Surah Al Hijr, Surah Hijr, Surat Alhijr, Al Hijr, Surah Hijr Translation

Surah Al-Hijr In Arabic

﷽

الجزء ﴿ 14 ﴾

الر ۚ تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُبِينٍ ﴿1﴾ رُبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ ﴿2﴾ ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا وَيُلْهِهِمُ الْأَمَلُ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿3﴾ وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَعْلُومٌ ﴿4﴾ مَا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ ﴿5﴾ وَقَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ ﴿6﴾ لَوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِالْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿7﴾ مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوا إِذًا مُنْظَرِينَ ﴿8﴾ إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ ﴿9﴾ وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فِي شِيَعِ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿10﴾ وَمَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ ﴿11﴾ كَذَٰلِكَ نَسْلُكُهُ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿12﴾ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ ۖ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ سُنَّةُ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿13﴾ وَلَوْ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَابًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَظَلُّوا فِيهِ يَعْرُجُونَ ﴿14﴾ لَقَالُوا إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَارُنَا بَلْ نَحْنُ قَوْمٌ مَسْحُورُونَ ﴿15﴾ وَلَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَزَيَّنَّاهَا لِلنَّاظِرِينَ ﴿16﴾ وَحَفِظْنَاهَا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ رَجِيمٍ ﴿17﴾ إِلَّا مَنِ اسْتَرَقَ السَّمْعَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ مُبِينٌ ﴿18﴾ وَالْأَرْضَ مَدَدْنَاهَا وَأَلْقَيْنَا فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَوْزُونٍ ﴿19﴾ وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَايِشَ وَمَنْ لَسْتُمْ لَهُ بِرَازِقِينَ ﴿20﴾ وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا عِنْدَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ ﴿21﴾ وَأَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيَاحَ لَوَاقِحَ فَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ وَمَا أَنْتُمْ لَهُ بِخَازِنِينَ ﴿22﴾ وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ نُحْيِي وَنُمِيتُ وَنَحْنُ الْوَارِثُونَ ﴿23﴾ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا الْمُسْتَقْدِمِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا الْمُسْتَأْخِرِينَ ﴿24﴾ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿25﴾ وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ ﴿26﴾ وَالْجَانَّ خَلَقْنَاهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ مِنْ نَارِ السَّمُومِ ﴿27﴾ وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي خَالِقٌ بَشَرًا مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ ﴿28﴾ فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِي فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ ﴿29﴾ فَسَجَدَ الْمَلَائِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ ﴿30﴾ إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ ﴿31﴾ قَالَ يَا إِبْلِيسُ مَا لَكَ أَلَّا تَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ ﴿32﴾ قَالَ لَمْ أَكُنْ لِأَسْجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ ﴿33﴾ قَالَ فَاخْرُجْ مِنْهَا فَإِنَّكَ رَجِيمٌ ﴿34﴾ وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكَ اللَّعْنَةَ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ ﴿35﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنْظِرْنِي إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ ﴿36﴾ قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنْظَرِينَ ﴿37﴾ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ ﴿38﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴿39﴾ إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ﴿40﴾ قَالَ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ عَلَيَّ مُسْتَقِيمٌ ﴿41﴾ إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ ﴿42﴾ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَوْعِدُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴿43﴾ لَهَا سَبْعَةُ أَبْوَابٍ لِكُلِّ بَابٍ مِنْهُمْ جُزْءٌ مَقْسُومٌ ﴿44﴾ إِنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ ﴿45﴾ ادْخُلُوهَا بِسَلَامٍ آمِنِينَ ﴿46﴾ وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِهِمْ مِنْ غِلٍّ إِخْوَانًا عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مُتَقَابِلِينَ ﴿47﴾ لَا يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُمْ مِنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ ﴿48﴾ نَبِّئْ عِبَادِي أَنِّي أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴿49﴾ وَأَنَّ عَذَابِي هُوَ الْعَذَابُ الْأَلِيمُ ﴿50﴾ وَنَبِّئْهُمْ عَنْ ضَيْفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ﴿51﴾ إِذْ دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالُوا سَلَامًا قَالَ إِنَّا مِنْكُمْ وَجِلُونَ ﴿52﴾ قَالُوا لَا تَوْجَلْ إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ عَلِيمٍ ﴿53﴾ قَالَ أَبَشَّرْتُمُونِي عَلَىٰ أَنْ مَسَّنِيَ الْكِبَرُ فَبِمَ تُبَشِّرُونَ ﴿54﴾ قَالُوا بَشَّرْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ فَلَا تَكُنْ مِنَ الْقَانِطِينَ ﴿55﴾ قَالَ وَمَنْ يَقْنَطُ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّهِ إِلَّا الضَّالُّونَ ﴿56﴾ قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ ﴿57﴾ قَالُوا إِنَّا أُرْسِلْنَا إِلَىٰ قَوْمٍ مُجْرِمِينَ ﴿58﴾ إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ إِنَّا لَمُنَجُّوهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴿59﴾ إِلَّا امْرَأَتَهُ قَدَّرْنَا ۙ إِنَّهَا لَمِنَ الْغَابِرِينَ ﴿60﴾ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ آلَ لُوطٍ الْمُرْسَلُونَ ﴿61﴾ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ مُنْكَرُونَ ﴿62﴾ قَالُوا بَلْ جِئْنَاكَ بِمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ ﴿63﴾ وَأَتَيْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ ﴿64﴾ فَأَسْرِ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ وَاتَّبِعْ أَدْبَارَهُمْ وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ مِنْكُمْ أَحَدٌ وَامْضُوا حَيْثُ تُؤْمَرُونَ ﴿65﴾ وَقَضَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ ذَٰلِكَ الْأَمْرَ أَنَّ دَابِرَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ مَقْطُوعٌ مُصْبِحِينَ ﴿66﴾ وَجَاءَ أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ ﴿67﴾ قَالَ إِنَّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ ضَيْفِي فَلَا تَفْضَحُونِ ﴿68﴾ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُخْزُونِ ﴿69﴾ قَالُوا أَوَلَمْ نَنْهَكَ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿70﴾ قَالَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ بَنَاتِي إِنْ كُنْتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ ﴿71﴾ لَعَمْرُكَ إِنَّهُمْ لَفِي سَكْرَتِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ﴿72﴾ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ مُشْرِقِينَ ﴿73﴾ فَجَعَلْنَا عَالِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ حِجَارَةً مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ ﴿74﴾ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِلْمُتَوَسِّمِينَ ﴿75﴾ وَإِنَّهَا لَبِسَبِيلٍ مُقِيمٍ ﴿76﴾ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿77﴾ وَإِنْ كَانَ أَصْحَابُ الْأَيْكَةِ لَظَالِمِينَ ﴿78﴾ فَانْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ وَإِنَّهُمَا لَبِإِمَامٍ مُبِينٍ ﴿79﴾ وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ أَصْحَابُ الْحِجْرِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ﴿80﴾ وَآتَيْنَاهُمْ آيَاتِنَا فَكَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ ﴿81﴾ وَكَانُوا يَنْحِتُونَ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا آمِنِينَ ﴿82﴾ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ مُصْبِحِينَ ﴿83﴾ فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿84﴾ وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ ۗ وَإِنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَآتِيَةٌ ۖ فَاصْفَحِ الصَّفْحَ الْجَمِيلَ ﴿85﴾ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ الْخَلَّاقُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴿86﴾ وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِنَ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ ﴿87﴾ لَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِنْهُمْ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿88﴾ وَقُلْ إِنِّي أَنَا النَّذِيرُ الْمُبِينُ ﴿89﴾ كَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى الْمُقْتَسِمِينَ ﴿90﴾ الَّذِينَ جَعَلُوا الْقُرْآنَ عِضِينَ ﴿91﴾ فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴿92﴾ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿93﴾ فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴿94﴾ إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ ﴿95﴾ الَّذِينَ يَجْعَلُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ ۚ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿96﴾ وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ يَضِيقُ صَدْرُكَ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ ﴿97﴾ فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَكُنْ مِنَ السَّاجِدِينَ ﴿98﴾ وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ ﴿99﴾

