all ages, when there are people around who, in spite of their open disobedience to Allah and His Prophet ﷺ ، keep prospering in wealth, property, influence, recognition and power, almost everything. So, on the one hand, here is what they witness with their own eyes, while, on the other hand, is the word of the blessed messenger of Allah who tells them that punishments do come upon the disobedient as it is the customary practice of the One they disobey. Now, as they look at the two sides of the argument simultaneously, then, their own excuse seeking disposition and, of course, the Satan hoodwinks them into believing that the word of the prophet is a deception or delusion.
Now, for an answer, we can turn to the present verses where Al-mighty Allah has pointed out to the law which applies to what happened to past communities. It was said: وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ ﴿42﴾. It means that Allah did send, before the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، His prophets to other communities which were tested in two ways. Firstly, they were tested with hardships and sufferings to see if these would become the cause of their turning to Allah. But, when they failed in this test and, rather than turn to Allah and abandon disobedience, became all the more engrossed in it, then, they were subjected to a different kind of test. The doors of worldly comforts were opened to them. They had everything they could wish for in the material world so that through these blessings they could recognize their Benefactor and remember Him. But they, rather than be grateful to Him, were so lost in the labyrinth of luxury that they forgot all about the messages and teachings of Allah and His Messenger. Thus, having traded their souls for the glitter of fleeting comforts, they failed in both tests, and their case before Allah became conclusively established against them. So, they were seized by the punishment of Allah suddenly which destroyed them to the last man. This punishment had come upon earlier communities too, down from the heavens and up from beneath the earth, and such mass punishments have come in other ways too which had reduced whole peoples and nations to ashes. The people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) were deluged in the great flood which did not spare even mountain peaks. The people of عَاد ` Ad were hit by an eight-day long wind storm which left not one survivor. The people of Thamud were destroyed through a terrifying sound. The entire habitation of the people of Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) was overturned, the remnants of which still exist in the west of Jordan in the form of a low lying water level which is not conducive. to the survival of any sea life. Therefore, it is called The Dead Sea, and also the Sea of Lut.
In short, these were some forms in which Divine punishment befell past communities as a result of their disobedience destroying whole nations and peoples in one stroke. However, it has also happened that such people died away naturally leaving no one behind to remember them.
Also clarified in these verses is that Almighty Allah does not send down His punishment upon any people all of a sudden. Instead, punishments come at the level of admonitions the purpose of which is to make it possible for people to shed their heedlessness and take to the correct path. We also know from here that the hardship or distress which is sent to people on the earth as punishment for them, though outwardly looks like punishment but, in reality, it is not. Instead of that, it serves the purpose of a wake-up call designed to shake people out of their heedlessness. As such, it is nothing but mercy. Says another verse of the Qur'an وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴿21﴾, that is, We will make them taste a lesser punishment, leaving the greatest punishment aside, so that they may return - 32:21.
Removed from these very verses is the doubt about this world which is no place for rewards (Darul-Jaza' ), but a place where one must do what one should (Darul-` Amal). What then is the sense of being punished in this world where good and bad seem to be weighed on the same scale and where, in fact, the evil ones fare better than the good? The answer is clear. The real reward and punishment will come on that one day of Qiyamah, which is known as the very Day of Judgement (Yowmud-DIn) or the Day of Retribution (Yowm al-Jaza' ).. But, some hardships are sent in this world as a sample of punishment (Adhab) and some comforts as a sample of reward (Thawab) which are a token of mercy from Allah. Some spiritual masters have even said that all comforts of the world are indicators of the comforts of Paradise so that one learns to long for them. As for all those hardships and sorrows that afflict man in this world, they too are indicators of the punishment of the Hereafter so that man prepares to stay safe against them. Unless there is a sample or model-in sight, no one can be pursuaded towards anything, nor can anyone be detracted from any impending danger or evil.
So, the comforts and discomforts of this mortal life are not rewards and punishments as such. They are, rather, samples or tokens of re-wards and punishments. We may say that this whole world is a show room of Akhirah (the Hereafter) where the trader displays the demonstration pieces of his merchandise in front of his store or shop so that they could attract the buyer. Thus, we can see that worldly prosperity or poverty, happiness or sorrow are not reward and punishment in the real sense. Actually, they are a method of bringing the creation of Allah alienated from its Creator back to His fold.
At the end of verse 42 itself, this element of wisdom finds expression through the words: لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ (so that they may supplicate in humility). It means that the hardship inflicted on them during their life in the present world was really not aimed at punishing them. Since everyone turns to Allah naturally when in distress, the purpose was to make people turn to Allah through a little hardship. This tells us that the hardship or pain which visits a person or group as punishment is, in a sense, the working of Divine mercy.
Thereafter, when they forgot the advice they were given, We opened for them doors of everything, so that when they became proud of what they were given, We seized them suddenly and they were left in despair.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
As for the statement: فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ (We opened for them doors of everything) appearing in the third verse (44), it warns human beings at large that no one should be deceived by seeing the affluence of persons or groups and hasten to the conclusion that these were the people on the correct path and that their life was a model of success. One should never forget that among them there could be some of those disobedient ones who have been picked out to be seized with sudden and grave punishment.
Therefore, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When you see blessings and wealth raining upon someone - though he is deep in sin and disobedience - then, know that he is being lured into destruction اِستِدرَاج (Istidraj), that is, his affluence is an indicator of his being seized in punishment. (Narrated by Ahmad from 'Aqabah ibn ` Amir as in Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
Following a narration from Sayyidna ` Ubadah ibn Al-Samit, leading commentator Ibn Jarir has reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said:
When Allah Ta’ ala wills to have a nation survive and grow, He creates in them two qualities: (1) moderation in everything they do, and (2) modesty and chastity, that is, abstinence from indulging in what is not right. And when Allah Ta` ala wills to destroy a nation, He opens for them the doors of breach of faith (Khiyanah), that is, they appear to be successful in the world despite their breaches of faith and wrong doings.
Thus, the people who did wrong were uprooted to the last man; Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the last verse (45), it was said that, when the mass punishment of Allah Ta` ala came, the people who did wrong were uprooted to the last man. Said immediately after was: وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds) where the hint given is: Whenever the wrongdoers and the unjust are visited by some punishment or calamity, that is a blessing for the whole world for which people should be grateful.
Say, “Tell me, if Allah takes away your hearing and your sights and sets a seal on your hearts, which god other than Allah can bring these back to you?” See how We put forth Our verses in various forms? Yet, still they turn away.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the last verse (45), it was said that, when the mass punishment of Allah Ta` ala came, the people who did wrong were uprooted to the last man. Said immediately after was: وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds) where the hint given is: Whenever the wrongdoers and the unjust are visited by some punishment or calamity, that is a blessing for the whole world for which people should be grateful.
Say, “Tell me if the punishment of Allah comes upon you whether suddenly or openly, shall any people be destroyed except the unjust?’
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the last verse (45), it was said that, when the mass punishment of Allah Ta` ala came, the people who did wrong were uprooted to the last man. Said immediately after was: وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds) where the hint given is: Whenever the wrongdoers and the unjust are visited by some punishment or calamity, that is a blessing for the whole world for which people should be grateful.
We do not send the messengers but as bearers of good tidings and as warners. So, those who believe and correct themselves, there will be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve,
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the last verse (45), it was said that, when the mass punishment of Allah Ta` ala came, the people who did wrong were uprooted to the last man. Said immediately after was: وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds) where the hint given is: Whenever the wrongdoers and the unjust are visited by some punishment or calamity, that is a blessing for the whole world for which people should be grateful.
whereas those who have rejected Our signs, torment shall afflict them, because they used to commit sins.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the last verse (45), it was said that, when the mass punishment of Allah Ta` ala came, the people who did wrong were uprooted to the last man. Said immediately after was: وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds) where the hint given is: Whenever the wrongdoers and the unjust are visited by some punishment or calamity, that is a blessing for the whole world for which people should be grateful.
Say, “I do not say to you that I have the treasures of Allah, nor do I have the knowledge of the Unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me.” Say, “Are the blind and the seeing alike? Do you, then, not reflect?”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the last verse (45), it was said that, when the mass punishment of Allah Ta` ala came, the people who did wrong were uprooted to the last man. Said immediately after was: وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds) where the hint given is: Whenever the wrongdoers and the unjust are visited by some punishment or calamity, that is a blessing for the whole world for which people should be grateful.
Warn, with it, those who have the fear of being gathered before their Lord, with no one other than Him to support or to intercede. Maybe they become God-fearing.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The Demand of Miracles from the Holy Prophet
Many miracles and signs of Allah had already appeared before the disbelievers (Kuffar) of Makkah. The Holy Prophet ﷺ graced this world as an orphan. Unschooled and untutored, he lived his whole life as a total Ummiyy (unlettered). He was born in a land with no scholar or institution of learning, near or far. For a full forty years of his blessed age, he lived before the eyes of the entire people of Makkah in this state of chaste tutorlessness. Then, after forty long years, it was all of a sudden that there gushed forth from his blessed speech such mind-boggling stream of words the eloquence of which challenged and silenced the masters and authorities of Arab diction forever. Besides being wisdom and meaning at their sublimes, its far reaching insight covered pragmatic human needs too right unto the day of Qiyamah. Along with these, he gifted to the world a practical system for the nurture and flowering of the perfect universal man. No human ingenuity or effort can ever achieve something like this. And the system he brought was no exercise in pure theory for others to build upon, for he himself demonstrated it practically and succeeded in proving that it worked. Thus, the human multitude of his time which had taken to eating, drinking, sleeping and waking as the purpose of their lives likes bulls, goats, horses and donkeys, to them he gave their essential lesson in humanity. He changed their orientation. He made them look up to the high purpose for which they were created. Thus, every period in the blessed life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the great events which took place during it, were all a miracle in their place, and very certainly, a sign of Allah. In such a background, there was no room left for anyone just and reasonable to demand any sign or miracle.
But, the disbelievers from among the Quraysh, despite this, demanded that miracles of a different kind be shown to them according to their own wishes. Of the miracles demanded by them, there were some Allah Almighty showed to them clearly. They had demanded that they would like to see the moon parted in two. The well-known miracle of Shaqqul-Qamar (the parting of the moon) was witnessed, not only by the Quraysh, but by a great number of people living in the world of that time.
But, they kept sticking to their disbelief, obstinacy and hostility despite the manifestation of such a miracle at their own request and ignored the sign of Allah by saying: إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ,(this is nothing but a continuous magic), that is, it was a magic which has been there forever. They saw, they understood, yet they kept on asking for ever-new miracles as mentioned earlier (verse 37): لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ ۚ قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىٰ أَن يُنَزِّلَ آيَةً وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ that is, they ask if Muhammad ﷺ is really the Messenger of Allah, why is it that no miracle has been shown through him? In answer, the Qur'an asks the Holy Prophet ﷺ to tell them that Allah does have everything within his power. He has Him-self manifested many miracles and signs without their asking for them. Similarly, He is quite capable of manifesting miracles they de-manded. But, they have to know that there is a customary practice of Allah in this matter. When a people are shown the miracle they have demanded, and then, when they do not come to believe in it, they are seized by a sudden punishment. Therefore, it was in the very interest of those people that the miracles demanded by them should not be manifested. But, there are many people who still do not understand the wisdom of this action and keep insisting that they be shown miracles of their choosing.
In the present verses, the questions asked and demands made by these people have been dealt with in a particular manner.
The disbelievers of Makkah had presented three demands before the Holy Prophet ﷺ on different occasions: (1) If you are really a Messenger of Allah, bring to us the treasures of the whole world through the power of miracle; (2) If your are really a Messenger of Allah, tell us about everything good and bad going to happen to us in the future, so that we can arrange to acquire what is good and abstain from what is bad beforehand; and (3) Explain to us for we cannot understand how can someone who is a human being like us, is from us, was born from a mother and father like us, and does things like eating, drinking, and walking around in streets and bazaars as we do, all of a sudden become a Messenger of Allah. Had this been an angel, whose creation and attributes would have been more distinguished than ours, we would have accepted him as a Messenger of Allah, and our leader.
Say, "I do not say to you that with me are the treasures Allah, nor do I have the knowledge of the Unseen, nor do I say to you that I am angel. But, I follow that which is revealed to me."
In other words, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying that he can only be asked to prove what he claims, that is, he is a Messenger of Allah. He conveys the guidance given by Him to human beings, and follows it personally and asks others as well to do so. There is no dearth of proofs in this matter for they are many.
So, to prove his prophethood, it is not necessary that the messenger of Allah should become the owner of all the treasures of Allah, nor is it necessary that he should possess the knowledge of everything, big or small, which lies in the domain of the Unseen (al-ghayb), nor is it necessary that he be an angel having attributes other than human. Instead of all that, the mission and office of a messenger of Allah is simply to follow the Wahy (revelation) sent from Allah Ta` ala - which includes his own acting in accordance with it as well as inviting others to follow it.
These are precise rules of Guidance. They not only clarify the reality of the office of a Messenger of Allah (Rasul) but also help erase the false notions about a Messenger entertained by the disbelieving people. And as implied here indirectly, Muslims too have been instructed that they should not take their Messenger to be God as the Christians do, nor assign proprietary rights in Godhood to him. The realization of their greatness, and love for them, demands that Muslims should not slide into attitudes of excess or deficiency like the Jews and Christians - for the Jews did not hesitate from even killing their prophets while the Christians turned their messenger into a God.
Regarding the meaning of the word: خَزَائِنُ (treasures) appearing in the statement made in the first sentence, that is, ` I do not say to you that with me are the treasures of Allah,' scholars of Tafsir have named many things. But, the Holy Qur'an itself, wherever it has mentioned the treasures of Allah, has said: وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا عِندَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ (there is not a thing the treasures of which are not with Us -15:21). This tells us that the sense of ` the treasures of Allah' encompasses everything in this world and cannot be definitely applied to some particular things. As for commentators who have named particular things, they are doing so as an example. Therefore, there is no contradiction here. Finally, let us bear in mind: When this verse clearly declares that the ` treasures of Allah' are not even in the hands of the one foremost among prophets and messengers, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ . how can we assume that a Buzurg (pious elder) or Wall (man of Allah) of the Muslim Community could do what they wished and grant anything to anyone as they chose? This is sheer ignorance.
In the third sentence of the answer given in verse 50, was: وَلَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ which means ` I do not say to you that I am an angel' - because they refused to accept him as a Messenger based on his human identity. [ The pattern of this sentence is the same as the first ] However, the pattern of the sentence has been changed in the sentence which appears in the middle of these two where the text does not say something like - I do not say to you that I know the Unseen - and what was said actually was: وَلَا اَعلَمُ الغیب (nor do I have the knowledge of the Unseen).
In his Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit, Abu al-Hayyan has pointed out to a subtle justification for this change in diction. According to him, being or not being the possessor of all Divine treasures; and similarly, the likelihood of a person being or not being an angel are things which are related to observation. The addressees of the answer knew it all, they knew that the entire treasures of Allah are not in his hands nor is he an angel. Their demands were simply based on malice and hostility. In reply to them, it would have been enough to say that ` I have never claimed that I am the owner of the treasures of Allah', or that ` I am an angel.'
But, the problem of 'Ilm al-Ghayb' (the knowledge of the Unseen) was not something of that nature - because they already had this kind of belief about their astrologers and soothsayers: That they know the Unseen. So, having this kind of belief about the Messenger of Allah was not unlikely - specially when they had also heard many news of the Unseen through the blessed speech of the Holy Prophet ؓ and had witnessed that they happened as told. Therefore, at this place in the text, a simple negation of the claim and saying was not considered enough. In fact, what was negated was the actual act. He said, " وَلَا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ " (nor do I have the knowledge of the Unseen). By saying so, also removed was their misunderstanding that a certain knowledge of things Unseen given to an angel or a Rasul (Messenger) or a Wali (man of Allah) through Wahy (revelation) or Ilham (inspiration) from Allah Ta` ala, cannot be called ` Ilm al-Ghayb (the knowledge of the Unseen), or its knower, the ` Alim al-Ghayb (one who has the knowledge of the Unseen), in accordance with the terminology of the Qur'an.
Right from here also comes the clarification that no Muslim can doubt the fact that Allah Ta'ala had blessed the Holy Prophet ﷺ with the knowledge of many things of the Unseen, so many as would surpass the combined knowledge of angels and human beings from the first to the last. This is the belief of the entire Muslim Ummah. Of course, right along with it, according to countless statements of the Qur'an and Sunnah, it is also the belief of all early and later Imams that the All-Encompassing Knowledge (al-Ilm al-Muhit) of the whole universe is the exclusive attribute of none but Allah Ta` ala. Neither can an angel or messenger be equal to Him in being the Khaliq (Creator), the Raziq (Provider) and Al-Qadir Al-Mutlaq (Absolutely Powerful); similarly, nor can anyone be equal to Him in His All-Encompassing Knowledge. Therefore, no angel or prophet, despite having the knowledge of a great many things of the Unseen, can be called ` Alim al-Ghayb (the Knower of the Unseen).
But, about the many excellences of our master, Muhammad al Mustafa ﷺ ، we can simply say: بعد از خدا بزرگ تویٔ قصہ مختصر Ba` d az Khuda buzurg tuee qissah mukhtasar! After God, you are the revered one that is all!
His excellence in knowledge is ahead of angels, prophets and messengers, but is not equal to the knowledge of Allah Ta` ala. Claiming such equality is the path of excess taken in Christianity.
At the end of the verse (50), it was said that the blind and the sighted cannot be equal. It means that they should get rid of their selfish concerns, leave obstinacy and hostility, and see reality as it is so that they may no longer be counted among the blind. For them, the need was to start seeing, to wise up, for they could have their missing sights back with them with a little thought and concern (for what is right and true).
In the next and the last verse (51), the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been instructed that, after all these clear statements, if they still remain obstinate, he should draw a line, stop all debate, and get busy with his real mission, that is, the duty of Tabligh, the real mission of prophet-hood. And onwards from there, let him turn the focus of his call to faith and warning against its rejection to people who believe in being produced before Allah Ta` ala to give an account of their deeds on the Last Day of Qiyamah - for example; the Muslims - or those who are, at least, no deniers, even if that is in a certain degree of being probable, for they would at least have the apprehension that, perhaps, they may have to be answerable for their deeds.
To sum up, there are three types of people who believe or do not believe in Qiyamah: (1) Those who believe in it as being certain; (2) Those who doubt or waver; and (3) Those who reject it totally. Though, the blessed prophets have been commanded to convey their call and warning to all these three classes of people, as evident from many statements of the Holy Qur'an. But, as the likelihood that the call will be more effective among the first two classes of people is more pronounced, instruction has been given in this verse to pay special attention to them: وَأَنذِرْ بِهِ الَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ أَن يُحْشَرُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ (And warn, with it, those who have the fear of being gathered before their Lord).
Do not expel those who call out to their Lord morning and evening seeking His pleasure. You are not responsible for anything in their account, and they are not responsible for anything in your account, that you should expel them, and thus become one of the unjust.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
In Islam there is No Distinction between Rich and Poor, High or Low
As for people who failed to feel human despite being human, even touched the outer limit of rating human beings as one of the smartest animals of the world, who did not hesitate in harnessing other ` animals' in their service, what would they know about the purpose of creation other than taking the fulfillment of their immediate physical compulsions and needs, and acting in accordance with animal instincts as the purpose of their lives - very much like an animal would do. When this be the only purpose of life, then, it is also obvious that the criterion of recognizing good and bad, small or big, high or low, noble or mean can hardly be any other than whoever has more and better to eat and drink, wear and use up, and things and resources to live around with and hold on to, shall be successful, honourable and noble - and whoever has less of these shall be low life and doomed!
The truth of the matter is that, given this view of life, talking about good morals and good deeds as a criterion of judging the nobility of human beings remains out of the question. In that case, only that deed will be good and that morality will be virtuous through which these animal objectives could be fully realized.
Therefore, the first and the last lesson given by the blessed prophets and the religions they brought with them was that there is a life after this life, which will be eternal and uninterrupted. Its peace will be perfect and eternal, and so will be its pain, perfect and eternal. The life of the present world is not its own purpose. Instead of that, the real purpose of this transitory life is to get together everything which is going to come out handy in the other life - (delightfully summarized with a punch by an Urdu poet who said):
رہا مرنے کی تیّاری میں مصروف
مرا کام اور اس دنیا میں تھا کیا
Remained busy getting ready to die -
What else was that I had to do in this world?
This is the line of distinction between human beings and animals - that animals have no concern for the next life, contrary to human beings whose greatest concern, at least in the sight of reasonable and far-sighted people, is to correct, nurse and build the prospects of the next life. Given this belief and point of view, the standard of nobility and menialness, honour and disgrace will obviously not be eating and drinking lavishly, living plentifully or qualitatively, or making and holding wealth and property greedily - instead, the standard will be good morals and righteous deeds on which depends the real honour of the Akhirah (Hereafter).
Whenever people in this world have shifted away from the teachings of the prophets (علیہم السلام) and from belief in the Akhirah, the natural outcome was there for everyone to see. Money and things became the cold criterion of character and status. Those successful in this race were taken as high and classy, and whoever was left behind, or remained an under-achiever, was taken to be poor, honour-less, mean and low.
Therefore, in all ages (including ours with the loudest claims to democracy and justice), people caught in the maze of worldly life have been practicing class distinction of rich and poor and high and low openly or secretly under a thousand guises whereby they would assign all virtues to the rich and influential and condemn the poor as low-life. This is what the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) did. They criticized the believing poor following this standard, when they said that they would not sit with such lowly people. They said that if he wished them to hear his message, he should first turn those poor wretches out of his company. They even said: قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الْأَرْذَلُونَ ﴿111﴾ [ 26:111]. It means: ` How can it be that we are to believe in you while those following you are lowly people?' Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) answered their heart-rending remark in his own prophetic diction when he said: وَمَا عِلْمِي بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ، إِنْ حِسَابُهُمْ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّي ۖ لَوْ تَشْعُرُونَ [ 26:112]. It means: ` I do not know about what they do (which could help him decide whether they were high or low) so (the reality of everyone's deeds and) their accounting is the responsibility of none but my Lord (who is aware of the secrets of the hearts), if you understand.'
By saying so, Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) brought these ignorant and arrogant people oblivious of the reality of human nobility and ignobility to see the truth of the matter - as they were the ones who used these terms without knowing what they really meant and just went ahead stamping the rich as noble and the poor as wretched, while money is no criterion of virtues and vices. The criterion is deeds and morals. At this occasion, Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) could have said that those people were nobler and more respectable than them as far as the standard of deeds and morals was concerned. But, his prophetic method of preaching and correcting did not permit him to say something like that lest his addressees are provoked adversely. Therefore, he thought it to be sufficient to say that lowliness depended on deeds and since he did not know about their deeds fully, he could not decide as to who was noble and who was not.
The same thing has been happening in every age, after the age of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) ، when poor people of successive times, no matter how noble and respectable in terms of their morals and deeds they may have been, were still down-graded as lowly by materialistic and arrogant people. Yet, these were the people who, guided by their far-sightedness and good morals, were the first ones to say yes to the call of prophets in one after the other age. In fact, for later scholars of religions and communities this became the proof of the veracity of a prophet that his early followers are the poor ones of the community. This was the reason why, when the letter of the Holy Prophet ﷺ reached the Byzantine ruler, Heracles (Hiraql) inviting him to embrace Islam, he wished to investigate into the veracity of his prophet-hood. For this purpose, he asked from people who knew the Prophet of Islam some questions. One of these questions was: Whether most of his followers were from among the rich, or the poor? When he was told that they were poor people, he said: These are usually the first followers of messengers and prophets.
The same question rose again during the blessed time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Its answer appears in the present verses with particular instructions.
Reports Ibn Kathir from Imam Ibn Jarir: Some chiefs of disbelievers from the tribe of Quraysh - ` Utbah, Shaybah, Ibn Rabi'ah, Mut'im ibn ` Adiyy, Harith ibn Nawfal and others - came to the Holy Prophet's uncle, Abu Ta1ib and said to him: One of the problems, which stops us from listening to and accepting what your nephew Muhammad tells us, is that people who surround him all the time are either our slaves who were set free by us, or they are people who were living at our mercy only. Now, with such lowly people around him, we cannot attend his sittings. You tell him, if he would ask these people to leave when it is time for us to come in, we could listen to him and think about it.
When his uncle, Abu Talib reported this to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ offered his advice by saying: What is wrong with it? Try this too for a few days. These people love us and they are not formal. When these chiefs are to come, they would move away from the sitting. .
Thereupon, this verse was revealed in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been emphatically prohibited to do something like that. It was after the revelation of the verse that Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ had to apologize by admitting that his advice was wrong.
And these poor people about whom this conversation took place were, at that time, no less a people than Sayyidna Bilal al-Habashi, Sayyidna Suhayb ar-Rumi, Sayyidna ` Ammar ibn Yasir, Sayyidna Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfah, Sabih Mawla Usayd, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud, Sayyidna Miqdad ibn ` Amr, Sayyidna Masud Ibn al-Qari, Sayyidna Dhush-Shimalyn, and other noble Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with all of them) the testimonial of whose nobility and honour came from the heavens. And at another place in the Holy Qurran, the same subject was stressed upon in these words:
And hold yourself with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure only. And do not cast your eyes (for others) beyond them, seeking the embellishment of the present life. And do not obey the one whose heart We have made neglectful of Our remembrance, and who follows his own desires, and whose case is that of excess - 18:28.
In the present verse, the quality of these poor people has been identified as: They call on their Lord morning and evening. Here, morning and evening refer to all times of the day and night according to usage. As for calling, it means ` Ibadah or worship. Also placed here is a restriction along with this ` Ibadah, at whichever time of the day and night it may be, that is يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ :'seeking Him only.' This tells us that ` Ibadah (worship of Allah) without Ikhlas (absolute sincerity before Him) is not trustworthy.
As for the saying: ` You are not responsible for what is in their account, and they are not responsible for anything in your account,' according to the interpretation of Ibn Atiyyah and Al-Zamakhshari and others, here the pronouns in: حِسَابِھِم (Hisabihim : their account) and (Alaihim : they are not responsible) refers to these chiefs of disbelievers, those who insisted on removing poor Muslims from the gathering at the sitting. So, Allah Ta` ala told the Holy Prophet ﷺ not to bother with them whether, or not, they enter the fold of faith - because he was not responsible for anything in their account, just as they were not responsible for anything in his account. If he were responsible for that, that is, he would have been questioned as to why these people did not become Muslims, then, in that situation, he could have removed the poor Muslims from his sitting just for the sake of the chiefs of the disbelievers. And now, when this is not so, removing them from the sitting was rank injustice. And if he were to do something like that, he would have become one of the unjust.
In the second verse (53), it was said that this is how Allah had tested some of them through some others, so that these chiefs of the disbelievers should be able to see the great subduing power of Almighty Allah when poor Muslims, whom they took to be lowly, reached stations unimaginable and won signal honour and recognition both in this world and in the Akhirah, just because they chose to follow the Messenger of Allah. Then, let them go about saying: Were these poor people the only ones to deserve honours and rewards from Allah and to have been so blessed at the expense of us, the noble ones?
According to Kashshaf and other classic commentaries, this saying of theirs is an outcome of their trial taken through poor and weak Muslims. They failed in this test. Rather than ponder over this great demonstration of Allah's absolute power and conclude there from that nobility does not depend on wealth or power, instead, it does on morals and deeds - they started blaming Allah for giving them the honour while they were the ones deserving of it. In answer, Allah Ta` ala once again pointed out to the reality behind it by saying:
أَلَيْسَ اللَّـهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِالشَّاكِرِينَ it not that Allah knows the grateful best?)
It means that Allah knows best as to who has the taste for truth and aptitude for gratitude. In other words, in the real sense, a person of nobility and honour is he who recognizes the right of his Benefactor and is grateful to Him, and it is he who is deserving of all reward and honour - and definitely not the one who, day in and day out, despite being soaked with the blessings of his Provider and Benefactor, goes on disobeying Him.
Some Injunctions and Instructions
Given below are some injunctions and instructions which emerge from these verses:
1. No one has the right to look down upon anyone in tattered clothes or broken down condition. At times, there are people carrying those outward looks who happen to be very honourable and accepted in the sight of Allah. In ahadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: ` Many a broken-down, dust-stained people are such as are held dear by Allah. If they were to swear by Allah about something that it would be like that, Allah Ta` ala does honour their swearing by Him (and lets it be like that).
2. Taking material affluence as the criterion of nobility and lowliness is an insult to humanity. It really depends on good morals and deeds.
3. For a reformer and preacher of any nation, though a universal call which addresses everyone, ayes or nays, followers or dissenters, is necessary, yet, foremost is the right of those who own his teachings and follow it. Putting them as secondary, or ignoring them for the sake of others is not permissible. For example, in the case of Muslims, the education and reform of unaware Muslims should not be put off in favour of carrying the call to non-Muslims.
4. The rewards and blessings of Allah keep increasing in relation to the measure of gratitude. A person, who wishes an increase in Divine rewards, must make gratitude, expressed through word and deed, his way of life, a constant of personality.
Thus We have tested some of them through others, so that they should say, “Are these the ones among all of us whom Allah has chosen for His favour?” Yes, does Allah not know well who are the grateful?
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
In Islam there is No Distinction between Rich and Poor, High or Low
As for people who failed to feel human despite being human, even touched the outer limit of rating human beings as one of the smartest animals of the world, who did not hesitate in harnessing other ` animals' in their service, what would they know about the purpose of creation other than taking the fulfillment of their immediate physical compulsions and needs, and acting in accordance with animal instincts as the purpose of their lives - very much like an animal would do. When this be the only purpose of life, then, it is also obvious that the criterion of recognizing good and bad, small or big, high or low, noble or mean can hardly be any other than whoever has more and better to eat and drink, wear and use up, and things and resources to live around with and hold on to, shall be successful, honourable and noble - and whoever has less of these shall be low life and doomed!
The truth of the matter is that, given this view of life, talking about good morals and good deeds as a criterion of judging the nobility of human beings remains out of the question. In that case, only that deed will be good and that morality will be virtuous through which these animal objectives could be fully realized.
Therefore, the first and the last lesson given by the blessed prophets and the religions they brought with them was that there is a life after this life, which will be eternal and uninterrupted. Its peace will be perfect and eternal, and so will be its pain, perfect and eternal. The life of the present world is not its own purpose. Instead of that, the real purpose of this transitory life is to get together everything which is going to come out handy in the other life - (delightfully summarized with a punch by an Urdu poet who said):
رہا مرنے کی تیّاری میں مصروف
مرا کام اور اس دنیا میں تھا کیا
Remained busy getting ready to die -
What else was that I had to do in this world?
This is the line of distinction between human beings and animals - that animals have no concern for the next life, contrary to human beings whose greatest concern, at least in the sight of reasonable and far-sighted people, is to correct, nurse and build the prospects of the next life. Given this belief and point of view, the standard of nobility and menialness, honour and disgrace will obviously not be eating and drinking lavishly, living plentifully or qualitatively, or making and holding wealth and property greedily - instead, the standard will be good morals and righteous deeds on which depends the real honour of the Akhirah (Hereafter).
Whenever people in this world have shifted away from the teachings of the prophets (علیہم السلام) and from belief in the Akhirah, the natural outcome was there for everyone to see. Money and things became the cold criterion of character and status. Those successful in this race were taken as high and classy, and whoever was left behind, or remained an under-achiever, was taken to be poor, honour-less, mean and low.
Therefore, in all ages (including ours with the loudest claims to democracy and justice), people caught in the maze of worldly life have been practicing class distinction of rich and poor and high and low openly or secretly under a thousand guises whereby they would assign all virtues to the rich and influential and condemn the poor as low-life. This is what the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) did. They criticized the believing poor following this standard, when they said that they would not sit with such lowly people. They said that if he wished them to hear his message, he should first turn those poor wretches out of his company. They even said: قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الْأَرْذَلُونَ ﴿111﴾ [ 26:111]. It means: ` How can it be that we are to believe in you while those following you are lowly people?' Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) answered their heart-rending remark in his own prophetic diction when he said: وَمَا عِلْمِي بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ، إِنْ حِسَابُهُمْ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّي ۖ لَوْ تَشْعُرُونَ [ 26:112]. It means: ` I do not know about what they do (which could help him decide whether they were high or low) so (the reality of everyone's deeds and) their accounting is the responsibility of none but my Lord (who is aware of the secrets of the hearts), if you understand.'
By saying so, Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) brought these ignorant and arrogant people oblivious of the reality of human nobility and ignobility to see the truth of the matter - as they were the ones who used these terms without knowing what they really meant and just went ahead stamping the rich as noble and the poor as wretched, while money is no criterion of virtues and vices. The criterion is deeds and morals. At this occasion, Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) could have said that those people were nobler and more respectable than them as far as the standard of deeds and morals was concerned. But, his prophetic method of preaching and correcting did not permit him to say something like that lest his addressees are provoked adversely. Therefore, he thought it to be sufficient to say that lowliness depended on deeds and since he did not know about their deeds fully, he could not decide as to who was noble and who was not.
The same thing has been happening in every age, after the age of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) ، when poor people of successive times, no matter how noble and respectable in terms of their morals and deeds they may have been, were still down-graded as lowly by materialistic and arrogant people. Yet, these were the people who, guided by their far-sightedness and good morals, were the first ones to say yes to the call of prophets in one after the other age. In fact, for later scholars of religions and communities this became the proof of the veracity of a prophet that his early followers are the poor ones of the community. This was the reason why, when the letter of the Holy Prophet ﷺ reached the Byzantine ruler, Heracles (Hiraql) inviting him to embrace Islam, he wished to investigate into the veracity of his prophet-hood. For this purpose, he asked from people who knew the Prophet of Islam some questions. One of these questions was: Whether most of his followers were from among the rich, or the poor? When he was told that they were poor people, he said: These are usually the first followers of messengers and prophets.
The same question rose again during the blessed time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . Its answer appears in the present verses with particular instructions.
