Blog

Surah Assaff  In Arabic

Transliteration English

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

1. Sabbaha lillaahi maa fisamaawaati wa maa fil ardi wa huwal ‘Azeezul Hakeem
2. Yaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo lima taqooloona maa laa taf’aloon
3. Kabura maqtan ‘indal laahi an taqooloo maa laa taf’aloon
4. Innal laaha yuhibbul lazeena yuqaatiloona fee sabeelihee saffan ka annahum bunyaanum marsoos
5. Wa iz qaala Moosa liqawmihee yaa qawmi lima tu’zoonanee wa qat ta’lamoona annee Rasoolul laahi ilaikum falammaa zaaghooo azaaghal laahu quloobahum; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmal faasiqeen
6. Wa iz qaala ‘Eesab-nu-Maryama yaa Banee Israaa’eela innee Rasoolul laahi ilaikum musaddiqal limaa baina yadayya minat Tawraati wa mubashshiram bi Rasooliny yaatee mim ba’dis muhooo Ahmad; falammaa jaaa’ahum bil baiyinaati qaaloo haazaa sihrum mubeen
7. Wa man azlamu mimma nif taraa ‘alal laahil kaziba wa huwa yad’aaa ilal Islaam; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmaz zaalimeen
8. Yureedoona liyutfi’oo nooral laahi bi afwaahihim wallaahu mutimmu noorihee wa law karihal kaafiroon
9. Huwal lazee arsala Rasoolahoo bilhudaa wa deenil haqqi liyuzhirahoo ‘alad deeni kullihee wa law karihal mushrikoon
10. Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo hal adullukum ‘alaa tijaaratin tunjeekum min ‘azaabin aleem
11. Tu’minoona billaahi wa Rasoolihee wa tujaahidoona fee sabeelil laahi bi amwaalikum wa anfusikum; zaalikum khairul lakum in kuntum ta’lamoon
12. Yaghfir lakum zunoobakum wa yudkhilkum Jannaatin tajree min tahtihal anhaaru wa masaakina taiyibatan fee Jannaati ‘Adn; zaalikal fawzul ‘Azeem
13. Wa ukhraa tuhibboonahaa nasrum minal laahi wa fat hun qareeb; wa bashshiril mu ‘mineen
14. Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo koonooo ansaaral laahi kamaa qaala ‘Eesab-nu-Maryama lil Hawaariyyeena man ansaareee ilal laah; qaalal Hawaariyyoona nahnu ansaa rul laahi fa aamanat taaa’ifatum mim Banee Israaa’eela wa kafarat taaa’ifatun fa ayyadnal lazeena aamanoo ‘alaa ‘aduwwihim fa asbahoo zaahireen

Translation

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

1. All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth proclaim Allah‘s purity, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
2. O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?
3. It is severely hateful in Allah‘s sight that you say what you do not do.
4. Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in firm rows, as if they were solid edifice.
5. And (remember) when Musa said to his people, :O my people, why do you hurt me, while you know that I am a messenger of Allah sent towards you. So, when they adopted deviation, Allah let their hearts become deviate. And Allah does not guide the sinful people.
6. (Remember) when lsa,, son of Maryam, said, :O children of Isra‘il, I am a messenger of Allah sent towards you, confirming the Torah that is (sent down) before me, and giving you the good news of a messenger who will come after me, whose name will be AHmad. But when he came to them with manifest signs, they said, :This is a clear magic.
7. And who is more unjust than the one who forges a lie against Allah, while he is invited to Islam? And Allah does not guide the unjust people.
8. They wish to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah is to perfect His light, even though the disbelievers dislike (it) .
9. He is the One who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, so that He makes it prevail over all religions, even though the mushriks (those who ascribe partners to Allah) dislike (it) .
10. O you who believe, shall I tell you about a trade that saves you from a painful punishment?
11. That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and carry out Jihad in His way with your riches and your lives. That is much better for you, if you but know.
12. (If you do this,) He will forgive your sins, and will admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow, and to pleasant dwellings in gardens of eternity. That is the great achievement.
13. And (He will give you) another thing, which you love: Help from Allah, and victory, near at hand.
14. O you who believe, be supporters of (the religion of) Allah, just as lsa,, son of Maryam, said to the Disciples, :Who are my supporters towards Allah? The Disciples said, :We are the supporters of (the religion of) Allah. So a group from the children of Isra‘il believed, and another group disbelieved. Then We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became victors.

Explanation

Background of the revelation

Tirmidhi has recorded, on the authority of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Salam (رض) ، that a group of Companions discussed among themselves that if we come to know which is the dearest of actions in the sight of Allah, we shall act upon it. Hakim reported this Tradition and graded its chain as sahib’. Baghawi in his citation added the following words: “If we come to know which is the dearest of actions in the sight of Allah, we shall dedicate our lives and wealth to it.” [ Mazhari ].