Transliteration In Engliosh

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Alif-Laaam-Raa; tilka Aayaatul Kitaabi wa Qur-aa-nim Mubeen
Rubamaa yawaddul lazeena kafaroo law kaanoo muslimeen
Zarhum yaakuloo wa yatamatta’oo wa yulhihimul amalu fasawfa ya’lamoon
Wa maaa ahlaknaa min qaryatin illaa wa lahaa kitaabum ma’loom
Maa tasbiqu min ummatin ajalahaa wa maa yastaakhiroon
Wa qaaloo yaaa aiyuhal lazee nuzzila ‘alaihiz Zikru innaka lamajnoon
Law maa taateenaa bil malaaa’ikati in kunta minas saadiqeen
Maa nunazzilul malaaa’i kata illaa bilhaqqi wa maa kaanooo izam munzareen
Innaa Nahnu nazalnaz Zikra wa Innaa lahoo lahaa fizoon
Wa laqad arsalnaa min qablika fee shiya’il awwaleen
Wa maa yaateehim mir Rasoolin illaa kaanoo bihee yastahzi’oon
kazaalika naslukuhoo fee quloobil mujrimeen
Laa yu’minoona bihee wa qad khalat sunnatul awwaleen
Wa law fatahnaa ‘alaihim baabam minas samaaa’i fazaloo feehi ya’rujoon
Laqaaloo innamaa sukkirat absaarunaa bal nahnu qawmum mashooroon (section 1)
Wa laqad ja’alnaa fissamaaa’i buroojanw wa zaiyannaahaa linnaazireen
Wa hafiznaahaa min kulli Shaitaanir rajeem
Illaa manis taraqas sam’a fa atba’ahoo shihaabum mubeen
Wal arda madadnaahaa wa alqainaa feehaa rawaasiya wa ambatnaa feehaa min kulli shai’im mawzoon
Wa ja’alnaa lakum feehaa ma’aayisha wa mal lastum lahoo biraaziqeen
Wa im min shai’in illaa ‘indanaa khazaaa ‘inuhoo wa maa nunazziluhooo illaa biqadarim ma’loom
Wa arsalnar riyaaha la waaqiha fa anzalnaa minas samaaa’i maaa’an fa asqai naakumoohu wa maaa antum lahoo bikhaazineen
Wa innnaa la nahnu nuhyee wa numeetu wa nahnul waarisoon
Wa la qad ‘alimnal mustaqdimeena minkum wa laqad ‘alimnal mustaakhireen
Wa inna Rabbaka Huwa yahshuruhum; innahoo Hakeemun ‘Aleem (section 2)
Wa laqad khalaqnal insaana min salsaalim min hama im masnoon
Waljaaanna khalaqnaahu min qablu min naaris samoom
Wa iz qaala Rabbuka lilmalaaa’ ikati innee khaaliqum basharam min salsaalim min hama im masnoon
Fa izaa sawwaituhoo wa nafakhtu feehi mir roohee faqa’oo lahoo saajideen
Fasajadal malaaa’ikatu kulluhum ajma’oon
Illaaa ibleesa abaaa ai yakoona ma’as saajideen
Qaala yaaa Ibleesu maa laka allaa takoona ma’as saajideen
Qaala lam akul li asjuda libasharin khalaqtahoo min salsaalim min hama im masnoon
Qaala fakhruj minhaa fa innaka rajeem
Wa inna ‘alaikal la’nata ilaa Yawmid Deen
Qaala Rabbi fa anzirneee ilaa Yawmi yub’asoon
Qaala fa innaka minal munzareen
Ilaa Yawmil waqtil ma’loom
Qaala Rabbi bimaaa aghwaitanee la uzayyin anna lahum fil ardi wa la ughwiyan nahum ajma’een
Illaa ‘ibaadaka minhumul mukhlaseen
Qaala haaza Siraatun ‘alaiya Mustaqeem
Inna ‘ibaadee laisa laka ‘alaihim sultaanun illaa manittaba’aka minal ghaaween
Wa inna jahannama lamaw’iduhum ajma’een
Lahaa sab’atu abwaab; likulli baabim minhum juz’um maqsoom (section 3)
Innal muttaqeena fee Jannaatinw wa ‘uyoon
Udkhuloohaa bisalaamin aamineen
Wa naza’naa ma fee sudoorihim min ghillin ikhwaanan ‘alaa sururim mutaqaabileen
Laa yamas suhum feehaa nasabunw wa maa hum minhaa bimukhrajeen
Nabbi’ ‘ibaadeee annneee anal Ghafoorur Raheem
Wa anna ‘azaabee huwal ‘azaabul aleem
Wa nabbi’hum ‘an daifi Ibraaheem
Iz dakhaloo ‘alaihi faqaaloo salaaman qaala innaa minkum wajiloon
Qaaloo la tawjal innaa nubashshiruka bighulaamin ‘aleem
Qaala abashshartumoonee ‘alaaa am massaniyal kibaru fabima tubashshiroon
Qaaloo bashsharnaaka bilhaqqi falaa takum minal qaaniteen
Qaala wa mai yaqnatu mir rahmati Rabbiheee illad daaaloon
Qaala famaa khatbukum aiyuhal mursaloon
Qaaloo innaaa ursilnaaa ilaa qawmim mujrimeen
Illaaa Aala Loot; innaa lamunajjoohum ajma’een
Illam ra atahoo qaddarnaaa innahaa laminal ghaabireen (section 4)
Falamma jaaa’a Aala Lootinil mursaloon
Qaala innakum qawmum munkaroon
Qaaloo bal ji’naaka bimaa kaanoo feehi yamtaroon
Wa atainaaka bilhaqqi wa innaa lasaadiqoon
Fa asri bi ahlika biqit’im minal laili wattabi’ adbaarahum wa laa yaltafit minkum ahadunw wamdoo haisu tu’maroon
Wa qadainaaa ilaihi zaalikal amra anna daabira haaa’ulaaa’i maqtoo’um musbiheen
Wa jaaa’a ahlul madeenati yastabshiroon
Qaala inna haaa’ulaaa’i daifee falaa tafdahoon
Wattaqul laaha wa laa tukhzoon
Qaalooo awalam nanhaka ‘anil ‘aalameen
Qaala haaa’ulaaa’i banaateee in kuntum faa’ileen
La’amruka innahum lafee sakratihim ya’mahoon
Fa akhazat humus saihatu mushriqeen
Faja’alnaa ‘aaliyahaa saafilahaa wa amtarnaa ‘alaihim hijaaratam min sijjeel
Inna fee zaalika la Aayaatil lilmutawassimeen
Wa innahaa labi sabeelim muqeem
Inna fee zaalika la Aayatal lilmu’mineen
Wa in kaana Ashaabul Aikati lazaalimeen
Fantaqamnaa minhum wa innahumaa labi imaamim mubeen (section 5)
Wa laqad kazzaba ashaabul Hijril mursaleen
Wa aatainaahum Aayaatinaa fakaanoo ‘anhaa mu’rideen
Wa kaanoo yanhitoona minal jibaali buyootan aamineen
Fa akhazat humus saihatu musbiheen
Famaaa aghnaa ‘anhum maa kaanoo yaksiboon
Wa maa khalaqnas samaawaati wal arda wa maa bainahumaaa illaa bilhaqq; wa innas Saa’ata la aatiyatun fasfahis safhal jameel
Inna Rabbaka Huwal khallaaqul ‘aleem
Wa laqad aatainaaka sab’am minal masaanee wal Qur-aanal ‘Azeem
Laa tamuddanna ‘ainaika ilaa maa matta ‘naa biheee azwaajam minhum wa laa tahzan ‘alaihim wakhfid janaahaka lilmu ‘mineen
Wa qul inneee anan nazeerul mubeen
Kamaaa anzalnaa ‘alal muqtasimeen
Allazeena ja’alul Quraana’ideen
Fawa Rabbika lanas’a lannahum ajma’een
‘Ammaa kaanoo ya’maloon
Fasda’ bimaa tu’maru wa a’rid anil mushrikeen
Innaa kafainaakal mustahzi’een
Allazeena yaj’aloona ma’al laahi ilaahan aakhar; fasawfa ya’lamoon
Wa laqad na’lamu annaka yadeequ sadruka bimaa yaqooloon
Fasabbih bihamdi Rabbika wa kum minas saajideen
Wa’bud Rabbaka hattaa yaatiyakal yaqeen (section 6)