Reports Ibn Kathir from Imam Ibn Jarir: Some chiefs of disbelievers from the tribe of Quraysh - ` Utbah, Shaybah, Ibn Rabi'ah, Mut'im ibn ` Adiyy, Harith ibn Nawfal and others - came to the Holy Prophet's uncle, Abu Ta1ib and said to him: One of the problems, which stops us from listening to and accepting what your nephew Muhammad tells us, is that people who surround him all the time are either our slaves who were set free by us, or they are people who were living at our mercy only. Now, with such lowly people around him, we cannot attend his sittings. You tell him, if he would ask these people to leave when it is time for us to come in, we could listen to him and think about it.
When his uncle, Abu Talib reported this to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ offered his advice by saying: What is wrong with it? Try this too for a few days. These people love us and they are not formal. When these chiefs are to come, they would move away from the sitting. .
Thereupon, this verse was revealed in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been emphatically prohibited to do something like that. It was after the revelation of the verse that Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ had to apologize by admitting that his advice was wrong.
And these poor people about whom this conversation took place were, at that time, no less a people than Sayyidna Bilal al-Habashi, Sayyidna Suhayb ar-Rumi, Sayyidna ` Ammar ibn Yasir, Sayyidna Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfah, Sabih Mawla Usayd, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud, Sayyidna Miqdad ibn ` Amr, Sayyidna Masud Ibn al-Qari, Sayyidna Dhush-Shimalyn, and other noble Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with all of them) the testimonial of whose nobility and honour came from the heavens. And at another place in the Holy Qurran, the same subject was stressed upon in these words:
And hold yourself with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure only. And do not cast your eyes (for others) beyond them, seeking the embellishment of the present life. And do not obey the one whose heart We have made neglectful of Our remembrance, and who follows his own desires, and whose case is that of excess - 18:28.
In the present verse, the quality of these poor people has been identified as: They call on their Lord morning and evening. Here, morning and evening refer to all times of the day and night according to usage. As for calling, it means ` Ibadah or worship. Also placed here is a restriction along with this ` Ibadah, at whichever time of the day and night it may be, that is يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ :'seeking Him only.' This tells us that ` Ibadah (worship of Allah) without Ikhlas (absolute sincerity before Him) is not trustworthy.
As for the saying: ` You are not responsible for what is in their account, and they are not responsible for anything in your account,' according to the interpretation of Ibn Atiyyah and Al-Zamakhshari and others, here the pronouns in: حِسَابِھِم (Hisabihim : their account) and (Alaihim : they are not responsible) refers to these chiefs of disbelievers, those who insisted on removing poor Muslims from the gathering at the sitting. So, Allah Ta` ala told the Holy Prophet ﷺ not to bother with them whether, or not, they enter the fold of faith - because he was not responsible for anything in their account, just as they were not responsible for anything in his account. If he were responsible for that, that is, he would have been questioned as to why these people did not become Muslims, then, in that situation, he could have removed the poor Muslims from his sitting just for the sake of the chiefs of the disbelievers. And now, when this is not so, removing them from the sitting was rank injustice. And if he were to do something like that, he would have become one of the unjust.
In the second verse (53), it was said that this is how Allah had tested some of them through some others, so that these chiefs of the disbelievers should be able to see the great subduing power of Almighty Allah when poor Muslims, whom they took to be lowly, reached stations unimaginable and won signal honour and recognition both in this world and in the Akhirah, just because they chose to follow the Messenger of Allah. Then, let them go about saying: Were these poor people the only ones to deserve honours and rewards from Allah and to have been so blessed at the expense of us, the noble ones?
According to Kashshaf and other classic commentaries, this saying of theirs is an outcome of their trial taken through poor and weak Muslims. They failed in this test. Rather than ponder over this great demonstration of Allah's absolute power and conclude there from that nobility does not depend on wealth or power, instead, it does on morals and deeds - they started blaming Allah for giving them the honour while they were the ones deserving of it. In answer, Allah Ta` ala once again pointed out to the reality behind it by saying:
أَلَيْسَ اللَّـهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِالشَّاكِرِينَ it not that Allah knows the grateful best?)
It means that Allah knows best as to who has the taste for truth and aptitude for gratitude. In other words, in the real sense, a person of nobility and honour is he who recognizes the right of his Benefactor and is grateful to Him, and it is he who is deserving of all reward and honour - and definitely not the one who, day in and day out, despite being soaked with the blessings of his Provider and Benefactor, goes on disobeying Him.
Some Injunctions and Instructions
Given below are some injunctions and instructions which emerge from these verses:
1. No one has the right to look down upon anyone in tattered clothes or broken down condition. At times, there are people carrying those outward looks who happen to be very honourable and accepted in the sight of Allah. In ahadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: ` Many a broken-down, dust-stained people are such as are held dear by Allah. If they were to swear by Allah about something that it would be like that, Allah Ta` ala does honour their swearing by Him (and lets it be like that).
2. Taking material affluence as the criterion of nobility and lowliness is an insult to humanity. It really depends on good morals and deeds.
3. For a reformer and preacher of any nation, though a universal call which addresses everyone, ayes or nays, followers or dissenters, is necessary, yet, foremost is the right of those who own his teachings and follow it. Putting them as secondary, or ignoring them for the sake of others is not permissible. For example, in the case of Muslims, the education and reform of unaware Muslims should not be put off in favour of carrying the call to non-Muslims.
4. The rewards and blessings of Allah keep increasing in relation to the measure of gratitude. A person, who wishes an increase in Divine rewards, must make gratitude, expressed through word and deed, his way of life, a constant of personality.
When those who believe in Our verses come to you, say to them, “Peace on you. Your Lord has prescribed for Himself mercy, so that if any one of you does an evil deed out of ignorance and thereafter repents and mends his ways, then (you will see that) He is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
About verse 54: وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ (And when to you come those who believe ... ), there are two interpretations given by leading authorities in Tafs.ir:
1. Most of them have declared it to be related to previous verses and event. In support, they refer to the narration about the event when the chiefs of Quraysh demanded through Abu Talib that his nephew should first remove the poor people around him, with whom they could not sit, and then they would come and listen to him, and think about it. Thereupon, it was Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ who advised that it did not matter much, for Muslims were sincere friends and if requested they would move out of the sitting so that the chiefs of Quraysh could listen to the Word of Allah and become Muslims.
But, in the previous verses, came the command against this advice that this should never be done. Doing this would be cruel and unjust. The revelation of this verse made Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ realize the gravity of his error. He feared he had become a sinner by advising against what was the will of Allah. He came to tender his apology for it.
Thereupon, the present verses were revealed to comfort him. In gist, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked here to assure them that there will be no retribution for their past mistakes. In fact, not simply that there will be no retribution for the mistake, but that they will also be blessed in many ways by the most merciful Allah. He has also been asked to tell them about His Law that if a Muslim does something evil in ignorance, then gets alerted, repents and corrects his ways for the future, Allah Almighty will forgive him his past sins - and will also not deprive him of His blessings in this world and in the world to come. According to this explanation, these verses were revealed as related to this particular event described in previous verses.
2. Some commentators have taken these verses to be carrying an independent set of rules for guidance. These relate to people who have committed a sin, then felt ashamed of what they did, and repented, and corrected their ways.
A little deliberation will show that there is no contradiction between the two sayings - because it is universally agreed that an in-junction of the Holy Qur'an which has been revealed in the background of a particular event, subject to the condition of its words and subject being general, shall not remain restricted to that event, instead of which, it shall have the status of a general injunction. Therefore, even it were to be granted that the said verses did come to be revealed about the event mentioned, still then, this injunction shall have the status of a general rule of conduct which will cover every sinner who gets alarmed even after having committed the sin, then feels ashamed, repents, corrects and turns watchful for the future.
Now let us turn to a fuller explanation of these verses. It is said in the first verse (54): وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ ; It means: When those people come to him who believe in His Ayat ( the word, 'Ayat', at this place, could mean the Ayat or Verses of the Qur'an, and the Ayat or general signs of the perfect power of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu as well), the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been instructed to address them by saying: سَلَامُ عَلَیکُم (Peace be upon you). Here, 'Salamun Alaikum' could have two meanings. It could either mean: Convey to them the Salam or greetings of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu - which is the highest honour they could receive. Given this interpretation, that becomes the best antidote for the heart-break of poor Muslims, about whom the chiefs of the Quraysh had said that they should be removed from the gathering before they come. Or it could also mean: You give them the good news of their being safe and protected - that is, if they have fallen short or even made a mistake in what they have done, that will stand forgiven, and that they shall stay protected against all sorts of calamities.
In the next sentence of the verse: كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ , the promise of additional favour and reward has been made by saying : You tell these Muslims that Allah has taken it upon Himself that mercy shall be shown to them. Therefore, let them not be frightened or nervous. First of all, by using the word, Rabb, the assertion in the verse has been provided with a proof - that Allah is your Nurturer, Nour'isher, Sustainer. It is obvious no nurturer would let what is being nurtured go to waste. Then, the mercy which was promised by that Rabb has been further clarified through a weighty, yet endearing, statement that their Rabb has prescribed this mercy on Himself'. It is obvious when even an average good person would not go back on his promise, how could this be ever imagined when referred to the Lord of the Worlds Himself, specially so when this promise has been preserved as a written document.
Based on a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ has been reported in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, and in the Musnad of Ahmad, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When Allah Ta` ala created the whole creation and determined the destiny of everyone, then, in a Book with Him on the ` Arsh, He wrote: اِنَّ رَحمَتِی غَلَبَت غَضَبِی (My Mercy is dominant over My Wrath).
And Sayyidna Salman ؓ says: We have seen written in the Torah, when Allah created the heavens and the earth and the entire creation in them, He divided His mercy in a hundred parts. One part from this He distributed all over the creation - and wherever any effect of this mercy is found among human beings, animals and other elements of creation, that owes itself to this same part. The mutual love and concern found among parents and children, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, among relatives, neighbours and friends, are all the outcome of this share from the mercy of Allah. The rest of the ninety nine parts of mercy have been kept by Allah Ta` ala for Himself. There are other narrations in which this has been described as a Hadith from the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This goes to show the quality and extent of Allah's mercy for His creation.
It goes without saying that no ` Ibadah (worship) or ` Ita` ah (obedience) can be good enough so as to be considered as presentable before Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu - neither by an angel nor by a human being. We should not see our ` Ibadah and Ita` ah and good deeds in isolation. If we were to look at them as related to the highest of the high, we would humbly realize that what we have been able to do was not any better than what is simply bad. Still one has to be thankful for being able to do what was possible specially when no human being is free of real evils and sins- unless protected by Allah. Under this situation, justice would have demanded that no one remains safe from a general punishment. But, what is actually happening is that every human being is being showered with the blessings of Allah all the time. This, then, is the direct outcome of that mercy which the great Lord-Nourisher of the universe has put it down in writing as His responsibility.
Every Sin is Forgiven by Taubah [ Repentance ]
This perfect mercy of Allah appears mentioned in the form of a rule in the third sentence of verse 54: أَنَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ It means: One of you who happens to have done something bad by having acted ignorantly, then repents after that and corrects his conduct, then Allah Almighty is most forgiving, He will forgive him his sins; and He is very merciful, so forgiveness alone will not be considered enough, for he will be blessed with rewards also.
From the word, " جهَالَةٍ " (Jahalah; literally: ignorance, used in the sense of acting ignorantly) one may think that this promise of forgiveness is valid only when a sin is committed in a state of ignorance, not knowing what is being done - and the commitment of a sin knowingly would be considered excluded from the purview of this injunction. But, this is not true - because Jahalah (ignorance) here means acting ignorantly which refers to the act of ignorance, that is, one ends up doing something as would have been done by one who is ignorant and unaware of the outcome of his or her act. It is not necessary that the doer of the act be ignorant in reality. This is confirmed by the use of the word Jahalah itself - as the word, Jahalah has been used here in-stead of using the word, Jahl, most likely to point out to this refinement in meaning. The reason is that Jahl (also meaning ignorance) is an antonym of ` Ilm (Knowledge) while Jahalah stands in contrast to forbearance and dignity. In other words, the word, Jahalah is employed, in usage, to ignorance which is demonstrated practically, indeed. A little thought will reveal that a sin, whenever it is committed by someone, comes about to be because of this practical ignorance. Therefore, some pious elders have said that a person who acts against any command given by Allah and His Messenger is Jahil (ignorant). It refers to this very practical ignorance. For this, it is not necessary to be uninformed and lacking in knowledge - because countless definitive statements of the Holy Qur'an and Sahih Ahadith (Nass) prove that every sin can be forgiven by making Taubah (repentance), whether committed by heedlessness or ignorance, or knowingly and deliberately through self-wickedness or a blinded following of (the drum-beats of) one's own desire.
At this point, it is also worth noticing that the promise of mercy and forgiveness made to sinners in this verse is conditioned with two things: (a) Taubah (repentance), and (b) the Islah of ` Amal (the correction of misdeed). Taubah means being ashamed of the sin. Says the Hadith: التوبۃ النَّدَم اِنَّمَا (Taubah or repentance is another name of Nadamah, that is, being ashamed of or having remorse).
As for the second condition, that is, the correction of deed, it means that one should see to it that what happened before will not be repeated in the future. So, this process of trying to better one's doings includes the making of a firm determination not to go near that sin ever again by fully auditing and checking one's behaviour at all times, and also included here is that all rights belonging to someone which have been violated or compromised because of that sin, should be compensated to the best of one's capability. They may be the Rights of Allah (Huququllah) or the Rights of the Servants of Allah (Huquq al-‘Ibad). Example of the rights of Allah are: Usurping someone's property unlawfully, to attack someone's honour, and to cause pain to someone by using bad language or causing such pain in some other manner.
Therefore, for Taubah (repentance) to be total and complete, the way it is necessary to first feel ashamed of the of the past sin, then seek forgiveness from Allah Ta` ala, then resolve to keep one's conduct correct and straight in the future and never go near that sin again – similarly, it is also necessary that the prayers (Salah) and fasts (Sawm) which were missed due to heedlessness should be replaced by doing Qada for them. Then, any Zakah which has not been paid earlier should be paid now. If there is a shortcoming in taking care of what was obligatory in Qurbani (Sacrifice) or Sadaqatul Fitr. ( post-Ramadhan charity for the poor and needy), that should be paid off. If one has not done his or her Hajj, despite its being Fard, an absolute obligation, one should do it now; and if it is not possible to do so personally, one should arrange to have it done on his or her behalf (Hajj Badal). And if, one does not have the time to arrange for an authorized proxy for Hajj, and does not have the convenience to personally make up for whatever was missed and the Qada' of which had become due - during his lifetime - then, he or she should make a Wasiyyah (will) so that their inheritors or heirs could take care of paying the Fidyah (ransom) of the obligations her bee against him or her, or make arrangements for Hajj on half. In short, for ` the correction of deed,' the correction of the future conduct only is not enough - it is also necessary to make amends by paying off for obligations left unperformed in the past.
Similar is the case of the Rights of the Servants of Allah (Huquq al-'lbad). If someone's property has been taken unlawfully, it should be returned to him, or have him forgive it. And if someone has been caused pain physically or verbally, forgiveness must be sought from the aggrieved person. And if, it is not possible or within one's control to have him forgive it - for example, he dies; or goes away to a place the address of which is not known - then, the way out is that one should make it a point to keep praying for his forgiveness before Allah Ta` ala consistently. If so, it can be hoped that the holder of the right will be pleased and the person who was unable to have the forgiveness of the deceased during his lifetime will become absolved of what was due on him.
This is how We explain the verses in detail, so that the way of the guilty may become exposed.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
About verse 54: وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ (And when to you come those who believe ... ), there are two interpretations given by leading authorities in Tafs.ir:
1. Most of them have declared it to be related to previous verses and event. In support, they refer to the narration about the event when the chiefs of Quraysh demanded through Abu Talib that his nephew should first remove the poor people around him, with whom they could not sit, and then they would come and listen to him, and think about it. Thereupon, it was Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ who advised that it did not matter much, for Muslims were sincere friends and if requested they would move out of the sitting so that the chiefs of Quraysh could listen to the Word of Allah and become Muslims.
But, in the previous verses, came the command against this advice that this should never be done. Doing this would be cruel and unjust. The revelation of this verse made Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ realize the gravity of his error. He feared he had become a sinner by advising against what was the will of Allah. He came to tender his apology for it.
Thereupon, the present verses were revealed to comfort him. In gist, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked here to assure them that there will be no retribution for their past mistakes. In fact, not simply that there will be no retribution for the mistake, but that they will also be blessed in many ways by the most merciful Allah. He has also been asked to tell them about His Law that if a Muslim does something evil in ignorance, then gets alerted, repents and corrects his ways for the future, Allah Almighty will forgive him his past sins - and will also not deprive him of His blessings in this world and in the world to come. According to this explanation, these verses were revealed as related to this particular event described in previous verses.
2. Some commentators have taken these verses to be carrying an independent set of rules for guidance. These relate to people who have committed a sin, then felt ashamed of what they did, and repented, and corrected their ways.
A little deliberation will show that there is no contradiction between the two sayings - because it is universally agreed that an in-junction of the Holy Qur'an which has been revealed in the background of a particular event, subject to the condition of its words and subject being general, shall not remain restricted to that event, instead of which, it shall have the status of a general injunction. Therefore, even it were to be granted that the said verses did come to be revealed about the event mentioned, still then, this injunction shall have the status of a general rule of conduct which will cover every sinner who gets alarmed even after having committed the sin, then feels ashamed, repents, corrects and turns watchful for the future.
Now let us turn to a fuller explanation of these verses. It is said in the first verse (54): وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ ; It means: When those people come to him who believe in His Ayat ( the word, 'Ayat', at this place, could mean the Ayat or Verses of the Qur'an, and the Ayat or general signs of the perfect power of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu as well), the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been instructed to address them by saying: سَلَامُ عَلَیکُم (Peace be upon you). Here, 'Salamun Alaikum' could have two meanings. It could either mean: Convey to them the Salam or greetings of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu - which is the highest honour they could receive. Given this interpretation, that becomes the best antidote for the heart-break of poor Muslims, about whom the chiefs of the Quraysh had said that they should be removed from the gathering before they come. Or it could also mean: You give them the good news of their being safe and protected - that is, if they have fallen short or even made a mistake in what they have done, that will stand forgiven, and that they shall stay protected against all sorts of calamities.
In the next sentence of the verse: كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ , the promise of additional favour and reward has been made by saying : You tell these Muslims that Allah has taken it upon Himself that mercy shall be shown to them. Therefore, let them not be frightened or nervous. First of all, by using the word, Rabb, the assertion in the verse has been provided with a proof - that Allah is your Nurturer, Nour'isher, Sustainer. It is obvious no nurturer would let what is being nurtured go to waste. Then, the mercy which was promised by that Rabb has been further clarified through a weighty, yet endearing, statement that their Rabb has prescribed this mercy on Himself'. It is obvious when even an average good person would not go back on his promise, how could this be ever imagined when referred to the Lord of the Worlds Himself, specially so when this promise has been preserved as a written document.
Based on a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ has been reported in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, and in the Musnad of Ahmad, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When Allah Ta` ala created the whole creation and determined the destiny of everyone, then, in a Book with Him on the ` Arsh, He wrote: اِنَّ رَحمَتِی غَلَبَت غَضَبِی (My Mercy is dominant over My Wrath).
And Sayyidna Salman ؓ says: We have seen written in the Torah, when Allah created the heavens and the earth and the entire creation in them, He divided His mercy in a hundred parts. One part from this He distributed all over the creation - and wherever any effect of this mercy is found among human beings, animals and other elements of creation, that owes itself to this same part. The mutual love and concern found among parents and children, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, among relatives, neighbours and friends, are all the outcome of this share from the mercy of Allah. The rest of the ninety nine parts of mercy have been kept by Allah Ta` ala for Himself. There are other narrations in which this has been described as a Hadith from the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This goes to show the quality and extent of Allah's mercy for His creation.
It goes without saying that no ` Ibadah (worship) or ` Ita` ah (obedience) can be good enough so as to be considered as presentable before Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu - neither by an angel nor by a human being. We should not see our ` Ibadah and Ita` ah and good deeds in isolation. If we were to look at them as related to the highest of the high, we would humbly realize that what we have been able to do was not any better than what is simply bad. Still one has to be thankful for being able to do what was possible specially when no human being is free of real evils and sins- unless protected by Allah. Under this situation, justice would have demanded that no one remains safe from a general punishment. But, what is actually happening is that every human being is being showered with the blessings of Allah all the time. This, then, is the direct outcome of that mercy which the great Lord-Nourisher of the universe has put it down in writing as His responsibility.
Every Sin is Forgiven by Taubah [ Repentance ]
This perfect mercy of Allah appears mentioned in the form of a rule in the third sentence of verse 54: أَنَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ It means: One of you who happens to have done something bad by having acted ignorantly, then repents after that and corrects his conduct, then Allah Almighty is most forgiving, He will forgive him his sins; and He is very merciful, so forgiveness alone will not be considered enough, for he will be blessed with rewards also.
From the word, " جهَالَةٍ " (Jahalah; literally: ignorance, used in the sense of acting ignorantly) one may think that this promise of forgiveness is valid only when a sin is committed in a state of ignorance, not knowing what is being done - and the commitment of a sin knowingly would be considered excluded from the purview of this injunction. But, this is not true - because Jahalah (ignorance) here means acting ignorantly which refers to the act of ignorance, that is, one ends up doing something as would have been done by one who is ignorant and unaware of the outcome of his or her act. It is not necessary that the doer of the act be ignorant in reality. This is confirmed by the use of the word Jahalah itself - as the word, Jahalah has been used here in-stead of using the word, Jahl, most likely to point out to this refinement in meaning. The reason is that Jahl (also meaning ignorance) is an antonym of ` Ilm (Knowledge) while Jahalah stands in contrast to forbearance and dignity. In other words, the word, Jahalah is employed, in usage, to ignorance which is demonstrated practically, indeed. A little thought will reveal that a sin, whenever it is committed by someone, comes about to be because of this practical ignorance. Therefore, some pious elders have said that a person who acts against any command given by Allah and His Messenger is Jahil (ignorant). It refers to this very practical ignorance. For this, it is not necessary to be uninformed and lacking in knowledge - because countless definitive statements of the Holy Qur'an and Sahih Ahadith (Nass) prove that every sin can be forgiven by making Taubah (repentance), whether committed by heedlessness or ignorance, or knowingly and deliberately through self-wickedness or a blinded following of (the drum-beats of) one's own desire.
At this point, it is also worth noticing that the promise of mercy and forgiveness made to sinners in this verse is conditioned with two things: (a) Taubah (repentance), and (b) the Islah of ` Amal (the correction of misdeed). Taubah means being ashamed of the sin. Says the Hadith: التوبۃ النَّدَم اِنَّمَا (Taubah or repentance is another name of Nadamah, that is, being ashamed of or having remorse).
As for the second condition, that is, the correction of deed, it means that one should see to it that what happened before will not be repeated in the future. So, this process of trying to better one's doings includes the making of a firm determination not to go near that sin ever again by fully auditing and checking one's behaviour at all times, and also included here is that all rights belonging to someone which have been violated or compromised because of that sin, should be compensated to the best of one's capability. They may be the Rights of Allah (Huququllah) or the Rights of the Servants of Allah (Huquq al-‘Ibad). Example of the rights of Allah are: Usurping someone's property unlawfully, to attack someone's honour, and to cause pain to someone by using bad language or causing such pain in some other manner.
Therefore, for Taubah (repentance) to be total and complete, the way it is necessary to first feel ashamed of the of the past sin, then seek forgiveness from Allah Ta` ala, then resolve to keep one's conduct correct and straight in the future and never go near that sin again – similarly, it is also necessary that the prayers (Salah) and fasts (Sawm) which were missed due to heedlessness should be replaced by doing Qada for them. Then, any Zakah which has not been paid earlier should be paid now. If there is a shortcoming in taking care of what was obligatory in Qurbani (Sacrifice) or Sadaqatul Fitr. ( post-Ramadhan charity for the poor and needy), that should be paid off. If one has not done his or her Hajj, despite its being Fard, an absolute obligation, one should do it now; and if it is not possible to do so personally, one should arrange to have it done on his or her behalf (Hajj Badal). And if, one does not have the time to arrange for an authorized proxy for Hajj, and does not have the convenience to personally make up for whatever was missed and the Qada' of which had become due - during his lifetime - then, he or she should make a Wasiyyah (will) so that their inheritors or heirs could take care of paying the Fidyah (ransom) of the obligations her bee against him or her, or make arrangements for Hajj on half. In short, for ` the correction of deed,' the correction of the future conduct only is not enough - it is also necessary to make amends by paying off for obligations left unperformed in the past.
Similar is the case of the Rights of the Servants of Allah (Huquq al-'lbad). If someone's property has been taken unlawfully, it should be returned to him, or have him forgive it. And if someone has been caused pain physically or verbally, forgiveness must be sought from the aggrieved person. And if, it is not possible or within one's control to have him forgive it - for example, he dies; or goes away to a place the address of which is not known - then, the way out is that one should make it a point to keep praying for his forgiveness before Allah Ta` ala consistently. If so, it can be hoped that the holder of the right will be pleased and the person who was unable to have the forgiveness of the deceased during his lifetime will become absolved of what was due on him.
Say, “I have been forbidden from worshiping those whom you invoke beside Allah.” Say, “I do not follow your desires, because if I were to do that, I would be going astray and would no more be of those on the right path.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The Linkage of Verses
In the verses cited above, the answer to disbelievers who were demanding that the Divine punishment should come to them posthaste was given in: وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْفَاصِلِينَ (He is the best decision-maker) while the mention of the perfect power of Almighty Allah was made in: وَاللَّـهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالظَّالِمِينَ (Allah knows the unjust best). Next from here, there is a description of the encompassment of the Knowledge and Power of Allah Ta` ala on all conceivable data and destiny.
Say, “I am on clear guidance from my Lord, and you have cried lies to it. That which you demand to be hastened is not up to me. The Decision belongs to none but Allah. He relates the Truth and He is the best of all judges.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The Linkage of Verses
In the verses cited above, the answer to disbelievers who were demanding that the Divine punishment should come to them posthaste was given in: وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْفَاصِلِينَ (He is the best decision-maker) while the mention of the perfect power of Almighty Allah was made in: وَاللَّـهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالظَّالِمِينَ (Allah knows the unjust best). Next from here, there is a description of the encompassment of the Knowledge and Power of Allah Ta` ala on all conceivable data and destiny.
Say, “If what you demand to be hastened were up to me, the matter between me and you would have been over. Allah well knows who the wrongdoers are.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The Linkage of Verses
In the verses cited above, the answer to disbelievers who were demanding that the Divine punishment should come to them posthaste was given in: وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْفَاصِلِينَ (He is the best decision-maker) while the mention of the perfect power of Almighty Allah was made in: وَاللَّـهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالظَّالِمِينَ (Allah knows the unjust best). Next from here, there is a description of the encompassment of the Knowledge and Power of Allah Ta` ala on all conceivable data and destiny.
With Him are the keys of the Unseen. No one knows them but He. He knows what is in the land and the sea. No leaf ever falls but that He knows about it, and there is no grain in the dark layers of the earth, or anything fresh or dry that is not recorded in a manifest book.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
How to Stay Safe from Sins - The Master Prescription
Of all the religions of the world, belief in Tauhid, monotheism in its pure and applied form, is the distinctive feature of Islam. It is also obvious that Tauhid is not limited to taking the being of Allah Ta` ala as one. Instead, Tauhid is “ believing in Him” as being unique and without equal in all His attributes of perfection and in not taking any created being, other than Him, to be a sharer or partner in these attributes of perfection.
Some of these attributes of Divine perfection are: Life, Knowledge, Power, Hearing, Seeing, Will, Creation, Sustenance. Allah is so perfect in all His attributes that no created being can be equal to Him in any of the attributes. Then, out of these, two attributes are most distinct. These are Knowledge (` Ilm) and Power (Qudrah). His Knowledge encompasses and embraces all existents and non-existents, open and secret, large or small, atoms and particles. So it is with His Power which surrounds and controls everything fully and conclusively. The two verses (59 60) cited above describe these two attributes - and these two attributes are mysteriously unique. If anyone were to bring himself around to believe in these two attributes strongly and completely, and thereby start imagining them as being present before him, then, he just cannot ever even think of committing a crime or sin. It goes without saying that here is a person who, in all states of word and deed, rest and movement, remains conscious of the presence and knows that there is someone All-Knowing, All-Aware, All-Powerful watching over him all the time, and Who knows him outside in and in-side out and Who is aware of even the intention of the heart and the passing thought of the mind, then, how would he ever be able to take even a tiny step towards any disobedience to his All-Powerful Master? This is the legendary philosopher's stone of what is known as Istihdar in religious terminology [ or, to make it more recent, it is like building a web site in your heart with this frame of reference being always online, just click and connect! - Tr.]
In the end, we can say that these two verses are sovereign prescriptions which can make one a model human being, correct and groom deeds and morals, and keep them that way all along.
It was said in the first verse (59): وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ :(And with Him are the keys of the Unseen. No one knows them but He). The word, ` مَفَاتِحُ ' (Mafatih : keys) is plural. Its singular can be: مِفتَاح : Maftah, pronounced with a vowel point a on the letter Mim, which denotes treasure; and it could also be: مِفتَاح Miftah, pronounced with a vowel point i on the letter Mim, which means key. The word, Mafatih accommodates both meanings. Therefore, some commentators and translators have rendered it as treasures while some others take it as keys. The outcome, however, is the same because owning the keys to the treasures is taken as the owning of the treasures.
Knowledge of the Unseen and Absolute Power: Two Attributes of Allah, not shared by anyone
Al-Ghayb' means things which have not come into existence, or in existence they have come but Allah Ta` ala has not let anyone know them (Mazhari). The first kind relates to conditions and events about Qiyamah, or future happenings in the universe - for example, who will be born when and where? Who will do what? Who will live how long? Who will have how many breath counts? Who will take how many steps? Who will die where and buried where? Who will get what sustenance, and how much, and at what time? When will it rain, and where, and how much?
The example of the second kind is the fetus which has come to exist in the womb of a woman, but no one can be certain in the absolute sense, as universally applicable with inevitable reliability and accessibility, about the fetus being good natured or bad tempered, handsome or ugly, even a male or female (the radiological determination of which at the later trimesters of pregnancy is a different matter and does not affect the premises of the present discussion). Similar is the case of many other things which, despite having come into existence, remain unseen and unknown to the created beings.
So, the sentence: عِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ means that with Allah are the keys (or treasures) of the Unseen. The sense of being ` with him' (عِندَهُ ) is that they are owned by Him and are in His possession. The outcome is that He is the One who has control of the treasures of the Unseen and it is He who has the exclusive power to bring them into existence and make them manifest as and when He has determined. This is as has been said in another verse of the Holy Qur'an: وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا عِندَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ ﴿21﴾ which means: We have treasures of everything, but We send them down in a particular measure (15:21).
In short, from this one sentence, it stands proved that the knowledge of Allah is perfect, and so is His power, and also that this all-encompassing knowledge and absolute power is the exclusive attribute of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu, and that no one can acquire or have it. By putting the word, عِندَهُ (` indahu: with Him) before, according to the rules of the Arabic grammar, a pointed reference has been made towards this restriction and particularity. Immediately after, this hint has been changed into full clarity when, to drive the point home, it was said: لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ (No one knows them but He).
So, this sentence proves two things: (1) The awareness of Allah about everything Unseen by virtue of His all-encompassing knowledge, and His being dominant over all of them by virtue of His perfect power; and (2) The inability of any created being or thing, other than Al-lah Jalla Sha'nuhu, to acquire or have such knowledge and power.
The meaning of the word, ` Al-Ghayb' (Unseen), as in the terminology of the Qur'an, which has been stated above (with reference to Tafsir Mazhari) - that it means things which have not yet come into existence, or have come into existence but have not yet been fully unveiled to any created being - was to be kept in sight, the common doubts which bother people when they take a shallow view of the question of Ghayb, would be automatically removed.
Usually what happens is that people take the word, Al-Ghayb (Unseen) in a literal sense, that is, that which is absent from our knowledge and perception - whether the sources of acquiring its knowledge be present in the sight of others - thus, they would start calling that too as the Ghayb. As a result, all sorts of doubts abound. Take the example of astrology, divination of fortunes mathematically (` Ilmul-Jafr The knowledge of Jafr; vulgur ` Jafar' ), geomancy (` Ilmur-Raml: The knowledge of Raml; vulgur ` Ramal', meaning divination by means of figures and lines in the sand), or palmistry and things like that which are harnessed to acquire the knowledge of future events. Or, there may be someone who gets to know about future events through Kashf (illumination) and Ilham (inspiration). Or, there are our weather forecasters who by examining things like the drift, power and velocity of the monsoons predict rains and storms a lot hasten to take all these to be out to be right too. But, common people hasten to take all these to be the Knowledge of the Unseen. Therefore, they start doubting about these verses of the Holy Qur'an thinking that the Qur'an attribute of the ` Ilm of the Ghayb, the knowledge of the Unseen, an Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu, while observation shows that others too get to acquire it.
The answer is clear. If Allah Ta` ala has made one of His servants informed on some future event, that then, in the terminology of the Qur'an, does not remain what the ` Ilm of Ghayb or the knowledge of the Unseen is. Similarly, in accordance with the Qur'anic terminology, knowledge (` Ilm) which can be acquired through means and instruments (technology) is no Knowledge of the Unseen (` Ilm al-Ghayb). Examples of this could be the weather reports of the meteorological departments and bureaus, or the diagnosis instrumentally). The reason patient by feeling the pulse (manually or is that the weather forecaster or the physician got the chance to announce such information only when the substance of these events comes into existence and becomes obvious. The only difference is that it does not manifest itself openly until that time; it reveals itself, through technical instruments, to experts. People at large remain unaware. And when this substance becomes stronger, its manifestation becomes common. For this reason, weather forecasters cannot come up with what would be the breaking news of rains that will come one or two months from now - because the substantial evidence of rains has not presented itself before them. Similarly, no physician can diagnose the status of medicine or food taken a year or two ago, or a year or two after, by feeling the pulse (manually or instrumentally) today - because that does not habitually leave any effect on the pulse.
