tafseer (the seventh group - juz 29 and 30)

8/14/2019 Tafseer (The Seventh Group - Juz 29 and 30)

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The Teachingsof

The Qur-aan


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Foreword

Bismillaahi walamdulillaahi waalaatu wassalaamu alaa rasoolillaahi

In the name of Allaah for Whom is all the praise and gratitude; and peace andblessings be on His Messenger.

The work on the Teachings of the Qur-aan was started in July 2004. Althoughthe first ten and the last two parts (juz) of the Qur-aan have been completedto date, we are publishing this volume containing parts 29-30 first.

This book is an attempt to present, as the name implies, the accurate andauthentic teachings of the Qur-aan as they were understood by the firstgeneration of Muslims (the companions of the Prophet all-Allaahu alayhi wasallam). To present those teachings in a way that readers can derive themaximum benefit from its study, it uses three kinds of texts:

1. Interpretive meanings of the verses of the Qur-aan, which should notbe considered a literal translation of the text of the Qur-aan, but anexpression of the authors understanding of the Qur-aanic text. Forthat matter, it should be remembered that any translation of the HolyQur-aan is in fact only an expression of the translator's understandingof the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Taaala, and, hence, cannot beequated with the Qur-aan itself. Only the original Arabic text can becalled the Glorious Qur-aan the Word of Allaah SWT.

This interpretive meaning is what has been called The Teachings ofthe Qur-aan in this book.

2. A running commentary that provides the contextual details about theverses to help in understanding the teachings of the verses. Thiscommentary is based on authentic, classical exegesis by the renowned

exegetes of the past (Mufassireen from our noble As-Salaf), adeethtexts and works of contemporary scholars.

3. Footnotes to explain certain words or terms.


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The interpretive meanings and running commentary for a Soorah has beengiven on the left side of the book which follows the normal English style flowof the text -- from left to right. On the right side of the book, only theinterpretive meaning (Teachings) for the entire Soorahs have been given so

that people can read the Soorahs unimpeded by anything else. They flow inthe normal Arabic style -- from right to left.

Although tremendously great works exist to convey the message of the Qur-aan, this humble effort has been undertaken to provide the teachings in asimple, easy and contemporary style.

Many Muslims growing up in non-Muslim societies cannot fully benefit fromthe Qur-aan because they do not find the existing translations andcommentaries interesting, engaging or relevant to their environment.

Similarly, many non-Muslims who want to study Islam are given thetranslations of the Qur-aan to read without first educating them enoughabout Islamic basics so that they can properly benefit from the teachings ofthe Qur-aan. Without being clear about the fundamentals of Islam and

without the benefit of appropriate contextual references, non-Muslims mightmisunderstand the messages and teachings of the Qur-aan. Some of theseencounters prove to be very counter-productive. They might create moremisunderstandings than helping them get the true message of Islam.

The intent is to present the message and teachings of the Qur-aan in thelanguage and manner that the English speaking Muslims can easily

understand and that non-Muslims can fully appreciate.

The following three abbreviations have been used in the text of thecommentary:

SWT for Subaanahu wa taalaa to express the glory and exaltednessof Allaah;

AWS for all-Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, to wish Allaahs blessings andpeace on Prophet Muammad; and

AS for Alayhissalaam to wish peace on other prophets of Allaah.


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Effort has been made to keep the use of Arabic words to a minimum;however, there are many Islamic terms and names that should be retained intheir original form instead of being translated. Wherever such a term or namehas occurred, a footnote has been used to explain the term at least at the firstoccurrence, and every now and then afterwards, as needed. To spell such

Arabic words and Islamic terms, the following convention of transliterationhas been used:

Short Arabic vowels have been represented by a for Fata, i forKasra and u for Dhamma; while long Arabic vowels have beentranscribed by the use of double English vowels (e.g. Allaah, Deen,Aboo).

Arabic letters with no equivalent in English have been transcribed as

follows:

for aa Kh for Khaa Dz for Dzaal for aad

Dh for Dhaad for aa for aa for ayn Gh for Ghayn

If you find this work useful in increasing your understanding of the teachingsof the Qur-aan, please pray that Allaah SWT makes it a means of His mercy,forgiveness and bounties for me on the Day of Judgment. Aameen.

I conclude by expressing my deep gratitude and fervent praise for Allaah SWT,the Lord of the universe.

Ayub A. HamidJanuary 1, 2010


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Teachings and Commentary


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The Seventh Group

When we started the teaching series, we had indicated in the introductionthat the Qur-aan consists of seven distinct groups of Soorahsi. Each group of

Soorahs starts with one or more Makkan Soorahs and ends with one or moreMadeenan Soorahs. Each group covers the life cycle of the Islamic movement,but from a different perspective. Similarly each group talks about Toweed,Risaalah and Aakhirah and contains some commands of Allaah. However, inaddition to these common features, each group has its own central themethat is particularly emphasized in all Soorahs of that group.

The seventh group of Soorahs starts with Soorah Al-Mulk (Soorah 67) andends with Soorah An-Naas (Soorah 114) forty eight (48) Soorahs in total.

The Makkan Soorahs contained in this group are those revealed at the earlieststage of the prophetic mission. They were composed of short, rhythmic versesthat were easy on the tongue but extremely powerful in their impact and thatwere effectively packed with profound messages. Initially, the Soorahs were

short, containing only a few verses each. Thus they could be easilyremembered and repeated by the listeners. As the Prophet all-Allaahu alayhiwa sallam (AWS) recited them to people, they would be instantly picked upby friends and foes alike and would become the talk of the town. As timepassed, the length of the Soorahs increased gradually. These Soorahs shookup the Arabian society quite intensely and polarized Arabs into two factions:those who believed in them became passionately devoted fans of Islam, while

others became furiously aggressive foes.