Translation

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Lam. Ra. These are verses of the Scripture and a plain Reading.
It may be that those who disbelieve wish ardently that they were Muslims.
Let them eat and enjoy life, and let (false) hope beguile them. They will come to know!
And We destroyed no township but there was a known decree for it.
No nation can outstrip its term nor can they lag behind.
And they say: O thou unto whom the Reminder is revealed, lo! thou art indeed a madman!
Why bringest thou not angels unto us, if thou art of the truthful?
We send not down the angels save with the Fact, and in that case (the disbelievers) would not be tolerated.
Lo! We, even We, reveal the Reminder, and lo! We verily are its Guardian.
We verily sent (messengers) before thee among the factions of the men of old.
And never came there unto them a messenger but they did mock him.
Thus do We make it traverse the hearts of the guilty:
They believe not therein, though the example of the men of old hath gone before.
And even if We opened unto them a gate of heaven and they kept mounting through it,
They would say: Our sight is wrong – nay, but we are folk bewitched.
And verily in the heaven we have set mansions of the stars, and We have beautified it for beholders.
And We have guarded it from every outcast devil,
Save him who stealeth the hearing, and them doth a clear flame pursue.
And the earth have We spread out, and placed therein firm hills, and caused each seemly thing to grow therein.
And we have given unto you livelihoods therein, and unto those for whom ye provide not.
And there is not a thing but with Us are the stores thereof. And we send it not down save in appointed measure.
And We send the winds fertilising, and cause water to descend from the sky, and give it you to drink. It is not ye who are the holders of the store thereof.
Lo! and it is We, even We, Who quicken and give death, and We are the Inheritor.
And verily We know the eager among you and verily We know the laggards.
Lo! thy Lord will gather them together. Lo! He is Wise, Aware.
Verily We created man of potter’s clay of black mud altered,
And the jinn did We create aforetime of essential fire.
And (remember) when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am creating a mortal out of potter’s clay of black mud altered,
So, when I have made him and have breathed into him of My Spirit, do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves unto him.
So the angels fell prostrate, all of them together
Save Iblis. He refused to be among the prostrate.
He said: O Iblis! What aileth thee that thou art not among the prostrate?
He said: I am not one to prostrate myself unto a mortal whom Thou hast created out of potter’s clay of black mud altered!
He said: Then go thou forth from hence, for lo! thou art outcast.
And lo! the curse shall be upon thee till the Day of Judgment.
He said: My Lord! Reprieve me till the day when they are raised.
He said: Then lo! thou art of those reprieved
Till the Day of appointed time.
He said: My Lord! Because Thou hast sent me astray, I verily shall adorn the path of error for them in the earth, and shall mislead them every one,
Save such of them as are Thy perfectly devoted slaves.
He said: This is a right course incumbent upon Me:
Lo! as for My slaves, thou hast no power over any of them save such of the froward as follow thee,
And lo! for all such, hell will be the promised place.
It hath seven gates, and each gate hath an appointed portion.
Lo! those who ward off (evil) are among gardens and watersprings.
(And it is said unto them): Enter them in peace, secure.
And We remove whatever rancour may be in their breasts. As brethren, face to face, (they rest) on couches raised.
Toil cometh not unto them there, nor will they be expelled from thence.
Announce, ( O Muhammad) unto My slaves that verily I am the Forgiving, the Merciful,
And that My doom is the dolorous doom.
And tell them of Abraham’s guests,
(How) when they came in unto him, and said: Peace. He said: Lo! we are afraid of you.
They said: Be not afraid! Lo! we bring thee good tidings of a boy possessing wisdom.
He said: Bring ye me good tidings (of a son) when old age hath overtaken me? Of what then can ye bring good tidings?
They said: We bring thee good tidings in truth. So be not thou of the despairing.
He said: And who despaireth of the mercy of his Lord save those who are astray?
He said: And afterward what is your business, O ye messengers (of Allah)?
They said: We have been sent unto a guilty folk,
(All) save the family of Lot. Them we shall deliver every one,
Except his wife, of whom We had decreed that she should be of those who stay behind.
And when the messengers came unto the family of Lot,
He said: Lo! ye are folk unknown (to me).
They said: Nay, but we bring thee that concerning which they keep disputing,
And bring thee the Truth, and lo! we are truth-tellers.
So travel with thy household in a portion of the night, and follow thou their backs. Let none of you turn round, but go whither ye are commanded.
And We made plain the case to him, that the root of them (who did wrong) was to be cut at early morn.
And the people of the city came, rejoicing at the news (of new arrivals).
He said: Lo! they are my guests. Affront me not!
And keep your duty to Allah, and shame me not!
They said; Have we not forbidden you from (entertaining) anyone?
He said: Here are my daughters, if ye must be doing (so).
By thy life ( O Muhammad) they moved blindly in the frenzy of approaching death.
Then the (Awful) Cry overtook them at the sunrise.
And We utterly confounded them, and We rained upon them stones of heated clay.
Lo! therein verily are portents for those who read the signs.
And lo! it is upon a road still uneffaced.
Lo! therein is indeed a portent for believers.
And the dwellers in the wood indeed were evil-doers.
So we took vengeance on them; and lo! they both are on a high-road plain to see.
And the dwellers in Al-Hijr denied (Our) messengers.
And we gave them Our revelations, but they were averse to them.
And they used to hew out dwellings from the hills, (wherein they dwelt) secure.
But the (Awful) Cry overtook them at the morning hour,
And that which they were wont to count as gain availed them not.
We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them save with truth, and lo! the Hour is surely coming. So forgive, ( O Muhammad), with a gracious forgiveness.
Lo! Thy Lord! He is the All-Wise Creator.
We have given thee seven of the oft-repeated (verses) and the great Qur’an.
Strain not thine eyes toward that which We cause some wedded pairs among them to enjoin, and be not grieved on their account, and lower thy wing (in tenderness) for the believers.
And say: Lo! I, even I, am a plain warner,
Such as We send down for those who make division,
Those who break the Qur’an into parts.
Them, by thy Lord, We shall question, every one,
Of what they used to do.
So proclaim that which thou art commanded, and withdraw from the idolaters.
Lo! We defend thee from the scoffers,
Who set some other god along with Allah. But they will come to know.
Well know We that thy bosom is oppressed by what they say,
But hymn the praise of thy Lord, and be of those who make prostration (unto Him).
And serve thy Lord till the Inevitable cometh unto thee.

[From Holy Quran Translation by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall]

Explanation

ذَرْهُمْ يَاْكُلُوْا وَيَتَمَتَّعُوْا وَيُلْهِهِمُ الْاَمَلُ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُوْنَ

From: ذَرْ‌هُمْ يَأْكُلُوا (Let them eat …3) we can see that the making of eating and drinking the real occupation and aim of life, and keeping glued to long-drawn material plans while surrounded by countless things of worldly comfort, and becoming totally heedless to death, is so¬mething which can be done only by the disbelievers. The reason is that they do not believe in the ‘Akhirah, the life to come, and the accounting of deeds there, and the reward and punishment for it. As for eating and drinking, a believer does it too, and takes care of economic needs to the measure of necessity, and makes future plans for occupation and busi¬ness as well. But, a believer would not make all these efforts by forget-ting death and ignoring the concern for ‘Akhirah. Therefore, he is careful about everything he does and finds out whether it is Halal or Haram, permissible or forbidden. Then, he does not occupy himself in the making of wasteful or unnecessary plans and projections, as hobby or compul¬sion. The Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: Four things are signs of being unfortu¬nate: (1) Not being able to shed tears (that is, not being in tears when ashamed of acts of negligence and sin); (2) and hard-heartedness; (3) fan¬ciful hopes and plans for the future; (4) and the greed for worldly things. (Qurtubi from Musnad al-Bazzar from Sayyidna Anas (رض)

And the expression: يُلْهِهِمُ الْأَمَلُ ‘let (their) fancy make them neglectful’ means the making of long-drawn plans with engrossing love, and the greed for the material without any concern for death and ‘Akhirah. (Qurtubi). As for plans made to achieve religious objectives, or those made to guard the future interests of a people or country, they are not included here – because, that is a form of the concern for ‘Akhirah itself.

The Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: The first set of people from this Ummah will have their salvation because of their perfect faith, and avoidance of the pursuit of the material (dunya); and the later people of the Ummah will be destroyed because of miserliness, and fancies projected too far.

It has been reported from Sayyidna Abu Ad-Darda’ (رض) that he stood up on the Mimbar of Jami’ Masjid of Damascus and said:

‘0 people of Damascus, would you listen to what this well-wish¬ing brother of yours has to say? So, listen to me. There have been big people before you who made big money, collected gold and things, built magnificent palaces and made long-hauled plans and projections for the future. Today they are dust. Their residences are their graves. And all their long winded hopes and plans have proved to be no more than a web of deception. Close to you lived the people of ` Ad who had stuffed their coun¬try with their fighting men, wealth, means, possessions, arms and horses. Is there someone around who would be ready to buy what they left behind as their legacy for two silver dir¬hams from me?’

Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri (رح) said: A person with long plans, hopes and fancies is bound to ruin his proper conduct in life. (Al-Qurtubi)

مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلٰۗىِٕكَةَ اِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوْٓا اِذًا مُّنْظَرِيْنَ

Explanatory Notes

The word: الْحَقِّ (what is true) in: إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ (ilia bi al-l aqq: translated as ‘except with what is true’ ) means the decision to send down punish¬ment. Some commentators take them to be denoting the Qur’ an, or pro¬phethood. In Bayan al-Qur’an, preference has been given to the first meaning which has been reported from al-Hasan al-Basri (رح) . Maulana Ash¬raf ` Ali Thanavi (رح) has explained these verses as given below.

And these disbelievers (of Makkah) said to the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) : “0 you to whom the Qur’ an has been revealed, (as you claim, then,) you are certainly (God forbid) insane (and your claim to prophethood is false, otherwise) why would you not bring the angels to us (who will testify your truthfulness before us – as in Surah Al-Furqan: لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيرً‌ا : ‘Why is not an angel sent down unto him, to be a warner with him? [ 25:7] which is answered by Allah Ta’ ala:) We send down the angels (in the manner asked by them) only to enforce a decision (and had that been the case) then they would have been given no respite either (in fact, when they would have not believed even after their having come – as their ways guarantee – they would have been destroyed instantly, the re¬ason for which has already appeared in the later verses of the first sec¬tion of Surah Al-An’ am: 6:8, 9).

اِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَاِنَّا لَهٗ لَحٰفِظُوْنَ

An Episode from the Court of Ma’mun

Imam Al-Qurtubi has authentically reported an event from the court of ` Abbasi Khalifah, Al-Ma’mun. He was used to patronizing occasional debates on intellectual issues at his court where all scholars were wel¬come. It so happened that a Jew came to attend one of these debates. By his looks, dress and manners, he seemed to be an elegant person. Then, his address during the debate was eloquent and intellectually bright. When the meeting was over, Ma’mun called for him and asked him if he was an Israelite, which he confirmed. To test him, Ma’mun asked him to become a Muslim in which case he could hope to have the best possible treatment from him.