In short, these are things the existence of which is foretold by examining their traces and signs. Now, when the traces, signs and substances of these have come into existence that, does not remain part of the Knowledge of the Unseen (` Ilm al-Ghayb); rather, it has become a matter of observation. However, because of its being refined or weak, it has not become public knowledge. When it becomes stronger, it will become a matter of common observation too.
In addition to this, the awareness acquired from all these things, despite that so much has taken place, still remains in the class of estimation and calculation. The real Ilm or Knowledge is the name of Certitude. That does not come out of any of these. That is why events attesting to the error of such information are many and frequent.
As for astrology and other disciplines, whatever there is based on mathematical computation is knowledge, but not Al-Ghayb (Unseen). It is like someone computes existing data and says that the sun will rise today at the hour of five and forty one minutes; or, there will be a solar or lunar eclipse on such and such date in such and such a month. It is obvious that determining time by calculating the speed of that which is perceptible through the senses is very much like announcing the news of planes and trains reaching airports and stations. Moreover, the claim to be able to know things through astrology etc. is nothing but deception. The emergence of one truth out of a hundred lies is no knowledge.
When X-Ray equipment was invented, it was hoped that the determination of the sex of the fetus will be possible, but it did not serve the purpose satisfactorily (besides being radio logically harmful). Experts in our time (specially those associated with digital imaging who study the fetus in section view, or use water-induced method to let the fetus float in the womb which helps determine digitally if it is a boy) too are helpless as far as the first trimester of pregnancy is concerned. Nothing can be known at that stage.1 But, during the later trimesters, predictions are made which can be called technical approximations at best and cannot be classed as certain knowledge and absolute awareness. Sometimes predictions can be correct, at others faulty or misread. This is not the Certitude of ` Ilm al-Ghayb, nor qualifies as such.
1. Even the test of genes to determine the gender of a child, cannot work before a certain stage of pregnancy which again is a matter of observation, and not the knowledge of the unseen. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
The gist of the assertion is: That which is Al-Ghayb in the terminology of the Qur'an is something no one knows but the most sacred
Allah. As for what people habitually get to know through causation or intrumentation is not really the Ghayb - though, it may be so called be-cause of not having been manifested openly.
Similarly, when part of the knowledge of what belongs to the Ghayb has been given to some prophet or messenger, through Wahy (revelation), or to a man of Allah (Waliy) through Kashf (illumination) and Ilham (inspiration), that then, does not remain Ghayb. This is called أَنبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ (the reports or news of the Unseen) in the Holy Qur'an, and not Al-Ghayb. This appears in several verses of the Qur'an, for example: تِلْكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهَا إِلَيْكَ (These are some reports from the Unseen [ events ] which We reveal to you - 11:49). Therefore, when it is said: لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ (No one knows them but He) in the present verse, there is no room for any doubt or exemption in it.
In this particular sentence, a special attribute of Allah has been pointed out - that He is the Knower of the Unseen (` Alim al-Ghayb). The sentences that follow contain a description of the knowledge of the Seen (` Ilmush-Shahadah), that is, the knowledge of things present and existing, in sharp contrast to the knowledge of the Unseen (` Ilmul-Ghayb). They too establish that the knowledge of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu is all encompassing leaving not the minutest particle outside its reach. It was said: And He knows what is in the land and the sea. Not a leaf ever falls but He knows it, nor a grain in the dark hollows of the earth, which too is within His knowledge; and so is, in His knowledge, everything fresh or wet or dry in the whole universe - and all of which lies recorded in writing on al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, the Preserved Tablet.
To sum up, it can be said that Allah Ta` ala has two unique attributes of knowledge in which no angel or prophet or another created being shares with Him. These are: the Knowledge of the Unseen (Ilm al-Ghayb) and the All-Encompassing Knowledge of existents (al-Ilm al-Muhit). These attributes have been described with a system. The first sentence says: وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ (And with Him are the keys of the Unseen. No one knows them but He). This was about the first at-tribute. In the sentences that follow, the all-encompassing knowledge of Allah about His universe of existents was identified first by saying: وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ (And He knows what is in the land and the sea). It means the whole universe and all existents. This is like saying morning and evening in the sense of all the time or saying the East and the West in the sense of the whole world. Thus, by saying land and sea the sense given is that of the whole universe with its existents. So, the knowledge of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu covers whatever there is.
Further on, this was explained by saying that the knowledge of Allah Ta` ala is not limited to what is big, He also knows what is the minutest and the most concealed: وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا (Not a leaf ever falls but He knows it). It means that the falling of every leaf in the whole wide world - before it falls, when it falls and after it falls - remains within His knowledge. He knows how many times each leaf on a tree will swing and sway and when and where it will fall and through what circumstances it will go through. The mention of ` fall' at this place is perhaps indicative of the life cycle of the leaf. Its fall from the tree is the end of its growth and botanical life. Its last condition has been pointed out here as a mirror to the rest of its conditions.
After that it was said: وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْأَرْضِ (Nor a grain in the dark hollows of the earth). Mentioned first was a leaf which falls in common sight. After that, it was a grain which is sowed in fields by a farmer, or gets buried somewhere in the dark and deep belly of the earth. Then, the same all-surrounding knowledge of Allah has been pointed out through things fresh and dry. In the end it was said that with Allah all these things were present in writing. According to some commentators, كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ (a manifest book) means al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, the Preserved Tablet. Some others say that it denotes Divine Knowledge. It has been identified with a manifest book' because what is written stays preserved leaving nothing to chance or mistake or forgetting. This is similar to the all-encompassing knowledge of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu, which is not based on conjecture - it is certain.
Many verses of the Holy Qur'an confirm that the kind of all-encompassing knowledge from which nothing, neither a particle nor its condition, remains excluded is but that of Allah Subhanuhu wa Ta` ala. It was said in Sarah Lugman:
If it be (anything) even equal to the weight of a grain of mustard-seed, and though it be in a rock, or (anywhere) in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth: for Allah is subtle and aware - 31:16
.
It appears in the Ayatul-Kursi of Surah al-Baqarah:
And that Allah encompasses all things in (His) Knowledge - 65:12
This subject has been dealt with in the Holy Qur'an at many more places where it has been made very clear that the ` Jim of Al-Ghayb (as determined in the Qur'an and explained earlier) or the all-encompassing knowledge of everything in the universe is the exclusive attribute of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu. Taking the knowledge of an angel or messenger to be as all-compassing amounts to giving a messenger of Allah the status of Allah Himself and declaring him to be equal to Him - which is Shirk according to the Holy Qur'an. This aspect of Shirk has been pointed out in Surah Al-Shu` ara':
That is (the Mushriks will say in Qiyamah), By Allah, we were in an error manifest when we held you (objects of worship) as equals with the Lord of the Worlds - 6:97, 98
He is the One who recalls your souls by night, and knows what you do by day; then He makes you rise up therein, so that a fixed term may be fulfilled. Thereafter, to Him are you to return; then He will tell you what you have been doing.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
No doubt, Allah Ta’ ala had blessed His Messengers (علیہم السلام) specially the Last among them ﷺ with the knowledge of many things from the Unseen, more than the knowledge of all angels and prophets, but it is obvious that the knowledge of anyone cannot be equal to that of Allah, nor it can ever be. Otherwise, this will become the kind of excess the Christians committed in their reverence for the prophet when they started equating the prophet with God. This is Shirk. May Allah keep all of us protected from it.
Covered this far was the subject of the first verse as explained above. The second verse (60) describes Allah's attribute of power which is also exclusive to Him. It is said:
And He is the One who takes you away by night and knows what you do by day, then He makes you rise therein, so that a fixed term may be fulfilled.
Hence, at work here is nothing but the most perfect power of Allah Ta` ala which has opened a window to what happens to human beings in life, in death and in rising again. Everyone sees it every day. According to Hadith, sleep is similar to death in that it does suspend the human body as it would be in death.
By giving an example of sleeping then waking up in this verse, Allah Ta` ala has alerted human beings that the way everyone, every night and every morning, witnesses the spectacle of personally rising up from simulated death (sleep), so it should not be difficult to visualise the certainty of collective death, and then, collective rising after it, which is called Qiyamah or the Last Day. The argument is: The Supreme Being who can make this happen, could make that happen too. With His most perfect Power, this is as it shall be. Therefore, towards the end of the verse it was said:
(Thereafter, to Him you are to return; then He will tell you what you have been doing) meaning thereby that there will be the reckoning of deeds, then, will come their rewards and punishments.
He is Dominant over His slaves, and He sends guardians over you until when death comes upon one of you, Our deputies take his soul in full, and they neglect nothing (from their duties).
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the third verse, this subject has been further enlarged by saying that Allah Ta` ala has absolute subduing power over all His servants. As long as He wills to have them living, He assigns angels to protect them as a result of which no one dares harm them. And when one has reached the appointed limit of one's age, these very guardian angels become the agents of one's death without ever falling short in providing the relevant causes leading to one's death. Then, death is not all, for the matter is still not closed. Instead of that, there is the next phase, that of: رُدُّوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ ; (Then they are returned to Allah - 62). It means that they will be made to rise again and be presented before Allah Ta` ala. If, at this point, one were to think of having to appear before the greatest Judge of judges and stand before Him to account for a whole life-time of deeds, one cannot even dare to imagine to come out unscathed and hope to escape punishment. Therefore, along with it, it was said: إِلَى اللَّـهِ مَوْلَاهُمُ الْحَقِّ to Allah, their real Master - 62). It means that Allah Ta` ala is not only the Sovereign and the Judge of judges, He is also the Master and Guardian of His servants who reaches out to help them at all times of their need.
After that, it was said: أَلَا لَهُ الْحُكْمُ (Beware, to Him alone belongs the judgement). This certainly leaves no doubt that He is the best in His decision and decree. However, one may be inclined to think how it will be possible for Allah who is One alone to take care of the reckoning of age-long deeds of billions and billions of human beings? Therefore, after that, it was said: أَسْرَعُ الْحَاسِبِينَ (and He is the swiftest reckoner). It means that taking what is done by Allah on the analogy of what is done by human beings is ignorance. He shall do that in no time. (When His servants at the Mainframe factories of Cray and IBM can churn billions and billions of data in seconds, why anyone in his senses would ever doubt the power of the Maker of all makers ! -Tr.)
Then all of them will be returned to Allah, their real Master. Behold, His is the judgement, and He is the swiftest of those who take account.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the third verse, this subject has been further enlarged by saying that Allah Ta` ala has absolute subduing power over all His servants. As long as He wills to have them living, He assigns angels to protect them as a result of which no one dares harm them. And when one has reached the appointed limit of one's age, these very guardian angels become the agents of one's death without ever falling short in providing the relevant causes leading to one's death. Then, death is not all, for the matter is still not closed. Instead of that, there is the next phase, that of: رُدُّوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ ; (Then they are returned to Allah - 62). It means that they will be made to rise again and be presented before Allah Ta` ala. If, at this point, one were to think of having to appear before the greatest Judge of judges and stand before Him to account for a whole life-time of deeds, one cannot even dare to imagine to come out unscathed and hope to escape punishment. Therefore, along with it, it was said: إِلَى اللَّـهِ مَوْلَاهُمُ الْحَقِّ to Allah, their real Master - 62). It means that Allah Ta` ala is not only the Sovereign and the Judge of judges, He is also the Master and Guardian of His servants who reaches out to help them at all times of their need.
After that, it was said: أَلَا لَهُ الْحُكْمُ (Beware, to Him alone belongs the judgement). This certainly leaves no doubt that He is the best in His decision and decree. However, one may be inclined to think how it will be possible for Allah who is One alone to take care of the reckoning of age-long deeds of billions and billions of human beings? Therefore, after that, it was said: أَسْرَعُ الْحَاسِبِينَ (and He is the swiftest reckoner). It means that taking what is done by Allah on the analogy of what is done by human beings is ignorance. He shall do that in no time. (When His servants at the Mainframe factories of Cray and IBM can churn billions and billions of data in seconds, why anyone in his senses would ever doubt the power of the Maker of all makers ! -Tr.)
Say, “Who is the One who delivers you from the darkness of the land and the sea when you supplicate Him in humility and in low tones (promising): ‘If He delivers us from this, We shall truly become grateful?’”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Some Manifestations of Divine Knowledge and Absolute Power
In previous verses, there was a description of the perfection of Divine Knowledge and Power, and of their unique expanse. Mentioned in the present verse, there are some manifestations of this very Knowledge and Power.
The word: ظُلُومَات (Zulumat) in the first verse (63) is the plural of ظُلمَہ (Zulmah) which means darkness [ and which does not have a plural form in English leaving the translator with no choice but to improvise in order to convey the Qur'anic plural which is necessary as ex-plained ]. Thus, the expression: ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ in this verse means the many a darkness found on land and sea. Since darkness is of many kinds, such as, the darkness of night, the darkness of rain clouds, the darkness of dust storms and the darkness under the waves of the sea, it is to include all these kinds of darkness that the word, ظُلُمَاتِ Zulumat, has been used here.
So, the verse means that it was to warn the disbelievers of Makkah against their wrong doings that Allah Ta` ala ordered the Holy Prophet ﷺ to ask these people as to what they do when they find themselves in deep trouble during their l d trips and sea voyages. Is it not that they would forget all about their idols and start calling on none but Allah? At times, they would confess to their modesty and helplessness openly, while at others, they would be admitting it in the heart of their hearts that no one other than Allah could really save them from such catastrophe. And along with this thought, they would promise to Allah that, should Allah save them from this catastrophe, they would definitely take to the ways of following truth and being grateful. In other words, once delivered, they would be grateful to Allah, would take Him as their real rescuer and helper, never ascribing any partner to His Divinity because no one they have been worshiping came up to help them in their hour of need. With this experience of theirs in view, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is being asked to find out from them as to who delivers them from their distress and possible destruction? Since their answer was already known as they could have not denied the open fact that no one came to help them in their distress, idol or whatever else they worshipped, except Allah. Therefore, in the second verse (64), Allah Almighty has Himself taken the initiative and commanded the Holy Prophet ﷺ to tell these people that it is Allah alone who would deliver them from their distress, rather deliver them from every other distress or anxiety they may face in their lives. But, the problem was that they, despite having seen open signs and having found comfort after distress, would go back to Shirk and start indulging in the worship of false gods. Strange betrayal and fatal ignorance indeed!
Not only that these two verses tell us about the perfect power of Allah Ta` ala which delivers human beings from their hour of distress, it also emphasizes that the removal of all sorts of hardships, troubles and anxieties is also in the hands of Allah Ta` ala alone as evident from the behaviour of diehard disbelievers too who are ultimately compelled to turn to Allah when there is nothing left to turn to.
The Moral
May be, this behaviour of the disbelievers, despite its being a major crime in view of their betrayal, has a certain lesson to teach. That they do turn to Allah in the hour of their distress, as their confession of reality under duress, has for us Muslims a lesson to learn with the rasp of a lash - here we are still not prompt enough to remember Allah i n our hour of trials despite having faith in the absolute power of Allah Ta` ala. at happens is that all our attention is riveted only to material support which we hope would get us out of trouble. No doubt, we do not take idols, icons and images as our saviors, but the tragic fact is that the many material support systems, logistics, mechanized rescuing squads on land, sea and in the air, and the backup of spot and distant instrumentations, have become no less than idols for us. So impressed with them and so engrossed in them we are that we some-how do not seem to think of Allah and His most perfect power.
Accidents and Hardships : The Real Remedy
Take sickness as an example. When we get sick, we think of nothing but our doctors and physicians. Take the example of a storm or flood. Once in it, we look forward to being rescued with material help and material means. We think on them depends our destiny, and in doing so, we just do not seem to remember the very Master of the universe in Whose control lies our destiny. We tend to do this, despite that the Holy Qur'an has, time and again, stated it very clearly that hardships and accidents of the world are generally the outcome of the evil deeds of human beings themselves, and a mild sampling of the punishment of the Hereafter. If looked at from this angle, these hardships are, in a way, mercy for Muslims - for, through them, heedless people are, so to say, given a shot in the arm, so that they may use this occasion to survey their evil deeds and start thinking about how not to indulge in them anymore whereby they could remain safe from the greater and harsher punishment of the Hereafter. The same subject has been taken up elsewhere in the Holy Qur'an in the following words:
The hardship that reaches you is an outcome of your evil deeds while many of them Allah forgives - 42:30.
Talking about the verse of Surah Ash-Shura quoted above, the Holy Prophet ؓ عنہم said:
By Him in whose hands lies my life, the common scratch from a piece of wood suffered by a human being, or a faltering of step or an itching in vein are all after-effects of some sin while the sins which Allah Ta` ala forgives are many.
As said by ` Allama Al-Baydawi, it means that the diseases and calamities faced by criminals and sinners are all vestiges of sins while the diseases and calamities of those who are infallible to or protected from sins are there to test their patience and fortitude, and to bless them with the higher ranks of Paradise.
So, the essential outcome is that the diseases, accidents, hardships, pain and anxiety faced even by human beings at large - who are not free of sins - are all the consequences and vestiges of sins.
This also tells us that the real cure and the primary way out of all such distressing happenings is that people should turn to Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu, seek forgiveness from Him for all their past sins, and firmly resolve that they would abstain from them in the future, and pray to Him alone that He, in His mercy, removes their hardships.
However, it never means that the use of material means through medicine and treatment while sick, or to employ material methods of confronting accidents and calamities when struck by them, are useless efforts. Instead of that, the purpose is to emphasize that we should believe in Allah Ta` ala as the prime mover and maker of things and happenings and, as for the use of material means, we should use them too taking them to be nothing but His blessing, because all means and instruments are invariably His creation and His blessings which serve human beings under His command and will. The fire, the air, the water, the dust, and all forces on the face of the earth are but subservient to the command of Allah Ta` ala. Unless He so wills, neither can the fire burn, nor can water extinguish, nor a medicine bring benefit, nor some food hurt. Experience bears the truth that human beings once they become heedless to Allah Ta` ala and start relying on their self-invented defence mechanisms what happens is that with every addition to their material logistics, there comes a relative increase in concerns and calamities.
That a medicine or clinical procedure may turn out to be personally beneficial at a given time, or a material way out to some problem may succeed, is quite possible even when one is involved with heedlessness and sin. But, when looked at collectively, in the perspective of the whole creation of Allah, all manifestations of the reliance on the material appear to be unsuccessful. Today, the number and variety of articles and instruments invented to remove pain and drudgery and to provide comfort and luxury with a gusto that knows no stopping, are things man had not even dreamt of only half a century ago. Who does not know that people at that time were totally deprived of ever-new life-saving drugs, medicine delivery systems, procedures, surgeries, experts, technicians, labs and hospitals and nursing homes? But, seen in a wider perspective, man deprived of all these facilities fifty years ago, was not as sick and harassed as the man of late nineties. Similarly, we have vaccines to fight against epidemics, mechanized units to control fire, medical and paramedical squads to cover accidents, and an overseeing communications system which would hasten emergency in-formation, relevant support of professionals and equipment. But, somehow the more we increase our material defences against accidents and calamities, the more we seem to be affected by them. To what reason could we ascribe this except that during the period now behind us the measure of heedlessness to and disobedience of the Creator of the universe of our existence was not as pronounced as it is in our day. Those people used their articles of comfort as blessings from Allah Ta` ala for which they were grateful too. But, the modern man wants to use these conveniences with a sense of heightened self-achievement which is rebellion in disguise. Naturally enough, despite all instrumentations and gadgetries, men and materials, they cannot make people immune from being hit by such hardships.
Summing up the main elements of our explanations, we can say that Muslims should specially take a lesson from this reference to disbelievers that they too remembered Allah when in distress. It is the duty of a true Muslim that he should, in order to remove his pain and anxiety in distress, first rely on and turn to Allah Ta` ala, much more than simply relying on and turning to the material solutions of his trying situation. If he fails to do that, he will meet the same end being witnessed today. Plans will generally fall flat. A thousand efforts are made to stop floods and to minimize losses caused by them, but they keep coming. Ever-new methods of treating diseases are found and used, but diseases keep increasing. Devices and theories are employed to check rising prices of things - which seem to be effective too, though on the surface - but the result on the whole is that prices keep rising on almost a daily basis. Think of crimes like theft, robbery, kidnapping, bribery and smuggling. Governments all over the world, including the most advanced, are employing all sorts of material means to stop them. But, common people do not have to look into a crime graph to find out what is happening - they see that crimes are increasing. We can only wish that human beings of the modern era would do well by rising a little bit higher than the levels of person, identity, profit and loss, and surveying conditions prevailing, then, they would come to realize that, when seen collectively, all our material efforts have failed, in fact, they are compounding our problems. Then, if they were to look at the remedy proposed by the Qur'an which tells us that there is only one way of staying safe from all kinds of hardship, and that is to turn to the Creator of the universe. Whatever material solutions there are, they are fine, and they too should be used as blessings from Him. Other than this, there is no way to ideal security.
Say, “Allah delivers you from it and from every pain; Yet still, you associate partners with Him.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Some Manifestations of Divine Knowledge and Absolute Power
In previous verses, there was a description of the perfection of Divine Knowledge and Power, and of their unique expanse. Mentioned in the present verse, there are some manifestations of this very Knowledge and Power.
The word: ظُلُومَات (Zulumat) in the first verse (63) is the plural of ظُلمَہ (Zulmah) which means darkness [ and which does not have a plural form in English leaving the translator with no choice but to improvise in order to convey the Qur'anic plural which is necessary as ex-plained ]. Thus, the expression: ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ in this verse means the many a darkness found on land and sea. Since darkness is of many kinds, such as, the darkness of night, the darkness of rain clouds, the darkness of dust storms and the darkness under the waves of the sea, it is to include all these kinds of darkness that the word, ظُلُمَاتِ Zulumat, has been used here.
So, the verse means that it was to warn the disbelievers of Makkah against their wrong doings that Allah Ta` ala ordered the Holy Prophet ﷺ to ask these people as to what they do when they find themselves in deep trouble during their l d trips and sea voyages. Is it not that they would forget all about their idols and start calling on none but Allah? At times, they would confess to their modesty and helplessness openly, while at others, they would be admitting it in the heart of their hearts that no one other than Allah could really save them from such catastrophe. And along with this thought, they would promise to Allah that, should Allah save them from this catastrophe, they would definitely take to the ways of following truth and being grateful. In other words, once delivered, they would be grateful to Allah, would take Him as their real rescuer and helper, never ascribing any partner to His Divinity because no one they have been worshiping came up to help them in their hour of need. With this experience of theirs in view, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is being asked to find out from them as to who delivers them from their distress and possible destruction? Since their answer was already known as they could have not denied the open fact that no one came to help them in their distress, idol or whatever else they worshipped, except Allah. Therefore, in the second verse (64), Allah Almighty has Himself taken the initiative and commanded the Holy Prophet ﷺ to tell these people that it is Allah alone who would deliver them from their distress, rather deliver them from every other distress or anxiety they may face in their lives. But, the problem was that they, despite having seen open signs and having found comfort after distress, would go back to Shirk and start indulging in the worship of false gods. Strange betrayal and fatal ignorance indeed!
Not only that these two verses tell us about the perfect power of Allah Ta` ala which delivers human beings from their hour of distress, it also emphasizes that the removal of all sorts of hardships, troubles and anxieties is also in the hands of Allah Ta` ala alone as evident from the behaviour of diehard disbelievers too who are ultimately compelled to turn to Allah when there is nothing left to turn to.
The Moral
May be, this behaviour of the disbelievers, despite its being a major crime in view of their betrayal, has a certain lesson to teach. That they do turn to Allah in the hour of their distress, as their confession of reality under duress, has for us Muslims a lesson to learn with the rasp of a lash - here we are still not prompt enough to remember Allah i n our hour of trials despite having faith in the absolute power of Allah Ta` ala. at happens is that all our attention is riveted only to material support which we hope would get us out of trouble. No doubt, we do not take idols, icons and images as our saviors, but the tragic fact is that the many material support systems, logistics, mechanized rescuing squads on land, sea and in the air, and the backup of spot and distant instrumentations, have become no less than idols for us. So impressed with them and so engrossed in them we are that we some-how do not seem to think of Allah and His most perfect power.
Accidents and Hardships : The Real Remedy
Take sickness as an example. When we get sick, we think of nothing but our doctors and physicians. Take the example of a storm or flood. Once in it, we look forward to being rescued with material help and material means. We think on them depends our destiny, and in doing so, we just do not seem to remember the very Master of the universe in Whose control lies our destiny. We tend to do this, despite that the Holy Qur'an has, time and again, stated it very clearly that hardships and accidents of the world are generally the outcome of the evil deeds of human beings themselves, and a mild sampling of the punishment of the Hereafter. If looked at from this angle, these hardships are, in a way, mercy for Muslims - for, through them, heedless people are, so to say, given a shot in the arm, so that they may use this occasion to survey their evil deeds and start thinking about how not to indulge in them anymore whereby they could remain safe from the greater and harsher punishment of the Hereafter. The same subject has been taken up elsewhere in the Holy Qur'an in the following words:
The hardship that reaches you is an outcome of your evil deeds while many of them Allah forgives - 42:30.
Talking about the verse of Surah Ash-Shura quoted above, the Holy Prophet ؓ عنہم said:
By Him in whose hands lies my life, the common scratch from a piece of wood suffered by a human being, or a faltering of step or an itching in vein are all after-effects of some sin while the sins which Allah Ta` ala forgives are many.
As said by ` Allama Al-Baydawi, it means that the diseases and calamities faced by criminals and sinners are all vestiges of sins while the diseases and calamities of those who are infallible to or protected from sins are there to test their patience and fortitude, and to bless them with the higher ranks of Paradise.
So, the essential outcome is that the diseases, accidents, hardships, pain and anxiety faced even by human beings at large - who are not free of sins - are all the consequences and vestiges of sins.
This also tells us that the real cure and the primary way out of all such distressing happenings is that people should turn to Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu, seek forgiveness from Him for all their past sins, and firmly resolve that they would abstain from them in the future, and pray to Him alone that He, in His mercy, removes their hardships.
However, it never means that the use of material means through medicine and treatment while sick, or to employ material methods of confronting accidents and calamities when struck by them, are useless efforts. Instead of that, the purpose is to emphasize that we should believe in Allah Ta` ala as the prime mover and maker of things and happenings and, as for the use of material means, we should use them too taking them to be nothing but His blessing, because all means and instruments are invariably His creation and His blessings which serve human beings under His command and will. The fire, the air, the water, the dust, and all forces on the face of the earth are but subservient to the command of Allah Ta` ala. Unless He so wills, neither can the fire burn, nor can water extinguish, nor a medicine bring benefit, nor some food hurt. Experience bears the truth that human beings once they become heedless to Allah Ta` ala and start relying on their self-invented defence mechanisms what happens is that with every addition to their material logistics, there comes a relative increase in concerns and calamities.
That a medicine or clinical procedure may turn out to be personally beneficial at a given time, or a material way out to some problem may succeed, is quite possible even when one is involved with heedlessness and sin. But, when looked at collectively, in the perspective of the whole creation of Allah, all manifestations of the reliance on the material appear to be unsuccessful. Today, the number and variety of articles and instruments invented to remove pain and drudgery and to provide comfort and luxury with a gusto that knows no stopping, are things man had not even dreamt of only half a century ago. Who does not know that people at that time were totally deprived of ever-new life-saving drugs, medicine delivery systems, procedures, surgeries, experts, technicians, labs and hospitals and nursing homes? But, seen in a wider perspective, man deprived of all these facilities fifty years ago, was not as sick and harassed as the man of late nineties. Similarly, we have vaccines to fight against epidemics, mechanized units to control fire, medical and paramedical squads to cover accidents, and an overseeing communications system which would hasten emergency in-formation, relevant support of professionals and equipment. But, somehow the more we increase our material defences against accidents and calamities, the more we seem to be affected by them. To what reason could we ascribe this except that during the period now behind us the measure of heedlessness to and disobedience of the Creator of the universe of our existence was not as pronounced as it is in our day. Those people used their articles of comfort as blessings from Allah Ta` ala for which they were grateful too. But, the modern man wants to use these conveniences with a sense of heightened self-achievement which is rebellion in disguise. Naturally enough, despite all instrumentations and gadgetries, men and materials, they cannot make people immune from being hit by such hardships.
Summing up the main elements of our explanations, we can say that Muslims should specially take a lesson from this reference to disbelievers that they too remembered Allah when in distress. It is the duty of a true Muslim that he should, in order to remove his pain and anxiety in distress, first rely on and turn to Allah Ta` ala, much more than simply relying on and turning to the material solutions of his trying situation. If he fails to do that, he will meet the same end being witnessed today. Plans will generally fall flat. A thousand efforts are made to stop floods and to minimize losses caused by them, but they keep coming. Ever-new methods of treating diseases are found and used, but diseases keep increasing. Devices and theories are employed to check rising prices of things - which seem to be effective too, though on the surface - but the result on the whole is that prices keep rising on almost a daily basis. Think of crimes like theft, robbery, kidnapping, bribery and smuggling. Governments all over the world, including the most advanced, are employing all sorts of material means to stop them. But, common people do not have to look into a crime graph to find out what is happening - they see that crimes are increasing. We can only wish that human beings of the modern era would do well by rising a little bit higher than the levels of person, identity, profit and loss, and surveying conditions prevailing, then, they would come to realize that, when seen collectively, all our material efforts have failed, in fact, they are compounding our problems. Then, if they were to look at the remedy proposed by the Qur'an which tells us that there is only one way of staying safe from all kinds of hardship, and that is to turn to the Creator of the universe. Whatever material solutions there are, they are fine, and they too should be used as blessings from Him. Other than this, there is no way to ideal security.
Say, “He is fully capable that He should send a punishment from above you or from beneath your feet, or to put you in confusion through divisions, and make some of you taste troubles through some others.” See how We bring forth explaining verses from different angles, so that they may understand.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Mentioned in the previous verses was one manifestation of the knowledge and power of Allah Almighty that He alone can remove human distress and whoever calls on Him while in difficulty shall find His help before his eyes. The reason is that He is perfectly powerful over the whole universe and He is also perfectly merciful to His entire creation. No one else has that perfect power and universal mercy.
Mentioned in the present verses is another side of His perfect power - that He can punish any individual or group for its contumacy if He wills to do so. And doing so is easy for Him. To punish a criminal, He needs no police or army or helper like the rulers of the mortal world. This aspect was stated by saying: هُوَ الْقَادِرُ عَلَىٰ أَن يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابًا مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ أَوْ مِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِكُمْ أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ شِيَعًا (He is fully capable that He should send a punishment from above you or from beneath your feet, or to put you in confusion through divisions).
Three Kinds of Divine Punishment
Identified here are three kinds of Divine Punishment: (1) That which comes from above, (2) that which comes from beneath, and (3) that which spreads out from within. Then, by bringing the word, ` عَذَابَاً ' with nunnation (tanwin تنوین) on an indefinite noun (nakirah), a warning - as admitted by the rules of Arabic grammar - has been served that there could be different sub-divisions and forms within these three kind.
According to commentators of the Qur'an, there have been many examples of punishment coming from above among past communities as the flood which came upon the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) the wind storm which overtook the people of ` Ad, the raining of stones on the people of Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) - the raining of blood and frogs upon the Bani Isra'il and the pelting of pebbles by flights of birds on the People of the Elephant اَصحَاب الفِیل (ashab al-fil) when they invaded Makkah which left all of them reduced to chaff chewed out.
Similarly, various forms of the coming of punishment from beneath have also appeared among past communities. For the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) there already was the punishment from above in the form of rainstorm, then they were also caught up in the punishment from beneath when the water under the ground started forcing out whereby they came into the grip of two punishments at the same time, that is, the punishment from above and the punishment from beneath. The people of the Pharaoh were drowned in the punishment from beneath their feet. Qarun قارون (Korah) fell a victim to this very punishment when he, along with his legendary treasures, sank down into the earth as if swallowed by it.
Early Tafsir authorities, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ and Mujahid have said that the punishment from above means that cruel rulers and merciless officials come to rule over a people while the punishment from beneath means that one's own subordinates and servants turn into traitors, idlers and thieves.
Some sayings of the Holy Prophet also confirm the Tafsir of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas given above. The saying of the Holy Prophet ﷺ which follows has been reported in Mishkat with reference to Shu` abul-Iman of Al-Baihaqi: کما تکونونَ کَذٰلکَ یُؤمَّرُ علیکم ، that is, ` as are your deeds, good or bad, so shall be your rulers and officials set upon you.' It means : If you are good, and obedient to Allah Ta` ala, your rulers and officials will also be merciful and just. And if your deeds are evil, you will find that merciless and unjust rulers and officials have been set upon you.' The well-known saying: اَعمَالُکُم عُمَّالُکُم (Your deeds : your rulers) means just the same.
According to a narration from Abi Nu` aym in his Hilyah appearing in Mishkat, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said:
Allah Ta` ala says: I am Allah. There is no god worthy of worship but Me. I am the Master of kings. And I am the Sovereign. The hearts of kings are in My hands. When My servants obey Me, I pour mercy in the hearts of their kings and officials. And when My servants disobey Me, I harden the hearts of their rulers against them. They make them taste all kinds of evil punishments. Therefore, do not waste your energy in speaking ill of the rulers and officials. Turn to Allah and correct your deeds so that I may put your affairs right.
Similarly, there is a narration from Sayyidah ` A'ishah رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہا in Abu Dawud and Nasa'i in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said:
When Allah Ta` ala wishes well for a ruler, He gives them a good minister and deputy so that he may remind the ruler if he forgets something, and who helps the ruler when he acts right. And when some evil is destined for a ruler, evil people are made his ministers and deputies.
In the light of these Hadith narrations and the explanation of related verses, the outcome is that hardships faced by people at the hands of their rulers are a punishment which comes from above - and that which is inflicted through servants and subordinates is a punishment which comes from beneath. They are no stray accidents. In fact, they are a punishment of one's deeds under a Divine law. Imam Sufyan Ath-Thawri said: When a sin gets to be committed by me, I see its effect on my servant, even on my horse I ride and the donkey I use to carry my things. I can feel the change in their temper because all of them start disobeying me. Maulana Rumi, in his famous Mathnawi, says that Allah Ta` ala, by putting you under the apparent punishment which causes pain to you through ill-treatment at the hands of your cruel rulers or faithless subordinates in this mortal world, actually wishes to turn your attention towards Himself, so that you get alerted and start trying to make your deeds good, and as a result of which, you may save yourself from the much greater punishment of the Hereafter.