The emphasized theme in this group of Soorahs is the belief in the Day ofResurrection and the life Hereafter (Aakhirah). Arabs believed in Allaah,though not in an appropriate manner. They did not believe in Toweed accepting Allaah as One and Unique God Who does not have any sons,daughters or partners -- but believed in him nonetheless. However, they had

lost the concept of the Aakhirah altogether. That was the area where most ofthe work was needed to bring them to the guidance of Islam. Hence, this was

iThis is based on the research done by Amin Ahsan Islahi and his teacher Hameeduddeen Faraahi,


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the most emphasized aspect of the early revelations. In them, the imagery ofthe condition that people will witness on the Last Day and in the Hereafterwas vividly presented to help people visualize the reality of Aakhirah. Inaddition to informing them about various aspects of Aakhirah, its inevitabilitywas expounded through rational evidence based on natural signs that people

can easily observe around them. Soorah after Soorah was revealed toinculcate the belief in Aakhirah each Soorah explaining it in a different style,from a different angle, emphasizing a different aspect and using a differentrationale, logic or approach. Subsequent Soorahs built upon the conceptsintroduced by the earlier Soorahs and answered new questions andobjections raised by those who did not want to believe in it.

As mentioned earlier, the Qur-aan is comprised of the instructions andguidance that Allaah provided for building excellence in human personalityand human society. Looking at this group from that perspective and using theexample of constructing a building, we can say that this group was designedto dig into the human psyche and lay strong foundations for the edifice ofexcellence to be built thereupon. They provide strong reasons for people toexcel in their dealings and behaviour for the pleasure of Allaah and to stayaway from anything bad in order to avoid His displeasure.

The ancillary theme of this group is to warn the disbelievers of thepunishment from Allaah in this world and in the Hereafter for their disbelief.This message was reinforced through generally-known historical anecdotes ofprevious nations. They were aware of the destruction of other nations butthey never pondered over them. These Soorahs aimed at helping themconnect the cause to the consequences by indicating that the destruction of

earlier nations was a punishment for their rejection of the messengers ofAllaah sent to them. These revelations also helped them understand that theuniversal disaster that will happen on the Last Day is as easy and as natural tooccur as the occurrence of the local disasters.


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67 Al-Mulk

Name and Background

The Soorah came to be identified by the word Al-Mulk (the kingdom or thedominion) occurring in its first verse. Al-Mulk is only its identifier, not thetopic of this chapter.

This Soorah was revealed in the early Makkan period when focus of themessage was still on the Hereafter, but had gone past its initial introduction.By the time of its revelation, people had become familiar with the concepts of

the Hereafter and its imagery and could now be taught about its rationale andpurpose. People had also become familiar with the Qur-aanic revelations andadept in its retention and, hence, the length of the Soorahs had relativelyincreased. By that time, the opponents of the Islamic mission had becomeargumentative and their arguments needed to be addressed. As well, theyneeded to be warned of the consequences of their disbelief.

Like other early Makkan Soorahs, Al-Mulk presents Islamic teachings in aconcise, pointed style that shook people up and encouraged them to reflect.The Soorah reminds people of the temporary nature of this world, createdonly for the purpose of testing peoples performance and identifying thosewho perform excellently. It uses signs of nature to help people grasp theinevitability of the Hereafter and highlights the punishment that thedisbelievers will face in this world and the Hereafter, lest they take this matterlightly.


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In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious,the Most Merciful. 0!$#uq9$#m9$#The Soorah starts with a description of the attributes, authority, power and might of AllaahSWT so that people can form the right views and develop the correct understanding aboutHim.

1 The source of all blessings andmagnificently exalted is He:

In Whose hands is dominion;and He has power andcapability to do everything;

2 Who created death and life totest which of you is best indeeds; and He is the Mighty,the Forgiving; and

3 Who created the sevenheavens in layers, one aboveanother; you do not see anyinconsistency in the MostGracious Ones creation; have alook again, do you see anyflaw? 4 Then look back againand again, your sight will return

to you humbled and it will beexhausted.

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|t79$#$Y%s{uuymThe first word of the Soorah Tabaaraka is a superlative and emphatic form of barakahwhich connotes greatness, grandeur, abundance, goodness, growth, blessing andpermanence. Thus Tabaaraka means He Who is infinitely superior and great, magnificentlyexalted over everything else, from Whom emanates abundant goodness, growth and blessingon a constant and permanent basis.

In His hands is a proverbial expression indicating ownership and control. Dominion (Mulk)implies sovereignty over the entire universe. He is not merely the Cause who caused thecreation of the universe and then retired. Rather, He is watching over the operations of the


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universe like a sovereign king looking after His kingdom. And He is not like a human king; Hehas infinite capability and absolute might to take care of the universe on an ongoing basis.

In Who created both death and life, the mention of death before life is worth noting. Whenpeople think about these matters, they usually think that death follows life. What peopleforget is that there was nothing before our life was created. Our starting point was non-existence (death), and then Allaah created us (gave us life). But this is a temporary life, whichends with our death. Then, we will be raised for an eternal life on the Day of Judgment. Thus,the eternal life of the Hereafter is also preceded by death.

The current life was made temporary as a test so that everyone can demonstrate his or herbest performance. It is this performance that will determine the quality of life in the eternalHereafter. Thus, the life of this world being a test from Allaah SWT automatically implies that:

This life is not without purpose; Death merely signifies the end of the test, it is not the end of a persons existence; It is Allaah as the Examiner who determines what is the right behaviour, not peoplewho are being tested; and There will be reward and punishment because without any consequences of actions,

the test becomes illogical and meaningless.

People should keep His two attributes in mind in this respect: firstly, He has all the power andmight to hold everyone accountable so that none can evade His judgment or accountability;secondly, although He is able to hold everyone accountable for every action that a personperforms in his or her life, He is also very forgiving. He is Kind in that He forgives people if

their overall performance is adequate, instead of holding them accountable for every singlething. Furthermore, if people repent during their worldly life and seek His forgiveness fortheir past mistakes, He forgives them.