He said that he was not willing to leave the religion of his forefathers which was his religion too. The matter ended there. That person went away. Then, after a year, the same person returned as a Muslim and made a very distinct contribution in the court meeting on the subject of Islamic jurisprudence. After the session was over, Ma’mun called for him and asked him if he was the same person who had come last year. He said: Yes, I am. Ma’mun asked: At that time you had refused to accept Islam. Tell me what made you accept Islam now.

He said: When I went back from here, I decided to do some research on contemporary religions. I am a scribe. I write books and sell them. They bring good price. This time I wanted to make a test. First, I calligraphed three manuscripts of the Torah in which I made some additions and deletions on my own. I took these manuscripts to the Synagogue. The Jews found them interesting and bought them. Then, I did the same things with the Injil. I calligraphed three manuscripts, complete with my additions and deletions, and took them to the Church where the Chris¬tians were pleased with these manuscripts and bought them from me. After that, I tried the same thing with the Qur’ an . I calligraphed three good looking manuscripts of the Qur’an, of course with the usual additions and deletions of my own. When I went out to sell them, I faced a problem. Every buyer I went to would take the manuscript, look into it to determine if it was correct or not, and when he would notice additions or deletions made into it, he would quietly return the manuscript back to me.

From this episode, I learnt my lesson that this Book is protected, and protected by Allah Ta` ala Himself, therefore, I embraced Islam. Qadi Yahya ibn Aktham, the narrator of this event says that, by chance, he had the tauf` iq of performing his Hajj in the same year. There he met Suf¬yan ibn ` Uyainah to whom he related this event. He said: Surely, this is how it should be because this is confirmed by the Qur’ an. Yahya ibn Akt¬ham asked about the ayah he had in mind. He said: When the glorious Qur’ an mentions the Torah and the Injil, there it says: بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِن كِتَابِ اللَّـهِ (that is, the Jews and Christians have been entrusted with the respon¬sibility of protecting the Torah and Injil, the Books of Allah – 5:44). This is the reason why, when the Jews and Christians did not fulfill their duty of protecting them, these Books were lost through distortions and alterations.

This is contrary to the case of the Holy Qur’ an about which Allah Ta’ ala has said:إِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ (And We are there to protect it – 9). Thus, when Allah Ta’ ala Himself arranged to have it remain protected, then, despite thousands of efforts made by enemies, not a single change in one tiny dot or case mark could be made. Today, over fourteen hun¬dred years have passed since even the blessed age of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and there has been a shortfall and neglect on the part of Muslims in all areas of their religious matters, yet the continuous arrangement of memorizing the Holy Qur’ an all over the world stands firmly established as it was. In every period of time, there are millions of Muslims, old and young, male and female, always present on the scene, blessed people in whose hearts and minds the Holy Qur’ an lives protected. Before them, not even the highest of the high religious scholar can dare recite a single letter of the Qur’ an wrong, for there would be around at that time many, seniors or children, who would promptly apprehend the error.

The Promise to Protect the Qur’an Includes the Protection of Hadith

As a matter of principle, all learned people agree that the Qur’ an is neither the name of the words of the Qur’ an alone, nor that of its mean¬ings alone, instead, a combination of both is called the Qur’ an. The reason is that Qur’anic meanings and subjects appear in other books as well, and as for Islamic writings, their subjects are essentially Qur’anic, but they are not called Qur’ an – because, they are not the words of the Qur’ an. Similarly, if a person were to borrow different words and sen¬tences from the Holy Qur’ an and write an article or treatise, no one will call this too by the name of Qur’ an, even though there is no word from outside the Qur’ an. This tells us that the Qur’an is the exclusive name of the particular Divinely revealed Book the words and meanings of which are simultaneously protected.

This also leads us to the ruling that the practice of people who pub¬lish the translation of the Qur’ an only in a foreign language and give it the name, for example, an English Qur’ an or an Urdu Qur’ an, is not per¬missible at all – because, that is not the Qur’ an. And when we know that Qur’ an is not the name of the words of the Qur’ an alone, but that its meaning too are a part of it, then, the responsibility of protecting the Qur’ an taken upon Himself in this verse by Allah Ta’ ala covers the total protection of the words of the Qur’ an as well as the meanings of the Qur’ an in that they remain protected against alteration or distortion.

And it is obvious that the meanings of the Qur’ an are the same as the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم was sent to teach – as pointed out in the Qur’ an: لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ (16:44). It means: ‘You have been sent to explain the meaning of what has been revealed for them.’ And this is what the verse: يُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ : ‘Teaches them the Book and the Wisdom’ (3:164) also means. And that is why he said:

اِنَّمَا بُعِثتُ مُعَلِّماً

‘As for me, I have been sent as a teacher.’

Now, when the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was sent to explain the meanings of the Qur’an and to impart education to people, then, he used a set of his sayings and doings as the medium of instruction for his community, and this very set of his words and deeds is known as the Hadith.

One who says that the Ahadith of the Rasul (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) of Allah are not absolutely protected is really saying that the Qur’an is not protected.

There are people around who would like to deceive the whole world by saying that the treasure of Ahadith present in authentic books is not trustworthy because it has been documented much later than the blessed age of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) . First of all, even this assumption of theirs is not correct because the process of protection and documentation of Ahadith had already started within the age of prophethood itself, though it was completed later. In addition to that, the Hadith of the Rasul of Allah is really the explanation of the Qur’ an and the meaning of the Qur’ an. Their protection is something which Allah Ta’ ala has taken upon Himself. Then, how can it be possible that only the words of the Qur’ an remain protected while the meanings of the Qur’ an (that is, the Ahadith of the Rasul) go to waste?

وَلَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِي السَّمَاۗءِ بُرُوْجًا وَّزَيَّنّٰهَا لِلنّٰظِرِيْنَ

Sequence

Mentioned in the previous verses was the doggedness and hostility of deniers and disbelievers. In the present verse, and in those which follow immediately after, clear proofs of the Oneness, Knowledge and Power of Allah Ta’ ala have been given. Described alongside is what transpires before His creation between the heavens and the earth, a little deliberation in which on the part of a sensible person would make any denial impos¬sible.

Commentary

The word: بُرُ‌وجًا ; is the plural of: بُرُج (burj) which is applied to big palaces and castles and to similar other structural entities. Tafsir author¬ities Mujahid, Qatadah, Abu Salih and others have explained ‘buruj’ at this place in the sense of big stars. As for the statement in this verse which points to the creation of these big stars in the sky, the word: السَّمَاءِ (as-sama’) sky means atmosphere which, in common modern day ter¬minology, is called the ‘space.’ The application of ‘as-sama” in both these senses is common, and recognized. Thus, the physical presence of deep space is identified as ‘as-sama” and the atmosphere much lower than it has also been repeatedly termed as ‘as-sama” in the Holy Qur’an. As for the planets and stars being in the space, and not in the skies, the rele¬vant investigative details, as coordinated with the verses of the Qur’ an and classical and modern astronomy, will Insh’ Allah appear under our comments on the verse: تَبَارَ‌كَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُ‌وجًا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَ‌اجًا وَقَمَرً‌ا مُّنِيرً‌ا (Blessed is He Who made in the sky stellar formations and made in it the Sun and the Moon providing light) of Surah Al-Furqan (25 :61).

اِلَّا مَنِ اسْتَرَقَ السَّمْعَ فَاَتْبَعَهٗ شِهَابٌ مُّبِيْنٌ

The Meteor

The first thing these verses prove is that the shaitans have no access to the heavens. That shaitan the accursed was in the heavens at the time of the creation of Sayyidna ‘Adam (عليه السلام) and that he deceived ‘Adam and Hawwa (Eve) (عليهما السلام) were events which took place before they ap¬peared on the earth. Upto that time, the entry of the Jinns and shaitans in the heavens was not prohibited. It was after the coming down of Sayyidna ‘Adam I and the expulsion of the shaitan that this entry was banned. From what has been said in Surah Al-Jinn: أَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ ۖ فَمَن يَسْتَمِعِ الْآنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ شِهَابًا رَّ‌صَدًا (And we used to sit in ambush at places from it so as to eavesdrop. Whoever then tries to hear would find for him a flame in hot pursuit – 72:9), it appears that, before the coming of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) ، the shaitans could overhear about things happening in the heaven through the mutual conversation of angels. This does not necessarily imply that that the shaitans used to hear about such information by entering into the heavens. The first sentence of the verse quoted above: نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ gives the sense that they would enter the atmospheric zone where clouds abound like thieves, would sit there in ambush and hear. These words themselves are indicative of no other possibility but that the entry of the Jinns and the shaitans had continued to be banned in the heavens – but, they would reach the outer atmosphere of the skies and hear a little by stealth. It was after the advent of the Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings be on him, that an additional arrangement was activated when the shaitans were stopped even from this covert eavesdropping through meteors or shooting stars (Al-Shihab Al-Thaqib) which zoom in upon them from the outer space with enormous speed.