Ibn Kathir, with reference to Musnad of Ahmad, reports that some of the Companions gathered and wanted someone to go to Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and ask him about the action that is dearest to Allah, but no one dared to do so. Whilst this discussion was going on, the Holy Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) sent a man to call each one of them by name. When they all arrived, the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) recited the entire Surah As-Saff which had been revealed just then.

This Surah shows that the ‘dearest action’ they were looking for was jihad in the cause of Allah’ and their statement that ‘if we come to know about it, we shall dedicate our lives in acting upon it’ was a sort of claim of having ability to do it. At this, they are admonished that it is not proper for any believer to make such a claim, because no one can for sure know whether he will be able to implement his intentions when the time arrives. It is not in his power that all the causes of action are made effective and all impediments are removed. Nor are the abilities and strengths of his hands or arms or limbs or organs altogether in his power. Nor is his determination or intention completely in his control. Therefore, even the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) has been instructed in the Qur’an, thus:

“And never say about anything, ‘I am going to do this tomorrow, unless [ you say – ‘if ] Allah wills.) [ 18: 23-24]

Although the intention of the blessed Companions was not to make a boastful claim, it did seem apparently as a claim, which Allah dislikes. If a person makes a commitment to do something in the future, he needs to surrender it to the Divine will and affirm it by saying ‘If Allah wills’. The following verses are revealed to admonish the believers.

(0 those who believe, why do you say what you do not do? It is severely hateful in Allah’s sight that you say what you do not do…61:2-3)

Apparently, the phrase ‘what you do not do’ implies that one should not claim to do something he does not intend to do. From this it may be deduced that it is prohibited to make a commitment to do a work while a person does not have the genuine intention to really do it, because this would be ostentation and a false commitment. Obviously, the blessed Companions, in the story of the background of revelation, were not making such promises without having intention to fulfill them. Instead, their intention was genuine.

From this we learn that the verse includes a situation where a person commits to do something with true intention to do it, but relies solely on his own strength, it is not in keeping with his station of ` abdiyyah or ‘servitude’. First of all, there is no need to make such a claim. If the occasion does arise to do something, he may go ahead and do it. If, for some reason or the other, a person has to make a promise or claim, he may affirm it by saying ‘If Allah wills’. In this way, it would not be a boastful claim.

Ruling

It follows from the above discussion that if a person claims that he will do something in future but has no intention to do it, it is a major sin (kabirah) and a cause of incurring Allah’s wrath. The sentence: كَبُرَ‌ مَقْتًا عِندَ اللَّـهِ “It is severely hateful in Allah’s sight that you say what you do not do….[ 61:3] ” applies to this situation. However, in a situation where one makes a claim to do something in future with real intention to do it, it is makruh [ reprehensible ] and forbidden only if he makes the claim relying on his own strength and ability.

Difference between a Claim (Da` wa) and Preaching (Da’wah)

It is learnt from the foregoing discussion that these verses are related to false claims (Da` wa) to do something in future without intention to do it, which incurs Divine displeasure and indignation. This verse is not related to a situation where a preacher invites others to do something, while he himself does not do it. The rules of this situation are mentioned in other verses and Ahadith. For example: أَتَأْمُرُ‌ونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ‌ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ , (Do you bid others to righteousness while you ignore your own selves) [ 2:44] This verse puts to shame such preachers who do not practice what they preach. The import of this verse is that when they are preaching to others, they should preach to themselves with greater force, and if they are calling other people to do good deeds, they too should practice them.

All this does not imply that if a person has been lax in the performance of good deeds, he should abandon preaching to others. Or if he has been indulging in any kind of sin, he should not forbid others from indulging in such sins. It needs to be borne in mind that the performance of a righteous deed is one form of virtue, and urging others to perform this righteous deed is another form of virtue in its own right.

Obviously, if one has abandoned one form of virtue, it does not necessarily follow that he should abandon the other form as well. It is possible that through the blessing of the preachment, the preacher might develop the ability to perform the righteous deed. This has been experienced widely and on a large scale. However, if the deed belongs to the category of wajib or sunnah mu’akkadah, it is obligatory, in the light of the verses, to continuously show remorse and regret on one’s not practicing it. And if the action belongs to the category of mustahabbat, it is mustahab [ rewardable ] to show remorse and regret.

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُم بُنْيَانٌ مَّرْ‌صُوصٌ (Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in firm rows, as if they were a solid edifice…61:4) The main subject of this Surah for which it was revealed is to mention the dearest action in the sight of Allah. This verse states that it is jihad in Allah’s way, and that the best row of battle in the sight of Allah is the one firmly established against Allah’s enemies to make Allah’s word prevail, and which, on account of the valor and unshaken determination of Mujahidin, looks like a strong structure cemented with molten lead.