Seven heavens refers to some sort of division of the universe into seven layers whichpeople can interpret and understand according to their level of cosmic knowledge. AllaahSWT has not precisely explained such concepts because the Qur-aan is for people of all levelsof knowledge and intellect in all periods of time. The exact nature of this cosmic reality would

have been beyond the level of comprehension of most people, most of the time. Hence,Allaah SWT just alludes to them so that people can reflect upon them according to their owncapacity. Everyone, therefore, gets the desired benefit from the reflection according to his orher knowledge and sophistication, from unlettered people to advanced research scientists.This is one of the miracles of the Qur-aan in that the statements made by the Qur-aan arenever contradicted by scientific facts. The more advanced the research that establishes ascientific fact, the more impressive the description of that fact in the Qur-aan proves to be.

When we ponder over the functioning of the universe, we see that from an atom to the

greatest cosmos, every part of the universe is functioning consistently according to the lawsof nature promulgated by Allaah SWT. All human progress has been possible only because ofthe consistency in these laws of nature. In addition, the functioning of the whole universe isso coordinated and congruent to sustain life that some scientists conclude that from the Big


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Bang onwards, everything was designed to enable creation of human (intelligent) life and itssustenance (anthropic principle

ii). The verse uses Allaahs attribute the Most Gracious

instead of His name in keeping with His tremendous mercy and kindness with which He tookcare of human needs from the very outset of the act of creation, ensured consistency of thelaws of nature and fine-tuned the universe for sustenance of human life.

As is evident from the above notes, by presenting appropriate attributes of Allaah SWT, thefirst four verses inculcate correct views about Allaah SWT, life of this world and the lifeHereafter in a concise manner. The mention of heavens provides an opportunity for the nextverse to use the sights of the visible heaven to correct another misunderstanding many Arabsused to have about soothsayers or fortune-tellers as well as to transition human attentiontowards the punishment of those who defy Allaah.

5 We have decorated the nearest skywith lamps, using them as missiles tobe thrown at devils for whom Wehave prepared the punishment ofBlazing Fire.

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Those who have observed the night sky on a clear night know the stunning beauty the stars

present. In addition to the beauty, they were also a source of guidance in the desert to knowthe directions and to find the way. The night sky also presents the backdrop for shooting starsand meteorites burning brightly on their entry into the atmosphere of earth. The abundanceof meteorites in the space around Earth and their frequent entry into the atmospherepresents an insurmountable hazard for any evil Jinns (Shayaeen) who dare to venturebeyond the confines of earth. Mention of this hazard is to correct the views of Arabs whoused to think that Jinn devils can go up the heavens and bring news of future events andinform the fortune tellers of their discoveries. They are being told that this is not possible.Allaah SWT has designed the universe in such a way that devils are precluded from going

beyond the confines of the earth. Hence whatever the fortune-tellers or soothsayers say isbaseless and fabricated. The mention of Jinn devils necessitated the mention of Fire that hasbeen prepared for their punishment, which served as a segue into the description of

iiIn physics and cosmology, the anthropic principle is the collective name for several ways of asserting

that the only kind of universe human beings can occupy is one that is similar to the one we are in. If theuniverse were sufficiently different from our own, it would contain no humans. Originally proposed as arule of reasoning, the term has since been extended to cover supposed "superlaws" that in various ways

require the universe to support intelligent life i.e. human beings. Anthropic reasoning typicallyconcludes that the stability of structures essential for life, from atomic nuclei to the whole universe,depends on delicate balances between different fundamental forces. These balances occur only in a tinyfraction of possible universes so that our universe appears fine-tuned for life. Anthropic reasoningattempts to explain and quantify this fine tuning.


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punishment of all disbelievers -- who do not believe in the realities propounded by the Islamicfaith.

6 In addition, for all those whodisbelieve in their Lord, there will bepunishment of Hell a wretcheddestination. 7 As they are thrown intoit, they will hear its roaring while itboils up, 8 almost bursting with rage.Every time a group is thrown into it,its keepers will ask them, Did nowarner come to you? 9 They willrespond, Yes indeed; a warner did

come to us, but we rejected him andsaid, Allaah never sent downanything, you are but grosslymisguided. 10 They will further say:Had we listened or used ourintelligence to understand, we wouldnot be among the inmates of the

Blazing Fire! 11 Thus they will admittheir fault, so, away with the inmatesof the Blazing Fire!

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Disbelieving in their Lord does not necessarily mean denying the existence of Allaah. Peoplemay believe in the existence of Allaah, but they will still be considered disbelievers if they donot believe in Him in the right way or have incorrect views about any of His attributes

including such matters as His being Unique without anyone being similar to, equal with orbegotten by Him; His exclusive right to give commands and to be obeyed; His holding peopleaccountable and judging them on the Day of Judgment; and His rewarding and punishingthem in the Hereafter.

Imagine the picture of the anger of the Fire that will rage while receiving the disbelievers whoignored or rejected the warnings of the prophets of Allaah about the accountability in theHereafter. Even the keepers of the Fire will make the disbelievers realize their own fault byasking them if anyone ever warned them about this punishment.

Although the disbelievers currently consider the Muslims as being misguided and crazy forbelieving in the Hereafter, they will readily accept on the Day of Judgment that they were the


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ones who were in fact misguided. However, confession at that time will not save them fromthe raging, blazing Fire.

On the other hand, those who believe in Allaah on rationally, without sensory perception ofthe reality, and are afraid of being held accountable in the Hereafter will enjoy theforgiveness of Allaah and tremendous reward. The shortcomings, lapses and errors in theirefforts to live righteously will be forgiven because they sincerely tried their best to live inobedience to Him.

12 As for those who fear their Lord,even though He is beyond sensoryperception, there will be forgivenessand great reward for them.