Now the question, as to how could the shaitans hear the conversation of angels taking place inside the heavens while they were out of it, is not something just impossible. It is quite probable that the heavenly bodies not be prohibitive of the audition of sounds, and it is also not far out that the angels sometimes come lower down the heavens and engage them-selves in some conversation hearing which the shaitans used to run. A Hadith of Sayyidah ` A’ishah (رض) appearing in the Sahih of Al-Buk¬hari confirms this very probability. She said that the angels sometimes come down as far as where the clouds are and talk about the heavenly happenings among themselves. It was in this atmospheric zone of the skies that the shaitans used to hide themselves in to hear this news. This furtive effort of theirs was stopped through Al-Shihab Al-Thaqib, the shooting stars. Detailed comments on this subject will, Insh’ Allah, appear in Surah Al-Jinn under our exegesis of the verse: أَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ (72:9).

Now, the second question we have here is that of Al-Shihab Al-Thagib, meteors or shooting stars, in these verses. According to the statements of the Holy Qur’an, it appears that these ‘shihabs’ or flames are formed to hit the shaitans in order that the revelation remains pro¬tected. In other words, the shaitans are driven away through them so that they would not overhear angels.

The difficult part of the question relates to the fact that the presence of shooting stars in outer space is nothing new. Falling stars were seen even before the coming of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) – and this phenomena continues later than that as well. If so, how can it be said that the shooting stars show up to drive the shaitans away, which is the particular feature of the age of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) ? Obviously, this seems to support the view of the scientists who say that meteors become so hot from rushing through the air that they glow and often burn up which gives onlookers the impression that a star has fallen. Therefore, in usage, this is identified as a falling star. The Arabic language itself has an expression: اِمقِضَاض اَلکَوَاکَب (inqidad al-kaukab) which is a virtual synonym, of the falling of a star.

However, the answer is that there is no contradiction here. One or more scientific explanations for this phenomena could be possible, for ex-ample, vapours rising from the earth surface may heat up at some point, or the speed of the meteors makes them glow and burn, or a flame emits from a star – and this may have habitually continued since ever. But, before the coming of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) ، these flames were not employed to serve a particular purpose. However, after his coming, meteoric flames were employed to serve the purpose of shooting the shaitans who would come up to stealthily hear the conversation of angels.

This is how ` Allamah Al-‘Alusi has interpreted it in Ruh al-Ma’ ani. There he reports that someone asked Imam Zuhri, the Hadith authority, that stars used to fall even before the coming of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) . He said: “Yes.” Thereupon, this person confronted him by quoting the verse cited above. Then he said: “The shooting stars, no doubt, did exist before – but, after the coming of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) ، when the shaitans were dealt with sternly, these were employed to drive them away.”

In a Hadith of the Sahih of Muslim, there is a narration from Sayyid¬na Ibn ` Abbas (رض) which reports the saying of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) himself on this subject. According to this report, he was sitting with a group of his Sahabah (رض) when they saw a star falling. He asked them: at did you take the falling of a star to be during the days of Jahiliyyah, that is, before Islam? They said: We took it to be a sign of some major upheaval in the world, or that a prominent man would die, or be born. He said: This is absurd. It has nothing to do with someone’s death or birth. As for these flames, they are thrown to dispel the shaitans.

To sum up, it can be said that the view of scientists about the shooting stars is also not contrary to the Qur’ an, and it is also not too far out to state that these flames were made to fall directly from some stars. Whichever way it is taken, the purpose of the Qur’an stands proved clearly.

وَالْاَرْضَ مَدَدْنٰهَا وَاَلْقَيْنَا فِيْهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَاَنْۢبَتْنَا فِيْهَا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَّوْزُوْنٍ

Divine Wisdom: Balanced Provision for Human Needs

One sense of the expression: مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَّوْزُونٍ (everything in balance – 19) is what has been taken in the present translation of the text, that is, it was in His infinite wisdom that He caused everything that grows to grow in a determined measure, not less than that which would have made life difficult, and not too much which would have also brought diffi¬culties of a different nature. If grains like wheat and rice and the best of fruits around were to grow in such excess that stockpiles of them remain behind even after their liberal consumption by human beings and ani¬mals, then, it is obvious that they would go bad, or their possible storage (in ideal natural state) will be difficult under varying conditions, and if they had to be dumped, then, not much space will be left for such mega dumpings.

This tells us that it was also within the power of Allah Ta’ ala that He would have caused grains and fruits on which human life depends to grow in such abundance that everyone would have them free everywhere so much so that, despite their care-free use, stores upon stores of them would have kept lying around. But, this situation could have turned into a punishment for human beings, therefore, these were provided in a par¬ticular measure and balance so that their worth and value remains ac¬tively recognized, and that they are not left over only to go to waste ei¬ther.

And this expression: مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَّوْزُونٍ (everything in balance) could also be taken in the sense that Allah Ta’ ala has created everything that grows in a suitable and proportionate manner which gives it beauty and attraction. Trees are different, so are their trunks, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. Different are their sizes, shapes, colours and tastes. at one readily sees is their happy balance and delightful looks. Everyone enjoys having them around. But, a full comprehension of the wisdom which has gone into their making is not possible for any human being.

وَاَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيٰحَ لَوَاقِحَ فَاَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاۗءِ مَاۗءً فَاَسْقَيْنٰكُمُوْهُ ۚ وَمَآ اَنْتُمْ لَهٗ بِخٰزِنِيْنَ

Water Supply: The Unique Divine Arrangement

In verse 22, from: وَأَرْ‌سَلْنَا الرِّ‌يَاحَ (And We send forth winds …) to: مَا أَنتُمْ لَهُ بِخَازِنِينَ (and you are not able to store it), a hint has been given to this wise arrangement through which a formidable system has been established to provide water for all human beings, animals, cattle, birds and beasts who live on this earth as and when they need it. Under this arrange¬ment, everyone gets water everywhere, under all conditions, as needed, for drinking or bathing or washing or for irrigating farms and trees. This is water at no cost. As for those who would spend to dig a well or put water pipes to receive the supply of water, they only pay for the means and facilities. No one can pay for even a drop of water, nor has anyone been asked to pay for it.

Mentioned first in the verse was how Divine power has set in motion its unique system of delivering water from the sea all over the earth by creating vapours in the sea which generated the substance of rains (the monsoons) and on top of it fanned the winds which would transform it into clouds making them as if they were mountain-like planes laden with water. Then, comes the task of having these giant planes carrying their cargo of water reach every nook and corner of the world where it must reach. And then this mission is accomplished directly under Divine command whereby these gigantic auto planes would rain down a specific quantity of water over a specific area of the earth, as commanded.

In this manner, water from the sea is home-delivered to all inhabi¬tants of the earth, human beings, and animals, wherever they may be. Then, this system takes care of seeing that an equally unique change is made in the taste and properties of the water being delivered. We know that Allah Ta’ ala has, in His wisdom, made sea water so salty and brack¬ish that tons and tons of salt is extracted and used from it. The element of wisdom behind it is that this great sea sphere which is home to mil-lions and billions of life forms, and their burial place too where they die and disintegrate. Then, foul water from all over the earth (despite much publicized ecological concerns voiced by the polluters themselves) ulti-mately gets delivered in it.

Had this been sweet water, it would have gone bad within a day, and its stench would have been so severe that it would have become a health hazard for the dwellers on land. Therefore, nature made it so acidly brackish that it would just burn up the filth which keeps reaching it from all over the world. So, it was based on this wise consideration that the sea water was made salty, rather brackish, which cannot be drunk or used to quench thirst. Certainly great is the Divine system which not only made water planes designed as clouds to carry the priceless treasures of water, but did much more when it activat¬ed its own desalination without the help of huge mechanized plants used for this purpose in our time. It only took the period of time from the ris¬ing of the monsoons until the rains fell down on the earth that salt from sea water separated and sweet water was what we got. A reference to this appears in Surah Al-Mursalat (77:27) where it is said: وَأَسْقَيْنَاكُم مَّاءً فُرَ‌اتًا : It means: We gave you water to drink which quenches thirst. The word: فُرَات (furat) used here signifies thirst-quenching sweet water. In other words, the sense is that Allah has made the salty water of the sea go through His own desalination plant in the clouds and has arranged for you to have sweet drinking water out of water which was brackish.

The same subject occurs in Surah Al-Waqi` ah (56:68-70) where it is said:

أَفَرَ‌أَيْتُمُ الْمَاءَ الَّذِي تَشْرَ‌بُونَ أَأَنتُمْ أَنزَلْتُمُوهُ مِنَ الْمُزْنِ أَمْ نَحْنُ الْمُنزِلُونَ لَوْ نَشَاءُ جَعَلْنَاهُ أُجَاجًا فَلَوْلَا تَشْكُرُ‌ونَ

You see the water you drink? Is it you who bring it down from the cloud, or are We the senders? If We had willed, We would have made it bitter. Why, then, would you not be grateful?