This is followed by a description of the Jihads which Prophets Musa and ` Isa (عليهما السلام) fought in Allah’s Cause, and how they suffered at the hands of the enemies. After this description, the Muslims are directed to undertake jihad.

The stories of Prophets Musa and ` Isa (عليهما السلام) have many academic and practical lessons and guidance to offer. For instance, it is described in the story of ` Isa (عليه السلام) that when he invited the Children of Israel to accept his prophethood and obey him, he mentioned two things in particular. First, he said that he was not a unique Prophet who came with unique teachings. In fact, his teachings were the same as those of the previous prophets. They are mentioned in the earlier celestial scriptures, and the same teachings will be imparted later by the Final Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) .

From among the earlier Scriptures, Torah is specially mentioned in this context, probably because that was the latest Scripture that was revealed to the Children of Israel. Otherwise belief in the Prophets embraces all the previous Scriptures of Allah. This also points out that the Shari’ ah of ` Isa (عليه السلام) was, though an independent Shari’ ah, its most rules conformed to the sacred laws of Musa (عليه السلام) and the Torah. Only a few laws had been changed. This theme covered the subject of belief in the previous Prophets and their Books.

The second thing ` Isa (عليه السلام) mentioned in particular was the good news of the advent of the Final Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) . This too points out that his teachings will also be the same as those of the previous Prophets (عليهم السلام) ، and therefore it is the demand of reason and honesty to believe in him.

Prophet ` Isa (عليه السلام) foretold the Children of Israel that a Final Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) will come after him by the name of Ahmad. When he appears, it would be obligatory for them to embrace faith in him and obey him مُبَشِّرً‌ا بِرَ‌سُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ (…and giving you the good news of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad.”…6) The name of the Final Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) is given here as Ahmad. The name of the Final Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was Muhammad and Ahmad. He had some other names as well. However, the name given in Injil is Ahmad rather than Muhammad, perhaps because Muhammad was a common name in Arabia since time immemorial. There was a possibility that the people might take the reference to some other person, rather than the Final Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) . The name Ahmad, on the other hand, was an uncommon name in Arabia, and was exclusive to the Final Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) .

Prophecy of The Final Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) in Injil

It is a known fact that the previously revealed Divine scriptures have been changed and distorted. The Jews and the Christians themselves had to admit that Torah and Injil have been subjected to changes and distortion. As a matter of fact, the distortions made in these scriptures are so drastic that it is hardly possible to make out the original texts of the scriptures. Based on the distorted version of Injil, the Christians today challenge the correctness of the Qur’anic version of the prophecy, asserting that no prophecy in the name of Ahmad is found in the Injil. An elaborate response to Christian challenge has been prepared by Maulana Rahmatullah Kairanwi (رح) . The name of his book is Izhar-ul -Haqq.

He has thoroughly analyzed Christianity and changes made in the Bible. He concludes that despite drastic changes in the present Biblical version the prophecy about the Prophet Ahmad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) is still available.

This book was originally written in Arabic, later its translations appeared in Turkish and English. Christian missionaries attempted their utmost to destroy it. Its Urdu translation was not available until recently. A little while back, Maulana Akbar ` Ali, a lecturer at Darul Uloom Karachi, translated it into Urdu, with in-depth research into current versions of the Bible by Maulana Muhammad Taqi, lecturer at Darul Uloom, and published in three volumes. Volume [ 3] from pages 182 to 362 elaborates on the prophecies pertaining to the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) with reference to the currently published Bibles, and rebuts their doubts and allays their suspicions.

تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّـهِ وَرَ‌سُولِهِ وَتُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ ( …you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and carry out jihad in His way with your riches and your lives….61:11) This verse refers to ‘faith and jihad (struggle) in Allah’s way with one’s wealth and life’ as a trade, because when man invests wealth in trade and works hard, he gains profit. Likewise, when man believes in Allah and invests his life and wealth in His cause, he incurs Allah’s pleasure and attains the eternal blessings of the Hereafter, which is mentioned in the forthcoming verse that whoever carries out this trade, Allah will forgive his sins and provide him with dwellings in the Gardens of Eternity with all sorts of luxuries and comforts, as is mentioned by the Holy Prophet in explanation of ‘pleasant dwellings’. Alongside the blessings of the Hereafter, the next verse promises some blessings of this world too:

وَأُخْرَ‌ىٰ تُحِبُّونَهَا ۖ نَصْرٌ‌ مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَفَتْحٌ قَرِ‌يبٌ (And [ He will give you ] another thing that you love: Help from Allah, and a victory, near at hand …61:13) This verse adds that the blessings of this trade are not restricted to the Hereafter. There is one blessing that will be granted right here in this world, which is the Divine help and an imminent victory, that is, conquests of enemy territories. If the word qarib (near) is taken as the opposite of Hereafter, it would include all later Islamic conquests of Arab and non-Arab territories. And if the word qarib (near) is taken in its normal sense, it would, in the first instance, apply to the conquest of Khaibar, and in the second instance it would apply to the Conquest of Makkah.