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The key quality of believers is that they used their intellect and common sense to believe inAllaah as He should be believed in, instead of waiting to witness His existence and the lifeHereafter beyond any doubt. This is the key component of the test for which human beingshave been put in this world to adopt the correct beliefs about Allaah and the Hereafterthrough intellect, rather than physically perceivable evidence.

The fear of All-Knowing, All-Aware Allaahs displeasure is the only effective motive that keepspeople on the path of goodness at all times and in all circumstances and that keeps people

away from doing something wrong when no one is watching or no one could ever find out.Every motive, other than the fear of accountability to Allaah, to do good or to stay away fromwrong loses its effect in some circumstances or the other.

Not only does Allaah know everyones actions, He is also fully aware of the motives behindthe actions as well as all the thoughts that go through ones mind. Thus, the disbelieversshould realize that Allaah knows why they disbelieve and the ulterior motives they harbourwhen rejecting Islam, presenting excuses for not accepting it and the personal interests theyare trying to preserve by disobeying Allaah. The believers should rest assured that their

sacrifices for their faith and their sincerity behind their actions are all known to Allaah to berewarded accordingly. Even the most insignificant of their good deeds done with theintention of seeking the pleasure of Allaah will be fully rewarded.

13 Whether conceal your thoughts orpublicize them, He is fully aware ofwhatever is on your minds. 14 Will He

Who has created not know? He is theKnower of the subtleties, the Fully-Aware.

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Previously, Allaah SWT had invited people to think about the heavens and the consistency inthe creation of the universe. In the next verse, people are being invited to reflect upon theirlife on earth.

15 He it is Who made the earth tamefor you, so walk in its paths and eatfrom the sustenance He provides. Andto Him will be the resurrection.

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Allaah SWT has made earth inhabitable and put all the means of sustenance in it. Everything

we consume comes from the earth. He put us on the earth ensuring that it is fully equippedto fulfill all our needs. However, He did not do it aimlessly. He is going to gather us on the Dayof Judgment and hold us accountable for whether the earths resources we consumed wereaccording to His guidance and for the objectives set out by Him or not.

People should be mindful that He Who has made this earth inhabitable could destroy them atany time either by making the earth open up and swallow them, by disturbing its balancewithin its solar system so that it runs off its orbit or its revolutions are disturbed, or bycausing super strong winds to rain stones over people and destroy everything.

16 Do you feel secure that He Who isin the heaven will not cause the earthto swallow you, while it is convulsing?17 Or do you feel secure that He Whois in the heaven will not send violent

stone-throwing winds against you?Then you shall know how was Mywarning. 18 And their predecessors diddeny, so how severe was My censure.

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Because Allaah SWT has made the earth habitable and exploitable for people, they forget that

He has the power to use the same natural forces for the destruction of the human populationand their belongings. He has made the natural system such that once in a while people arereminded of the natural powers through storms, floods, earthquakes, landslides andearthquakes. In the past Allaah SWT has also used natural calamities to wipe out those who


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had become rebellious to Him and rejected the idea of submitting to Him, through the bothkinds of calamities that came from beneath their feet and from above their heads. This wasdone so that the Muslims could re-establish the law, order, balance and peace according toAllaahs standards in the land by submitting to Him and practising Islam. This is like agardener cleaning up the garden from weeds so that good plants can flourish. Through theseverses, the Makkans are being admonished that instead of daring the Prophet to bring on thepunishment of Allaah, they should learn the lessons from the history of those townshipsaround them that have been wiped out in the past, the ruins of which the Makkansthemselves have seen during their travels.

The phrase Who is in the heaven is not specifying a location for Allaah, Who is infinite in allHis attributes including His presence. However, finite human beings cannot imagine orperceive the infinite nature of Allaahs presence. As people cannot think of anything withoutits location and direction, when people think of Allaah, they think of heavens and look orsignal upwards when talking about Him. That is their way of referring to the Infiniteness of

Allaah, as compared to some physical god such as an idol or a human figure. Who is in theheaven is connecting to that human perception of the Infinite God. Elsewhere in the Qur-aan, the infinite nature of Allaahs presence has been inculcated through verses such as:Whichever way you turn, Allaah is in that direction. (Al-Baqarah 2:115)

The next verse presents them with a common phenomenon to reflect upon the dependenceof all creatures on the laws of nature wherein a slight disturbance can be devastating.

19 Do they not observe the birdsabove them, spreading their wingsand folding them in? None canuphold them except the MostGracious. Truly it is He that watchesover all things.

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20 Or who is there that will be yourarmy to help you against the MostGracious? Disbelievers are merelysuffering from delusion. 21 Or who is

there that can provide you withsustenance if He were to withhold Hisprovision? But they obstinatelypersist in insolent defiance anddisdain for the Truth.

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The main reason for their obstinate and insolent defiance and disdain for the truth is that

they are blindly following the traditions of their society and their self interest in maintainingthe status quo. Like sheep, bowing their head, they continue to follow the path they havebeen put on without thinking if it is the right path or not and without thinking where it isgoing to take them. They refuse to think independently or think out of the box to find theright path or to choose the right alternatives. Allaah SWT has endowed them withappropriate faculties to help them find the right path if they just stand straight, look aroundand think about where they should be going.

22 Is then one who walks fallen on hisface better guided or one who walkserect upon a straight path? 23 Say, Itis He Who brought you into being andequipped you with hearing, seeingand thinking faculties. Yet, little doyou thank. 24 Say, It is He Whospread you all over the earth and toHim you shall be gathered.

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When they are invited to believe so that they do not end up doomed on the Day of Judgment,

they try to refute it just by raising questions about its precise timing as if knowing when it isgoing to happen is of any help when it comes to believing in it. Even if it was disclosedprecisely when the Last Day will be, how would that help them believe in it? Infact, suchknowledge would be counterproductive because it would divert peoples attention away fromthe Hereafter itself to the timing of the Last day. The Last Day and subsequent Judgment has


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to be believed on its own merit and logic, just like we believe that everyone is going to diewithout knowing when. The real reason for their posing such questions is that they do notbelieve in it and they are daring the Prophet to bring it on. The next three verses deal withthis attitude of the disbelievers.