To sum up, we can say that, according to the Tafsir of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، the oppression of rulers is the punishment which comes from above, and the dishonesty, idling and treachery of subordinates is the punishment which comes from beneath, and the remedy for both is the same - that everyone should look back and examine what each one has done, leave paths of error, avoid being disobedient to Allah, then, nature will be commanded to take its desired course creating conditions which would remove the hardship. Otherwise, trying to remove them and correct the situation through material ways and means alone will be nothing but self-deception, an experience we have been having all the time.
The different explanations of the punishment from above and from beneath which you have heard just now are really no different from each other - because the word, عَذَاباً (` adhaban) meaning ` punishment,' which appears in this verse , in fact, embraces all these explanations. Punishments coming from the skies like the rocks, pebbles, blood, fire, flood, and the oppression of rulers, are all included under the punishment from above. As for the parting of the earth and the sinking of a people in it, or being drowned in water forcing out from the earth, or becoming a victim of problems at the hands of subordinates, all these are punishments from beneath.
There is a third kind of punishment mentioned in this verse, and that is: أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ شِيَعًا (or put you in confusion through divisions ...). It means that you may be split into parties confronting each other and it becomes a punishment from within. The word, يَلْبِسَكُمْ (yalbisakum translated as ` put you in confusion' ) used here comes from the root: (labasa) which basically means to hide or cover up. It is in that sense it is used to refer to clothes which cover the human body. And for this reason, its derivation: التباس (iltibas) is used in the sense of doubt, where the meaning of what is said remains hidden, that is, it is not open and clear.
As for the word: شِیَع (shiya' ), it is the plural form of: شِیَعۃ hi'ah) which means to be a follower, adherent or partisan of someone. It appears in the Holy Qur'an: وَإِنَّ مِن شِيعَتِهِ لَإِبْرَاهِيمَ ﴿83﴾ that is, ` following in the footsteps of Nuh (علیہ السلام) is Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) 37:83.' Therefore, in common usage, the word: شِیَعۃ (shi'ah) is used to denote a group which gets together for a particular purpose, and its members help each other in achieving that purpose. In the current idiom, it would mean a faction or party.
So, the verse could be translated in the sense that one kind of ` Adhab' (punishment) is that a nation or community breaks up into factions and parties and starts confronting each other. Therefore, when this verse was revealed, the Holy Prophet ﷺ addressed Muslims and told them:
Do not renege after me becoming like disbelievers striking at the necks of each other. (Deduced by Ibn Abi Hatim from Zayd ibn Aslam as in Mazhari)
Sayyidna Sa'd ibn Abi Waggas ؓ says: Once we were going with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . When we reached Masjid Bani Mu` awiyah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went into the Masjid and offered two raka'ah of Salah. We too offered two raka'ah. After that, he became busy with Du` a, and kept praying for a fairly long time. After that, he said: ` I asked my Rabb for three things: (1) My Ummah may not be destroyed by drowning: Allah Ta` ala answered this prayer; (2) My Ummah may not be destroyed by famine and hunger: This too was answered; (3) My Ummah may not be destroyed by infighting: I was stopped from making this prayer.' (Mazhari with reference to Baghawi)
Another Hadith on the same subject has been reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ where one of the three prayers is that ` may Allah not set an enemy upon my Ummah who destroys all of them.' This prayer was answered. As for infighting and mutual confrontation, he was forbidden from making the prayer.
These narrations prove that, though the kind of punishments which visited earlier communities from above them and from beneath them and which destroyed all of them, will not visit the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ - but, there is one ` Adhab' (punishment) which will keep visiting this Ummah too during their life in the present world. That ` Adhab' is their infighting and the mutual confrontation between their factions and parties. It was for this reason that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has emphatically forbidden his Ummah from becoming divided in sects, factions and parties and from challenging and fighting each other among themselves. Actually, he has, on every possible occasion, tried to put the fear of Allah in every heart by warning that the Divine punishment, if it has to come upon Muslims within their life in this mortal world, it will come because of nothing else but their mutual confrontation and infighting.
This subject has been further clarified in a verse of Surah Hid where it is said:
But they wi11 continue in their differences, except those whom Allah has blessed with mercy - 11:118
In this light, it becomes all the more clear that those who differ with each other (without a valid Islamic legal justification) are either deprived of Divine mercy, or far-removed from it. Before we move on to analyse the subject, quoted below are two verses from Surah 'Al-` Imran which would make the problem easier to understand:
And do not be like those who became divided and fell into disputes ... - 3:105
The Anatomy and Rationale of Differences
The essence of all Ayat and Riwayat (Verses and Hadith Narrations, presented here is that difference is ill-fated and blameworthy. If we were to ponder over the causes of the decline and Muslims materially and spiritually, we will see that the root of most troubles lies in this very mutual difference and discord we are talking about. Unfortunately, as a result of our own misdeeds, this ` Adhab' has come to sit on our heads like an octopus. Otherwise, we were a people whose pivot of unity was one single Kalimah of لا إله إلا اللہ محمد رسول اللہ (There no god worthy of worship but Allah, Muhammad is Messenger of Allah). All men and women having faith in this Kalimah, anywhere on this earth, speaking any language, of any colour, of any race, any lineage, were brothers and sisters to each other. Mountains and rivers were no handicap in their unity. The difference of race, family, colour and language were no hurdles in their way. Their unity was tied with this Kalimah irrespective of their nationality. That they were Arabs or Egyptians or Syrians or Turks or Indian or Chinese did not matter. These divisions were simply for the sake of identity and introduction, and that was it, no more. The poet of neo-Islamic Renaissance, Muhammad Iqbal summarized it by saying:
درویشِ خدا مست نہ شرقی ہے نہ غربی
گھر اس کا نہ دِلِّی ہے نہ صفاہان سمرقند
The dervish of Allah cares not
For he is neither of the East, nor of the West
For him there is no home
Neither Delhi, nor Isfahan, nor Samarqand ...
In our day, intrigues backed by constantly concerted efforts have succeeded in dividing them once again into racial, linguistic and regional nationalities. Worse came to happen when these very entities, hit by internal disruption and chaos, ended up splitting themselves into many more additional factions. The people whose hallmark was en they would forgive, forego and sacrifice even in the case of others readily surrender their most just rights for the sake of avoiding confrontation now have many individuals within their fold who would not hesitate to sacrifice even the most precious This is the difference born out the cheapest and the meanest of gains. This is the difference born out of self-interest, wanton desires and fancies which is a bad omen for any community or nation, and certainly a cash punishment for them right here in the present world.
However, it is necessary to understand at this point the difference which has been declared in the Qur'an as Divine punishment, and deprivation from Divine mercy, is that particular difference which either appears in Principles and Beliefs or is because of self-interest, wanton desires and fancies. Not included here is the particular difference of opinion which was based on the Principles of Ijtihad carried out in the light of the Qur'an and Sunnah, and it was under these Principles that the difference of opinion in subsidiary matters and masa'il has continued being there among the jurists (Fuqaha' ) of the Muslim Ummah from the early period of Sahabah (Companions) and Tabi` in. (Successors to Companions). It should be borne in mind that in these subsidiary matters, the frame of reference under which such difference of opinion may show up is restricted to Qur'an, Sunnah and Ijma` (consensus). Here, the intention of everyone is to obey and act in ac-cordance with the injunctions of Qur'an and Sunnah. But, the difference which emerges here is that of Ijtihad and opinion in the duduction of solutions to subsidiary problems as interpreted from words left condensed or ambiguous in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Such difference has been called Rahmah or mercy in Hadith.
The following narration has been reported in Al-Jami` Al-Saghir [ with reference to Nasr Maqdisi, Baihaqi Imam al-Haramayn ]: اِختلافُ اُمَّتی رحمَۃُ (The difference of my Ummah is mercy). It has been made particular to the community of the Holy Prophet ﷺ because any difference which arises among the ` Ulama', who uphold nothing but the truth, and Muslim jurists who are unalienably God-fearing, shall always be governed by the principles of the Qur'an and Sunnah. Then, this would be with an intention which is absolutely true and with an approach which is inevitably for the good pleasure of Allah. This difference will never be motivated by any self-interest or desire for recognition, office or money. Therefore, that difference will never become the cause of confrontations. Instead of that, as determined by ` Allama ` Abdur-Rauf al-Munawi, the commentator of Al-Jami` Al-Saghir, the different approaches (Maslak) of the jurists of Muslim community will have the same status which was given to different religious law systems of the blessed prophets in past periods of time - in that they all were, despite being different, nothing but the very injunctions of Allah. Thus, the different approaches (Maslak مَسلَک) credited to the great Mujtahid Imams of the Muslim Ummah shall be called, because of their being under the principles of the Qur'an and Sunnah, nothing but the commandments and injunctions of Allah and Rasul.
An example of such difference based on Ijtihad can be readily seen on the main streets of our cities where the streets are demarcated into various sections or lanes for the convenience of those who move on them. A section would be used by buses while another by cars and vans. Similarly, a section of the street may be reserved for cyclists and pedestrians. Though this division of one main street into several lanes is outwardly a form of difference but, since everyone is headed in one single direction and everyone moving through each lane will ultimately reach one desired destination. Therefore, this difference of routes or approaches, rather than being harmful, is functionally useful for all movers - a lot of space and mercy indeed.
This is the reason why leading Mujtahid Imams and the Jurists of the Muslim Community agree that the Maslak or approach taken by any of them is not false, and it is not permissible for anyone to call those who follow it as being sinners. The essence of the difference in مَذھَب Madhab or approaches or schools of thought represented by Mujtahid Imams and Jurists has a limited frame of reference. The approach taken by one Mujtahid happens to be weightier in his sight, but he himself would not call the approach of another Mujtahid as false. In fact, they pay due regard and respect to each other. A look into the mutual relationships of the jurists (Fuqaha' ) among the Sahabah and Tabiin and the four leading Mujtahid Imams and the events and happenings surrounding them are open testimony to the fact that, despite their differences in technical, intellectual and juristic approaches, they had excellent mutual working relationships, giving each other full respect and recognition. That they would be arrayed against each other in rancour, hostility and infighting was absolutely out of question in their case. The same spirit and modus operandi continued with those who later on came as followers of the main juristic schools - as far as they remained adhering to sound knowledge and honest attitude, their mutual relationships remained based on cordiality and respect like their predecessors.
This is the difference we are talking about. This difference is mercy indeed, for people a source of myriad openings and conveniences and leaves, and certainly a reservoir of beneficial results. As far as subsidiary questions are concerned, the truth is that the difference of proponents in them is not harmful, if it remains within its proper bounds. In fact, it serves as an aid in enlarging and identifying different aspects of a question which makes it possible to arrive at a sound resolution of the problem. It goes without saying that in a meeting of honest minds, the absence of some difference of opinion about a question is just not conceivable. Something like this can happen among a set of people who cannot or do not understand the problem at all, or among pragmatic secular people who would not hesitate to agree to an opinion, even though against their conscience, just to accommodate some party, pressure group or interest lobby.
So, difference of opinion which is within its bounds, that is, not in the categorical imperatives of the Qur'an and Sunnah concerning articles of faith and decisive injunctions, and which is only in subsidiary questions requiring Ijtihad , and that too where the definitive texts of Qur'an and Sunnah are either silent or ambiguous, and again if the effort so made does not go to the outer limit of name calling, blame throwing and infighting, then, that difference of opinion will, instead of being harmful, be beneficial - a blessing and mercy. Think of this universe of our experience. Things differ in shape, form, colour, smell, property and functional benefits. There are countless living organisms. They differ, so do human beings, different temperaments, occupations, skills, ways of living - these differences are the charm of living which provides open avenues of countless benefits.
Many people, who are not aware of this reality, would look down even upon the normal differences in the legal solution of problems (fatawa) credited to great Jurists and true ` Ulama.' They are heard complaining: When ` Ulama' differ, where do we go? Frankly, this is a simple matter. Take the example of a sick person about whose condition physicians differ. Naturally everyone tries to find out a physician who has the desired experience and technical expertise and he is the one entrusted with the charge of treating the patient. No one goes out speaking ill of other doctors in town. The same thing happens in legal cases. Lawyers may differ in their opinions. Naturally people entrust their case to a lawyer who is efficient and experienced in their estimation, and act on his advice. They do not run around maligning others in that profession. This principle should be operative here too. When the Fatwa given by ` Ulama' about a problem turn out to be different (reasons to be investigated in the parameters of the original inquiry), then, one should make his best efforts to locate an ` Alim who, in their judgment, is better than others in ` Ilm (expertise in religious knowl-edge) and Taqwa (fear of Allah, fear of being responsible before Him) and follow the advice given by him. There is no need for them to waste their time in finding fault with other ` Ulama.'
In I` lam Al-Muwwaqqi` in, ` Allamah Hafiz ibn al-Qaiyyim has reported that the choice of an expert Mufti - and in case of a difference of opinion, the giving of preference to the Fatwa of an ` Alim who, in the opinion of the seeker, is the best of all in ` Ilm and Taqwa- - is the duty of every Muslim himself who has such a problem on hand. That he starts giving preference to one of the different Fatawa of ` Ulama is certainly not his job. But, it is no one's job but his own that he should act according to the Fatwa of anyone from among the Muftis and ` Alims whom he considers the best in knowledge and honesty. After that, he should not go about denouncing other Muftis and ` Alims. Once a person has done what is required of him, he is totally free of blame in the sight of Allah. In case, the giver of Fatwa did make a mistake in the real sense, then, he himself will be responsible for it.
In short, not every difference is absolutely blameworthy, nor every agreement absolutely praiseworthy and desirable. If thieves, robbers and rebels were to join hands and form a union of their own, who would not take this union of theirs blameworthy and fatal for the society. Contrary to this, police action or public protest against such groups is considered praiseworthy and beneficial by all reasonable people.
This tells us that the problem does not lie in difference of opinion, nor does it lie in acting according to a particular opinion, instead, all problems show up when others are suspected and slandered - which is an outcome of lack of knowledge and honesty and plenty of self-serving desires and fancies. When a nation or country stoops to that level, this merciful difference is changed into punishing difference. Of all the people, Muslims themselves split into parties, fight among themselves, even do the impossible by killing each other. Hurling insults on others is taken to be a defence of religious position, although, religion has nothing to do with such excess and aggression. In fact, this is the confrontation and fighting which has been sternly prohibited by the Holy Prophet ﷺ . In authentic Ahadith, it has been cited as the cause of peoples and nations going astray. (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
Your people have rejected it (the Qur’ān) while it is the whole truth. Say, “I am not appointed as a taskmaster over you.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the second verse (66), after mentioning the anti-truth stand taken by the Quraysh of Makkah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ also from the same tribe, has been instructed that he should tell those people asking about the precise time when the promised punishment will come that he has not been appointed to do that for them. The truth is that for everything there is a point of time as determined in Divine knowledge. It will come at its own time, and they will see for themselves what happens when it does.
For every event there is a point (of time and place) to occur, and you will soon know (it).”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the second verse (66), after mentioning the anti-truth stand taken by the Quraysh of Makkah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ also from the same tribe, has been instructed that he should tell those people asking about the precise time when the promised punishment will come that he has not been appointed to do that for them. The truth is that for everything there is a point of time as determined in Divine knowledge. It will come at its own time, and they will see for themselves what happens when it does.
When you see those who indulge in (blaspheming) Our verses, turn away from them until they become occupied with some other discourse. If Satan should cause you to forget (this instruction), then do not sit with the unjust people after recollection.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Avoid Gatherings of False People
In the present verses, Muslims have been instructed that they should, as a matter of principle, abstain from being a part of the gatherings frequented by those who prefer to follow the false - because a sin is a sin, whether you do it yourself or watch others doing it. Details follow.
The word: يَخُوضُونَ (translated here as ` indulge' ) in the first verse (68) is from: خَوض (khawd) which basically means to enter into water and wade through it. Then, it also denotes entering into activities which are vain, absurd or futile. This word has been used in the Qur'an usually in this very sense. Verses such as: وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِينَ ﴿45﴾ ` we used to indulge (in vain discourse) with those indulging - 74:45' and: فِي خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ playing with what they are indulged in - 6:91' are some examples.
Therefore, the Qur'anic expression referring to: خَوض فی الآیاتِ has been translated by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi and Shaykh al-Hind, Maulana Mahmud al-Hasan in the sense of fault-finding and disputing, which means: ` when you see those people meddling in the Ayat of Allah just for fun and ridicule, or trying to find faults in them, turn away from them.'
The address in this verse is general, to everyone - which includes the Holy Prophet s, and the members of his community as well. The truth of the matter is that the address to the Holy Prophet is there only to let Muslims at large hear it, otherwise he never participated in any such gatherings even during his childhood days. Therefore, he needed no prohibition.
Then, ` turning away' from the gatherings of false people could take many forms. For example, leave the gathering or get busy doing something else while being there without paying any attention to them. But, at the end of the verse, it was made clear that the first form is what is desirable, that is, one should not keep sitting in their gathering; one should rise and leave from there.
Said at the end of the verse was ` if Satan makes you forget', that is, if one went into their gathering unmindfully - whether while not remembering the prohibition of participating in such gatherings, or while not recalling that these people talk against the Ayat of Allah and the Rasul of Allah in their gatherings - then, in either situation, once it is remembered, one should leave that gathering immediately. To keep sitting there after having remembered is a sin. The same subject appears in another verse where, at the end, it has been said: If you kept sitting there, you will be like them (إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِّثْلُهُمْ : 4:140).
In Tafsir Kabir, Imam al-Razi has said that the real intent in this verse is to abstain from such sinful gatherings and their participants. The best course is to rise and depart from there. But, should leaving the gathering pose a danger to one's life, property or honour, it is permissible for common people to "turn away" in some other manner, for instance, they could make themselves busy with something else and pay no attention to them. But, the case is different with particular people who are followed in religious matters - for them, the only appropriate way is to rise and leave the gathering.
Going a little further in our understanding of the sentence: وَإِمَّا يُنسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيْطَانُ (And if Satan makes you forget) mentioned above, let us consider its implications. If this is addressed to Muslims at large, it is clear that to forget is human - and if the address is to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، the question arises: If forgetfulness comes to affect a prophet and messenger of Allah as well, how can their teachings be trusted?
The answer is: It is possible that prophets too forget some-thing under particular circumstances where the divine wisdom decides to make it so happen to achieve a particular purpose, but they are immediately alerted by Allah Ta` ala through Way which helps them not to let it last. Therefore, their teachings ultimately become free of any doubts of forgetfulness.
However, this sentence of the verse does tell us that should a person fall into an error inadvertently, that will stand forgiven. In a Hadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ it has been said:
رُفِعَ عَن اُمَّتِی الخطاءُ وَالنِّسیانُ وما استکرِھُوا عَلَیہ
Removed from my Ummah is (the sin of) error and forgetting and that which one has been compelled to do.
In Ahkam al-Qur'an, Imam al-Jassas has said:
This verse tells that Muslims should abstain from every such gathering where things are being said against Allah Ta` ala, His Rasul ﷺ and the Shari’ ah of Islam and where it is not within one's power and control to stop or have it stopped, or, at the least, be able to say what is true and right. However, participating in such a gathering with the intention to reform and to carry the message of truth to them does not matter.
As for the statement: فَلَا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَىٰ مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ which prohibits sitting with unjust people after the recollection, Imam al-Jassas has deduced the ruling that participating in the gathering of such unjust, irreligious and big-mouthed people is an absolute sin, whether or not, at that time, they are engaged in talking about what would be considered impermissible - because people of such nature could be expected to start their ridiculous rantings all of a sudden. This rule is deduced from this verse on the basis that sitting in the company of unjust people has been prohibited in this verse in an absolute sense. It does not have the condition that they be busy with their act of injustice at that time too.
The same subject has been taken up in another verse of the Holy Qur'an more explicitly where it is said: وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ (And do not incline towards the wrong doers, lest the Fire should catch you ... 11:113).
Those who fear Allah are not responsible for any (evil) act in the account of these (infidels), except for advising them, so that they may be careful.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
When the verse cited above was revealed, the noble Companions submitted: Ya Rasul Allah, if this absolute prohibition of going in their gatherings remained in force, we shall be deprived of offering Salah and Tawaf in al-Masjid al-Haram because these people keep sitting there all the time (before Hijrah and the Conquest of Makkah) doing nothing but fault-finding and ill-speaking. Thereupon, revealed was the next verse (69): وَمَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ وَلَـٰكِن ذِكْرَىٰ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿69﴾. It means when people who observe restraint go to al-Masjid al-Haram for their own rightful purpose, then, they are not responsible for the evil deeds of those wicked people present there. However, it does remain their duty that they should tell them what is right and true which may perhaps help them take the right path.
Avoid those who have taken their faith as fun and games. The worldly life has deceived them. Preach with it (the Qur’ān), lest one should be seized for what he did, in a way that he should have neither a helper besides Allah, nor an intercessor. Should he offer every (sort of) ransom, it will not be accepted from him. Those are the ones who are seized for what they themselves earned. For them there is a drink of boiling water, and a painful punishment, because they used to disbelieve.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the third verse (70), nearly the same subject has been stressed upon in the following words: وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا (And avoid those who have taken their faith as game and play ...). The word: ذر (dhar) here is a derivation from: وَذَرِ (wadhara) which means being displeased with something and leaving it. Thus, the verse can be taken either in the sense of leaving people who have turned the true religion, that is, Islam which has been sent for them, into a plaything and a laughing stock; or in the sense that they have left their real faith and taken to fun and play as their very own religion and purpose of life. The outcome of both meanings is nearly the same.
After that, it was said: وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا that is, the transitory life of the present world has deceived them. This is a true diagnosis of their real problem. They are so disobedient and wicked because they are be-witched by the glamour of their mortal life totally forgetting that they have another state of life ahead of them. If they had believed in the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) and Qiyamah (The Last Day), they would have never acted so recklessly.
In this verse, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and Muslims at large have been given two orders that they should not only avoid the people identified, but that they should also act positively and continue preaching through the Qur'an and keep putting the fear of Allah's punishment in their hearts.
The detail of this punishment was pointed out at the end of the verse by saying that, should they continue doing what they were doing, they are bound to fall a victim to their own evil conduct. The word used at this place is: تُبسَلَ which means to be detained or be entrapped.
Since man in this world is accustomed to rely on three kinds of sources to escape the punishment of his own error or injustice inflicted on someone. When convenient, he would use the power and influence of his party or group to stay safe against the consequences of his injustice. Then, should he become helpless, he would use recommendations from the influential people. When that too does not work, he would try to secure his freedom from punishment by spending money.
Allah Ta` ala says in this verse that His criminal cannot be saved from punishment by any friend or relative, nor can an intercession by anyone succeed without the permission of Allah, nor can wealth of any kind be accepted - even if the criminal were to possess the wealth of the whole world and wished to give it all in exchange for his freedom from punishment, even then this fidyah will not be accepted from him.
Finally, at the close of the verse, it was said: أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا بِمَا كَسَبُوا ۖ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ ﴿70﴾ that is, these are the people who have been detained in the punishment of their evil deeds. They will have boiling water to drink in the Jahannam about which it has been said in an-other verse that it will shatter their entrails apart (47:15) and that there will be painful punishments other than that of the boiling water in return for their disbelief and denial.
This verse also tells us that the very company of people who are heedless to the 'Akhirah and are content with their life in the mortal world is fatal for everyone. Its ultimate consequence is that whoever sits in their company shall be subject to the same punishment in which they have been caught up.
The essential objective in these three verses (68-70) is to save Muslims from evil environment and bad company which can be as deadly as poison. Many clear, definite and conclusive statements (Nusus) of the Qur'an and Hadith as well as repeated observation and experience prove that the root of all evils and crimes in which human beings get involved is the evil society and environment in which they grow up. Once snared into it, one slides into evils against personal grain and conscience. Then, comes the stage when, once habituated, the sense of evil dies away - reaching the limit when one starts taking evil as good and good as evil. In al Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ۔ is reported to have said: When a person gets involved in a sin for the first time, there appears a dot on his heart. This is like a black dot on a white dress which everyone dislikes and gets disturbed with. So, this person too feels the distaste in his heart. But when he, after having done the first one, goes on doing the second and the third sin - and does not re-pent from the past sin - black dots, one after the other, keep appearing on the heart, so much so that the radiant tablet of the heart turns jet black. The outcome is that this person is deprived of the very ability to distinguish between good and bad. The Holy Qur'an identifies it with the word: "ra'n" (rust, stain) when it says: كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿14﴾(83:14), that is, there is rust on their hearts because of their evil deeds (which has taken away their ability to receive good).
When you come to think of it, wrong environment and bad company really hurt all human beings. They push people into the abyss. May Allah keep all of us protected from them. Therefore, everyone who is responsible for raising children must do their best to keep children safe from such society and environment.
As for the next three verses (71-73), they too deal with the refutation of Shirk (the attribution of partners to Allah) and the affirmation of Tauhid (the Oneness of Allah) and 'Akhirah (the Hereafter, the life to come) as fairly evident from the translation itself.
Say, “Should we invoke, besides Allah, something that can neither benefit us nor harm us? Should we turn back on our heels after Allah has guided us? (If we do so, we will be) like the one whom the devils have abducted to a far off land, leaving him bewildered, even though he has friends who call him to the right path (saying), “Come to us.” Say, “Allah’s guidance is the guidance, and we have been ordered to submit to the Lord of the worlds,
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the third verse (70), nearly the same subject has been stressed upon in the following words: وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا (And avoid those who have taken their faith as game and play ...). The word: ذر (dhar) here is a derivation from: وَذَرِ (wadhara) which means being displeased with something and leaving it. Thus, the verse can be taken either in the sense of leaving people who have turned the true religion, that is, Islam which has been sent for them, into a plaything and a laughing stock; or in the sense that they have left their real faith and taken to fun and play as their very own religion and purpose of life. The outcome of both meanings is nearly the same.
After that, it was said: وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا that is, the transitory life of the present world has deceived them. This is a true diagnosis of their real problem. They are so disobedient and wicked because they are be-witched by the glamour of their mortal life totally forgetting that they have another state of life ahead of them. If they had believed in the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) and Qiyamah (The Last Day), they would have never acted so recklessly.
In this verse, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and Muslims at large have been given two orders that they should not only avoid the people identified, but that they should also act positively and continue preaching through the Qur'an and keep putting the fear of Allah's punishment in their hearts.
The detail of this punishment was pointed out at the end of the verse by saying that, should they continue doing what they were doing, they are bound to fall a victim to their own evil conduct. The word used at this place is: تُبسَلَ which means to be detained or be entrapped.
Since man in this world is accustomed to rely on three kinds of sources to escape the punishment of his own error or injustice inflicted on someone. When convenient, he would use the power and influence of his party or group to stay safe against the consequences of his injustice. Then, should he become helpless, he would use recommendations from the influential people. When that too does not work, he would try to secure his freedom from punishment by spending money.
Allah Ta` ala says in this verse that His criminal cannot be saved from punishment by any friend or relative, nor can an intercession by anyone succeed without the permission of Allah, nor can wealth of any kind be accepted - even if the criminal were to possess the wealth of the whole world and wished to give it all in exchange for his freedom from punishment, even then this fidyah will not be accepted from him.
Finally, at the close of the verse, it was said: أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا بِمَا كَسَبُوا ۖ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ ﴿70﴾ that is, these are the people who have been detained in the punishment of their evil deeds. They will have boiling water to drink in the Jahannam about which it has been said in an-other verse that it will shatter their entrails apart (47:15) and that there will be painful punishments other than that of the boiling water in return for their disbelief and denial.
This verse also tells us that the very company of people who are heedless to the 'Akhirah and are content with their life in the mortal world is fatal for everyone. Its ultimate consequence is that whoever sits in their company shall be subject to the same punishment in which they have been caught up.
The essential objective in these three verses (68-70) is to save Muslims from evil environment and bad company which can be as deadly as poison. Many clear, definite and conclusive statements (Nusus) of the Qur'an and Hadith as well as repeated observation and experience prove that the root of all evils and crimes in which human beings get involved is the evil society and environment in which they grow up. Once snared into it, one slides into evils against personal grain and conscience. Then, comes the stage when, once habituated, the sense of evil dies away - reaching the limit when one starts taking evil as good and good as evil. In al Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ۔ is reported to have said: When a person gets involved in a sin for the first time, there appears a dot on his heart. This is like a black dot on a white dress which everyone dislikes and gets disturbed with. So, this person too feels the distaste in his heart. But when he, after having done the first one, goes on doing the second and the third sin - and does not re-pent from the past sin - black dots, one after the other, keep appearing on the heart, so much so that the radiant tablet of the heart turns jet black. The outcome is that this person is deprived of the very ability to distinguish between good and bad. The Holy Qur'an identifies it with the word: "ra'n" (rust, stain) when it says: كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿14﴾(83:14), that is, there is rust on their hearts because of their evil deeds (which has taken away their ability to receive good).
When you come to think of it, wrong environment and bad company really hurt all human beings. They push people into the abyss. May Allah keep all of us protected from them. Therefore, everyone who is responsible for raising children must do their best to keep children safe from such society and environment.
As for the next three verses (71-73), they too deal with the refutation of Shirk (the attribution of partners to Allah) and the affirmation of Tauhid (the Oneness of Allah) and 'Akhirah (the Hereafter, the life to come) as fairly evident from the translation itself.
and establish Salāh, and heed Him. He is the One before whom you are to be gathered.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the third verse (70), nearly the same subject has been stressed upon in the following words: وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا (And avoid those who have taken their faith as game and play ...). The word: ذر (dhar) here is a derivation from: وَذَرِ (wadhara) which means being displeased with something and leaving it. Thus, the verse can be taken either in the sense of leaving people who have turned the true religion, that is, Islam which has been sent for them, into a plaything and a laughing stock; or in the sense that they have left their real faith and taken to fun and play as their very own religion and purpose of life. The outcome of both meanings is nearly the same.
After that, it was said: وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا that is, the transitory life of the present world has deceived them. This is a true diagnosis of their real problem. They are so disobedient and wicked because they are be-witched by the glamour of their mortal life totally forgetting that they have another state of life ahead of them. If they had believed in the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) and Qiyamah (The Last Day), they would have never acted so recklessly.
In this verse, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and Muslims at large have been given two orders that they should not only avoid the people identified, but that they should also act positively and continue preaching through the Qur'an and keep putting the fear of Allah's punishment in their hearts.
The detail of this punishment was pointed out at the end of the verse by saying that, should they continue doing what they were doing, they are bound to fall a victim to their own evil conduct. The word used at this place is: تُبسَلَ which means to be detained or be entrapped.
Since man in this world is accustomed to rely on three kinds of sources to escape the punishment of his own error or injustice inflicted on someone. When convenient, he would use the power and influence of his party or group to stay safe against the consequences of his injustice. Then, should he become helpless, he would use recommendations from the influential people. When that too does not work, he would try to secure his freedom from punishment by spending money.
Allah Ta` ala says in this verse that His criminal cannot be saved from punishment by any friend or relative, nor can an intercession by anyone succeed without the permission of Allah, nor can wealth of any kind be accepted - even if the criminal were to possess the wealth of the whole world and wished to give it all in exchange for his freedom from punishment, even then this fidyah will not be accepted from him.
Finally, at the close of the verse, it was said: أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا بِمَا كَسَبُوا ۖ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ ﴿70﴾ that is, these are the people who have been detained in the punishment of their evil deeds. They will have boiling water to drink in the Jahannam about which it has been said in an-other verse that it will shatter their entrails apart (47:15) and that there will be painful punishments other than that of the boiling water in return for their disbelief and denial.
This verse also tells us that the very company of people who are heedless to the 'Akhirah and are content with their life in the mortal world is fatal for everyone. Its ultimate consequence is that whoever sits in their company shall be subject to the same punishment in which they have been caught up.
The essential objective in these three verses (68-70) is to save Muslims from evil environment and bad company which can be as deadly as poison. Many clear, definite and conclusive statements (Nusus) of the Qur'an and Hadith as well as repeated observation and experience prove that the root of all evils and crimes in which human beings get involved is the evil society and environment in which they grow up. Once snared into it, one slides into evils against personal grain and conscience. Then, comes the stage when, once habituated, the sense of evil dies away - reaching the limit when one starts taking evil as good and good as evil. In al Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ۔ is reported to have said: When a person gets involved in a sin for the first time, there appears a dot on his heart. This is like a black dot on a white dress which everyone dislikes and gets disturbed with. So, this person too feels the distaste in his heart. But when he, after having done the first one, goes on doing the second and the third sin - and does not re-pent from the past sin - black dots, one after the other, keep appearing on the heart, so much so that the radiant tablet of the heart turns jet black. The outcome is that this person is deprived of the very ability to distinguish between good and bad. The Holy Qur'an identifies it with the word: "ra'n" (rust, stain) when it says: كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿14﴾(83:14), that is, there is rust on their hearts because of their evil deeds (which has taken away their ability to receive good).
When you come to think of it, wrong environment and bad company really hurt all human beings. They push people into the abyss. May Allah keep all of us protected from them. Therefore, everyone who is responsible for raising children must do their best to keep children safe from such society and environment.
As for the next three verses (71-73), they too deal with the refutation of Shirk (the attribution of partners to Allah) and the affirmation of Tauhid (the Oneness of Allah) and 'Akhirah (the Hereafter, the life to come) as fairly evident from the translation itself.
He is the One who created the heavens and the earth with purpose. On the day He says “Be”, it (the Resurrection) will come to be. His word is the truth, and His is the kingdom on the day the Horn shall be blown. He is the Knower of the Unseen and the Seen. He is the Wise, the All-Aware.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the third verse (70), nearly the same subject has been stressed upon in the following words: وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا (And avoid those who have taken their faith as game and play ...). The word: ذر (dhar) here is a derivation from: وَذَرِ (wadhara) which means being displeased with something and leaving it. Thus, the verse can be taken either in the sense of leaving people who have turned the true religion, that is, Islam which has been sent for them, into a plaything and a laughing stock; or in the sense that they have left their real faith and taken to fun and play as their very own religion and purpose of life. The outcome of both meanings is nearly the same.