Upto this point, we have seen the spectacular manifestation of Divine power as to how it has picked up water from the sea, changed it into sweet water, and delivered it through clouds all over the world with such efficiency of management that it reached not only the human beings of every region but was also passed on to animals and wildlife which are not within the range of human inquiry. Water was, so to say, home-de¬livered to them – and free of cost too, in fact, they had to have it.

But, this arrangement does not solve the problem faced by human be¬ings and animals because they need water every day, rather every mo¬ment. Therefore, one method of fulfilling their daily demand was to have rains come every day, twelve months a year. But, under this arrange¬ment, their elemental need for water would have been taken care of to a certain degree, however, the disturbance they would have faced in other economic activities is not difficult to foresee, at least for those who have the experience. Constant rain, every day of the year, would have affected health and caused gridlocks in transportation, hazards in movement and sluggishness in business.

Also possible was a second method that there be enough rain in par¬ticular months of the year so that the water from it becomes sufficient for the rest of the months. But, this method would have required that everyone be assigned a quota of water which may be entrusted to each such person with the ground rule that they would keep the quota and share of water thus received under their personal custody.

Now, just imagine. If this was done, how could every human being have managed to assemble enough water containers of suitable sizes and capacities in which water needed for a period of three to six months could be stored? Even if, this could somehow be done, it goes without say¬ing that this water would have gone bad within a few days drinking which, in fact, using which for some other purpose would have been out of the question. Therefore, Divine power introduced yet another unique system to preserve it and make it become available as and when and where needed. We see that some portion of the water rained down is im¬mediately put to use when it helps farms and trees to bloom and human beings and animals to quench their thirst. Part of it gets deposited and preserved in open ponds and lakes.

Then a greater portion of it is trans-formed into ice – a frozen sea – which is so conveniently put atop mountain peaks. Neither dust, nor filth can touch it. Had this water remained in the liquid form, there would have been the danger of its being contami¬nated with dust or filth brought by the winds. May be birds and animals would have fallen into it, and died, which would have spoiled this water. But, what Divine power did was to take this treasure of water, turn it into a virtual sea of ice, and put it on top of the mountains from where it keeps seeping into the pores of the mountains and then becomes what streams are and thus it reaches everywhere. Places where there are no streams either, water keeps flowing under the earth surface like human veins in every region of the world. Dig a well, it would come out.

To sum up, this Divine system of water supply holds thousands of blessings in its fold. First of all, the creation of water is in itself a great blessing. Then, making it reach all regions of the earth is the second blessing. Then, making it potable is the third blessing. Then, giving human beings the opportunity to drink it is the fourth blessing. Then, the formidable system of collecting and preserving water according to its need is the fifth blessing. And then, giving men and women of this world the ability to benefit by it is the sixth blessing – because, despite water being available, there may be unwelcome circumstances or natural and man-made calamities due to which one may not remain capable enough to drink water. In the present verse of the Holy Qur’ an: فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ وَمَا أَنتُمْ لَهُ بِخَازِنِينَ (and gave it to you to drink, and you are not able to store it – 22), a clear hint has been given to these blessings, and also a warning (to those who refuse to see truth as it is):

فَتَبَارَ‌كَ اللَّـهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ

Blessed is Allah, the best of creators.

وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا الْمُسْتَقْدِمِيْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا الْمُسْتَاْخِرِيْنَ

Going Ahead and Remaining Behind in Righteous Deeds: The Difference in Degrees

Some exegetic interpretations of the words: (al-mustaqdimin) : ‘those who go ahead’ and: (al-musta’khirin) : ‘those who remain behind’ appearing in verse 24: الْمُسْتَقْدِمِينَ ~.A11 have been variously reported from Tafsir authorities among the Sahabah (رض) and Tabi` in. These are:

‘Al-Mustaqdimin’ are those born to date, and ‘Al-Musta’khirin’ are those not born yet [ Qatadah and ` Ikrimah ].
‘Al-Mustaqdimin’ means the dead, and ‘Al-Musta’khirin’ means those alive till now [ Ibn ` Abbas and Dahhak ]
‘Al-Mustaqdimin’ signifies good people who came before the ap¬pearance of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) ، and ‘Al-Mustakhirin’ re¬fers to his Ummah itself [ Mujahid ].
‘Al-Mustaqdimin’ denotes people who obey Allah and do good deeds while ‘Al-Musta’khirin’ refers to people who disobey Him and ne¬glect what is good [ Hasan and Qatadah ]
‘Al-Mustaqdimin’ are people who remain ahead in the rows of Sal, or in the front lines of Jihad, and in other righteous deeds – and ‘Al-Musta’khirin’ are those who remain behind in these deeds of merit, stay in the rear rows and are used to being late [ which is the Tafsir given by leading authorities Hasan al-Basri, Said ibn al-Musaiyyab, al-Qurtubi, al-Sha` bi and others ]

It is obvious that there is no distinct conflict or contradiction in these sayings, in the real sense. They can be accommodated all in one because the all-encompassing knowledge of Allah Ta` ala covers all kinds of peo¬ple ‘who go ahead’ or ‘remain behind.’

In his Tafsir, Al-Qurtubi has said that this verse indicates the merit of performing Salah in the first row, and soon after the time it becomes due. This is in accordance with the Hadith where the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) has been reported to have said: If people were to find out the enormous merit of calling the Adhan and standing in the first row of Salah, everyone would have started making the effort to necessarily stand in the first row, and when there would remain no space for everybody to stand there, lots would have to be drawn.

With this, Al-Qurtubi has also reported the saying of Sayyidn Ka’b (رض) : ‘There are some people in this Ummah who, when they put their forehead on the ground for their Sajdah, forgiveness is granted to all those who are praying behind them.’ Therefore, Sayyidna Ka’b liked to be in the last row in the hope that ‘perhaps, there may be in the front rows, some servant of Allah of the class, because of whose barakah (bliss¬ful presence), I may be forgiven.’

What is apparent here is that real merit does lie in praying in the first row – as stands proved from the clear statements of the Qur’an and Sunnah. But, a person who does not, for some reason, find a place in the first row, then, he too will have a sort of merit in that there may perhaps be some righteous servant of Allah praying in the front rows for whose sake, he too may be forgiven. And the way praying in the first row of Salah stands proved from this verse, also proved is the superiority of being in the front lines of Jihad.

فَاِذَا سَوَّيْتُهٗ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيْهِ مِنْ رُّوْحِيْ فَقَعُوْا لَهٗ سٰجِدِيْنَ

Blowing of Spirit into the Human Body and Making Angels

Prostrate to him: A Brief Review

Is the spirit (Ruh) a physical entity, or pure essence? On this subject, there has been a difference of opinion among the learned since a long time. According to Ash-Shaykh ` Abd Al-Rauf Al-Munawi, there are upto a thousand positions taken by them. But, they are all based on conjec¬tures. None of them can be called certain. Imam Al-Ghazali, Imam Razi and mystic scholars and thinkers maintain that it is no physical entity. It is pure essence. Imam Razi has advanced twelve arguments in support of this view.

But, the majority of the ` Ulama’ of the Muslim Ummah declare Ruh (spirit, soul) to be a highly refined physical entity. The word: (nafkh) means to blow, to breathe into. If we were to go by the consensus of the majority of Ulama and take Ruh to be a refined physical entity, then breathing into it becomes evident by itself. And if we were to accept it to be pure essence, then breathing into it would mean establishing its con¬nection to the body. (Bayan a1-Qur’an)

Ruh (spirit) and Nafs (self):

The View of Qagli Than’ ullah (رح)

Leaving this long-winding debate aside, we consider it sufficient to refer the reader to a special research presented by Qadi Thana’ullah Panipati (رح) in his Tafsir Mazhari.

The respected commentator says that Ruh has two kinds: (1) Higher (`’ Ulwi) and (2) Lower (Sifli). The higher Ruh is bereft of matter and is a creation of Allah Ta’ ala the comprehension of whose reality is difficult. The masters of insight by illumination (ahl al-kashf) see its real station to be above the Throne (‘Arsh عَرش) because it is more refined than the ` Arsh. And this higher Ruh, as seen through illumination, is sensed in five de¬grees at upper and lower levels. Their number is five and they are: (1) The heart (Qalb) (2) The spirit (Ruh) (3) The mystery (Sirr) (4) The se¬cret (Khafii) (5) The most secret (Akhfa). These are all from the refine-ments of the domain of Divine command towards which the Holy Qur’ an has hinted by declaring: قُلِ الرُّ‌وحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ‌ رَ‌بِّي (Say, “The spirit is from the com¬mand of my Lord – 17:85).

As for the lower Ruh, it is a refined vapour which emerges from the combination of the four elements of the human body, that is, from fire, water, dust and air, and this lower Ruh is called the self (nafs).

Allah Ta’ ala has made this lower spirit called self a mirror of the higher spirits mentioned above. An illustration would make it clear. If we were to hold a mirror against the sun, then, despite that the sun is far far away, its reflection comes into the mirror. And because of the light, that too starts glowing like the sun. It even receives the heat of the sun in it which could burn a piece of cloth. The same thing applies to the higher spirits. Though they are, because of their purity and detachment, very high and elevated in station, and far distant too, yet their reflection appears in the mirror of the lower spirit and transfers the states and ef¬fects of the higher spirits into it. When these very effects take root in human selves, they become known as subordinate parts of each individu¬al’s spirit.