25 And they say, When shall this

threat materialize, if you are truthful?26 Say, The knowledge thereof is onlywith Allaah and I am merely a clearwarner. 27 But when they shall see itapproaching, the faces of thedisbelievers shall be disfigured withdistress and it will be said, This is

what you used to call for.

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By the time they know about the Day of Judgment with certainty and are frightened to see it,it will be too late. The time to believe in it is now while people are still in the test phase when they are living in the world. Once they die, the test is over. Although thereafter theywill have knowledge and certainty about these matters of faith, the knowledge will be of noavail and people will have to suffer the consequences of not believing.

Instead of heeding to these warnings and preparing for the Judgment, the Makkan leadersregarded it as a crazy idea which the Prophet is obsessed with. They would tell other Makkansnot to believe in the Prophet because with time he, his craze and his movement would dietheir own death. Also the families of those people who believed in the Prophet were veryupset with him. They would pray for the death and destruction of the Prophet, seekwitchcraft spells for that purpose and even hatch plots to kill him somehow. The next verseinvites them to think about how death of the Prophet and his followers would in any way helpthem against or save them from the punishment of Allaah? Whether the Prophet and his

companions die or live by Allaahs mercy, the reality of the punishment of Allaah and the Dayof Judgment is not going to change or disappear. They would be wise to worry about theconsequences they themselves are going to face, rather than their concern with the death ofthe Prophet and his companions.

28 Ask them, Have you consideredwhether Allaah destroys me andthose with me or has mercy on us,

who will shelter the disbelievers froma painful punishment?

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In the next verse, the Prophet is instructed to inform the opponents who regarded believingin the Hereafter as misguided craziness that even when the Prophet and his followers die,they would have the mercy and grace of the Most Gracious Lord to rely upon because of theirfaith in Him. What the disbelievers needed to worry about was not what would happen to theProphet and his companions but what would happen to themselves when it would becomecrystal clear to them that how wrong they had been for not believing; because then theywould not find any shelter from the painful punishment prepared for such disbelievers.

29 Tell them, He is the Most Gracious;We have believed in Him, and on Himdo we rely; so you shall soon find outwho it is that is in obviousmisguidance. 30 Say, Have you

considered if your water should sinkdown into the ground, who thencould bring you clear-flowing water?

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The disbelievers live as if Allaah SWT is totally irrelevant to their lives while, at the same time,relying for their daily living completely on the resources created by Him. They havemistakenly assumed that what they have is going to stay with them forever and that they canattain their goals without needing to obtain Allaahs favours. The reality is that their wellbeing depends on many things that are not in their control but in Allaahs. For one, theyshould think about the supply of water in their arid land. Did they ever ponder that if AllaahSWT decides to deprive them of water, do they have any way to obtain water for theirsurvival?


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68 Al-Qalam

Name and Background

This Soorah is called Al-Qalam (the pen) as well as An-Noon (the letter of theArabic alphabet, equivalent to N in English); both names are taken from thevery beginning of the Soorah.

This Soorah was revealed when Makkan opposition to the Prophetic missionhad become quite pronounced. As a way to discredit his message and hinderhis mission, the opponents had started ridiculing the Prophet in public and

calling him a mad or possessed man. The Soorah attempts to educate theMakkans to think rationally rather than reacting to the Prophets call withemotional diatribe or disregarding the message without any seriousreflection. It also warns the opponents of the consequences of theirbehaviour in this world and in the Hereafter.

By its placement immediately after Soorah Al-Mulk, it has been coupled with

it because of the similarity of theme, though the style and tone is differentbecause of the difference in the stage of the mission and the nature of theopposition at the time of the revelation of the two. Towards the end ofSoorah Al-Mulk, the Prophet was instructed to ask the Makkans, Have youconsidered whether Allaah destroys me and those with me or has mercy onus, who will shelter the disbelievers from a painful punishment? This Soorahelaborates how the Prophet and his companions are on the path of success inthis world and the Hereafter while his opponents and their followers are onthe path of failure and destruction. It starts with drawing the Makkansattention to the beauty of the Qur-aan (in every respect -- language, style,message, etc.) and of the Prophets character. It also presents a sketch of theopponents character and then with example warns them that their wealthand prosperity which is making them deny the truth is not permanent. Theyshould not feel themselves secure from misfortune which can befall withoutwarning. It also demonstrates how two different characters are going to result

in two totally different consequences both in this world and the Hereafter.


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In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious,the Most Merciful. 0!$#uq9$#m9$#The Soorah starts with the Arabic alphabet letter Noon which, as described in theintroduction of this Soorah, is the same as the letter N in English. This was the first Soorahthat started with a letter of the alphabet standing on its own, without being a part of a word.The subject of the use of such letters and their possible meanings have been discussed indetail at the beginning of Soorah Al-Baqarah, thus those details will not be repeated here. Asa brief reminder, it should be mentioned that it was a prevalent style of the celebrated poetsand orators at the time of the revelation of the Qur-aan to start their discourse or poem withsome letters standing on their own.

However, the use of N (Noon), in the opinion of some scholars, has a significance andrelevance in relation to this Soorah. Noon means fish in Arabic. Towards the end of theSoorah, the Prophet has been told not to be like the Companion of the Fish referring toProphet Younus

iii. Thus the use of Noon at the start also implies The Soorah in which Fish

has been mentioned for the first time in relation to the companion of the Fish (Younus). Theevidence that Noon means fish is available in the Qur-aan itself when in Soorah Al-Ambiyaa(21:87) Prophet Younus has been called Dzan-Noon which means the Companion of theFish exactly as he has been called aaibil-oot in this Soorah, also meaning theCompanion of the Fish.