After that, it was said: وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا that is, the transitory life of the present world has deceived them. This is a true diagnosis of their real problem. They are so disobedient and wicked because they are be-witched by the glamour of their mortal life totally forgetting that they have another state of life ahead of them. If they had believed in the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) and Qiyamah (The Last Day), they would have never acted so recklessly.
In this verse, the Holy Prophet ﷺ and Muslims at large have been given two orders that they should not only avoid the people identified, but that they should also act positively and continue preaching through the Qur'an and keep putting the fear of Allah's punishment in their hearts.
The detail of this punishment was pointed out at the end of the verse by saying that, should they continue doing what they were doing, they are bound to fall a victim to their own evil conduct. The word used at this place is: تُبسَلَ which means to be detained or be entrapped.
Since man in this world is accustomed to rely on three kinds of sources to escape the punishment of his own error or injustice inflicted on someone. When convenient, he would use the power and influence of his party or group to stay safe against the consequences of his injustice. Then, should he become helpless, he would use recommendations from the influential people. When that too does not work, he would try to secure his freedom from punishment by spending money.
Allah Ta` ala says in this verse that His criminal cannot be saved from punishment by any friend or relative, nor can an intercession by anyone succeed without the permission of Allah, nor can wealth of any kind be accepted - even if the criminal were to possess the wealth of the whole world and wished to give it all in exchange for his freedom from punishment, even then this fidyah will not be accepted from him.
Finally, at the close of the verse, it was said: أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا بِمَا كَسَبُوا ۖ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ ﴿70﴾ that is, these are the people who have been detained in the punishment of their evil deeds. They will have boiling water to drink in the Jahannam about which it has been said in an-other verse that it will shatter their entrails apart (47:15) and that there will be painful punishments other than that of the boiling water in return for their disbelief and denial.
This verse also tells us that the very company of people who are heedless to the 'Akhirah and are content with their life in the mortal world is fatal for everyone. Its ultimate consequence is that whoever sits in their company shall be subject to the same punishment in which they have been caught up.
The essential objective in these three verses (68-70) is to save Muslims from evil environment and bad company which can be as deadly as poison. Many clear, definite and conclusive statements (Nusus) of the Qur'an and Hadith as well as repeated observation and experience prove that the root of all evils and crimes in which human beings get involved is the evil society and environment in which they grow up. Once snared into it, one slides into evils against personal grain and conscience. Then, comes the stage when, once habituated, the sense of evil dies away - reaching the limit when one starts taking evil as good and good as evil. In al Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ۔ is reported to have said: When a person gets involved in a sin for the first time, there appears a dot on his heart. This is like a black dot on a white dress which everyone dislikes and gets disturbed with. So, this person too feels the distaste in his heart. But when he, after having done the first one, goes on doing the second and the third sin - and does not re-pent from the past sin - black dots, one after the other, keep appearing on the heart, so much so that the radiant tablet of the heart turns jet black. The outcome is that this person is deprived of the very ability to distinguish between good and bad. The Holy Qur'an identifies it with the word: "ra'n" (rust, stain) when it says: كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿14﴾(83:14), that is, there is rust on their hearts because of their evil deeds (which has taken away their ability to receive good).
When you come to think of it, wrong environment and bad company really hurt all human beings. They push people into the abyss. May Allah keep all of us protected from them. Therefore, everyone who is responsible for raising children must do their best to keep children safe from such society and environment.
As for the next three verses (71-73), they too deal with the refutation of Shirk (the attribution of partners to Allah) and the affirmation of Tauhid (the Oneness of Allah) and 'Akhirah (the Hereafter, the life to come) as fairly evident from the translation itself.
(Remember) when Ibrāhīm said to his father, ’Āzar: “Do you take idols for gods? I see you and your people in manifest error.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Previous verses contained a description of the call given by the Holy Prophet ﷺ in which he addressed the disbelievers of Arabia and appealed to them that they should forsake the worship of idols and believe in a single object of worship: Allah.
The present verses support this call of truth in a particular way which could be naturally acceptable to the people of Arabia who have Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) as their patriarch and the whole Arabia stood united in paying homage to him almost always. These verses refer to the debate against the worship of idols and stars led by him before his people and to whom he had then given a lesson as to what a true belief in the Oneness of Allah should be.
The first verse (74) opens with Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) telling his father, 'Azar that he had taken idols made with his own hands as his object of worship, and that he saw him and his entire people in manifest error.
It is commonly held that 'Azar is the name of Sayyidna Ibrahim's father while most historians give his name as Tarakh and identify 'Azar as his title. Imam al-Razi and a group of early scholars hold that Tarakh was the name of Sayyidna Ibrahim's father and 'Azar was the name of his uncle. After becoming a minister of Nimrud, his uncle, 'Azar had become a polytheist. Since calling an uncle as father is common in Arab usage, 'Azar has been named here as Sayyidna Ibrahim's father. In Sharh al-Mawahib, Zarqani has reported several proofs to this effect.
Reform Begins at Home
'Azar, whether a father or uncle of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، was a respectable elder of the family. Thus, it was from his home that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) gave the first call to truth - as was commanded the Holy Prophet too: وَأَنذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ ﴿214﴾ (26:214) that is, warn your near relatives (of the Divine punishment). It was in obedience to this command that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had first gathered his own family to hear him when he stood at the hill of Safa to deliver his call of truth.
According to Tafsir Al-Bahr al-Muhit, from here we also learn that inviting a respected elder of the family, who may not be on the right path of faith, to the right path is not contrary to the norms of reverence. In fact, it is a matter of wishing well for him. In addition to that, this also tells us that starting the work of da'wah, the mission of inviting people to the true faith and the seeking of reforms that lead to it, from one's home, family and immediate circle, is a Sunnah (way) of the prophets (علیہم السلام) .
Two-Nation Theory: Believers are One People - Disbelievers, another.
It will be noted that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has elected not to identify his family and his people with himself in this verse when he said to his father that ` his' people were in error. This indicates the great sacrifice Sayyidna Ibrahim offered in the way of Allah by cutting off his bonds with his disbelieving brotherhood. Thus, by his deed, he demonstrated that Muslim nationality is founded through the bonds of Islam. When nationalities based on concepts of race or homeland clash against it, all these deserve to be forsaken.
By mentioning this event relating to Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، the Holy Qur'an has asked all communities to come after him that they too should follow in his footsteps. It was said: دْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ إِذْ قَالُوا لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَآءُ مِنكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ. It means: Definitely good and worthy of being emulated and followed by the Muslim community is the way and conduct of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) and of those with him who frankly told their lineal, racial and geographical brotherhood that they were wary of them and their false objects of worship and that the wall of discord between them shall remain standing until such time that they do become believers and submit to none but Allah.
This tells us that the two-nation theory which brought Pakistan into existence - was first proclaimed by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . The Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and other communities, followed this guidance and moved ahead. Among Muslims, Islam as the identity of their nationhood became well-recognized. During his journey undertaken to perform his Last Hajj, the Holy Prophet ﷺ met a caravan on the way. He asked them: ` Which nationality do you come from?' They replied: نحنُ قومُ مُّسلِمُونَ (al-Bukhari) (We are [ a ] nation [ of ] Muslims). Here, in accordance with the early practice in Arabia, they did not name a tribe or a lineally identified family, instead, called themselves: ` muslimun' (Muslims) - and by doing so, they declared what was their real nationality, a nationality which will hold good in all time frames right to the end of time well through the trials of the Akhirah. At this particular place when Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) addressed his father, he proclaimed his distaste for the doings of ` his' people - attributing the people he came from to his father - but, at the place where he had to proclaim his principled disassociation from the same people, he addressed them as his, as appears in the next verse: يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ (0 my people, I am free of what you associate with Allah). The hint given here is: ` Though, you are my people in terms of race and homeland, but your deeds of disbelief and polytheism have compelled me to cut off my relations with your brotherhood.'
The brotherhood of Sayyidna Ibrahim and his father were involved in a two-fold Shirk: They worshipped idols as well as stars. So, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) debated both issues with his father and with his people.
Thus We showed Ibrāhīm the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, so that he might be firm in belief.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
First, it was idol worship. He said that it was error, and straying. Then, in the next verses, he pointed out to stars as unworthy of worship. And a little earlier in verse 75, it is in the form of an introduction that Allah Ta` ala mentions a particular elegance and insight of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) by saying: وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ ﴿75﴾ that is, ` We made Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) see what We have created in the heavens and the earth in a way which would unravel the reality of all these created objects manifestly so that he may become firm in his belief.' What came to pass after that has taken the shape of a wondrous dialogue that appears in later verses (which shows a certain quality even in the translated form of the meanings of the totally untranslatable beauty, diction and elan of the original) and it would be useful to dwell upon the manner in which it emerges stage by stage.
So, when the night enveloped him, he saw a star. He said, “This is my Lord.” But, when it vanished, he said, “I do not like those who vanish.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Using Wisdom and Strategy in Tabligh and Da'wah is the Way of Prophets
Let us begin with verse 76 which opens with the words: رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا So, when the night enveloped him, he saw a star. Then, beaming at his people, he said: This is my Lord. The sense in which he said it was: Is it not, as you think and believe, my Lord and your Lord, the Rabb of both of us who nurtures, nourishes and sustains us? In a little while you will find out how real that is. Then, after some time, the star vanished. This gave Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) a good occasion to drive his argument home against his disbelieving people. He said: لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ (I do not like those who vanish). The word: آفِلِين (` afulin' ) is from: افول ('afulin) which means to set.
The sense is that things which set or vanish do not deserve being held dear - and when something is to be given the status of an object of worship has to be, quite obviously, most worthy of love and reverence. Maulana Rumi, in one of his couplets, has directly referred to thisevent when he said (in Persian, with its stylized translation)
خلیل آسادرِ ملکِ یقین زن
نوایٔے لا اُح، بُّ الآفِلِینِ زن
Like Khalil [ Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ...] Enter The Domain of Belief
By proclaiming The Password: I do not like the vanishing!
After that, some other night, with a glowing moon in sight, he again beamed his dialogue at his people following the earlier method, and said: (according to your view) this is my Lord but its reality you will find out after a little while. So, when the moon vanished, he said: If my Rabb had not been guiding me all along, I would have been enlisted among the stray like you, and it would have been the moon itself I might have taken as my Lord and my object of worship. But, the alternating conditions of its rising and setting brought me to the chas-tening conclusion that this star too is not worthy of worship.
Also hinted in this verse is that the Rabb or Lord of Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) is a totally different entity from Whom guidance keeps coming to him.
Then, the day he saw the sun rising, he again said to his people as he had done earlier: This (according to your view) is my Rabb. And this is the biggest of all. But, its reality you will soon find out. So, when came the time for the sun to set, set it did. Driven home was his final argument against the ideas of his people. The reality had become all too obvious. So, he said: یا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ ( O my people, I am free of whatever you associate with Allah).
In conclusion, he made it clear before them that his Rabb (the Lord of life who nurtures, cherishes and sustains it) and their Rabb can never be any of these created heavenly bodies which are not free of dependence on something else for their existence, and are surrounded by constant and ongoing changes of rising and setting. Instead of them, his Lord and their Lord was no other than the One who has created the heavens and the earth and everything therein. Therefore, he declared, that he had changed his orientation away from their self-sculpted idols and away from the stars of their fancy which changed and alternated under creational compulsion, and it was to the total exclusion of all these, that he had turned to Allah alone, the One God who has no partners and associates with Him - (and when that was settled, he was different) so, he made it frank and clear that he was not a Mushrik (disbeliever or polytheist) like them. (Indeed, a line of demarcation drawn forever! )
In this debate, it is significant that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has shown characteristic prophetic wisdom and elegance of approach when he does not make a frontal assault on the false notions of star-worship entertained by his people as being false or erroneous. He has, rather, chosen a very telling style of presentation which by itself would help any rational human being to absorb the point being made and be able to recognize reality at the end. Of course, when the case was that of idol-worship, his method was different - there, he had taken a hard line right from the start, and had told his father point-blank that he and his people had gone astray. The reason was that idol-worship was all too obvious an error, contrary to star-worship the error of which was not so obvious and pronounced.
Noteworthy here is the outcome of the argument against star-worship presented by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) before his people. He said that (a) things which are subject to change, (b) things which keep alternating in their conditions, and (c) things which in their movements are subservient to some other power can never become deserving of being taken as anyone's Rabb or Lord. In this argument, it was possible to seek help from all other conditions of the stars, such as their rising and their intermediary stage before their setting, when it could have been said that they were not independent in their movements and were moving in a pre-specified orbit under the command of someone else. But, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، from out of all these states and conditions, chose the setting of these stars as the main thrust of his argument - because their setting, in a way, spells out their decline in the sight of common people. The typical argument presented by prophets, may peace be upon them all, is what would go on to influence the minds of common people. They do not pursue philosophical truisms, instead, they address people at the level of common comprehension. Therefore, it was to prove the helplessness and ineffectiveness of stars that the phenomenon of their setting was presented. Otherwise, the rising of the stars might have also been used to prove that they were helpless and powerless - and it would have also been possible to get hold of an argument from changes that come upon them before they finally set.
Some Instructions for Preachers of Islam
This debating style of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) provides some important points of guidance for Muslim scholars and Da'wah workers:
1. In matters relating to carrying the call of truth to people (Tabligh) and seeking reform among them (Islah), being universally rigid or universally lenient is not appropriate. The correct approach is to understand that each of these has an occasion and a limit. For ex ample, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has used strong words when it comes to idol-worship, because its error is within common sight. But, he has not used such strong words in the case of star-worship where he has used a particular method to clarify its reality in the minds of his people - because the matter of stars and planets being helpless and powerless was not so readily obvious as was that of self-carved idols. This tells us that should common people be involved in an error of judgment or conduct, which they do not realize as such, then, the ` Alim (religious scholar) or Muballigh (religious preacher) would do well to avoid taking a hard line, rigid or excessive or dogmatic, and try to find a better way to remove their doubts.
2. The second guidance concerns the manner in which truth has to be presented. The example is that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) did not address his people directly asking them to do what had to be done. Rather than say something in the mode of an order, he simply told them about how he felt in this matter. He said that he could not declare things which were helplessly involved in a cycle of rising and setting as objects of worship. For this reason, he told them, he had turned to the Being that is the creator, nurturer and caretaker of all these things. Of course, the purpose was to bring them round to do the same. But, in his wise way, he abstained from a direct address lest they become totally uncompromising by opposing the suggestion just for the sake of opposition. This tells us that the job of a reformer and preacher is not to go ahead and tell what is true in just about any way. Instead of doing something like that, he is bound to say it in a manner which would produce the desired effect on his listeners.
Later, when he saw the moon rising, he said, “This is my Lord.” But, when it vanished, he said, “Had my Lord not guided me, I would have been among those gone astray.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Using Wisdom and Strategy in Tabligh and Da'wah is the Way of Prophets
Let us begin with verse 76 which opens with the words: رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا So, when the night enveloped him, he saw a star. Then, beaming at his people, he said: This is my Lord. The sense in which he said it was: Is it not, as you think and believe, my Lord and your Lord, the Rabb of both of us who nurtures, nourishes and sustains us? In a little while you will find out how real that is. Then, after some time, the star vanished. This gave Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) a good occasion to drive his argument home against his disbelieving people. He said: لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ (I do not like those who vanish). The word: آفِلِين (` afulin' ) is from: افول ('afulin) which means to set.
The sense is that things which set or vanish do not deserve being held dear - and when something is to be given the status of an object of worship has to be, quite obviously, most worthy of love and reverence. Maulana Rumi, in one of his couplets, has directly referred to thisevent when he said (in Persian, with its stylized translation)
خلیل آسادرِ ملکِ یقین زن
نوایٔے لا اُح، بُّ الآفِلِینِ زن
Like Khalil [ Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ...] Enter The Domain of Belief
By proclaiming The Password: I do not like the vanishing!
After that, some other night, with a glowing moon in sight, he again beamed his dialogue at his people following the earlier method, and said: (according to your view) this is my Lord but its reality you will find out after a little while. So, when the moon vanished, he said: If my Rabb had not been guiding me all along, I would have been enlisted among the stray like you, and it would have been the moon itself I might have taken as my Lord and my object of worship. But, the alternating conditions of its rising and setting brought me to the chas-tening conclusion that this star too is not worthy of worship.
Also hinted in this verse is that the Rabb or Lord of Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) is a totally different entity from Whom guidance keeps coming to him.
Then, the day he saw the sun rising, he again said to his people as he had done earlier: This (according to your view) is my Rabb. And this is the biggest of all. But, its reality you will soon find out. So, when came the time for the sun to set, set it did. Driven home was his final argument against the ideas of his people. The reality had become all too obvious. So, he said: یا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ ( O my people, I am free of whatever you associate with Allah).
In conclusion, he made it clear before them that his Rabb (the Lord of life who nurtures, cherishes and sustains it) and their Rabb can never be any of these created heavenly bodies which are not free of dependence on something else for their existence, and are surrounded by constant and ongoing changes of rising and setting. Instead of them, his Lord and their Lord was no other than the One who has created the heavens and the earth and everything therein. Therefore, he declared, that he had changed his orientation away from their self-sculpted idols and away from the stars of their fancy which changed and alternated under creational compulsion, and it was to the total exclusion of all these, that he had turned to Allah alone, the One God who has no partners and associates with Him - (and when that was settled, he was different) so, he made it frank and clear that he was not a Mushrik (disbeliever or polytheist) like them. (Indeed, a line of demarcation drawn forever! )
In this debate, it is significant that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has shown characteristic prophetic wisdom and elegance of approach when he does not make a frontal assault on the false notions of star-worship entertained by his people as being false or erroneous. He has, rather, chosen a very telling style of presentation which by itself would help any rational human being to absorb the point being made and be able to recognize reality at the end. Of course, when the case was that of idol-worship, his method was different - there, he had taken a hard line right from the start, and had told his father point-blank that he and his people had gone astray. The reason was that idol-worship was all too obvious an error, contrary to star-worship the error of which was not so obvious and pronounced.
Noteworthy here is the outcome of the argument against star-worship presented by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) before his people. He said that (a) things which are subject to change, (b) things which keep alternating in their conditions, and (c) things which in their movements are subservient to some other power can never become deserving of being taken as anyone's Rabb or Lord. In this argument, it was possible to seek help from all other conditions of the stars, such as their rising and their intermediary stage before their setting, when it could have been said that they were not independent in their movements and were moving in a pre-specified orbit under the command of someone else. But, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، from out of all these states and conditions, chose the setting of these stars as the main thrust of his argument - because their setting, in a way, spells out their decline in the sight of common people. The typical argument presented by prophets, may peace be upon them all, is what would go on to influence the minds of common people. They do not pursue philosophical truisms, instead, they address people at the level of common comprehension. Therefore, it was to prove the helplessness and ineffectiveness of stars that the phenomenon of their setting was presented. Otherwise, the rising of the stars might have also been used to prove that they were helpless and powerless - and it would have also been possible to get hold of an argument from changes that come upon them before they finally set.
Some Instructions for Preachers of Islam
This debating style of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) provides some important points of guidance for Muslim scholars and Da'wah workers:
1. In matters relating to carrying the call of truth to people (Tabligh) and seeking reform among them (Islah), being universally rigid or universally lenient is not appropriate. The correct approach is to understand that each of these has an occasion and a limit. For ex ample, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has used strong words when it comes to idol-worship, because its error is within common sight. But, he has not used such strong words in the case of star-worship where he has used a particular method to clarify its reality in the minds of his people - because the matter of stars and planets being helpless and powerless was not so readily obvious as was that of self-carved idols. This tells us that should common people be involved in an error of judgment or conduct, which they do not realize as such, then, the ` Alim (religious scholar) or Muballigh (religious preacher) would do well to avoid taking a hard line, rigid or excessive or dogmatic, and try to find a better way to remove their doubts.
2. The second guidance concerns the manner in which truth has to be presented. The example is that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) did not address his people directly asking them to do what had to be done. Rather than say something in the mode of an order, he simply told them about how he felt in this matter. He said that he could not declare things which were helplessly involved in a cycle of rising and setting as objects of worship. For this reason, he told them, he had turned to the Being that is the creator, nurturer and caretaker of all these things. Of course, the purpose was to bring them round to do the same. But, in his wise way, he abstained from a direct address lest they become totally uncompromising by opposing the suggestion just for the sake of opposition. This tells us that the job of a reformer and preacher is not to go ahead and tell what is true in just about any way. Instead of doing something like that, he is bound to say it in a manner which would produce the desired effect on his listeners.
Thereafter, when he saw the sun rising, he said, “This is my Lord. This is greater.” Again, when it vanished, he said, “O my people, I disown whatever you associate with Allah
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Using Wisdom and Strategy in Tabligh and Da'wah is the Way of Prophets
Let us begin with verse 76 which opens with the words: رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا So, when the night enveloped him, he saw a star. Then, beaming at his people, he said: This is my Lord. The sense in which he said it was: Is it not, as you think and believe, my Lord and your Lord, the Rabb of both of us who nurtures, nourishes and sustains us? In a little while you will find out how real that is. Then, after some time, the star vanished. This gave Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) a good occasion to drive his argument home against his disbelieving people. He said: لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ (I do not like those who vanish). The word: آفِلِين (` afulin' ) is from: افول ('afulin) which means to set.
The sense is that things which set or vanish do not deserve being held dear - and when something is to be given the status of an object of worship has to be, quite obviously, most worthy of love and reverence. Maulana Rumi, in one of his couplets, has directly referred to thisevent when he said (in Persian, with its stylized translation)
خلیل آسادرِ ملکِ یقین زن
نوایٔے لا اُح، بُّ الآفِلِینِ زن
Like Khalil [ Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ...] Enter The Domain of Belief
By proclaiming The Password: I do not like the vanishing!
After that, some other night, with a glowing moon in sight, he again beamed his dialogue at his people following the earlier method, and said: (according to your view) this is my Lord but its reality you will find out after a little while. So, when the moon vanished, he said: If my Rabb had not been guiding me all along, I would have been enlisted among the stray like you, and it would have been the moon itself I might have taken as my Lord and my object of worship. But, the alternating conditions of its rising and setting brought me to the chas-tening conclusion that this star too is not worthy of worship.
Also hinted in this verse is that the Rabb or Lord of Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) is a totally different entity from Whom guidance keeps coming to him.
Then, the day he saw the sun rising, he again said to his people as he had done earlier: This (according to your view) is my Rabb. And this is the biggest of all. But, its reality you will soon find out. So, when came the time for the sun to set, set it did. Driven home was his final argument against the ideas of his people. The reality had become all too obvious. So, he said: یا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ ( O my people, I am free of whatever you associate with Allah).
In conclusion, he made it clear before them that his Rabb (the Lord of life who nurtures, cherishes and sustains it) and their Rabb can never be any of these created heavenly bodies which are not free of dependence on something else for their existence, and are surrounded by constant and ongoing changes of rising and setting. Instead of them, his Lord and their Lord was no other than the One who has created the heavens and the earth and everything therein. Therefore, he declared, that he had changed his orientation away from their self-sculpted idols and away from the stars of their fancy which changed and alternated under creational compulsion, and it was to the total exclusion of all these, that he had turned to Allah alone, the One God who has no partners and associates with Him - (and when that was settled, he was different) so, he made it frank and clear that he was not a Mushrik (disbeliever or polytheist) like them. (Indeed, a line of demarcation drawn forever! )
In this debate, it is significant that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has shown characteristic prophetic wisdom and elegance of approach when he does not make a frontal assault on the false notions of star-worship entertained by his people as being false or erroneous. He has, rather, chosen a very telling style of presentation which by itself would help any rational human being to absorb the point being made and be able to recognize reality at the end. Of course, when the case was that of idol-worship, his method was different - there, he had taken a hard line right from the start, and had told his father point-blank that he and his people had gone astray. The reason was that idol-worship was all too obvious an error, contrary to star-worship the error of which was not so obvious and pronounced.
Noteworthy here is the outcome of the argument against star-worship presented by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) before his people. He said that (a) things which are subject to change, (b) things which keep alternating in their conditions, and (c) things which in their movements are subservient to some other power can never become deserving of being taken as anyone's Rabb or Lord. In this argument, it was possible to seek help from all other conditions of the stars, such as their rising and their intermediary stage before their setting, when it could have been said that they were not independent in their movements and were moving in a pre-specified orbit under the command of someone else. But, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، from out of all these states and conditions, chose the setting of these stars as the main thrust of his argument - because their setting, in a way, spells out their decline in the sight of common people. The typical argument presented by prophets, may peace be upon them all, is what would go on to influence the minds of common people. They do not pursue philosophical truisms, instead, they address people at the level of common comprehension. Therefore, it was to prove the helplessness and ineffectiveness of stars that the phenomenon of their setting was presented. Otherwise, the rising of the stars might have also been used to prove that they were helpless and powerless - and it would have also been possible to get hold of an argument from changes that come upon them before they finally set.
Some Instructions for Preachers of Islam
This debating style of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) provides some important points of guidance for Muslim scholars and Da'wah workers:
1. In matters relating to carrying the call of truth to people (Tabligh) and seeking reform among them (Islah), being universally rigid or universally lenient is not appropriate. The correct approach is to understand that each of these has an occasion and a limit. For ex ample, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has used strong words when it comes to idol-worship, because its error is within common sight. But, he has not used such strong words in the case of star-worship where he has used a particular method to clarify its reality in the minds of his people - because the matter of stars and planets being helpless and powerless was not so readily obvious as was that of self-carved idols. This tells us that should common people be involved in an error of judgment or conduct, which they do not realize as such, then, the ` Alim (religious scholar) or Muballigh (religious preacher) would do well to avoid taking a hard line, rigid or excessive or dogmatic, and try to find a better way to remove their doubts.
2. The second guidance concerns the manner in which truth has to be presented. The example is that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) did not address his people directly asking them to do what had to be done. Rather than say something in the mode of an order, he simply told them about how he felt in this matter. He said that he could not declare things which were helplessly involved in a cycle of rising and setting as objects of worship. For this reason, he told them, he had turned to the Being that is the creator, nurturer and caretaker of all these things. Of course, the purpose was to bring them round to do the same. But, in his wise way, he abstained from a direct address lest they become totally uncompromising by opposing the suggestion just for the sake of opposition. This tells us that the job of a reformer and preacher is not to go ahead and tell what is true in just about any way. Instead of doing something like that, he is bound to say it in a manner which would produce the desired effect on his listeners.
I have, indeed, turned my face straight towards the One who created the heavens and the earth, and I am not one of those who associate partners with Allah.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Using Wisdom and Strategy in Tabligh and Da'wah is the Way of Prophets
Let us begin with verse 76 which opens with the words: رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا So, when the night enveloped him, he saw a star. Then, beaming at his people, he said: This is my Lord. The sense in which he said it was: Is it not, as you think and believe, my Lord and your Lord, the Rabb of both of us who nurtures, nourishes and sustains us? In a little while you will find out how real that is. Then, after some time, the star vanished. This gave Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) a good occasion to drive his argument home against his disbelieving people. He said: لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ (I do not like those who vanish). The word: آفِلِين (` afulin' ) is from: افول ('afulin) which means to set.
The sense is that things which set or vanish do not deserve being held dear - and when something is to be given the status of an object of worship has to be, quite obviously, most worthy of love and reverence. Maulana Rumi, in one of his couplets, has directly referred to thisevent when he said (in Persian, with its stylized translation)
خلیل آسادرِ ملکِ یقین زن
نوایٔے لا اُح، بُّ الآفِلِینِ زن
Like Khalil [ Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ...] Enter The Domain of Belief
By proclaiming The Password: I do not like the vanishing!
After that, some other night, with a glowing moon in sight, he again beamed his dialogue at his people following the earlier method, and said: (according to your view) this is my Lord but its reality you will find out after a little while. So, when the moon vanished, he said: If my Rabb had not been guiding me all along, I would have been enlisted among the stray like you, and it would have been the moon itself I might have taken as my Lord and my object of worship. But, the alternating conditions of its rising and setting brought me to the chas-tening conclusion that this star too is not worthy of worship.
Also hinted in this verse is that the Rabb or Lord of Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) is a totally different entity from Whom guidance keeps coming to him.
Then, the day he saw the sun rising, he again said to his people as he had done earlier: This (according to your view) is my Rabb. And this is the biggest of all. But, its reality you will soon find out. So, when came the time for the sun to set, set it did. Driven home was his final argument against the ideas of his people. The reality had become all too obvious. So, he said: یا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ ( O my people, I am free of whatever you associate with Allah).
In conclusion, he made it clear before them that his Rabb (the Lord of life who nurtures, cherishes and sustains it) and their Rabb can never be any of these created heavenly bodies which are not free of dependence on something else for their existence, and are surrounded by constant and ongoing changes of rising and setting. Instead of them, his Lord and their Lord was no other than the One who has created the heavens and the earth and everything therein. Therefore, he declared, that he had changed his orientation away from their self-sculpted idols and away from the stars of their fancy which changed and alternated under creational compulsion, and it was to the total exclusion of all these, that he had turned to Allah alone, the One God who has no partners and associates with Him - (and when that was settled, he was different) so, he made it frank and clear that he was not a Mushrik (disbeliever or polytheist) like them. (Indeed, a line of demarcation drawn forever! )
In this debate, it is significant that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has shown characteristic prophetic wisdom and elegance of approach when he does not make a frontal assault on the false notions of star-worship entertained by his people as being false or erroneous. He has, rather, chosen a very telling style of presentation which by itself would help any rational human being to absorb the point being made and be able to recognize reality at the end. Of course, when the case was that of idol-worship, his method was different - there, he had taken a hard line right from the start, and had told his father point-blank that he and his people had gone astray. The reason was that idol-worship was all too obvious an error, contrary to star-worship the error of which was not so obvious and pronounced.
Noteworthy here is the outcome of the argument against star-worship presented by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) before his people. He said that (a) things which are subject to change, (b) things which keep alternating in their conditions, and (c) things which in their movements are subservient to some other power can never become deserving of being taken as anyone's Rabb or Lord. In this argument, it was possible to seek help from all other conditions of the stars, such as their rising and their intermediary stage before their setting, when it could have been said that they were not independent in their movements and were moving in a pre-specified orbit under the command of someone else. But, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، from out of all these states and conditions, chose the setting of these stars as the main thrust of his argument - because their setting, in a way, spells out their decline in the sight of common people. The typical argument presented by prophets, may peace be upon them all, is what would go on to influence the minds of common people. They do not pursue philosophical truisms, instead, they address people at the level of common comprehension. Therefore, it was to prove the helplessness and ineffectiveness of stars that the phenomenon of their setting was presented. Otherwise, the rising of the stars might have also been used to prove that they were helpless and powerless - and it would have also been possible to get hold of an argument from changes that come upon them before they finally set.
Some Instructions for Preachers of Islam
This debating style of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) provides some important points of guidance for Muslim scholars and Da'wah workers:
1. In matters relating to carrying the call of truth to people (Tabligh) and seeking reform among them (Islah), being universally rigid or universally lenient is not appropriate. The correct approach is to understand that each of these has an occasion and a limit. For ex ample, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has used strong words when it comes to idol-worship, because its error is within common sight. But, he has not used such strong words in the case of star-worship where he has used a particular method to clarify its reality in the minds of his people - because the matter of stars and planets being helpless and powerless was not so readily obvious as was that of self-carved idols. This tells us that should common people be involved in an error of judgment or conduct, which they do not realize as such, then, the ` Alim (religious scholar) or Muballigh (religious preacher) would do well to avoid taking a hard line, rigid or excessive or dogmatic, and try to find a better way to remove their doubts.
2. The second guidance concerns the manner in which truth has to be presented. The example is that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) did not address his people directly asking them to do what had to be done. Rather than say something in the mode of an order, he simply told them about how he felt in this matter. He said that he could not declare things which were helplessly involved in a cycle of rising and setting as objects of worship. For this reason, he told them, he had turned to the Being that is the creator, nurturer and caretaker of all these things. Of course, the purpose was to bring them round to do the same. But, in his wise way, he abstained from a direct address lest they become totally uncompromising by opposing the suggestion just for the sake of opposition. This tells us that the job of a reformer and preacher is not to go ahead and tell what is true in just about any way. Instead of doing something like that, he is bound to say it in a manner which would produce the desired effect on his listeners.
His people argued with him. He said, “Do you argue with me about Allah while He has already led me to the right path? I do not fear that which you associate with Him, (because it cannot harm me), unless, of course, something is willed by my Lord. My Lord encompasses everything with His knowledge. Would you, then, take no lesson?
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Using Wisdom and Strategy in Tabligh and Da'wah is the Way of Prophets
Let us begin with verse 76 which opens with the words: رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا So, when the night enveloped him, he saw a star. Then, beaming at his people, he said: This is my Lord. The sense in which he said it was: Is it not, as you think and believe, my Lord and your Lord, the Rabb of both of us who nurtures, nourishes and sustains us? In a little while you will find out how real that is. Then, after some time, the star vanished. This gave Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) a good occasion to drive his argument home against his disbelieving people. He said: لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ (I do not like those who vanish). The word: آفِلِين (` afulin' ) is from: افول ('afulin) which means to set.
The sense is that things which set or vanish do not deserve being held dear - and when something is to be given the status of an object of worship has to be, quite obviously, most worthy of love and reverence. Maulana Rumi, in one of his couplets, has directly referred to thisevent when he said (in Persian, with its stylized translation)
خلیل آسادرِ ملکِ یقین زن
نوایٔے لا اُح، بُّ الآفِلِینِ زن
Like Khalil [ Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ...] Enter The Domain of Belief
By proclaiming The Password: I do not like the vanishing!
After that, some other night, with a glowing moon in sight, he again beamed his dialogue at his people following the earlier method, and said: (according to your view) this is my Lord but its reality you will find out after a little while. So, when the moon vanished, he said: If my Rabb had not been guiding me all along, I would have been enlisted among the stray like you, and it would have been the moon itself I might have taken as my Lord and my object of worship. But, the alternating conditions of its rising and setting brought me to the chas-tening conclusion that this star too is not worthy of worship.