Then, this lower form of spirit which is identified as Nafs or self armed with the states and effects which it has acquired from the higher forms of spirits first gets connected with the heart muscle of the human body. This connection itself is another name for life. Once the lower spir¬it relates to the human heart, it infuses in it life and cognitions which it has acquired from the higher spirits. This lower spirit then starts cir¬culating through the thin veins spread throughout the body and thus reaches every part of it.

It is this infusion of the lower spirit into the human body which has been called the ‘blowing or breathing of the spirit’ (نَفَخ اَلرُوح): the nafkh of ruh) because it bears close resemblance to blowing or breathing into something.

And, in the present verse, Allah Ta’ ala has attributed the spirit to Himself. He has said: مَن رُوحِی (from My spirit) so that the superior stat¬us of the human spirit out of the entire creation becomes evident – because, it has come into existence, without any material substance, only under Divine command. In addition to that, it has a unique ability to ac¬cept and absorb the manifestations of Divine light, an ability which does not exist in the spirit of any other living creature other than that of the human person.

Though, dust is the dominant element in the creation of man – and that is why the creation of man has been attributed to clay – but, the re¬ality is that man is a combination of ten elements out of which five be-long to the universe of creation (عَالم الخلق) while the other five to the uni¬verse of Divine command (‘ عَالم الأمر). The four elements of the universe of creation are fire, water, dust and air. The fifth is the refined vapour from these four which is called the lower spirit or nafs. As for the five ele¬ments of the universe of Divine command mentioned above, they are: (1) heart (qalb) (2) spirit (ruh) (3) mystery (sirr) (4) secret (khafiyy) (5) totally hidden (akhfa).

It is because of this comprehensive making of the human model that man became deserving of Divine vice-regency, and very much capable of absorbing the light which helps him know his Lord and, of course, sus¬taining his own burning quest on the path of love and longing for Him. The outcome, though unspecified as to its actual state, is communion with the Divine because the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)

has said: اَلمَرُء مَعَ مَن اَحَبَّ (One shall be with whoever one loves).

And since human beings have the ability to absorb the manifesta¬tions of Divine light, and since they have been given the honour of being in communion with the Divine, it came to be the dictate of Divine wis¬dom that man be made the object of prostration by the angels. It was said: فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ ‘ (you fall down before him, prostrating – 29)

اِلَّآ اِبْلِيْسَ ۭ اَبٰٓى اَنْ يَّكُوْنَ مَعَ السّٰجِدِيْنَ

The Command to Prostrate was Given to Angels – Iblis was to Follow Suit

Addressing Iblis in Surah Al-A` raf, it was said: مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْ‌تُكَ (What stopped you from prostrating when I ordered you? – 7:12). This shows that the command to prostrate was given, along with the angels, to Iblis as well. However, the verses you have gone through a little earli¬er apparently give the sense that the command was particular to the an-gels. This could mean that the command was originally given to the angels but, as Iblis too was present among the angels, therefore, he too was covered by this command as a corollary – because, when the command went forth for the most august creation of Allah Ta’ ala, that is, the an-gels, that they pay their homage to Sayyidna ‘Adam (عليه السلام) ، it was obvious that any other creation was bound to follow suit under this command. It was for this reason that Iblis did not respond by saying that he was never asked to prostrate to begin with, so he could not be charged with the crime of non-compliance of the order. Perhaps, the words of the Qur’ an here: ‘ أَبَىٰ أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ ‘ (He refused to be among those who pros¬trated – 30) may contain a hint in that direction. Rather than say: أَبَىٰ أَن يّسجُدَ 1 that is, ‘he refused to prostrate’, what was actually said was: ‘ أَبَىٰ أَن يَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ ‘ he refused to be among those who prostrated. This indi¬cates that the main prostraters were after all the angels but Iblis too, being present with them, was reason-bound to join the prostrating an-gels. So, the Divine wrath was against his failure to join.

اِنَّ عِبَادِيْ لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطٰنٌ اِلَّا مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغٰوِيْنَ

The Meaning of Shaitan Having No Power over Special Servants of Allah

From the verse: إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ (My servants are such that you have no power over them – 42), we learn that there are special and cho¬sen servants of Allah Ta’ ala who are not affected by Shaitanic deception. But, within this event relating to Sayyidna ‘Adam ill, it has also been said that the deception of Shaitan worked in the case of Sayyidna ‘Adam and Hawwa’ (علیہما السلام) . Similarly, about the noble Companions, the Qur’ an has said: إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا ۖ (Shaitan had but made them slip for some of their deeds – 3:155) which tells us that there was an occasion (during the Battle of Uhud) when the evil plan of the Shaitan worked against the Com¬panions as well.

Therefore, in the present verse, the sense of saying that the special servants of Allah are such that Shaitan has no power over them is that their hearts and minds never come under the power and sway of Shaitan to the extent that would just not become alerted to their error at all, be-cause of which, they would remain deprived of necessary repentance for ever, or that they fall into some sin the forgiveness of which would be-come impossible.

As for the events mentioned above, they offer no contradiction be-cause ‘Adam and Hawwa’ (علیہما السلام) made their Taubah and this repentance was accepted. Similarly, the noble Companions referred to above had also made their Taubah. Thus, whatever sin they fell into because of the mechanization of Shaitan was forgiven.

اِنَّ الْمُتَّقِيْنَ فِيْ جَنّٰتٍ وَّعُيُوْنٍ

Commentary

According to Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas (رض) ، when the people of Jannah will enter Jannah, first of all two streams of water will be pre¬sented before them. They will drink water from the first stream and all mutual grudges they had from their life in the mortal world – the effect of which naturally survived right through the end – will be totally washed away. In its place, they all will feel love for each other in their hearts because mutual bickering too is virtually a pain and punishment as such, and Jannah is free of all pain.

As for the report appearing in Sahih Hadith: ‘Anyone who nurses the least grudge in his heart against a Muslim will not go to Jannah,’ it means the grudge and malice which is rooted in material ends, and is there by one’s personal intention and choice, and because of which this person keeps looking for an opportunity to inflict pain or loss on his ene¬my. Being ill at ease in someone’s company as a matter of natural tem¬perament, a human trait beyond one’s control, is not included here. Simi¬lar is the case of what is based on some Islamic legal ground. It is this kind of grudge which has been referred to in this verse and where it has been said that such grudge and temperamental distaste will be removed from their hearts.

It is about this kind of grudge that Sayyidna ` Ali (رض) said: “I hope that I shall be, along with Talha and Zubayr, among those the dust of mu¬tual anxiety from whose hearts will be removed while entering Jannah.” The reference here is to the difference of opinion and resulting conflict which took place between Sayyidna Talha and Sayyidna Zubayr and Sayyidna ` Ali (رض) .

لَا يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيْهَا نَصَبٌ وَّمَا هُمْ مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِيْنَ

From verse 48: لَا يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَ‌جِينَ (No weariness shall touch them therein nor will they be expelled from there), we learn about two features of Jannah: (1) No one shall ever feel tired or weak. This is contrary to what happens in our mortal world where hard work natural¬ly results in fatigue. In fact, even a state of total rest and fun would sometimes tire a person out, no matter how enjoyable are things one is occupied with. (2) The other feature of Jannah we discover is that the blessings once received there shall be eternal. These blessings shall never diminish nor shall anyone be expelled from there. In Surah Sad, it was said:إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَرِ‌زْقُنَا مَا لَهُ مِن نَّفَادٍ (This is sustenance provided by Us which is never to exhaust – 38:54). And in the present verse, it was said: وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَ‌جِينَ (nor will they be expelled from there) that is, they shall never be deprived of the state of bliss bestowed upon them. This is contrary to the affairs of the mortal world where the recipient of the best of conveniences lives under the apprehension that the Over of the facilities may become displeased with him one of those days and expel him out.

As for the third probability, that the blessings of Jannah may remain everlasting, nor one is expelled from there, but one may himself get bored by living there and wish to go out, the Qur’ an has demolished this probability in one sentence of Surah Al-Kahf with the following words: لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًا (That is, these people too would never seek to return from there – 18:108).

لَعَمْرُكَ اِنَّهُمْ لَفِيْ سَكْرَتِهِمْ يَعْمَهُوْنَ

A Great Honour for the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)

About the word of Allah: لَعَمرُکَ (la’amruk : By your life), the majority of commentators, as reported in Ruh al-Ma’ ani, have said that the ad¬dressee of ‘la’amruka’ is the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) . It is his life that Allah Ta’ ala has sworn by. Al-Baihaqi in Dala’ilun-Nubuwwah, and Abu Nu’aym, Ibn Marduwayh and others have reported from Sayyidna ` Ab-dullah ibn ` Abbas (رض) that Allah Ta’ ala has not bestowed on anyone in the whole creation an honour and rank higher than that of Sayyidna Mu¬hammad al-Mutafa (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) . This is the reason why Allah Ta’ ala has never sworn by the life of any prophet or angel, while in this verse, He has sworn by the age and life of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) – which is the highest conceivable honour and deference accorded to him.