1 Noon. The pen and what they writetherewith are witnesses that 2 by thegrace of your Lord, you are not a mador possessed man. 3 As well, theredefinitely is a never-ending reward

for you and 4 that you do maintain atremendous character. 5 Soon youwill observe and they will realize6 which of you is afflicted. 7 Surelyyour Lord is best aware of who hasstrayed from His path, just as He isbest aware of those who are guided.

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The first verse contains the oath of the pen and what was being written with the pen. Herethe pen refers to any pen that was used by the scribes to write the revelations of the Qur-aan. Whenever the Prophet AWS received the revelation from Allaah SWT, it was not onlycommitted to his memory, but he also used to have the literate from among his followerswrite the revelation down. These oaths refer to the writing of the Qur-aanic revelations andrevelations themselves. In other words, the contents of the Qur-aan are being presented aswitness to the statement that follows in verse 2 that by the grace of your Lord, you are not amad or possessed man. That is why we have expressed the meaning of the first verse as Thepen and what they write therewith are witnesses that instead of the usual way ofexpressing them as oaths.

By the time of the revelation of these verses, the Makkans had realized that the Prophet wasso dedicated to his mission of giving them the Qur-aanic messages and warning them aboutthe punishment of the Hereafter that no amount of pressure or opposition could make himstop his missionary work. They also realized that he was willing to sacrifice his personal

safety, honour, prestige, wealth and everything he had for this mission. To them, it wasabsolutely crazy for a person to suffer so much to merely warn others about a punishmentthat did not even seem probable. They also realized that his followers were growing innumber, slowly but steadily. To justify their refusal to follow him and to stem the growth ofhis followers, they started spreading rumours that: firstly, he had either become a mad manor had been possessed by a Jinn who made him say what he said; and secondly, he was notgoing to survive for long and that would be the end of his mission. This was their stance aboutthe man whom they themselves used to respect as the wisest, the most honourable and themost dependable man a very short while ago up until he was appointed by Allaah as His

Messenger. The only change that had occurred between then and now was that he hadstarted to present the Qur-aan and its message to them.

To counter their propaganda and to encourage them to think rationally, these verses presentthe Qur-aan itself as the witness that:

Such beautiful, meaningful and sublime prose that sets the highest moral and ethicalstandards cannot be the words of a mad man or a possessed man;

The hardships he is enduring and the sacrifices he is making are going to be amplyrewarded in the form of never-ending bliss in the Hereafter and it is his opponentsthat are headed for an ignoble end and total failure;

His superb character and unparalleled excellence in conduct which they practicallywitness on a daily basis is exactly as he preaches to be the message of the Qur-aan. Itis because of his highest moral standard that he continues to care for everyonessalvation to save them from punishment, despite such a violent reaction from thesame people he cares for. The Makkans should come to their senses and askthemselves if it is possible for a mad or possessed man to have that kind of apersonality. They need to ask themselves if there is anywhere a match for: his

unblemished truthfulness; his meticulous honouring of trusts; his proverbialcredibility; his care and concern for the poor, elderly, orphans and otherdisadvantaged people of the society; his magnanimity and graciousness; his forgivingnature; his lack of response against attacks on his person, honour and property; his


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forbearance; his perseverance and steadfastness; his charming personality despitethe hardship and criticism inflicted by his opponents; and so on and so forth.

Although these verses are addressed to the Prophet, their aim is to make his opponents andthe general public think rationally, instead of reacting emotionally and blindly.

Continuing to address the Prophet, verses 5 and 6 stress upon the facts that if the opponentscontinue to oppose the mission, then despite their propaganda, time will tell and make itevident to everyone which of the two groups is really afflicted. The word used here isMaftoon, meaning one who is afflicted with a Fitnah. Fitnah is something that makes aperson adopt wrong, unjust and destructive behaviour.

In this case, the opponents of the Islamic mission had been trapped by Shayaan into theFitnah of their ego and social status that they feared would be compromised if they acceptedthe call of the Prophet. To preserve their perceived status and to satisfy their ego, they were

making themselves deserve the punishment from Allaah. Thus they were, in fact, the madpeople who were destroying their everlasting life in the Hereafter for the valueless notions ofthis transitory world.

Verse 7 reminds people that although in time it will become evident to everyone, Allaah SWTis well aware of the two sides and where they stand. He knows exactly who has strayed awayfrom the Islamic path of peace and salvation onto the path of serving their own desires, lustsand egos which results in injustice and corruption in the world and Allaahs anger andpunishment in the Hereafter. He is also fully aware of those who are following the guidance

He has sent through His own Messenger and Prophet. He is watching the hardships andsacrifices His Prophet and the companions of the Prophet are making, and He has preparedunlimited bounties and pleasures matching or exceeding in excellence the level of theirsteadfastness and perseverance.

In the hope that the Prophet AWS would yield under pressure or at least compromise hisstrict stand against their evils and their idolatry, the Makkan chiefs were putting extremepressure on him. The Prophet had so far resisted every kind of pressure without any

emotional reaction and without any slowdown in his work or compromise in his stance.However, the Makkans continued to hope that if they increased the intensity of theiropposition, at some point he would break down. The next two verses dashed their hopes.These verses commanded the Prophet not to yield to them in any instance, thus letting theMakkan chiefs know that none of their pressure was going to work because the Prophet wasnot allowed to yield. It was on similar occasions that the Prophet told the Makkans that hecould not stop working for his mission or soften his stance just as the sun could not stopshining or make its heat any cooler.


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8 So do not yield to the rejecters.9 They would have had you soften, sothat they may soften.

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Verse 9 exposes their true motives. Their opposition to the mission of the Prophet was notbased on any principles. All their opposition and pressure tactics were intended just to makehim soften his efforts and compromise his strict stand against their evil behaviour and theiridolatry. It was to compel him to bargain and arrive at some compromising position throughgive and take. They knew that he was not a mad man. Had he been a mad man promotingcrazy ideas, there was no sense in arriving at a give and take proposition. In reality they knewthat there was nothing wrong with him or his message. They just wanted him to become softand compromising in his message of reformation, so that they could save face, maintain their

egos and continue doing the evils they were doing.