Also hinted in this verse is that the Rabb or Lord of Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) is a totally different entity from Whom guidance keeps coming to him.
Then, the day he saw the sun rising, he again said to his people as he had done earlier: This (according to your view) is my Rabb. And this is the biggest of all. But, its reality you will soon find out. So, when came the time for the sun to set, set it did. Driven home was his final argument against the ideas of his people. The reality had become all too obvious. So, he said: یا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ ( O my people, I am free of whatever you associate with Allah).
In conclusion, he made it clear before them that his Rabb (the Lord of life who nurtures, cherishes and sustains it) and their Rabb can never be any of these created heavenly bodies which are not free of dependence on something else for their existence, and are surrounded by constant and ongoing changes of rising and setting. Instead of them, his Lord and their Lord was no other than the One who has created the heavens and the earth and everything therein. Therefore, he declared, that he had changed his orientation away from their self-sculpted idols and away from the stars of their fancy which changed and alternated under creational compulsion, and it was to the total exclusion of all these, that he had turned to Allah alone, the One God who has no partners and associates with Him - (and when that was settled, he was different) so, he made it frank and clear that he was not a Mushrik (disbeliever or polytheist) like them. (Indeed, a line of demarcation drawn forever! )
In this debate, it is significant that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has shown characteristic prophetic wisdom and elegance of approach when he does not make a frontal assault on the false notions of star-worship entertained by his people as being false or erroneous. He has, rather, chosen a very telling style of presentation which by itself would help any rational human being to absorb the point being made and be able to recognize reality at the end. Of course, when the case was that of idol-worship, his method was different - there, he had taken a hard line right from the start, and had told his father point-blank that he and his people had gone astray. The reason was that idol-worship was all too obvious an error, contrary to star-worship the error of which was not so obvious and pronounced.
Noteworthy here is the outcome of the argument against star-worship presented by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) before his people. He said that (a) things which are subject to change, (b) things which keep alternating in their conditions, and (c) things which in their movements are subservient to some other power can never become deserving of being taken as anyone's Rabb or Lord. In this argument, it was possible to seek help from all other conditions of the stars, such as their rising and their intermediary stage before their setting, when it could have been said that they were not independent in their movements and were moving in a pre-specified orbit under the command of someone else. But, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، from out of all these states and conditions, chose the setting of these stars as the main thrust of his argument - because their setting, in a way, spells out their decline in the sight of common people. The typical argument presented by prophets, may peace be upon them all, is what would go on to influence the minds of common people. They do not pursue philosophical truisms, instead, they address people at the level of common comprehension. Therefore, it was to prove the helplessness and ineffectiveness of stars that the phenomenon of their setting was presented. Otherwise, the rising of the stars might have also been used to prove that they were helpless and powerless - and it would have also been possible to get hold of an argument from changes that come upon them before they finally set.
Some Instructions for Preachers of Islam
This debating style of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) provides some important points of guidance for Muslim scholars and Da'wah workers:
1. In matters relating to carrying the call of truth to people (Tabligh) and seeking reform among them (Islah), being universally rigid or universally lenient is not appropriate. The correct approach is to understand that each of these has an occasion and a limit. For ex ample, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has used strong words when it comes to idol-worship, because its error is within common sight. But, he has not used such strong words in the case of star-worship where he has used a particular method to clarify its reality in the minds of his people - because the matter of stars and planets being helpless and powerless was not so readily obvious as was that of self-carved idols. This tells us that should common people be involved in an error of judgment or conduct, which they do not realize as such, then, the ` Alim (religious scholar) or Muballigh (religious preacher) would do well to avoid taking a hard line, rigid or excessive or dogmatic, and try to find a better way to remove their doubts.
2. The second guidance concerns the manner in which truth has to be presented. The example is that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) did not address his people directly asking them to do what had to be done. Rather than say something in the mode of an order, he simply told them about how he felt in this matter. He said that he could not declare things which were helplessly involved in a cycle of rising and setting as objects of worship. For this reason, he told them, he had turned to the Being that is the creator, nurturer and caretaker of all these things. Of course, the purpose was to bring them round to do the same. But, in his wise way, he abstained from a direct address lest they become totally uncompromising by opposing the suggestion just for the sake of opposition. This tells us that the job of a reformer and preacher is not to go ahead and tell what is true in just about any way. Instead of doing something like that, he is bound to say it in a manner which would produce the desired effect on his listeners.
How can I fear that which you associate with Him, while you do not fear (the evil fate of) your having associated with Allah something for which He did not send down to you any authority? Now, which of the two parties has more right to be in peace? (Tell me) if you know.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Using Wisdom and Strategy in Tabligh and Da'wah is the Way of Prophets
Let us begin with verse 76 which opens with the words: رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا So, when the night enveloped him, he saw a star. Then, beaming at his people, he said: This is my Lord. The sense in which he said it was: Is it not, as you think and believe, my Lord and your Lord, the Rabb of both of us who nurtures, nourishes and sustains us? In a little while you will find out how real that is. Then, after some time, the star vanished. This gave Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) a good occasion to drive his argument home against his disbelieving people. He said: لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ (I do not like those who vanish). The word: آفِلِين (` afulin' ) is from: افول ('afulin) which means to set.
The sense is that things which set or vanish do not deserve being held dear - and when something is to be given the status of an object of worship has to be, quite obviously, most worthy of love and reverence. Maulana Rumi, in one of his couplets, has directly referred to thisevent when he said (in Persian, with its stylized translation)
خلیل آسادرِ ملکِ یقین زن
نوایٔے لا اُح، بُّ الآفِلِینِ زن
Like Khalil [ Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ...] Enter The Domain of Belief
By proclaiming The Password: I do not like the vanishing!
After that, some other night, with a glowing moon in sight, he again beamed his dialogue at his people following the earlier method, and said: (according to your view) this is my Lord but its reality you will find out after a little while. So, when the moon vanished, he said: If my Rabb had not been guiding me all along, I would have been enlisted among the stray like you, and it would have been the moon itself I might have taken as my Lord and my object of worship. But, the alternating conditions of its rising and setting brought me to the chas-tening conclusion that this star too is not worthy of worship.
Also hinted in this verse is that the Rabb or Lord of Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) is a totally different entity from Whom guidance keeps coming to him.
Then, the day he saw the sun rising, he again said to his people as he had done earlier: This (according to your view) is my Rabb. And this is the biggest of all. But, its reality you will soon find out. So, when came the time for the sun to set, set it did. Driven home was his final argument against the ideas of his people. The reality had become all too obvious. So, he said: یا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ ( O my people, I am free of whatever you associate with Allah).
In conclusion, he made it clear before them that his Rabb (the Lord of life who nurtures, cherishes and sustains it) and their Rabb can never be any of these created heavenly bodies which are not free of dependence on something else for their existence, and are surrounded by constant and ongoing changes of rising and setting. Instead of them, his Lord and their Lord was no other than the One who has created the heavens and the earth and everything therein. Therefore, he declared, that he had changed his orientation away from their self-sculpted idols and away from the stars of their fancy which changed and alternated under creational compulsion, and it was to the total exclusion of all these, that he had turned to Allah alone, the One God who has no partners and associates with Him - (and when that was settled, he was different) so, he made it frank and clear that he was not a Mushrik (disbeliever or polytheist) like them. (Indeed, a line of demarcation drawn forever! )
In this debate, it is significant that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has shown characteristic prophetic wisdom and elegance of approach when he does not make a frontal assault on the false notions of star-worship entertained by his people as being false or erroneous. He has, rather, chosen a very telling style of presentation which by itself would help any rational human being to absorb the point being made and be able to recognize reality at the end. Of course, when the case was that of idol-worship, his method was different - there, he had taken a hard line right from the start, and had told his father point-blank that he and his people had gone astray. The reason was that idol-worship was all too obvious an error, contrary to star-worship the error of which was not so obvious and pronounced.
Noteworthy here is the outcome of the argument against star-worship presented by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) before his people. He said that (a) things which are subject to change, (b) things which keep alternating in their conditions, and (c) things which in their movements are subservient to some other power can never become deserving of being taken as anyone's Rabb or Lord. In this argument, it was possible to seek help from all other conditions of the stars, such as their rising and their intermediary stage before their setting, when it could have been said that they were not independent in their movements and were moving in a pre-specified orbit under the command of someone else. But, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، from out of all these states and conditions, chose the setting of these stars as the main thrust of his argument - because their setting, in a way, spells out their decline in the sight of common people. The typical argument presented by prophets, may peace be upon them all, is what would go on to influence the minds of common people. They do not pursue philosophical truisms, instead, they address people at the level of common comprehension. Therefore, it was to prove the helplessness and ineffectiveness of stars that the phenomenon of their setting was presented. Otherwise, the rising of the stars might have also been used to prove that they were helpless and powerless - and it would have also been possible to get hold of an argument from changes that come upon them before they finally set.
Some Instructions for Preachers of Islam
This debating style of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) provides some important points of guidance for Muslim scholars and Da'wah workers:
1. In matters relating to carrying the call of truth to people (Tabligh) and seeking reform among them (Islah), being universally rigid or universally lenient is not appropriate. The correct approach is to understand that each of these has an occasion and a limit. For ex ample, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) has used strong words when it comes to idol-worship, because its error is within common sight. But, he has not used such strong words in the case of star-worship where he has used a particular method to clarify its reality in the minds of his people - because the matter of stars and planets being helpless and powerless was not so readily obvious as was that of self-carved idols. This tells us that should common people be involved in an error of judgment or conduct, which they do not realize as such, then, the ` Alim (religious scholar) or Muballigh (religious preacher) would do well to avoid taking a hard line, rigid or excessive or dogmatic, and try to find a better way to remove their doubts.
2. The second guidance concerns the manner in which truth has to be presented. The example is that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) did not address his people directly asking them to do what had to be done. Rather than say something in the mode of an order, he simply told them about how he felt in this matter. He said that he could not declare things which were helplessly involved in a cycle of rising and setting as objects of worship. For this reason, he told them, he had turned to the Being that is the creator, nurturer and caretaker of all these things. Of course, the purpose was to bring them round to do the same. But, in his wise way, he abstained from a direct address lest they become totally uncompromising by opposing the suggestion just for the sake of opposition. This tells us that the job of a reformer and preacher is not to go ahead and tell what is true in just about any way. Instead of doing something like that, he is bound to say it in a manner which would produce the desired effect on his listeners.
Those who have believed and have not mixed their faith with injustice are the ones who deserve peace, and it is they who are on the right path.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Mentioned in the previous verses was the debate Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had held with his father, 'Azar, and with his entire Nimrudic people. There, after having conclusively refuted their worship of idols and stars, he had addressed his people by telling them in effect: You threaten me that your idols will destroy me if I refuse to accept their authority, although these idols do not have the power to do so, nor have I done anything as a result of which I may be hit by some hardship. In fact, it is you who should be trembling in fear for you have committed a crime as terrible as equating with Him the creations of Allah, rather the objects made and prepared by His creation even giving them a share in His divinity. Then, the fact that Allah Ta` ala is All-Knowing, All-Aware and All-Powerful is not hidden from any sensible person. This calls for some thinking on your part. So, think and say who deserves to be in peace and who it is who should be fearing?
In the first (82) of the present verses, it was said that only those who believe in Allah and then do not go on to mix up their faith with injustice shall be the people who can hope to be safe against punishment. It appears in Hadith, when this verse was revealed, the noble Sahabah were frightened. They said: Ya Rasul Allah, who among us has not been unjust to himself by committing one or the other sin? Now, in this verse, the only condition of remaining safe from punishment is that one should have done no injustice to himself while in the state of Im an. If so, how can we ever achieve salvation? The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: You have not understood the correct meaning of the verse. Here, ` Zulm' (injustice) means ` Shirk' (ascribing of partners to Allah) as said in another verse: إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ (Joining others in the worship of Allah is a great injustice - 31:13). Therefore, the sense of the verse is that one, who enters (the bliss of) Iman and then does not associate anyone with the Being and the Attributes of Allah Ta` ala, shall remain safe from punishment, and considered well guided.
In brief, those who worship idols, rocks, trees, rivers and stars do so because they, out of bland simplicity, take them to be the holders and wielders of power. So, they are scared of the idea of forsaking their worship lest these objects were to hurt them in some way. Sayy-idna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) gave such people a smart key to their problem when he asked them to fear Almighty Allah who knew all they do and had power over whatever good or bad reaches them - and not commit the folly of fearing things which have neither knowledge nor power. This fear is absolutely unreasonable. One must fear Allah alone - and whoever believes in it is out of all danger.
Said in this verse وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُم بِظُلْمٍ (And those who have not mixed their faith with injustice). Here, ` Zulm' as explained by the Holy Prophet ﷺ means Shirk (ascribing partners in the divinity of Allah) - not sin in an ordinary sense. But, by bringing in: بِظُلم (bi zulmin) as indefinite noun (Nakirah), a device supported by the rules of the Arabic grammar, the sense was made general which includes all kinds of Shirk. As for the word: لَمْ يَلْبِسُوا (lam yalbisu), it has been de-rived from: لَبَسَ (labasa) which means to wear, cover or mix. Thus, the verse comes to mean that a person who mixes some sort of Shirk in his or her Iman, that is, one who, despite believing in Allah Ta` ala along with all His attributes of perfection, takes non-Allah too as bearing some of those attributes, shall be considered excluded from the guarantee of peace and faith given here.
We also come to know from this verse that Shirk is not restricted to becoming a Mushrik or idolater. In fact, also Mushrik is a person who does not worship idols in the customary sense, but recites the Kalimah of Islam, yet takes some angel or messenger or waliy or ‘saint’ of Allah as partners or sharers in some exclusive attributes of Allah. This verse carries a stern warning for those who take the Aulia' of Allah (The Men of Allah) and their Mazars (resting places, tombs) as capable of answering their prayers and granting their needs, and go as far as believing practically as if the Divine powers have been delegated to them. Refuge with Allah!
That is the decisive argument from Us that We gave to Ibrāhīm against his people. We raise in ranks whomsoever We will. Surely, your Lord is Wise, Knowing.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the second verse (83), Allah Ta` ala has said that the triumph of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in his debate against his people and in which he had silenced them was a blessing of Allah alone for He gave him a sound theory to propound and glowing arguments to employ. Let no one wax proud about his or her intelligence and understanding or art of discourse and power of oration as self-sufficient. Nothing crosses the barrier of possibility without the support and help of Allah Ta` ala. Bland human reason is not enough to comprehend realities. This is a matter of common observation in every age. Philosophers of great standing go astray while many among the illiterate get a firm hold on correct belief and right thinking. Maulana Rumi was on the beam when he said:
بے عنایاتِ حق و خاصانِ حق
گر مَلک بشد سید ہستش ورق
Without the graces of The True One and those close to Him
Dark shall be the record of deeds, even if one be an angel.
By saying: نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ مَّن نَّشَاءُ (We raise in ranks whom We will) towards the end of the verse (83), the hint given is that the station of special reverence received by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in this world which would last through generations to come until the Last Day, a homage universally paid by Jews, Christians, Muslims and Buddhists, was no feat of personal acquisition or recognition, instead of which, this was nothing but the grace and reward from Allah.
We bestowed upon him IsHāq and Ya‘qūb . Each one of them We guided to the right path. Earlier, We guided NūH and, of his progeny, (We guided) Dawūd and Sulaimān and Ayyūb and Yūsuf (Joseph) and Mūsā and Hārūn.-Thus We reward those who are good in deeds-
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the six verses (84-89) appearing after that, there is a list of seventeen blessed prophets, some of whom are the forefathers of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) while most are his progeny, with some being his brothers or nephews. On the one hand, described in these verses is their being Divinely guided, righteous in conduct and firm on the straight path, along with the fact that Allah Ta` ala has chosen and blessed has been stressed them to serve His religion. On the other hand, it has been stressed that, in return for the sacrifice of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) who had disassociated himself from his father, community and country in the way of Allah, was it not that, much before the reward of eternal bliss in the Hereafter, Allah Ta` ala bestowed on him right here in this world too a community better than his own, a country better than his own - and blessed him with the supreme distinction that all prophets and messengers sent into the world after him upto the end of time were from among his progeny? A branch that originated from Sayyidna Ishaq (علیہ السلام) had prophets who appeared among the Bani 1sra'il. The other branch which originated from Sayyidna 1sma'il (علیہ السلام) saw the coming of the foremost and the Last among prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ from among them. They all were the progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . This phenomena also punishment tells us that, though honour and salvation or disgrace and punishment really depend on one's personal deeds, but having a prophet or man of Allah (waliy) among forefathers, or having observing ` Alims of Din and men and women of righteous conduct among children, is also a great blessing as this too brings its benefits.
Out of these seventeen prophets (علیہم السلام) identified in the cited verses Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) is the patriarch of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . The rest have been called their progeny: وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ (and, of his progeny, to Dawud and Sulayman ...). This poses two difficulties. The first could be about Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) who, because of his father-less birth, is a progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) from the daughter's side, that is, not a paternal grandson, instead, is a grandson from the maternal side.
If so, how would calling him his progeny would be correct? Most learned Muslim scholars and jurists have answered it by saying that progeny is inclusive of both paternal and maternal grandsons. It is from here that they prove that Sayyidna Hasan and Sayyidna Hussain ؓ stand included under the progeny of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .
The second difficulty posed here relates to Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) for he is not from among his children, but is a nephew. The answer is clear. In customary usage, referring nephew as son is very common.
By mentioning the blessings of Allah on Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in these verses, two things have been made very clear. Firstly, there is the law for anyone who sacrifices whatever he holds dear in the way of Allah, on him or her Allah bestows right here in this mortal world what is better than what he or she has surrendered in the way of Allah. Secondly, the purpose is to make the disbelievers of Makkah hear this background of things in their situation so that they may be guided right. This amounts to telling them: You do not listen to what Our prophet, Muhammad al-Mustafa is telling you. If that is so, consider these you too revere as great. So, Ibrahim and his whole progeny have all been saying the same thing - that Allah is the only object worthy of worship. Associating anyone else with Him in ` Ibadah, or suggesting that someone else is a sharer in His exclusive attributes is what disbelief and straying is. This proves that they are, even in terms of what they themselves accept as established truth, subject to censure.
and (We guided) Zakariyyā and YaHyā and ‘Īsā and Ilyās -each one of them was of the righteous-
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the six verses (84-89) appearing after that, there is a list of seventeen blessed prophets, some of whom are the forefathers of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) while most are his progeny, with some being his brothers or nephews. On the one hand, described in these verses is their being Divinely guided, righteous in conduct and firm on the straight path, along with the fact that Allah Ta` ala has chosen and blessed has been stressed them to serve His religion. On the other hand, it has been stressed that, in return for the sacrifice of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) who had disassociated himself from his father, community and country in the way of Allah, was it not that, much before the reward of eternal bliss in the Hereafter, Allah Ta` ala bestowed on him right here in this world too a community better than his own, a country better than his own - and blessed him with the supreme distinction that all prophets and messengers sent into the world after him upto the end of time were from among his progeny? A branch that originated from Sayyidna Ishaq (علیہ السلام) had prophets who appeared among the Bani 1sra'il. The other branch which originated from Sayyidna 1sma'il (علیہ السلام) saw the coming of the foremost and the Last among prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ from among them. They all were the progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . This phenomena also punishment tells us that, though honour and salvation or disgrace and punishment really depend on one's personal deeds, but having a prophet or man of Allah (waliy) among forefathers, or having observing ` Alims of Din and men and women of righteous conduct among children, is also a great blessing as this too brings its benefits.
Out of these seventeen prophets (علیہم السلام) identified in the cited verses Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) is the patriarch of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . The rest have been called their progeny: وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ (and, of his progeny, to Dawud and Sulayman ...). This poses two difficulties. The first could be about Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) who, because of his father-less birth, is a progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) from the daughter's side, that is, not a paternal grandson, instead, is a grandson from the maternal side.
If so, how would calling him his progeny would be correct? Most learned Muslim scholars and jurists have answered it by saying that progeny is inclusive of both paternal and maternal grandsons. It is from here that they prove that Sayyidna Hasan and Sayyidna Hussain ؓ stand included under the progeny of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .
The second difficulty posed here relates to Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) for he is not from among his children, but is a nephew. The answer is clear. In customary usage, referring nephew as son is very common.
By mentioning the blessings of Allah on Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in these verses, two things have been made very clear. Firstly, there is the law for anyone who sacrifices whatever he holds dear in the way of Allah, on him or her Allah bestows right here in this mortal world what is better than what he or she has surrendered in the way of Allah. Secondly, the purpose is to make the disbelievers of Makkah hear this background of things in their situation so that they may be guided right. This amounts to telling them: You do not listen to what Our prophet, Muhammad al-Mustafa is telling you. If that is so, consider these you too revere as great. So, Ibrahim and his whole progeny have all been saying the same thing - that Allah is the only object worthy of worship. Associating anyone else with Him in ` Ibadah, or suggesting that someone else is a sharer in His exclusive attributes is what disbelief and straying is. This proves that they are, even in terms of what they themselves accept as established truth, subject to censure.
-and Ismā‘īl and Yasa‘ and Yūnus and LūT, and all of them We made to excel over all the people of the world (in their respective times).
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the six verses (84-89) appearing after that, there is a list of seventeen blessed prophets, some of whom are the forefathers of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) while most are his progeny, with some being his brothers or nephews. On the one hand, described in these verses is their being Divinely guided, righteous in conduct and firm on the straight path, along with the fact that Allah Ta` ala has chosen and blessed has been stressed them to serve His religion. On the other hand, it has been stressed that, in return for the sacrifice of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) who had disassociated himself from his father, community and country in the way of Allah, was it not that, much before the reward of eternal bliss in the Hereafter, Allah Ta` ala bestowed on him right here in this world too a community better than his own, a country better than his own - and blessed him with the supreme distinction that all prophets and messengers sent into the world after him upto the end of time were from among his progeny? A branch that originated from Sayyidna Ishaq (علیہ السلام) had prophets who appeared among the Bani 1sra'il. The other branch which originated from Sayyidna 1sma'il (علیہ السلام) saw the coming of the foremost and the Last among prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ from among them. They all were the progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . This phenomena also punishment tells us that, though honour and salvation or disgrace and punishment really depend on one's personal deeds, but having a prophet or man of Allah (waliy) among forefathers, or having observing ` Alims of Din and men and women of righteous conduct among children, is also a great blessing as this too brings its benefits.
Out of these seventeen prophets (علیہم السلام) identified in the cited verses Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) is the patriarch of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . The rest have been called their progeny: وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ (and, of his progeny, to Dawud and Sulayman ...). This poses two difficulties. The first could be about Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) who, because of his father-less birth, is a progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) from the daughter's side, that is, not a paternal grandson, instead, is a grandson from the maternal side.
If so, how would calling him his progeny would be correct? Most learned Muslim scholars and jurists have answered it by saying that progeny is inclusive of both paternal and maternal grandsons. It is from here that they prove that Sayyidna Hasan and Sayyidna Hussain ؓ stand included under the progeny of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .
The second difficulty posed here relates to Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) for he is not from among his children, but is a nephew. The answer is clear. In customary usage, referring nephew as son is very common.
By mentioning the blessings of Allah on Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in these verses, two things have been made very clear. Firstly, there is the law for anyone who sacrifices whatever he holds dear in the way of Allah, on him or her Allah bestows right here in this mortal world what is better than what he or she has surrendered in the way of Allah. Secondly, the purpose is to make the disbelievers of Makkah hear this background of things in their situation so that they may be guided right. This amounts to telling them: You do not listen to what Our prophet, Muhammad al-Mustafa is telling you. If that is so, consider these you too revere as great. So, Ibrahim and his whole progeny have all been saying the same thing - that Allah is the only object worthy of worship. Associating anyone else with Him in ` Ibadah, or suggesting that someone else is a sharer in His exclusive attributes is what disbelief and straying is. This proves that they are, even in terms of what they themselves accept as established truth, subject to censure.
We guided many among their fathers and their children and their brothers, and We chose them and led them on to the straight path.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the six verses (84-89) appearing after that, there is a list of seventeen blessed prophets, some of whom are the forefathers of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) while most are his progeny, with some being his brothers or nephews. On the one hand, described in these verses is their being Divinely guided, righteous in conduct and firm on the straight path, along with the fact that Allah Ta` ala has chosen and blessed has been stressed them to serve His religion. On the other hand, it has been stressed that, in return for the sacrifice of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) who had disassociated himself from his father, community and country in the way of Allah, was it not that, much before the reward of eternal bliss in the Hereafter, Allah Ta` ala bestowed on him right here in this world too a community better than his own, a country better than his own - and blessed him with the supreme distinction that all prophets and messengers sent into the world after him upto the end of time were from among his progeny? A branch that originated from Sayyidna Ishaq (علیہ السلام) had prophets who appeared among the Bani 1sra'il. The other branch which originated from Sayyidna 1sma'il (علیہ السلام) saw the coming of the foremost and the Last among prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ from among them. They all were the progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . This phenomena also punishment tells us that, though honour and salvation or disgrace and punishment really depend on one's personal deeds, but having a prophet or man of Allah (waliy) among forefathers, or having observing ` Alims of Din and men and women of righteous conduct among children, is also a great blessing as this too brings its benefits.
Out of these seventeen prophets (علیہم السلام) identified in the cited verses Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) is the patriarch of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . The rest have been called their progeny: وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ (and, of his progeny, to Dawud and Sulayman ...). This poses two difficulties. The first could be about Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) who, because of his father-less birth, is a progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) from the daughter's side, that is, not a paternal grandson, instead, is a grandson from the maternal side.
If so, how would calling him his progeny would be correct? Most learned Muslim scholars and jurists have answered it by saying that progeny is inclusive of both paternal and maternal grandsons. It is from here that they prove that Sayyidna Hasan and Sayyidna Hussain ؓ stand included under the progeny of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .
The second difficulty posed here relates to Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) for he is not from among his children, but is a nephew. The answer is clear. In customary usage, referring nephew as son is very common.
By mentioning the blessings of Allah on Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in these verses, two things have been made very clear. Firstly, there is the law for anyone who sacrifices whatever he holds dear in the way of Allah, on him or her Allah bestows right here in this mortal world what is better than what he or she has surrendered in the way of Allah. Secondly, the purpose is to make the disbelievers of Makkah hear this background of things in their situation so that they may be guided right. This amounts to telling them: You do not listen to what Our prophet, Muhammad al-Mustafa is telling you. If that is so, consider these you too revere as great. So, Ibrahim and his whole progeny have all been saying the same thing - that Allah is the only object worthy of worship. Associating anyone else with Him in ` Ibadah, or suggesting that someone else is a sharer in His exclusive attributes is what disbelief and straying is. This proves that they are, even in terms of what they themselves accept as established truth, subject to censure.
That is Allah’s guidance. He guides with it whomsoever He wills from among His servants. Had they associated partners with Him, all they did would have been nullified for them.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the six verses (84-89) appearing after that, there is a list of seventeen blessed prophets, some of whom are the forefathers of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) while most are his progeny, with some being his brothers or nephews. On the one hand, described in these verses is their being Divinely guided, righteous in conduct and firm on the straight path, along with the fact that Allah Ta` ala has chosen and blessed has been stressed them to serve His religion. On the other hand, it has been stressed that, in return for the sacrifice of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) who had disassociated himself from his father, community and country in the way of Allah, was it not that, much before the reward of eternal bliss in the Hereafter, Allah Ta` ala bestowed on him right here in this world too a community better than his own, a country better than his own - and blessed him with the supreme distinction that all prophets and messengers sent into the world after him upto the end of time were from among his progeny? A branch that originated from Sayyidna Ishaq (علیہ السلام) had prophets who appeared among the Bani 1sra'il. The other branch which originated from Sayyidna 1sma'il (علیہ السلام) saw the coming of the foremost and the Last among prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ from among them. They all were the progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . This phenomena also punishment tells us that, though honour and salvation or disgrace and punishment really depend on one's personal deeds, but having a prophet or man of Allah (waliy) among forefathers, or having observing ` Alims of Din and men and women of righteous conduct among children, is also a great blessing as this too brings its benefits.
Out of these seventeen prophets (علیہم السلام) identified in the cited verses Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) is the patriarch of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . The rest have been called their progeny: وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ (and, of his progeny, to Dawud and Sulayman ...). This poses two difficulties. The first could be about Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) who, because of his father-less birth, is a progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) from the daughter's side, that is, not a paternal grandson, instead, is a grandson from the maternal side.
If so, how would calling him his progeny would be correct? Most learned Muslim scholars and jurists have answered it by saying that progeny is inclusive of both paternal and maternal grandsons. It is from here that they prove that Sayyidna Hasan and Sayyidna Hussain ؓ stand included under the progeny of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .
The second difficulty posed here relates to Sayyidna Lut (علیہ السلام) for he is not from among his children, but is a nephew. The answer is clear. In customary usage, referring nephew as son is very common.
By mentioning the blessings of Allah on Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) in these verses, two things have been made very clear. Firstly, there is the law for anyone who sacrifices whatever he holds dear in the way of Allah, on him or her Allah bestows right here in this mortal world what is better than what he or she has surrendered in the way of Allah. Secondly, the purpose is to make the disbelievers of Makkah hear this background of things in their situation so that they may be guided right. This amounts to telling them: You do not listen to what Our prophet, Muhammad al-Mustafa is telling you. If that is so, consider these you too revere as great. So, Ibrahim and his whole progeny have all been saying the same thing - that Allah is the only object worthy of worship. Associating anyone else with Him in ` Ibadah, or suggesting that someone else is a sharer in His exclusive attributes is what disbelief and straying is. This proves that they are, even in terms of what they themselves accept as established truth, subject to censure.
They are those whom We have given the Book and wisdom and prophethood. So, if these people disbelieve this (concept of Prophet-hood), then (be not grieved, because) We have deputed for (believing in) it a people who do not reject it.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The subject continues through the eighth verse (89) at the end of which it has been said to comfort the Holy Prophet ﷺ ; فَإِن يَكْفُرْ بِهَا هَـٰؤُلَاءِ فَقَدْ وَكَّلْنَا بِهَا قَوْمًا لَّيْسُوا بِهَا بِكَافِرِينَ (So, if these people disbelieve it, then, We have deputed for it a people who do not disbelieve in it). In other words, it means: If some of your addressees do not listen to you and are, despite having been told about the teachings of all past prophets, bent upon nothing short of denial, then, you do not have to worry - because We have appointed a great people who would say yes to your call, follow your word and make the mission their own, and who would never stoop to the level of disbelief and denial.
Included here are all Muhajerin and Ansar present during the blessed age of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and also all Muslims who keep coming upto the end of time until comes the Qiyamah. And this verse is a fond asset for all such people, as Allah Ta` ala has named them on an occasion which calls for praise by Him:
Those are the people whom Allah has guided. So, it is their guidance that you should follow. Say, “I ask you no reward for it. It is nothing but an advice for all the worlds.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
It will be recalled that mentioned in previous verses were great rewards and ranks bestowed on Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . Through these, the purpose was to show to the whole progeny of Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) generally and to the people of Makkah and Arabia particularly, in a practically demonstrated form, that a person who takes total obedience to Allah Ta` ala as the sole purpose of his or her life and sacrifices everything held dear in the way of Allah - as was done by Sayyidna Ibrahim Khalilullah, may Allah bless him - then, in order are the best of returns for that person. He left his father and mother, his people and country, all for the sake of Allah. Then, it was to offer his supreme services to found and raise the foundations of the House of Allah, the venerated Baytullah, that he abandoned the greeneries of the country of Syria and travelled all the way to the deserts of Makkah. When ordered to leave his wife and infant son in the wilderness, he obeyed instantly. When commanded to sacrifice his first-born and very dear son, he demonstrated his readiness to obey it all the way to the ultimate limits of his choice and volition. For those obedient in that class and degree, the real reward shall come only after Qiyamah, and in Jannah alone. But, Allah Ta` ala blesses such people right here in this world too with ranks and riches which would put all ranks and riches of the entire world to shame.
Sayyidna Ibrahim Khalilullah (علیہ السلام) left his people for the sake of Allah - in return, he became the patriarch of prophets, most of whom were from among his progeny. He left his country of Syria and Iraq - in return, he was blessed with Baytullah (the House of Allah), al-Balad al-Amin (the City of Trust) and Umm al-Qura (the Mother of Cities) that is, Makkah al-Mukarramah. His own people tried to disgrace him - in return, he was made the supreme leader of generations to come right through the Last Day of Qiyamah in the present world where nations and religions despite their major mutual differences have all along remained united on paying homage to the reverence of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) .
It will also be recalled that in those verses seventeen prophets were mentioned most of whom are either children or progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . It was also stated there that they were persons of great status whom Allah had chosen to convey His message to all human beings and that it was He who had shown them the straight path.
Explanatory Notes on the Present Verses
Addressing the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the first verse (90) the people of Makkah have been sounded that the forefathers of a people cannot be taken as objects of emulation or role-models deserving of being followed to the letter in all their words and deeds, as was generally believed by the people of Arabia, and by the people of Makkah particularly. Instead, before going ahead and starting to follow someone, it is necessary to find out whether or not the person, or people, being followed, is himself on the path of true guidance. Therefore, after enumerating a brief list of the blessed prophets, it was said: أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّـهُ. (Those are the people Allah has guided). After that, it was said: فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ (So, it is their guidance that you shall follow).
Thus, the guidance given in this verse is bi-polar. The first element is addressed to the people of Arabia, and to the whole Muslim Ummah by implication, that is, they should forsake the superstition of following forefathers and take to following prophets guided by Allah Ta` ala. The second element of guidance is for the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself, that is, he too should act in the way the past prophets have acted.