Swearing by Non-Allah

To swear by anyone or anything, other than the names and attrib¬utes of Allah Ta` ala, is not permissible for any human being because one would only swear by whoever is held in the highest of esteem – and, as obvious, Allah alone can be the highest.

According to Hadith, the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: Do not swear by your mothers, fathers and idols. And do not swear by anyone except Allah – and if you have to swear by Allah, do it only when you are truthful in your statement. (Reported by Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’i from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah~aow )

It appears in the Sahihayn (the Sahih of Al-Bukhari and the Sahih of Muslim) that the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) once saw Sayyidna ` Umar ibn al-Khattab (رض) swearing by his father. He called out to him and said: ‘Watch out! Allah Ta’ ala forbids swearing by fathers. Whoever has to take an oath, let him do it in the name of Allah, otherwise, let him be silent. (Al-Qurtubi under the commentary on Surah al-Ma’idah)

But, this injunction applies to Allah’s creation in general. As for Allah Ta’ ala Himelf, He swears by different things He has created. This is particular to Him. Its purpose is to state the sublimity and benefi¬cence of something from the desired angle. Then, the cause of forbidding common people from swearing by anyone other than Allah is not present here – because, in the Word of Allah there is no probability that He would take someone from His creation to be the highest and the best. Again, the reason is that absolute greatness is particular only with Allah Ta’ ala.

اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيٰتٍ لِّلْمُتَوَسِّمِيْنَ

Learn Your Essential Lesson From Sites Ruined by Divine Punishment

In verses 75 and 76: إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْمُتَوَسِّمِينَ ﴿٧٥﴾ وَإِنَّهَا لَبِسَبِيلٍ مُّقِيمٍ ﴿٧٦﴾ (Surely, in that there are signs for those who read signs. And surely, it [ their city ] is located on the straight road), Allah Ta’ ala has pointed out to the geographical location of such ruined cities which fall on the main road which takes people from Arabia to Syria. Also said with it was that in them there are great signs of the perfect power of Allah Ta’ ala for those who believe and have the necessary hindsight and foresight.

About this, there is another statement in Surah al-Qasas where it was said: لَمْ تُسْكَن مِّن بَعْدِهِمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (not lived in after them except a little – 28:58). In other words, after their destruction by Divine punishment, these habitations were not repopulated except some. So, by combining these indicators, we can see that Allah Ta’ ala has made these ruined habitations and homes a site from which coming generations could learn their essential lesson.

This is the reason why the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) ، whenever he has passed by these sites, went through a particular emotional state under which he would be overwhelmed by the awe of Almighty Allah and which caused his blessed head to lower down and he would then try to make his mount hasten through these sites. This particular mode of action taken by the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) has established the sunnah that making sites which have been hit by Divine punishment a place of picnic and amusement is hard-heartedness at its ugliest. Rather than do something like that, the only method of learning a lesson from them is to think about and feel the very presence of the most perfect power of Allah Ta’ ala on the site being visited which should cause one to tremble with the fear of His punish¬ment.

The habitations of the time of Sayyidna Lut (عليه السلام) which were over-turned are located, as said by the Qur’an, on the Arabia-Syria route. This site is still present in the proximity of Jordan in the form of a wild¬erness below the sea level. On a major portion, flows a particular kind of water like a river. Sea life cannot survive here. Therefore, it is called the Dead Sea or the Sea of Lut (عليه السلام) .

وَاِنْ كَانَ اَصْحٰبُ الْاَيْكَةِ لَظٰلِمِيْنَ

Commentary

Aikah means a dense forest. There are other views too. Some commentators say that there was a dense forest near Madyan, therefore, Aikah is actually the title of the people of Madyan. Others have said that the people of Aikah and the people of Madyan were two different people. It was after the destruction of one of them that Sayyidna Shu’ayb (عليه السلام) was sent to the other.

In Tafsir Ruh al-Ma’ ani, the following marfu` hadith appears with reference to Ibn ` Asakir:

اِنَّ مَديَنَ و اَصحَابَ الأَيکَةِ اُمَّتَان بَعَثَ اللہُ تَعَالٰی اِلَیھِمَا شُعَيباً

Madyan and the people of Aikah are two peoples. Allah Ta` ala sent Shu’ayb to them.

And Al-Hijr is a valley situated in between Hijaz and Syria. It was in¬habited by the people of Thamud.

A Brief Explanation

Described at the beginning of the Surah was the hostility of the disbe¬lievers of Makkah against the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) which also carried words of comfort for him briefly. Now, at the end of the Surah, more words of comfort appear to mollify his concern about their grudge and hostility.

Here, he is being asked not to grieve over their hostile opposition because there is a day when all scores will be settled, and that is the day of Judgment, and it is bound to come as he has been told. Then, there is the fact that Allah did not create the heavens and the earth and whatev¬er is there in between them but with truth and wisdom. The wise consid-eration behind this creation is that people should believe in the existence of the maker of the universe, attest to His Oneness and supremacy and obey His injunctions. Also present there is the consequence of not doing so, after the argument of Allah stands established, that the defaulter be punished. Since this promised punishment does not seem to come in full right here in this mortal world, it has to be somewhere else. For that, the time is fixed, the time of the Qiyamah, the Day of Judgment. And this Hour is sure to come. Everyone will be taken care of there.

This being the wise arrangement of things, let him not grieve. The better course for him is to overlook their wicked behaviour in a gracious manner, that is, neither pay attention to their behavior nor complain about it. The reason is that his Lord is great as Creator and great as the Master Knower as well. He knows his patience and fortitude and He knows the evil mechanizations of his enemies too. Therefore, He is to exact the full return from them of what they have been doing.

وَلَقَدْ اٰتَيْنٰكَ سَبْعًا مِّنَ الْمَثَانِيْ وَالْقُرْاٰنَ الْعَظِيْمَ

Surah Al-Fatihah is the Text and Summary of the Whole Qur’an

That Surah Al-Fatihah (The Opening) has been called the Glorious Qur’ an in this verse (87) indicates that Surah Al-Fatihah is, in a way, the whole Qur’ an – because the basic principles of Islam have been merged in it.l

In order to understand this, one must keep in mind that the words: اَلسَبعَ المثانِی واَلقُرآن (the seven oft repeated verses and the glorious Qur’an) in verse (87) are inter¬preted by the commentators in different ways. Most of them are of the view that ‘seven oft-repeated verses’ refer to Surah al-Fatihah which consists of seven verses. Since these seven verses are repeated in every Salah, they have been referred to in the verse 87 as ‘oft-repeated verses’. Then, the words ‘and the glorious Qur’an’ occurring after it are of explanatory nature which refer to the same ‘seven oft repeated verses’. Therefore, the name of the ‘glorious Qur’an’ has been given here to the Surah al-Fatihah itself. The comment of the author is based on this interpretation.

On Being Questioned in Al-Mal} shar : About what will it be?

In verse 92, swearing by His Own sacred Being, Allah Ta’ ala has de¬clared that all such people who came earlier or later shall definitely be questioned.

The Sahabah (رض) asked the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) as to what it will be about. He said that it will be about saying: لا إله إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah: there is no god worthy of worship but Allah). Al-Qurtubi, after reporting this narration in his Tafsir, has said: It means the fulfilling of this pledge practically as signified by the Kalimah Tayyibah: La ilaha illallah. A simple verbal statement is not what is desired here because, as for verbal attestation, that was done by the hypocrites (munafiqin) too. Hazrat al-Hasan al-Basri (رح) said: ‘Iman (faith) does not become a living reality by taking on a particular style and form, and Din (religion) does not prosper by simply having the best of wishes for it. ‘Iman is the name of that certitude which has been poured into the heart and which has been proved true by deeds. This is well illustrated by a Hadith from Sayyidna Zayd ibn Arqam in which the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) has been reported to have said: A person who says: لا إله إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah : there is no god worthy of worship but Allah) with ikhlas (totally unalloyed sincerity) will definitely go to Jannah. People asked: Ya Rasul Allah, how is ‘ikhlas’ related to this Kalimah? He said: When this Kalimah stops a person from what has been prohibited by Allah as unlawful and impermissible, then, it is with ‘ikhlas’ (with sincerity in the absolute sense). (Qurtubi)

اِنَّا كَفَيْنٰكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِءِيْنَ

The people who have been referred to in the verse: إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ (Surely, We are sufficient for you against those who deride – 95) their ring leaders were five in number: (1) Al-` As ibn Wa’ il (2) Aswad ibn al-Muttalib (3) Aswad ibn ` Abd Yaghuth (4) Walid ibn Mughirah (5) Harith ibn Talhah. They were killed simultaneously and miraculously when signalled by Sayyidna Jibra’il (عليه السلام) .

This event provides a guideline in matters of Tabligh and Da’wah. In places and under circumstances where a worker in the way of Allah sees no good coming out of saying what is true and right openly, rather appre¬hends harm coming to him in doing so, then, under such conditions, doing so secretly is also correct and permissible. However, when there is the option and ability to proclaim things openly, then, no delay should be made in taking a public stance.

[From Ma’ariful Quran English by Mufti Taqi Uthmani]