There is an important lesson to be learned here. There must never be any give or take on thematters of principles or beliefs of Deen

iv. It is hypocritical on the part of both parties: those

who expect a compromise and those who make a compromise. This lesson especially needsto be noted by the Muslim masses that see themselves between two groups of people: Onegroup standing up for the pure Islamic principles and the other group opposing them. In suchsituations, the masses usually put pressure on the Muslims who want to live by pure Islamicprinciples and expect them to soften up, become accommodating and not be hardliners, etc.

On the other hand, Muslims must also be vigilant about those people who confuse theprinciple of Deen with the provision and rules of Shareeah and want everyone to follow theirversion of the Shareeah as the only truth. No softening up or compromise or accommodationis allowed on the principles of Deen, while there can be quite a bit of flexibility,accommodation and adaptation on the rules of Shareeah.

The next few verses portray the character sketch of those who were calling him a mad manand pressuring him to compromise. This was described so that Makkans could recognize eviltraits in the people who were opposing the Prophet and mentally contrast them against thesuperb character of the Prophet mentioned earlier.

This character sketch further exposed the real reason for the chiefs opposition to theProphet and some of the dirty tactics stemming from such evil characteristics that were usedagainst the Prophet. It was now up to the Makkans to choose whom they preferred to listento.

ivPrinciples or beliefs of Deen must not be confused with the rules and regulation of Shareeah or Fiqh,

wherein there can be much flexibility under the right conditions. This point has been elaborated indetail in my article about Deen and Shareeah.


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10 Similarly, do not yield to everyworthless habitual swearer, 11 amocker by gestures, going about withmalicious gossip, 12 hindering charity,transgressing beyond limits, shirking

obligations,13

cruel, and besides allthat, a base-born. 14 Just because hehas wealth and sons. 15 When Ourrevelations are recited to him, hesays, Mere fables of the earlierpeople.

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Some people think that it is the description of a certain chief who could be recognized bythese features without having to mention his name. Their opinion is based on the use ofsingular words, mention of being base-born and use of singlular pronoun while mentioningbranding in verse 16. Others think that it was a typical description of the collective characterof the chiefs of the Quraish who had banded together to oppose him. They give three reasonsfor their opinion: firstly, this description starts with and as a continuation of the point madein verse 8 where rejecters was plural; secondly, this verse uses the word every which isnot fitting if this was the description of one particular person; and thirdly, the example given(verses 17-32) immediately after this description also uses the plural pronoun at the very start

of verse 17. They think the use of singular words and pronouns has been made because thedescription is of a typical collective personality, not persons individually.

The personality sketch mentions the following traits:

Low esteem and credibility, hence, frequent resorting to oaths to convince people tobelieve him the Makkan chiefs would swear profusely to convince people that theProphet was mad or possessed.

Excessive use of mocking gestures, verbal put downs and derogatory remarks todishonour a person the Makkan leaders would use this tactic when the Prophetpresented his message in public.

Spreading malicious gossip for character assassination of another person or makingpeople fight. This technique was used to spread misgivings about the Prophet and tocause rifts and misunderstandings among Muslims.

Hindering charity being miserly and uncharitable as well as discouraging othersfrom giving charity and doing selfless goodness. Khair means good as well aswealth. According to some commentators, here it particularly refers to wealth which

they withhold from spending on the poor and needy, and discourage others fromdong so.

Transgressing beyond limits Abusing others rights, being excessive and exceedingall limits.


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Shirking obligations Atheem is the one who continually shirks ones obligationsto God, society, relatives or family.

Cruel Utull means one who is quarrelsome, aggressive, stone-hearted, violentand cruel.

Base-born Zaneem is someone who is from a lower class family but pretends orfalsely presents himself to be from a higher class. In an efforts to trade up, suchpeople socialize and associate themselves with whoever they consider to be moreinfluential or higher class, indulge in flattery of that elite class while vocally opposingand belittling those who differ in principle with such elite all this in their efforts tobe included in that class and to prove that they are the most loyal champions for thecause of that powerful and influential class

v.

Verse 14, Just because he has wealth and sons, is making three points:

1. People should not yield to or be influenced by such evil personalities just becausethey are powerful and wealthy. Having many sons who could fight alongside thefather carried huge weight in Arabian society. In those days, many people wereinfluenced by the rich and powerful just as todays people follow rich and famouscelebrities. Allaah wants people to make a decision about who to follow or listen to,on the basis of their character, not on the basis of their wealth and power.

2. They have adopted such a vicious personality because of their wealth and resources.They use corrupt and cruel practices in amassing wealth, in protecting it andincreasing it; and those dirty traits become a part of their personality. Also, based on

their wealth and resources, they think they are important elite who deserve to berecognized and followed as leaders. To this end, they adopt evil and unjust tacticslisted above. If they perceive someone to be a threat to their aspirations, theyengage every level of viciousnes and use any and all immoral techniques and tacticsto discredit him.

3. Because of their wealth and resources, they become arrogant, summarilydiscounting even serious matters brought up by others without due diligence on

their merit. Their rejection of the message of the Qur-aan was because of thisarrogance and not because they had given it its due consideration and reflectedupon it rationally. When the Qur-aan warned them about the consequences of theirbehaviour using examples of the previous nations, the said Makkan chiefs snubbedthe Qur-aanic anecdotes as fables of the earlier people, instead of thinking andreflecting on its veracity and the gravity of the message.

The next verse concludes the mention of such people who were opposing the message of theQur-aan because of their pride, arrogance and egoism. It warns them of the consequence of

vIslam does not recognize or endorse division of human beings into classes. This mention is only to

portray the mentality of those who were opposing the Prophet.


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such behaviour by mentioning that they would soon be humiliated in both worlds, particularlyin the Hereafter.