Noteworthy here is the fact that partial or subsidiary differences have been there in the laws of earlier prophets, may peace be upon them. Then, revealed for the Muslim peoples themselves, there have been many injunctions different from them. What, then, would be the meaning of asking the Holy Prophet ﷺ to follow the way of the past prophets and act in accordance with it? Keeping in view other Qur'anic verses and narrations of Hadith, the answer is that the command here does not apply to the following of the way of past prophets in all partial and subsidiary aspects of injunctions. In fact, the purpose is to adhere to the basic principles of religion which include Tauhid (Oneness of Allah) Risalah (Prophethood) and Akhirah (Hereafter) as has been their way. They never changed in the law of any prophet. From Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) to the Last of the Prophets ﷺ ، all prophets (علیہم السلام) ، have been adhering to one Belief and one Way. As for subsidiary injunctions which remained unchanged, the modus operandi has been common. However, when a new injunction was given due to exigency of time or dictate of wisdom, it was acted upon as required.
This is the reason why it was the usual practice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ that he would - until such time that he received particular guidance through revelation - act in accordance with the way of past prophets علیہم السلام (Mazhari others).
After that, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been specially commanded to proclaim - a common practice of all past prophets (علیہم السلام) - in the words which follow: قُل لَّا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا ۖ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْعَالَمِينَ (Say: "I ask you no reward for it. It is nothing but an advice for all the worlds). In other words, it means: I am not asking you to pay for the good counsel I am offering to help you better your life. I need no fees or wages or rewards. If you accept it, I gain nothing. If you do not accept it, I lose nothing. This is only a message, a message for people all over, a message of good counsel, good will. Not accepting any return for teaching and preaching has been the common legacy of all prophets (علیہم السلام) . This is a powerful factor which goes on to make Tabligh (conveying the message of religion to others) effective.
They did not hold Allah in due esteem when they said, “Allah has not sent down anything to a human being.” Say, “Who has sent down the Book brought by Mūsā as a light and a guidance for people, which you keep in various sheets (some of which) you disclose, and a lot of which you conceal, and (by which) you were taught what you did not know, neither you nor your fathers?” Say, “Allah.” Then leave them to play with whatever they indulge in.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The second verse (91) has been revealed in answer to those who had the audacity to say that Allah Ta` ala has just not revealed any book to any human being. According to them, this whole proposition of books and messengers was all wrong.
If, those who said that are the idolaters of Makkah, as mentioned by Ibn Kathir, then, the matter is obvious, for they did not believe in any book and prophet. And if they were Jews, as held by other commentators - and the contextual elements of the verse obviously support this view - then, their saying so was an outcome of their anger and irritation, something contrary to the dictates of their own religion. According to a narration of Imam al-Baghawi, this was the reason why the Jews too were displeased with the person who had made this unfortunate remark, and it was because of this erroneous conduct of his that he was removed from his office of religious authority.
In this verse, Allah Ta` ala has said to the Holy Prophet ﷺ that people who made this absurd remark did not recognize the Most True Allah as was His right to be recognized. Had they done that, this audacious remark would have never escaped their lips. Then, Allah Ta` ala tells the Holy Prophet ﷺ to ask the people who deny Scriptures absolutely: If that is what you think - that Allah Ta` ala did not reveal any book to any human being - then, you better have an answer as to who revealed the Torah, in which you too believe, and because of which you sit in judgment over your people. Along with it, they were also told: You are such connoisseurs of crooked ways that you would treat your own book, the Torah, which you believe in as being Holy Scripture, in a way that you got it conveniently written on separate sheets, rather than having it in a formally bound book, so that you can take out any sheet from it as and when you want it, and by doing so you would have the option of denying what it enjoined. An example of this are the verses of the Torah which described the signs and attributes of the Messenger of Allah which you have excluded. The last sentence of the verse: تَجْعَلُونَهُ قَرَاطِيسَ (which you kept in sheets) means exactly this. The word: قَرَاطِيسَ (qaratis) is the plural of: قِرطَاس (qirtas) which means sheet or paper.
After that, addressing the same people, it has been said: وَعُلِّمْتُم مَّا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنتُمْ وَلَا آبَاؤُكُمْ that is, you were taught (through the Qur an) what you or your forefathers did not know (earlier, either through the Torah or the Injil).
At the end of verse (91), it was said: قُلِ اللَّـهُ ۖ ثُمَّ ذَرْهُمْ فِي خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ (Say, "Allah." Then leave them playing with what they are indulged in). In other words, the sense is: As for the question - if Allah just did not send any book, who sent the Torah? - it was something they would not know how to answer, so, you go ahead and tell them that it was revealed by none but Allah. Now that the argument against them stands concluded, your mission as far as they are concerned is over. So, let them be lost in the game they are playing.
This is indeed a Blessed Book We have sent down, confirming what was (revealed) before it, so that you may warn the town which is the Mother of All Towns, (i.e. Makkah) and those around it. Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it, and they take due care of their prayers.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
After having concluded the argument concerning Books revealed by Allah Ta` ala against deniers, it was said in the third verse (92): وَهَـٰذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ مُّصَدِّقُ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلِتُنذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا (And this is a blessed Book We have sent down confirming what has been before it, so that you may warn the town which is the mother of all towns, and those around it), that is, as it is that they too accept that the Torah was sent down by Allah Ta` ala, so it is that We have sent down this Qur'an too, and sufficient for them is the proof of its veracity that the Qur'an confirms what has been revealed in the Torah and the Injil. And that it was revealed after the Torah and Injil is because these two Books were sent for the Bani Isra'il while for their other branch of Bani Isma'il, known as Arabs living in Umm al-Qura, that is, Makkah and its environs, there has been no prophet or book of guidance until that time. Now this Qur'an has been sent for them particularly, and for the whole world generally. Makkah al-Mu'azzamah has been called Umm al-Qura by the Holy Qur'an. It means the root and foundation of all towns and habitations. The reason is that, according to historical nar-ratives, the land mass of the earth first began appearing from here. In addition to that, this is the Qiblah, and the central attraction of all acts of ` Ibadah for the whole world. (Mazhari) Said with: أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ (Umm al-Qura) is: وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا (and those around it). It means all environs of Makkah, which includes the whole world East, West, North and South of Makkah.
Towards the end of the verse, it was said: وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ ۖ وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ. It means: Those who believe in the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) also believe in the Qur'an and are particularly careful about their prayers (Salah). This carries an admonition for the Jews and disbelievers against their common ailment whereby they would, with typical lack of concern, accept what they liked and reject what they did not, opening a front against it. This is an effect of that ailment - that they do not believe in 'Akhirah. Anyone who believes in 'Akhirah and in a Day of Judgment will definitely be moved by the fear of Allah which would help him or her reason it out, and once convinced, one would bypass constraints of ignorant customs and embrace what is the truth.
A little thought would reveal that the lack of concern for the 'Akhirah is the mother of all spiritual diseases. From here come Kufr and Shirk and sin and disobedience. If a believer in the 'Akhirah happens to have committed a mistake or sin, he does feel a pinch in his heart. Sooner or later, he repents and resolves to stay away from sin in the future. So, the fear of Allah 'and the concern for the 'Akhirah are, in all truth, channels which make human beings what they should be and which make them capable of staying away from crime and sin and disobedience by conscious choice. Therefore, no Surah (Chapter) of the Qur'an, perhaps no Ruku` (Section) either, is left without a reminder of this concern for the 'Akhirah:.
Who is more unjust than the one who fabricates a lie against Allah or says, “Revelation has been sent to me”, whereas no revelation has been sent to him, and the one who says, “I would produce the like of what Allah has revealed.” If only you could witness when the unjust are in the throes of death, and the angels stretch their hands (and say), “Out with your souls. Today, you shall have your punishment, a punishment of humiliation, because you have been saying about Allah what is not true, and have been showing arrogance against His verses.”
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
After having concluded the argument concerning Books revealed by Allah Ta` ala against deniers, it was said in the third verse (92): وَهَـٰذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ مُّصَدِّقُ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلِتُنذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا (And this is a blessed Book We have sent down confirming what has been before it, so that you may warn the town which is the mother of all towns, and those around it), that is, as it is that they too accept that the Torah was sent down by Allah Ta` ala, so it is that We have sent down this Qur'an too, and sufficient for them is the proof of its veracity that the Qur'an confirms what has been revealed in the Torah and the Injil. And that it was revealed after the Torah and Injil is because these two Books were sent for the Bani Isra'il while for their other branch of Bani Isma'il, known as Arabs living in Umm al-Qura, that is, Makkah and its environs, there has been no prophet or book of guidance until that time. Now this Qur'an has been sent for them particularly, and for the whole world generally. Makkah al-Mu'azzamah has been called Umm al-Qura by the Holy Qur'an. It means the root and foundation of all towns and habitations. The reason is that, according to historical nar-ratives, the land mass of the earth first began appearing from here. In addition to that, this is the Qiblah, and the central attraction of all acts of ` Ibadah for the whole world. (Mazhari) Said with: أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ (Umm al-Qura) is: وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا (and those around it). It means all environs of Makkah, which includes the whole world East, West, North and South of Makkah.
Towards the end of the verse, it was said: وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ ۖ وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ. It means: Those who believe in the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) also believe in the Qur'an and are particularly careful about their prayers (Salah). This carries an admonition for the Jews and disbelievers against their common ailment whereby they would, with typical lack of concern, accept what they liked and reject what they did not, opening a front against it. This is an effect of that ailment - that they do not believe in 'Akhirah. Anyone who believes in 'Akhirah and in a Day of Judgment will definitely be moved by the fear of Allah which would help him or her reason it out, and once convinced, one would bypass constraints of ignorant customs and embrace what is the truth.
A little thought would reveal that the lack of concern for the 'Akhirah is the mother of all spiritual diseases. From here come Kufr and Shirk and sin and disobedience. If a believer in the 'Akhirah happens to have committed a mistake or sin, he does feel a pinch in his heart. Sooner or later, he repents and resolves to stay away from sin in the future. So, the fear of Allah 'and the concern for the 'Akhirah are, in all truth, channels which make human beings what they should be and which make them capable of staying away from crime and sin and disobedience by conscious choice. Therefore, no Surah (Chapter) of the Qur'an, perhaps no Ruku` (Section) either, is left without a reminder of this concern for the 'Akhirah:.
You have come to Us all alone, just as We had first created you, and you have left behind you what We had bestowed on you, and We do not see your intercessors with you - those whom you claimed to be (Our) partners in (managing) your matters. In fact, all ties between you are now severed, and all that you presumed has totally failed you.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
After having concluded the argument concerning Books revealed by Allah Ta` ala against deniers, it was said in the third verse (92): وَهَـٰذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ مُّصَدِّقُ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلِتُنذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا (And this is a blessed Book We have sent down confirming what has been before it, so that you may warn the town which is the mother of all towns, and those around it), that is, as it is that they too accept that the Torah was sent down by Allah Ta` ala, so it is that We have sent down this Qur'an too, and sufficient for them is the proof of its veracity that the Qur'an confirms what has been revealed in the Torah and the Injil. And that it was revealed after the Torah and Injil is because these two Books were sent for the Bani Isra'il while for their other branch of Bani Isma'il, known as Arabs living in Umm al-Qura, that is, Makkah and its environs, there has been no prophet or book of guidance until that time. Now this Qur'an has been sent for them particularly, and for the whole world generally. Makkah al-Mu'azzamah has been called Umm al-Qura by the Holy Qur'an. It means the root and foundation of all towns and habitations. The reason is that, according to historical nar-ratives, the land mass of the earth first began appearing from here. In addition to that, this is the Qiblah, and the central attraction of all acts of ` Ibadah for the whole world. (Mazhari) Said with: أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ (Umm al-Qura) is: وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا (and those around it). It means all environs of Makkah, which includes the whole world East, West, North and South of Makkah.
Towards the end of the verse, it was said: وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ ۖ وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ. It means: Those who believe in the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) also believe in the Qur'an and are particularly careful about their prayers (Salah). This carries an admonition for the Jews and disbelievers against their common ailment whereby they would, with typical lack of concern, accept what they liked and reject what they did not, opening a front against it. This is an effect of that ailment - that they do not believe in 'Akhirah. Anyone who believes in 'Akhirah and in a Day of Judgment will definitely be moved by the fear of Allah which would help him or her reason it out, and once convinced, one would bypass constraints of ignorant customs and embrace what is the truth.
A little thought would reveal that the lack of concern for the 'Akhirah is the mother of all spiritual diseases. From here come Kufr and Shirk and sin and disobedience. If a believer in the 'Akhirah happens to have committed a mistake or sin, he does feel a pinch in his heart. Sooner or later, he repents and resolves to stay away from sin in the future. So, the fear of Allah 'and the concern for the 'Akhirah are, in all truth, channels which make human beings what they should be and which make them capable of staying away from crime and sin and disobedience by conscious choice. Therefore, no Surah (Chapter) of the Qur'an, perhaps no Ruku` (Section) either, is left without a reminder of this concern for the 'Akhirah:.
Surely, Allah is the one who splits the grain and the date-stone (for sprouting). He brings forth the living from the dead, and He is the One who brings forth the dead from the living. That is Allah! To where, then, are you being turned away (by your desires)?
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Mentioned in the previous verses was how obstinate and unmindful of consequences the disbelievers and polytheists were. Since such evils are caused when people remain unaware of Allah and His unmatched knowledge and power, the present four verses provide the antidote. Here, Allah Ta’ ala cites some samples of His Knowledge and Power, and of blessings and favours bestowed on human beings, a little reflection in which would make every sensible person admit that feats of such magnitude cannot be accomplished by any power other than that of Almighty Allah.
In the first verse (95), it was said: إِنَّ اللَّـهَ فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ (Surely, Allah is the one who splits the seed and the pit). Pointed to here is a marvel of creation. Splitting a dry seed and pit and bringing out from it a living green tree is the act of that Most Sacred Being who is the Creator of the Universe. Human input has nothing to do with it. The most a farmer can do is to remove impediments or things harmful away from the growth path of the tender bud or shoot rising from inside the seed or pit, a tribute to the great power of the Creator. Of course, there are processes of ploughing, cleaning, softening, leveling, fertilizing and watering of land - but, the maximum these efforts can achieve is to make sure that the tender newcomer has to face no hurdle on its way up. The rest of the job, the real job, that the seed and pit split, that a bud or shoot sprout out from it, that come leaves of many wonderful kinds and colour, that come flowers and fruits (of mindboggling colours, varieties, smells and tastes), is a job taken care of by someone else. This is art and power alive which no human ingenuity can even come close to by making one leaf, one petal in that manner. Therefore, at another place in the Qur'an, it was said: أَفَرَأَيْتُم مَّا تَحْرُثُونَ ﴿63﴾ أَأَنتُمْ تَزْرَعُونَهُ أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِعُونَ ﴿64﴾ that is, ` Do you see the seed that you sow? Do you make it grow, or are We the One who makes it grow [ the real Creator to whom its growth has to be attributed ]? - 56-63.'
Then, it was said: يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَمُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَيِّ (He brings forth the living from the dead, and He is the one who brings forth the dead from the living). The ` dead' or lifeless refers to cell or egg which serves to create human and animal life forms. Similarly, the expression: ` dead from the living' refers to the same cell or egg which issues forth from the living.
After that, it was said: ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّـهُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ (That is Allah. Whereto, then, are you straying away?). In other words, the sense is that all these things have been done by Allah Ta` ala alone, yet here you are knowlingly straying away to strange directions, such as, taking self-carved idols as your removers of difficulties and fulfillers of needs and thus the objects of your worship.
(He is) the One who causes the dawn to break. He has made the night for rest, and the sun and the moon for reckoning. This is a measure set by the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Said in the second verse (96) is: فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ (He is) the One who causes the dawn to break.' The word: فَالِقُ (Faliq) means one who splits, and the word: الْإِصْبَاحِ (al-Isbah) here means the time of morning. Thus, the expression: فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ (Faliq al-labah) means one who splits the morning, that is, one who tears the dark layer of darkness apart and brings the morning out. This too is one of those functions of such magnitude that would render the combined powers of all Jinns and human beings and all others to nothing. It does not take much to realize the truth of it. Everyone with a pair of sighted eyes is compelled to concede that the causer and creator of the morning light from the darkness of the night cannot be a human being, or angel, or any other created being, from fact or fiction. Instead of all that, the undeniable truth is that this is the work of that One Being that created the whole universe, a Being beyond human comprehension.
Night for Rest is a Blessing
After that, it was said: وَجَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ سَكَنًا (And He has made the night for rest). The word: سَکَن (sakan) is a derivation from : سُکُون (sukun). Everything - means, time or place - by having or reaching which one feels peaceful and comfortable is called sakan, therefore, the home of a person has been referred to as sakan in the Holy Qur'an: جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّن بُيُوتِكُمْ سَكَنًا (Allah made for you your home a place to rest - 16:80). This is so because the home of a person, even if it be a hut, is a habitual source of peace and comfort. Therefore, this sentence comes to mean that Allah Ta` ala has made the night a time of peace and comfort for every living being. By saying: فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ (Faliq al-Isbah: the One who causes the dawn to break) mentioned there were blessings which one benefits from during the light of the day, something that would not be equally possible during the darkness of night. Then, by saying: وَجَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ سَكَنًا (made the night for rest) after that, indication was given that, no doubt the light of the day is a great blessing for human beings trans-acting most of their businesses and chores with its help, but not that bad is the darkness of night, for that too is a big blessing when it helps a person, all tired after a hard day's work, get the rest needed to go back to work with recovered energy. Otherwise, human nature cannot withstand respite-less labour.
Earmarking the darkness of night for comfort is a regular blessing and, certainly, a special demonstration of the irresistibly subjugating power of Allah Ta` ala. Since this blessing comes handy every day without having to ask for it, one hardly bothers to think how great a favour and reward it is. Imagine if everyone were to fix a time of rest with one's choice, then, someone would be getting ready to sleep at eight in the morning, someone else at twelve noon and there will others sleeping at all sorts of odd hours during the day and night. The result would have been that there would have not come a single hour out of the twenty four hours of the night and day when human beings would have not been busy with their business, job or work and plants and factories would have not been working as usual. The inevitable result of such breathless activity would have been that the peace of the sleeping would have been disturbed and equally disadvantaged would have been those working on their jobs. The high decibel of discordant sounds emitting from traffic, factories and workers themselves would have interfered with the peace of the sleeping, and the absence of the sleeping would have affected those working on their jobs. In addition to that, those sleeping would have missed doing things which can be done only when it is time for them to sleep. In short, Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu has, in His great power to subdue, has set upon, not only human beings but on all living creatures, the weight of sleep in a manner that one is compelled to stop working and go to sleep. With the fall of dusk, birds and beasts and cattle head for their nests, lairs and homes. Man has to stop working as a compulsion and has to start looking towards his place of rest. Silence reigns. Darkness of night becomes an ally of sleep and rest, as light is usually not conducive to sleep.
Just imagine what would happen if all governments and peoples of the world joined hands in a global agreement to fix a universal time to sleep. First of all this would have posed too many problems. Then, should all human beings, abiding by a possible agreement, were to sleep at an appointed time, who would have made animals abide by that agreement? If they roamed around scot-free what would have happened to the sleeping human beings and their belongings? Most exalted is the majesty of Allah and great is His power to subdue that He has appointed sleep to descend upon every human being and every living creature at a given time compulsively, and thus, He has saved them from the very need of such international agreements: فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّـهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِي (So, blessed be Allah, the Best of creators) (23:14).
Solar and Lunar Calendar
In the next sentence: وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَانًا (and the sun and the moon for measurement), the word: حُسْبَان (Husban) is a verbal noun and is used to mean to count, measure, calculate or compute. The sense of the verse is that Allah Ta` ala has appointed the rising and setting and the movement of the sun and the moon in a particular measure through which human beings can easily calculate years, months, days, hours, even minutes and seconds.
Again, this is the manifestation of the same Divine power to subdue and commission into desired action that such huge glowing globes of awesome proportions and their movements have been so formidably programmed to perform according to measure which just does not vary even by a second despite the passage of thousands of years. Whatever machinery has been employed to make them function so flawlessly certainly needs no workshop, nor needed there is our customary repair and replacement of time-barred parts. The spheres of light, their function, their movement, everything in the system is performing perfectly as commanded: لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ "It behooves not the sun to overtake the moon, neither does the night outstrip the day" - 36:40 (as translated by Arberry). Alas, it must have been because of this formidable and changeless Divine system that man was mistaken as he took these manifestation of the system as existing in their own right, even went on to the limits of worshipping them. Had this system been open to flaws, a little malfunction here and there, some time out for repairs, then, one would have discovered that this mechanism is not automatic, somebody has made it and somebody keeps it running. But, such has been the brilliance and permanence of these great heavenly bodies that human beings have been blinded to the reality behind. It was to let them know what it was that came scriptures and prophets and messengers.
This statement of the Qur'an also indicates that the calculation of years and months can be solar and it can be lunar as well. Both are rewards from Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu. It is a different matter that the lunar calendar has been used in Islamic injunctions for the sake of providing convenience to the common masses of the world so that they do not have to undergo the trouble of complicated calculations. Since Islamic history and Islamic injunctions are based on lunar calendar, it is an obligation on the Muslim Ummah that it retains and protects this calendar. As for other methods of calculation, such as the Solar or Gregorian calendar, if they are adopted because of some necessity, there is no sin in it. But, ignoring the lunar calendar totally and letting it be forgotten is a grave sin - an unfortunate conduct which may lead to a situation in which a Muslim does not know when the months of Ramadan, Dhil-Hijjah and Muharram will come.
At the conclusion of the verse, it was said: ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ (This is a measure set by [ Allah ] the Mighty, the Knowing). It means that this wondrous system of movement, precise and perpetual, at the scale of such magnitude, something which does not admit the difference of a second, can only be the charismatic feat of the supreme power of the One who is Al-` Aziz, the Mighty, and who is the Subduer of whatever there is, and who if fully capable of articulating His Will as He deems fit and, besides that, He is Knowing, having the knowledge of everything and the mastery of doing what He elects to do.
He is the One who made for you the stars, so that you may be guided by them in darkness of the land and the sea. We have elaborated the signs for the people who know.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the third verse (97), it was said: وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ النُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُوا بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ (And He is the one who made for you the stars, so that you may be guided by them in 'darknesses' of the land and the sea). In other words, it is being said here that there are other stars too, besides the sun and the moon, which are no less unique a manifestation of the perfect power of Almighty Allah. Out of many considerations of Divine wisdom, one immediate benefit they provide for human beings travelling on high seas or open lands is that they can chart their course in the darkness of nights when it is not easy to do so. Experience bears out that even in the days of highly sophisticated guiding systems, there are alternative situations when the guidance from the position of stars cannot be totally ignored.
The point made in this verse is that one should rise above heedlessness and shortsightedness and see that these stars are also there observing the command of their maker and mover. They are there neither by themselves nor to be there nor to keep doing what they do for ever. Those who have pinned their sights on them and have ignored to look at their maker are terribly short-sighted, and ominously deceived indeed.
After that, it was said: قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ (We have elaborated the signs for people who know). The statement clearly indicates that those who do not recognize the presence and power of Allah Ta` ala even from such open signs are unaware and unconscious.
He is the One who created you from one person, then, you have a place to dwell and a place to sojourn. We have elaborated the signs for the people who understand.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the fourth verse (98), it was said: وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فَمُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمُسْتَوْدَعٌ(And He is the One who created you from one person, then, you have a place to dwell, and a place to sojourn). The word فَمُسْتَقَرّ :(mustaqarr) used in the text is from: قَرَار (qarar). So, mustaqarr denotes a place of qarar, of rest and peace, for someone or something. As for the word: مُستوَدَع (mustawda' ) in the text, it is a derivation from wadifah which means to keep something with someone temporarily for a few days. So, "mustawda"' will denote a place where something is placed temporarily for a few days.
Thus, the sense of the sentence would be: It is the sacred-most Being of Allah Ta` ala that has created man from one person, that is, Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) . Then, made for him a mustaqarr, that is, a place to dwell for a certain length of time - and a mustawda`, that is, to stay temporarily for a few days.
The words of the Qur'an are as they have been stated. But, there are many probabilities in their interpretation. This is why the sayings of the commentators differ in this matter. Some say that mustawda' is the womb of the mother and mustaqarr is this world. Others say that mustawda' is the grave and mustaqarr is the abode of the 'Akhirah. Then, there are several other sayings too. However, there is room for all these within the words of the Qur'an. Hadrat Qadi Thana'ullah Panipati has, in his Tafsir Mazhari, opted for mustaqarr being the abode of 'Akhirah, that is, Jannah or Jahannam- and all human conditions and stages, from the beginning to the 'Akhirah, are all the mustawda', that is, a place to stay temporarily, whether in the womb of the mother, or a dwelling place on the earth, or the grave, or the state of Barzakh (intermediary state after death and before Resurrection). Preference for this view seems to have confirmation from a verse of the Qur'an also where it has been said لَتَرْكَبُنَّ طَبَقًا عَن طَبَقٍ ﴿19﴾ (you shall surely travel from stage to stage - 84:19). The outcome is that, before ultimately reaching the abode of the 'Akhirah, man remains a traveller for his whole life who, despite his obvious peace and rest, is really traversing the stages of the long journey into the night of his being:
مسافر ھوں کہاں جانا ہے، ناواقف ھوں منزل سے
ازل سے پھرتے پھرتے گور تک پہنچا ھوں مشکل سے
A traveller I am. My destination I know not.
Winding and wandering from eternity
Only upto the grave I have reached -
How tough I know. What next I know not.
In conclusion, it can be said that this last verse (98) under study is showing a mirror to those who, having sold their souls to the veneer of glamour they see in the obvious and to the craze for things and trends they envy in their fellow beings, have forgotten that their place is elsewhere, that they have to go to their Creator and that there is a journey ahead, to the ultimate domain of the 'Akhirah. The message is: Open your eyes, see reality, walk away from the web of deception and walk into salvation.
He is the One who sent down water from the heavens. Then We brought forth with it vegetation of all kinds. Then from it We brought grains set upon one another. From the palm-trees, from their spathes, come forth the low hanging bunches. (We produce) vineyards and the olive and the pomegranate, either similar or not similar to each other. Look at its fruit when it bears fruit, and at its ripening. Surely, in all this there are signs for the people who believe.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The contents of this verse present a unique concern for thematic order. It will be noticed that three kinds of universes have been mentioned here: The low, the high and the atmosphere - that is, what generates in what we know as the Biosphere. The description was initiated with the mention of that which is on the lower level because it is closer to us. Then, it was split in two parts. One part of the statement covered vegetation which grows on the land, plants and trees and gardens. The other part featured life forms as beasts, human beings and animals. The first part was given precedence because it is more obvious as compared to the other. Then comes the case of that which has been made to come after, the other part. This is different. It has Ruh, soul or spirit. It is deep, depends on progression from the sperm to its various stages and attending conditions, something allied with the comprehension, diagnosis and judgment of physicians - contrary to the case of vegetation which, in its growth, flowering and ripening etc., is observable commonly. Then, mentioned there was the atmosphere and its life support system, the morning and the evening. Then, came the mention of what is higher, the sun, the moon, and the stars. After that, since what is at the lower level is observed more frequently, the subject was repeated and made the concluding statement. But, firstly it was taken up briefly, now it was taken up in detail - yet, in the order of this detail, the order of brevity was reversed by giving precedence to life forms and succession to the mention of vegetation. Perhaps, its basis is that the detailed statement highlights the expression of gratitude for blessings which, in that status, makes the blessed - being the intended recipients - deserving of being given precedence. As for vegetation, the previous order stays as the status of the donees, that is, of seeds and pits, remains preceded. That rain has been mentioned in between is subservient to the mention of vegetation. Incidentally, there might be another element of refinement here - in that rain has different states. In terms of its origin, it comes from the high; and in terms of its destination, it comes down to the low; and in terms of the distance covered, it is part of the atmosphere.
They have invented the Jinns as partners with Allah, while He has created them; and they have fabricated for Him sons and daughters without any knowledge. Pure is He, and far more higher than what they describe.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The contents of this verse present a unique concern for thematic order. It will be noticed that three kinds of universes have been mentioned here: The low, the high and the atmosphere - that is, what generates in what we know as the Biosphere. The description was initiated with the mention of that which is on the lower level because it is closer to us. Then, it was split in two parts. One part of the statement covered vegetation which grows on the land, plants and trees and gardens. The other part featured life forms as beasts, human beings and animals. The first part was given precedence because it is more obvious as compared to the other. Then comes the case of that which has been made to come after, the other part. This is different. It has Ruh, soul or spirit. It is deep, depends on progression from the sperm to its various stages and attending conditions, something allied with the comprehension, diagnosis and judgment of physicians - contrary to the case of vegetation which, in its growth, flowering and ripening etc., is observable commonly. Then, mentioned there was the atmosphere and its life support system, the morning and the evening. Then, came the mention of what is higher, the sun, the moon, and the stars. After that, since what is at the lower level is observed more frequently, the subject was repeated and made the concluding statement. But, firstly it was taken up briefly, now it was taken up in detail - yet, in the order of this detail, the order of brevity was reversed by giving precedence to life forms and succession to the mention of vegetation. Perhaps, its basis is that the detailed statement highlights the expression of gratitude for blessings which, in that status, makes the blessed - being the intended recipients - deserving of being given precedence. As for vegetation, the previous order stays as the status of the donees, that is, of seeds and pits, remains preceded. That rain has been mentioned in between is subservient to the mention of vegetation. Incidentally, there might be another element of refinement here - in that rain has different states. In terms of its origin, it comes from the high; and in terms of its destination, it comes down to the low; and in terms of the distance covered, it is part of the atmosphere.
(He is) the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How can He have a son when He never had a wife? He created everything, and He knows everything.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The contents of this verse present a unique concern for thematic order. It will be noticed that three kinds of universes have been mentioned here: The low, the high and the atmosphere - that is, what generates in what we know as the Biosphere. The description was initiated with the mention of that which is on the lower level because it is closer to us. Then, it was split in two parts. One part of the statement covered vegetation which grows on the land, plants and trees and gardens. The other part featured life forms as beasts, human beings and animals. The first part was given precedence because it is more obvious as compared to the other. Then comes the case of that which has been made to come after, the other part. This is different. It has Ruh, soul or spirit. It is deep, depends on progression from the sperm to its various stages and attending conditions, something allied with the comprehension, diagnosis and judgment of physicians - contrary to the case of vegetation which, in its growth, flowering and ripening etc., is observable commonly. Then, mentioned there was the atmosphere and its life support system, the morning and the evening. Then, came the mention of what is higher, the sun, the moon, and the stars. After that, since what is at the lower level is observed more frequently, the subject was repeated and made the concluding statement. But, firstly it was taken up briefly, now it was taken up in detail - yet, in the order of this detail, the order of brevity was reversed by giving precedence to life forms and succession to the mention of vegetation. Perhaps, its basis is that the detailed statement highlights the expression of gratitude for blessings which, in that status, makes the blessed - being the intended recipients - deserving of being given precedence. As for vegetation, the previous order stays as the status of the donees, that is, of seeds and pits, remains preceded. That rain has been mentioned in between is subservient to the mention of vegetation. Incidentally, there might be another element of refinement here - in that rain has different states. In terms of its origin, it comes from the high; and in terms of its destination, it comes down to the low; and in terms of the distance covered, it is part of the atmosphere.
This is Allah: your Lord, there is no God but He, the Creator of everything; so, worship Him. He is Guardian over everything.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The contents of this verse present a unique concern for thematic order. It will be noticed that three kinds of universes have been mentioned here: The low, the high and the atmosphere - that is, what generates in what we know as the Biosphere. The description was initiated with the mention of that which is on the lower level because it is closer to us. Then, it was split in two parts. One part of the statement covered vegetation which grows on the land, plants and trees and gardens. The other part featured life forms as beasts, human beings and animals. The first part was given precedence because it is more obvious as compared to the other. Then comes the case of that which has been made to come after, the other part. This is different. It has Ruh, soul or spirit. It is deep, depends on progression from the sperm to its various stages and attending conditions, something allied with the comprehension, diagnosis and judgment of physicians - contrary to the case of vegetation which, in its growth, flowering and ripening etc., is observable commonly. Then, mentioned there was the atmosphere and its life support system, the morning and the evening. Then, came the mention of what is higher, the sun, the moon, and the stars. After that, since what is at the lower level is observed more frequently, the subject was repeated and made the concluding statement. But, firstly it was taken up briefly, now it was taken up in detail - yet, in the order of this detail, the order of brevity was reversed by giving precedence to life forms and succession to the mention of vegetation. Perhaps, its basis is that the detailed statement highlights the expression of gratitude for blessings which, in that status, makes the blessed - being the intended recipients - deserving of being given precedence. As for vegetation, the previous order stays as the status of the donees, that is, of seeds and pits, remains preceded. That rain has been mentioned in between is subservient to the mention of vegetation. Incidentally, there might be another element of refinement here - in that rain has different states. In terms of its origin, it comes from the high; and in terms of its destination, it comes down to the low; and in terms of the distance covered, it is part of the atmosphere.
No vision can comprehend Him, and He comprehends all visions, and He is Absolutely Subtle, All-Aware.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The contents of this verse present a unique concern for thematic order. It will be noticed that three kinds of universes have been mentioned here: The low, the high and the atmosphere - that is, what generates in what we know as the Biosphere. The description was initiated with the mention of that which is on the lower level because it is closer to us. Then, it was split in two parts. One part of the statement covered vegetation which grows on the land, plants and trees and gardens. The other part featured life forms as beasts, human beings and animals. The first part was given precedence because it is more obvious as compared to the other. Then comes the case of that which has been made to come after, the other part. This is different. It has Ruh, soul or spirit. It is deep, depends on progression from the sperm to its various stages and attending conditions, something allied with the comprehension, diagnosis and judgment of physicians - contrary to the case of vegetation which, in its growth, flowering and ripening etc., is observable commonly. Then, mentioned there was the atmosphere and its life support system, the morning and the evening. Then, came the mention of what is higher, the sun, the moon, and the stars. After that, since what is at the lower level is observed more frequently, the subject was repeated and made the concluding statement. But, firstly it was taken up briefly, now it was taken up in detail - yet, in the order of this detail, the order of brevity was reversed by giving precedence to life forms and succession to the mention of vegetation. Perhaps, its basis is that the detailed statement highlights the expression of gratitude for blessings which, in that status, makes the blessed - being the intended recipients - deserving of being given precedence. As for vegetation, the previous order stays as the status of the donees, that is, of seeds and pits, remains preceded. That rain has been mentioned in between is subservient to the mention of vegetation. Incidentally, there might be another element of refinement here - in that rain has different states. In terms of its origin, it comes from the high; and in terms of its destination, it comes down to the low; and in terms of the distance covered, it is part of the atmosphere.