This ‘near victory’ is referred to as تُحِبُّونَهَا “that you love”. It implies that this worldly blessing is dear to man, because he is by nature haste-prone as the Qur’an says وَكَانَ الْإِنسَانُ عَجُولًا “…and man is prone to haste. [ 17:11] This, however, does not imply that the blessings of the Hereafter are not dear to him. It simply means that the love of seeking the blessings of the Hereafter is quite obvious, but he naturally would love to have the blessings of this world as well. They too will be granted to him.

کمَا قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْ‌يَمَ لِلْحَوَارِ‌يِّينَ مَنْ أَنصَارِ‌ي إِلَى اللَّـهِ (…just as ` Isa, son of Maryam, said to the Disciples, “Who are my supporters towards Allah?” …[ 61:14] ” The word حَوَارِ‌يُّونَ hawariyyin is the plural of hawariyy which connotes a ‘sincere friend who is free from any kind of adulteration’ [ Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani, referring to Azhari ]. This is the reason why people who believed in Prophet Jesus (عليه السلام) are called hawariyy.

They were twelve in number, as is already discussed in Surah ‘Al-` Imran. This verse refers to an incident of Prophet ` Isa (عليه السلام) and urges the Muslims to gird up their loins to unselfishly help and support the religion of Allah, as when Prophet ` Isa (عليه السلام) was hurt by the enemies, he asked his disciples مَنْ أَنصَارِ‌ي إِلَى اللَّـهِ “Who are my supporters towards Allah?”…[ 14] In other words, ‘who will help and support me in propagating the religion of Allah?’ Twelve people volunteered and pledged to his loyalty and helped him in preaching the religion. Following this example, the Muslims ought to help and support Allah’s religion.

 The blessed Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) followed this example to the fullest extent, and acted upon this command to the highest degree, so much so that the example of the Holy Prophets’ Companions stands unparalleled in the history of other ummahs. They helped the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and, in the process, incurred the wrath and enmity of Arab and non-Arab communities for the sake of Allah’s religion. They bore their tortures and persecution. They dedicated their lives, wealth and children to the cause. Eventually, Allah granted them help and victory. He granted them triumph and mastery of the world, and the territories of the enemies fell into their hands.

Three Groups of Christians

فَآمَنَت طَّائِفَةٌ مِّن بَنِي إِسْرَ‌ائِيلَ وَكَفَرَ‌ت طَّائِفَةٌ ۖ فَأَيَّدْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَىٰ عَدُوِّهِمْ فَأَصْبَحُوا ظَاهِرِ‌ينَ (So, a group from the children of Isra’il believed, and another group disbelieved. Then We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became victorious…61:14)

Baghawi interprets this verse in the light of a narration of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Abbas (رض) that when Prophet ` Isa (عليه السلام) was raised to the heaven, his followers disagreed and became three groups. A group claimed that He was Himself God who went back to the heaven. The second group claimed that He Himself was not God, but God’s son. God lifted him up and salvaged him from the enemies and granted him superiority.

The third group proclaimed the truth and said that he was neither god nor the son of god, but he was Allah’s servant and His Messenger. Allah took him away to the heaven to protect him from the enemies, and to raise his status.

These people were the true believers. Different sectors of the general public attached themselves to each one of these groups. The groups clashed with one another. The two of the non-believing groups overpowered the third group, which was a group of true believers. Eventually, Allah raised the Final Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) who supported the group of the true believers. This group thus dominated the others because of their correct belief and its solid proofs confirmed by the Qur’an. [ Mazhari ]

In this interpretation, the phrase الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا “those who believed [ 14] ” would refer to the believers of the Ummah of the Prophet ` Isa (عليه السلام) who would triumph against the unbelievers with the help and support of the Final Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) . [ Mazhari ]. Some scholars hold that when Prophet Isa (عليه السلام) was raised to the heaven, his followers were divided into two groups. One of them believed that he was God or God’s son and thus they became polytheists. The other group believed that he was the servant of Allah and His Messenger, and thus they stuck to the right religion.

Then there was a war between the believers and the unbelievers. Allah granted victory to the believing faction of Prophet ` Isa (عليه السلام) against the unbelieving faction. But it is popularly understood that in the religion of Prophet ` Isa (عليه السلام) the institution of jihad did not exist. Therefore, it is inconceivable that believers would have waged a war. [ Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani ]. However, it is possible that the unbelieving Christians might have started the war and the believing Christians were forced to defend themselves. This will not fall under the category of war.

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