(Say, O Prophet :) There have come to you insights from your Lord. Now, whoever uses his sight, does so for his own self, and whoever remains blind does so against his own self. I do not stand guard over you.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
Out of these five verses of Surah Al-An'am, the word: أَبْصَارُ` al absar' appearing in the first verse (103), is the plural of بَصَر (basar) which means vision, sight or ability to see, while the word: اِدرَک (idrak) means to reach, grasp, perceive, comprehend or encompass. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has explained the meaning of ` idrak' at this place as to comprehend or encompass. (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)
Thus, the sense of the verse comes to be that even the combined ability of seeing given to the entire creation, to Jinns and humans and angels, and to the rest of the life forms, can never see Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu in a way that their vision would encompass His Being. But, as for Him, He watches the vision of His entire creation fully, and His ` seeing' encompasses all of them. Mentioned in this brief verse are two particular attributes of Allah Ta` ala.
1. Allah is Imperceivable: No eye in the whole universe, not even the combined eyesights of everyone, can encompass His Being.
Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: If all human beings, Jinn, angels and Shaytan, from the first to the last, were to stand in a row, even their combined sights cannot comprehend His Being. (Mazhari with reference to Ibn Abi Hatim)
Thus, so unique an attribute can belong to none but to the most-exalted Being of Allah. Otherwise, the sight bestowed by Allah on even the most insignificant life form of His creation can see with its mini-eyes much larger bodies and comprehend what they are. The sun and the moon are spheres of great magnitude, our earth being no match to them, yet the human eye, even the eyes of the smallest of animals, would see them in a way that would encompass their presence.
The truth of the matter is that the human eye is one sense organ out of the many given to human beings which enable them to see and react to what is perceptible. But, the Sacred Being of Allah Ta` ala is beyond the all-surrounding, all-comprehending overview of even reason and conjecture. There is no way this knowledge could be acquired by one single sense of sight. The Being and the Attributes of Allah Ta` ala are limitless while human senses, reason and imagination are all limited. It is obvious that the limitless cannot fit into the limited. This is why the philosophers and metaphysicians of the world who spent their lives in intellectual research and the respected Sufis who traversed through this difficult spiritual field through the medium of Illumination (Kashf) and Experiencing of the Presence (Shuhud) all agree upon the proposition that neither has anyone arrived at the total comprehension of the reality of His Being and Attributes, nor is that possible.
The Possibility of Seeing the Creator
The question is: Is it possible for human beings to see Allah Ta` ala, or is it not? On this religious question or مَسٔلَہ mas'alah, the belief of all ` Ulama of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama` ah (the majority of Muslims who adhere to the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Sahabah ؓ is that it is not possible to see the Being of Allah Ta` ala in the state of life we have in this mortal world. This is the reason why, when Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) prayed: رَبِّ اَرِنِی (My Lord, show (Yourself) to me - 7:143), the answer given was: لَن ترَانِی ( ‘lan tarani" : ` you shall never see Me' - 7:143). It is obvious when this is the answer given to a prophet no less than Sayyidna Musa the Kalimullah (علیہ السلام) ، no Jinn or human being can even dare think about it. However, that believing Muslims will have the honour of seeing Allah Ta` ala in the 'Akhirah stands proved on the authority of sound (Sahib) and strong 'Al.hadith which have been reported in uninterrupted succession (mutawatir). And this is what appears in the Qur'an itself:
Faces on that Day shall be glowing, towards their Lord gazing! - 75:22-23
However, the disbelievers and the deniers will not have the honour of seeing Allah Ta` ala even on that Day, as punishment, as in a verse of the Qur'an:
No indeed; surely from (the sighting of) their Lord on that Day, they shall be deprived - 83:15.
The Ziarah (the honour of seeing or visiting) of Allah Ta` ala shall take place in 'Akhirah at several places - and on the Day of Resurrection (Al-Mahshar) as well as after reaching Jannah (Paradise). For the people of Jannah, the Ziarah of Allah Ta` ala shall be the greatest of all blessings.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When the people of Jannah have entered Jannah, Allah Ta` ala will ask them if they need any more blessings besides what they have already received in Jannah; if so, let them ask and they shall be granted those too. They will say: 0 Allah, You granted us deliverance from Jahannam (Hell), and admitted us into the Jannah (Paradise). What else could we ask for? That would be the time when the Veil shall stand removed, everyone shall have the honour to see Allah Ta` ala, and of all the blessings of Jannah, this will be the greatest. This Hadith appears in the Sahih of Muslim as reported by Sayyidna Suhayb ؓ .
As reported in a Hadith from the Sahih of al-Bukhari, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was sitting under moonlight. His noble Sahabah were with him. He looked at the moon, then said: You shall see your Rabb with your own eyes (in the 'Akhirah) in a way you are seeing this moon.
In a Hadith of Tirmidhi and the Musnad of Ahmad, it has been reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ that people blessed with special ranks of Jannah by Allah Ta` ala will have the good fortune of seeing Him every morning and evening.
In short, no one can see Allah Ta` ala in the mortal world while, in the 'Akhirah, all those in Jannah will see Him. As for the Ziyarah made by the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the night of Mi'raj (the Ascent to the Heavens), that too was, in reality, the Ziarah of Allah Ta` ala as it would be in the Akhirah. According to Shaykh Muhiyuddin ibn al-` Arabi, the world is what lies circumscribed by the skies. Beyond that is the domain of 'Akhirah. A Ziyarah there cannot be called a Ziyarah here in the world.
Now, still unanswered remains the question: When we know from the verse of the Qur'an: لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ (no vision can comprehend Him), that is, human beings just cannot see Allah Ta` ala, how would that become possible in the 'Akhirah? The obvious answer is that the verse of the Qur'an does not mean that the Ru'yah, Ziyarah or Seeing of Allah Ta` ala is impossible for human beings. Instead of that, the meaning of the verse is that human vision cannot comprehend or encompass His Being because His Being is unlimited while human vision is limited.
Even the Ziyarah made in the 'Akhirah will be in a manner that vision would still fail to comprehend Him fully; while in the mortal world, human beings and their vision do not have the strength and capacity to bear by ` seeing' even in this manner. Therefore, this ru'yah or seeing is absolutely impossible in the mortal world. But, in the 'Akhirah, given the strength and capability, this ru'yah, ziyarah, or seeing would become possible - but, a full, all-encompassing comprehending of the Most-True Being of Allah Subhanuhu wa Ta` ala would still remain impossible even then.
2. Allah is All-Perceiving: The second attribute of Allah Ta` ala mentioned in this verse is that His vision encompasses the whole universe. Nothing, anywhere, not even the minutest particle, is hidden from Him. This Absolute Knowledge with all-pervading, all-comprehending reach, is also a unique attribute of Allah Ta` ala. Other than Him, no created being has ever achieved such all-inclusive knowledge of everything, nor shall it ever be possible - because this is the domain of Allah, the most-exalted in His majesty.
After that it was said: (and He is All-Fine, All-Aware). Lexically, the word: اللَّطِيفُ (al-Latif) has two meanings: (a) kind, (b) fine or subtle in contrast with thick or course, that is, what cannot be perceived through the senses.
As for the word: الْخَبِيرُ (al-Khabir), it means All-Aware. Thus, the sentence comes to mean that Allah Ta` ala is All-Fine (Al-Latif), there-fore, He cannot be comprehended through the senses - and He is All-Aware (Al-Khabir), therefore, nothing in the entire universe is beyond His knowledge and awareness. If Al-Latif is taken to mean kind at this place, it will be suggesting that though Allah Ta` ala is All-Aware of everything we say or do, even what we intend, think or feel - which would have required that we should have been caught for every sin - but, He is kind and gracious too, therefore, He does not call us to account for every sin.
The word: بَصَائِرُ (basa'ir (appearing in the second verse (104) is the plural of بَصیرہ basirah which means reason, intelligence or insight, that is, the power through which one can acquire the knowledge of things which do not fall within the range of perception through the senses. ` Basa'ir', in this verse, means the evidences and sources through which one can get to know truth and reality. The meaning of the verse is: The sources and means of seeing the truth have reached you from Allah, that is, the Qur'an has come, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has come, manifest have been his miracles, and observed openly were his morals and dealings and teachings. All these are means of seeing the truth.
So, whoever has used these means has become the one blessed with true insight with his benefits secured, while the one who elected to remain blind to the truth by ignoring these means ends up losing what was good.
Towards the end of the verse, it was said: ` I do not stand guard over you.' It means that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has not been given the responsibility of forcing people to stop doing what was improper, as usually done by one appointed to oversee and guard (or self-appointed as vigilantes in our day). Instead, the functional responsibility of a messenger of Allah is only to convey commands, and explain. After that, following or not following the message conveyed becomes a matter of personal discretion and responsibility of the addressees.
This is how We bring the verses in diverse ways, so that they say, “you have been tutored”, and so that We may explain it to people who have knowledge.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
It will be recalled that many clear arguments in favour of Tauhid (Oneness of Allah) and Risalah (The Veracity of Prophethood) had appeared in previous verses. It is to these that reference has been made in the third verse (105) here where it has been said: كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ (And this is how We bring forth a variety of verses [ where arguments are presented from different angles ]).
After that, it was said: لِيَقُولُوا دَرَسْتَ وَلِنُبَيِّنَهُ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ (so that they may say, "you have been tutored" and so that We may explain it to the people who have knowledge). From here it can be inferred that all aids to guidance in the form of miracles, signs, proofs, and the matchless Qur'an itself were all solid means to help see truth. Then, there was the spectacle of a total Ummiyy expressing with inimitable eloquence volumes of knowledge and reality through his blessed speech which has left the wise of the world wondering. And how could one bypass the eloquence and truth of the Word of Allah which could not be imitated even to the scale of one small Surah, despite the challenge to all Jinn and human beings valid upto the end of time? As we said, these were means to help people know and see the truth as it was. Such was the class and substance of this treasure trove of truth that even the most diehard denier should have fallen on the blessed feet of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ! But, people who were chronically crooked in their ways started saying: “ دَرَستَ ” (darasta), that is, ` you have been tutored.'
Then, said along with it was: وَلِنُبَيِّنَهُ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ (and so that We may explain it to the people who have knowledge). Its essential meaning is that the statement made proved to be beneficial for those who were understanding, sensible and wise. As for the sources of guidance, those were surely placed before everyone, but the crooked took no ad-vantage of the opportunity offered while the wise ones owned them heartily and became the leaders of their world.
Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord. There is no god but He; and turn away from those who associate partners with Allah.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
In the fourth verse (106), the Holy Prophet ﷺ at has been guided to a specific course of action. He has been asked not to worry about the acceptance or non-acceptance of the call. For him, the best course was to keep following the way revealed to him through Wahy from his Rabb, the major element of which is the belief that no one is worthy of worship but Allah. That he should continue preaching with his message of truth is part of what has been revealed. So, believing in Allah and remaining steadfast on the way ordained for him, he should avoid feeling concerned about disbelievers and their unfortunate non-acceptance of the call.
If Allah willed, they would not have associated. We have not appointed you as a guard over them, nor are you a taskmaster for them.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
The reason for this has been given in the fifth verse (107). There it has been said: If Allah Ta` ala had willed - in consideration of His own creational imperative - that the whole human race should become Muslim in faith, then, it would have become impossible for them to associate partners in the Divinity of Allah (Shirk). But, it was because of their misdeeds that Allah willed that they be punished. So, He created the necessary conditions for that end. Now, how could he make them Muslims under these circumstances? In fact, why should he worry about what they choose to do with their lives? Allah has not made him to stand guard over what they do, nor has he been authorized by Allah to bring punishment on them for their misdeeds. Therefore, he should not have any anxiety on account of what they do to themselves or for themselves.
Do not revile those whom they invoke other than Allah, lest they should revile Allah in transgression without having knowledge. This is how We have made the deeds of every community attractive in their sight. Then, to their Lord is their return, after which He shall tell them what they have been doing.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
Commentary
The first of the present verses has been revealed concerning a particular event and provides guidance in a matter of principle, that is, what you are not permitted to do yourself, for that you cannot become the cause or channel either - both shall remain equally impermissible.
The Background of Revelation
According to the background of revelation as narrated by Ibn Jarir, when Abu Talib, the respected uncle of the Holy Prophet ﷺ was on his death bed, the disbelieving chiefs of the tribe of Quraysh who, hostile and torturous to the Holy Prophet ﷺ always plotting to kill him, became alarmed at the eventuality of the death of Abu Talib which was likely to become an impediment to their nefarious designs.
Because, they thought, if they were to kill Muhammad ﷺ after his protective uncle's death, that would go against the norms of their own self-respect and honour, for people would say that they were unable to do anything like that in the presence of Abu Talib, but when he died, they killed his helpless nephew. So, they decided to get together and go to Abu Talib to talk about the matter in a decisive manner.
Every educated Muslim knows that Abu Talib, though he had not formally embraced Islam, loved the Holy Prophet ﷺ dearly, even respected him as a great bearer of the Divine message right from his heart, and always defended him against his enemies.
So, the Quraysh chiefs formed a deputation who would go to see Abu Ta1ib. Included as members of the deputation were Abu Sufyan, Abu Jahl, ` Amr ibn al-` As and some others. The name of the person chosen to arrange for an appointment to meet with Abu Talib was Muttalib. He got his permission and escorted the deputation to him.
To Abu Ta1ib, the deputation said: You are our elder, and a chief, and you know that your nephew, Muhammad ﷺ has been causing great pain to the idols we worship. We wish that you would talk to him and prevail on him that he should say nothing offensive against our idols, in which case, we shall make peace on the principle that he acts as he wishes on his faith, takes whoever he chooses as the object of his worship, against which, we shall raise no objection.
Abu Talib called the Holy Prophet ﷺ to him and said: Here are the chiefs of your clan. The Holy Prophet ﷺ turned to the deputation and asked: What is your wish? They said: We wish that you leave us and our idols alone. Do not speak ill of them. We shall leave you and your object of worship alone. This will end our mutual hostility.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: All right, you tell me, if I were to accept what you were saying, would you be ready to say a Kalimah (statement in words) by saying which you would become masters of the whole Arabia with even people from beyond subscribing to your authority?
Abu Jahl said: You are talking about only one Kalimah. We are ready to say ten of them. Tell us what are they? The Holy Prophet said: لا إلہ إلا اللہ [ La Ilaha Illallah : There is no god (worthy of worship) but Allah ]. That infuriated all of them. Abu Talib said to the Holy Prophet ﷺ : 0 my nephew, say something other than this Kalimah because it has left your clansmen all confused.
He said: As for me, I cannot say a Kalimah other than this. If they were to bring the sun down from the skies and put in my hands, even then I will not say a Kalimah other than this. His intention was to let them become totally disappointed.
Thereupon, still in anger, they said: Either you stop speaking ill of our idols, the objects of our worship, or we too are going to start using insulting language against you, and also against that Being of which you claim to be the messenger. Revealed, thereupon, was the verse: وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّـهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ (And do not abuse those whom they invoke other than Allah, lest they abuse Allah transgressively without knowledge).
“ لَا تَسُبُّوا " (la tasubbu) in this verse is a derivation from the word: سَبَّ (sabb) which means to abuse or use insulting language against someone (not in the sense of misuse, maltreatment or corrupt practice as currently used in American English which uses other alternates for hurling invectives - Tr.). The Holy Prophet ﷺ given his intrinsically high moral disposition, had already been abiding by this rule of conduct. Not even during his childhood, had his blessed speech ever been contaminated with an abusive word for any human being, rather not even for an animal. Perhaps, there may have been some hard word which escaped the lips of some from among the noble Companions which was overestimated as an invective by the disbelievers of Makkah, and which was used as a pretext by the chiefs of the Quraysh when their deputation brought this case up before the Holy Prophet g and gave the ultimatum that either he stops insulting their deities or they would start insulting theirs.
Thereupon, came the Qur'anic injunction through which Muslims were prohibited from making any insulting statement against the false objects worshipped by disbelievers. Particularly worth noticing in this verse is that, just a verse earlier (106-107), the address was to the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، himself. Examples are: اتَّبِعْ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ (Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord) and: أَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِين (and turn away from those who associate partners with Allah) and: مَا جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا (And We have not made you to stand guard over them) and: مَا أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِوَكِيلٍ (and you are not entrusted with their affairs). In all these grammatical forms, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was the addressee who was being asked to do or not to do something. After that, the form of address was changed in the present verse. It was turned away from the Holy Prophet ﷺ and was turned to Muslims in general. Said there was: لَا تَسُبُّوا (la tasubbu). The hint given thereby is that the Holy Prophet ﷺ who had never used abusive speech against anyone to start with, could not be directly addressed with the words of prohibition for that could make him disheartened. Therefore, the address was made general - and all Sahabah ؓ too started taking precaution in this matter. (As in Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)
Related Considerations
That idols have been mentioned in strong words in several verses of the Qur'an, and that those verses are not abrogated either for they are still recited, is a different matter.
The answer is that such words wherever they appear in the verses of the Qur'an are there as a polemic or debating device to unfold some reality clearly. Intended at such places is no aggression, nor can a sensible person deduce from it such an intention to malign idols or to mock at disbelievers or to irritate them. This is an open difference in approach which is readily understood by those aware of the nuances of diction in any language. They know that the shortcoming or inadequacy of a person is called in question only to elucidate an issue in question. This is common practice in courts where no one challenges the statement being made before the Court as the throwing of invectives against someone. Similarly, narrated before physicians are the kind of defects and drawbacks people could have which, if described elsewhere would be taken as invectives hurled at someone. But, such statement made under medical need is not regarded as abusive talk by anyone.
Thus, when the Qur'an describes the helplessness of idols in being devoid of sense and consciousness, knowledge and power, it uses a manner of speaking which would help the understanding to under-stand reality and expose the error or short-sightedness of those who do not. Hence, it was said: ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ ` Weak are, the seekers and weak, the sought (idols) 22:73.' And as it was said: إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ (You, and what you worship, other than Allah, are but fuel for Hell - 21:98). Here too, the purpose is not to speak ill of someone. The purpose is to state the sad end of straying and error. Muslim jurists, may the mercy of Allah be upon them, have made it all clear by explaining: If anyone were to recite this verse too as a tool aimed at causing irritation for disbelievers, then, for him, this recitation at that time and for that purpose, shall be considered as included under this ` abusing which is prohibited,' and will, therefore, be impermissible - as is the case in the prohibition of the recitation of the Qur'an at times and places which are Makruh (reprehensible) and known to everyone. (Ruh al-Ma'ani).
To sum up, it can be said that, no word which could be taken as abusive was ever said by the Holy Prophet ﷺ or had appeared in the Holy Qur'an, nor was there any apprehension that it could happen in the future. Of course, the probability that Muslims at large may fall into such impulsive action did exist, therefore, this verse stopped them from doing so. This event and the Qur'anic instruction based on it has provided access to a large body of significant knowledge, some examples of which are given below:
Becoming the Cause or Agent of a Sin is also a Sin
1. One of the principles thus deduced is: If doing something which is permissible intrinsically - in fact, even commendable in a certain degree - but, in the actual doing of it some corruption has to be accommodated, or as a result of which, people are let into sin, then, the doing of such a thing is also prohibited. The reason is that identifying false objects of worship, that is, the idols, is, at least, permissible after all - and if said under the need to uphold one's religious feelings, it may perhaps be even worthy of praise and reward - but, since this resulted in the apprehension that people would start speaking ill of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu which, in turn, would make the degraders of idols the cause of this evil, therefore, prohibited was the act which was already permissible.
2. Another example of this appears in Hadith where, addressing his Companions, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: No one should abuse (use insulting language against) his or her parents. The Companions submitted: Ya Rasul Allah, it is just not possible that one will abuse parents. He ﷺ said: Yes, one does not usually do that. But, when such a person abuses the parents of someone else and, as a consequence of it, the other person abuses his parents, then, the cause of his parents being so abused was this very son. So, he too is like one who has himself abused his parents.
3. Yet another instance of a case of this nature came to pass during the blessed time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He said to Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ ، that the Baytullah (the Holy Ka'bah) had collapsed on its foundations in an accident during the Jahiliyyah. The Quraysh of Makkah reconstructed it before the advent of prophethood. In this structure, some details turned out to be against the initial Ibrahimi foundation. One of them was the part now known as حطیم Hatim. This too is part of the Baytullah. It was left out because of paucity of funds. Then, there were two doors of Baytullah, the Eastern and the Western - one for entry and the other for exit. The people of Jahiliyyah closed the Western door. The one door left was raised higher than the ground level so that entry into the Baytullah would depend on their will and permission and that no one could go there freely. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: I wish I could demolish the present structure of Baytullah and make it like the structure raised by Sayyidna Ibrahim Khalilullah (علیہ السلام) . But, the danger is that your people, that is, the common Arabs, who have entered the fold of Islam just now, may fall a victim to some doubts at the sight of Baytullah being demolished, therefore, I have abandoned my intention.
It goes without saying that raising the structure of Baytullah precisely on the foundations laid down by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) was an act of obedience and a deed deserving of merit and reward. But, seeing the shadows of a danger lurking behind this intended action because of the ignorance of people around, he abandoned that idea. So, from this event too, there emerges the same principle that, should there be an apprehension of some evil or corruption necessarily resulting from what is permissible, even from what is otherwise an act of thawab or merit, then, that permissible or thawab-worthy act too becomes impermissible.
But, there exists a strong doubt about this principle which has been reported from Abu Mansur in Ruh al-Ma'ani. The proposition posed is: Allah Ta` ala has made Jihad binding on Muslims - though, the inevitable outcome of killing is that, when a Muslim will start killing some non-Muslim, they would start killing Muslims - and killing Muslims is Haram (forbidden). Thus, given this principle, Jihad should also be prohibited. Then, the same will hold valid about our propagation of Islam and the recitation of the Qur'an, and about Adhan and Salah as well, all of which are subjected to mockery and ridicule by many among the disbelievers. If so, shall we surrender our right to worship and promote our religion?
Answering this, Abu Mansur has himself said that this doubt has come up because of ignoring a necessary condition. That condition is that a permissible act which has been prohibited, because of the apprehension of something evil, should not be one of the basic objectives and necessary duties in Islam. Thus, speaking ill of false objects of worship does not relate to any objective of Islam. Similarly, no basic Islamic objective depends on making the structure of Baytullah conform precisely to the foundations laid out by Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . Therefore, whenever there was the danger of some religious mal-situation cropping up by doing what was permissible, or even reward-worthy, such acts or intentions were abandoned. As for acts which are either the very Islamic objectives in themselves, or on them depends some Islamic objective, then, even if the wrongdoings of other people seem to be bringing visible corruption or evil in its wake, then, these objectives will never be surrendered or abandoned. Instead of that, effort will be made that such permissible acts should keep continuing in their place, and steps will be taken to block the spreading of evils and corrupting agents as far as possible.
This is why two great men of Islamic history acted the way they did. Once Hasan al-Basri (رح) and Imam Muhammad Ibn Sirin (رح) ، went out to participate in the Salah for a Janazah. There, they noticed a gathering which had men as well as women. Seeing this Ibn Sirin returned back. But, Hadrat Hasan al-Basri (رح) said: Why should we leave doing what is necessary because of the false practice or ways of other people? The Salah of Janazah is Fard (obligatory). It cannot be abandoned because of this corrupting agent. Of course, effort will be made, as far as possible, that this evil is rooted out.
This event too has been reported in Ruh al-Ma'ani.
So, the substance of this principle which emerges from this verse comes to be: An act which is permissible in itself, even if it be an act of obedience and thawab - but, not be one of the religiously binding objectives, then, should doing it bring forth evil consequences, abandoning of that permissible act becomes Wajib (necessary). This is contrary to the case of the objectives of the Shari'ah which cannot be abandoned because of any impending evil or corruption.
From this principle, the jurists of the Muslim community have deduced solutions to thousands of problems. Some examples of their juristic efforts are:
1. If a person has a disobedient son and he knows that, should he ask him to do something, he would refuse to do it and even prefer to do against it, in which case, he will become liable to a grave sin, then, in such a situation, the father should not ask him to do or not to do something as an order, instead of which, he should say so in the mode of a good counsel - for example, he says to him, ` if such and such job could be done, that would be nice' - so that, in the eventuality of a refusal or reverse action, the son does not become liable to the sin of a new disobedience. (Khulasatul-Fatawa)
2. The same rule holds good in matters where well-meaning advice is given to someone. If circumstantial indicators show that a person, rather than take advice, is more likely to take a worse course, as a result of which, he will sink deeper into sin, then, in such a situation, to give up advising is better. In his Sahih, Imam al-Bukhari has introduced a regular chapter on this subject:
باب من ترک بعض الاختیار مخافۃ ان یقصر فھم بعض الناس فیقعوا فی اشد منہ
There are occasions when things permissible, even those commendable, are abandoned lest they put common people in misunderstanding - subject to the condition that these acts are not from the core objectives of Islam.
3. But, acts which are included under the objectives of Islam - whether Fard, Wajib or Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah (obligatory, necessary or emphasized Sunnah) or other kinds of Islamic hallmarks - if by observing them some people lacking in understanding start falling in misunderstanding, then, these acts will not be abandoned, rather, other methods will be used to remove the misunderstanding and misdoing of such people. Events which came to pass in early Islam prove that the disbelievers of Makkah were provoked because of Salah, the recitation of the Qur'an and the preaching of Islam. But, the standing hallmarks of Islam were never abandoned because of such adverse conditions. In fact, the very episode relating to Abu Jahl and the rest of Quraysh chiefs recounted under the Background of Revelation of the present verse has proved the point eloquently. The essence of the episode was that the chiefs from the disbelieving Quraysh tribe wished to give a guarantee of peace if the Holy Prophet ﷺ would abandon preaching Tauhid, that is, stop calling Allah One. The answer given by him was: I can never do that, even if they were to bring the sun and the moon and put them in my hands.
In conclusion, the question as refined and resolved is: If, by doing what is included under Islamic objectives, some people fall a victim to misunderstanding or misdeed, such acts would never be abandoned. Of course, acts which are not included under Islamic objectives - and leaving them off does not compromise or kill any religious objective - then, such acts will be abandoned because of the apprehension that others might fall into misunderstanding or misdeed.
They have sworn forceful oaths by Allah that if a sign comes to them, they will surely believe in it. Say, “Signs are in Allah’s power alone.” What will make you realize that even when they (the signs) come, they will not believe?
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
On Signs and Miracles
The previous verses had mentioned how obstinate people failed to benefit from clear signs of Allah and open miracles of His Messenger and kept on denying the message of truth. The present verses mention how they took a new turn, and demanded particular miracles from the Holy Prophet ﷺ . As reported by Ibn Jarir, the Quraysh chiefs asked that they be shown the miracle of turning the Mount of Safa into solid gold; if so, they would accept that he was a prophet and messenger, and that they would embrace Islam. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: All right, make a solid agreement that, if this miracle is shown, all of you will become Muslims. They took solemn oaths. The Holy Prophet ﷺ stood up to pray that Allah turns the Mount into gold. Sayyidna Jibra'il (علیہا السلام) came with Wahy which said: If you wish, We shall make this whole Mount a Mount of gold, but the consequence will be that, according to the customary Divine Law, all of them - if they still fail to believe - shall be destroyed through a mass punishment, as has been happening with past communities who demanded a miracle which was shown, yet they reverted back to denial when the wrath and punishment of Allah overtook them. Since the Holy Prophet ﷺ was aware of their habitual obstinacy, and because he was in mercy the foremost, he said that he was not going to pray for that miracle anymore. Thereupon, the following verse was revealed: وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّـهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ (And they swore by Allah on eloquent oaths - 109). Reported here is the sworn saying of the disbelievers that they would embrace Islam if they can see the miracle demanded by them. After that, in the sentence which follows immediately, it was said: إِنَّمَا الْآيَاتُ عِندَ اللَّـهِ (Signs are, definitely, with Allah - 109). This contains an answer to their saying. It has been declared here that all signs and miracles are within the power and control of Allah Ta` a1a. As for the miracles already manifested, they too were from Him - and those being demanded now, they too lie within His absolute control. But, according to the dictate of reason and justice, they had no right to make such a demand - because, the Holy Prophet ﷺ claims to be a Messenger of Allah, in support of which, he has already presented proofs and evidences in the form of miracles. Now, the other party does have the right to question these proofs and evidences by showing the proofs of their being false. But, the attitude of not cross-examining evidences presented and yet demanding some other evidences would be like the scenario in a law court where the respondent would avoid cross-examining the witness presented by the plaintiff and take the plea that he does not accept the evidence of these witnesses and that he would accept what is said particularly by such and such a person in his statement. Obviously, no court would consider this plea worth hearing.
Similar is the case of the veracity of a prophet or Rasul of Allah. To that end there are many clear signs and miracles before those who disbelieve. Now, unless they prove that these signs and miracles are false, they have no right to say that they would rather like to see a miracle of this or that kind before they could believe.
After that, upto the end of the cited verses, Muslims have been directly instructed that their duty is to stay firm on the true faith in their individual capacity, as well as convey it to others correctly and properly. If they, even then, show signs of rigidness and obstinacy, one should not worry about them because no one has to be forced into becoming a Muslim. If this was what could be done by force, who can claim to have greater coercive power than Allah Ta` ala. He Himself would have made everyone a Muslim. And in order to give Muslims their peace of heart, it was also explained in the verse that these people will not believe even if Allah were to show them the miracles of their choice openly and clearly. The reason was that their denial was not based on any misunderstanding or lack of awareness. In fact, it was due to their hostility and obstinacy - a disease which cannot be treated by miracles. In verse 111 وَلَوْ أَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَا إِلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ , it has been said that these people, if they were shown all miracles demanded by them, in fact, even if they were made to meet with angels and talk to the dead, they would still not believe. In the two verses that follow (112 113), the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been comforted by saying that the hostility of such people against him is nothing surprising. Past prophets too had their enemies - so, let him not be sad about it.
We will upset their hearts and sights, as they did not believe in them at the first instance, and We will leave them wandering blindly in their rebellion.
Tafsir: Ma'arif al-Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Shafi
On Signs and Miracles
The previous verses had mentioned how obstinate people failed to benefit from clear signs of Allah and open miracles of His Messenger and kept on denying the message of truth. The present verses mention how they took a new turn, and demanded particular miracles from the Holy Prophet ﷺ . As reported by Ibn Jarir, the Quraysh chiefs asked that they be shown the miracle of turning the Mount of Safa into solid gold; if so, they would accept that he was a prophet and messenger, and that they would embrace Islam. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: All right, make a solid agreement that, if this miracle is shown, all of you will become Muslims. They took solemn oaths. The Holy Prophet ﷺ stood up to pray that Allah turns the Mount into gold. Sayyidna Jibra'il (علیہا السلام) came with Wahy which said: If you wish, We shall make this whole Mount a Mount of gold, but the consequence will be that, according to the customary Divine Law, all of them - if they still fail to believe - shall be destroyed through a mass punishment, as has been happening with past communities who demanded a miracle which was shown, yet they reverted back to denial when the wrath and punishment of Allah overtook them. Since the Holy Prophet ﷺ was aware of their habitual obstinacy, and because he was in mercy the foremost, he said that he was not going to pray for that miracle anymore. Thereupon, the following verse was revealed: وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّـهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ (And they swore by Allah on eloquent oaths - 109). Reported here is the sworn saying of the disbelievers that they would embrace Islam if they can see the miracle demanded by them. After that, in the sentence which follows immediately, it was said: إِنَّمَا الْآيَاتُ عِندَ اللَّـهِ (Signs are, definitely, with Allah - 109). This contains an answer to their saying. It has been declared here that all signs and miracles are within the power and control of Allah Ta` a1a. As for the miracles already manifested, they too were from Him - and those being demanded now, they too lie within His absolute control. But, according to the dictate of reason and justice, they had no right to make such a demand - because, the Holy Prophet ﷺ claims to be a Messenger of Allah, in support of which, he has already presented proofs and evidences in the form of miracles. Now, the other party does have the right to question these proofs and evidences by showing the proofs of their being false. But, the attitude of not cross-examining evidences presented and yet demanding some other evidences would be like the scenario in a law court where the respondent would avoid cross-examining the witness presented by the plaintiff and take the plea that he does not accept the evidence of these witnesses and that he would accept what is said particularly by such and such a person in his statement. Obviously, no court would consider this plea worth hearing.
Similar is the case of the veracity of a prophet or Rasul of Allah. To that end there are many clear signs and miracles before those who disbelieve. Now, unless they prove that these signs and miracles are false, they have no right to say that they would rather like to see a miracle of this or that kind before they could believe.
After that, upto the end of the cited verses, Muslims have been directly instructed that their duty is to stay firm on the true faith in their individual capacity, as well as convey it to others correctly and properly. If they, even then, show signs of rigidness and obstinacy, one should not worry about them because no one has to be forced into becoming a Muslim. If this was what could be done by force, who can claim to have greater coercive power than Allah Ta` ala. He Himself would have made everyone a Muslim. And in order to give Muslims their peace of heart, it was also explained in the verse that these people will not believe even if Allah were to show them the miracles of their choice openly and clearly. The reason was that their denial was not based on any misunderstanding or lack of awareness. In fact, it was due to their hostility and obstinacy - a disease which cannot be treated by miracles. In verse 111 وَلَوْ أَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَا إِلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ , it has been said that these people, if they were shown all miracles demanded by them, in fact, even if they were made to meet with angels and talk to the dead, they would still not believe. In the two verses that follow (112 113), the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been comforted by saying that the hostility of such people against him is nothing surprising. Past prophets too had their enemies - so, let him not be sad about it.
Prayer alerts are on. Tap the button to turn them off.