16 Soon We will brand him on thesnout!

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Just as having ones nose in the air in English is an expression to indicate the display ofones arrogance, having a big nose in Arabic indicates inflated pride and ego. As the coremotive behind their opposition to the Prophetic message was their excessive pride andinflated egos, their noses have been called snouts or Khurtoom (elephant trunk). Theirhumiliation is termed branding on their snouts.

The Makkan chiefs were proud of their wealth and power, behaved as if their prosperity wasin their own control and acted as if it was going to be with them forever. Verses 17-32 quote

a parable to show them that the reliance on material well-being is not a wise attitude,conditions can change any time and human beings are helpless against Allaahs forces. Thereality is that people who are endowed with prosperity are being tested whether they submitto Allaah, follow His guidance and become charitable, or their wealth gets to their head andthey become arrogant and miserly. The Makkan chiefs were also being tested with wealthand sons.

17

Surely We have put them to test asWe tested the owners of the orchard,when they swore that they wouldcertainly pick all its fruit next morning,18 without leaving any behindvi (forthe poor). 19 Then there came upon it(the garden) an affliction from your

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vi

The Arabic phrase literally means they did not make any exception. Some people think that it meansthat they did not say Inshaa Allaah making an exception to their confident (sworn) intention.However, making exception does not literally mean saying Inshaa Allaah. To draw such a meaning,there has to be some basis in the textual context, which does not exist here. Rather the context suggeststhat they did not make any exception be taken literally; that is, they vowed to pick ALL fruit noexception not leaving any behind for the poor to pick, as against the practice of some compassionatepeople who left some fruit unpicked for the benefit of the needy. Also, there was no need to swear onlyto express their intention of picking the fruit in the morning. They made a vow that they would not

leave anything behind. In addition, the latter meaning also fits with the objective for which this parableis being described. The objective of the parable is not to teach people whether to say Inshaa Allaah ornot. The objective is to teach people that wealth is a test, that Allaah SWT does not like arrogance andgreed, and that people should not feel invincible because of their wealth and power because Allaah SWTcan take it away and punish them any time.


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Lord while they were sleeping. 20 So itbecame like a fully harvested desolatespot. 21 As the morning broke, theycalled out to one another, 22 Get outearly to your crop if you want to

harvest it.23 So they set out muttering to oneanother, 24 No poor man shall enterthe orchard upon you today.25 Enthusiastic and determined, theyhurried with confidence. 26 But when

they saw it, they said, "We must belost! 27 Rather, we have beendeprived.

28 The best of them said, Did I not sayto you, why do you not glorifyAllaah?

29 They acknowledged, Exalted is ourLord! We surely have been wrong-doers. 30 Then they started blamingone another. 31 Then they exclaimed,O woe to us! We were indeedtransgressors! 32 Maybe, our Lord willgive us better than this in place

thereof, We do turn to Himrepenting!

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The Makkans thought that the Prophet was crazy to be warning them of a punishment fromAllaah. After giving the parable, the next verse warns them:

33 Such is the punishment (in this life);but greater is the punishment in the

Hereafter, if they only knew!

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Onthe other hand, for those who areinfused with Taqwa, there areGardens of bliss with their Lord.

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However, if they listen to the Prophet and adopt Taqwa, they will not only avoid punishmentbut also enjoy wonderful eternal life in the gardens of bliss.

But they did not believe in the life Hereafter. If there was no Hereafter, it would mean that:2. Every human being ends up in the same way -- dies and becomes dust!3. Whether a person has been excellent or terrible, both will end up without any

consequences. No reward, no punishment, no justice!4. The personal sacrifices made by a person to excel are futile;5. A criminal goes scot-free for his or her crimes and the victims of their crimes will

have no compensation or redress.

Hence, the next verse asks them:

35 What! Shall We then treat thosewho are obedient like those who areguilty? 36 What is wrong with you?How do you pass such judgments?

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When the Prophet explained the inevitability of the life Hereafter, they would retort that theway Allaah had given them wealth and power here in this world, He would give it to them thesame way in the Hereafter. They did not understand that what was given to them here was atest. Prosperity is not an indication of Allaahs pleasure. It is a test. If they fail the test theywill be punished with a humiliating and painful punishment. It is foolhardy on their part todiscount the Prophets advice without having any knowledge or proof to the contrary. Thus,they were asked:


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37 Do you have a book wherein youread 38 that there will be for you inthe Hereafter what you prefer? 39 Ordo you have some pledge binding

upon Us until the Day of Resurrectionthat you will have whatever youdecide upon?

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When the people are gathered for Judgment and they are asked to prostrate to Allaah SWT,those who were obedient to Allaah in this world and were accustomed to prostrating to Himwill prostrate as usual. Those who refused to submit to Allaah in this world would be unableto prostrate on that Day despite desiring to do so. This will disclose their disobedient lifestylein this worldly life and they will be ashamed of themselves and feel disgraced.

From the next verse onwards, the address turns back to the Prophet, but the messagecontinues to focus on giving warnings and raising questions for his opponents to reflect upon.

The first verse advises the Prophet that Allaah will take care of his opponents, so he shouldcontinue to focus on his mission without worrying about them. This message was comfortingto the Prophet while serving as a dire warning to his enemies.

44 So leave Me and them who reject

this Message; We will gradually leadthem on to their terrible end suchthat they will not even know. 45 I amextending the leash, but surely Myplan is firm.

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One way Allaah SWT leads the evil people to their terrible end is by continuing to let themhave increases in prosperity/wealth and in other worldly bounties they cherish. Withcontinued successes in their endeavours, they feel encouraged and are more convinced thattheir actions have divine approval -- especially when they see that good people like theProphet and his companions face more and more difficulties, lack of resources and otherkinds of hardships. What they forget is that their approach is extremely short-sighted. Withapparent worldly successes, they are getting deeper and deeper into Hell in the eternal life.What they also do not realize is that the delay in their suffering from the consequences oftheir evils does not mean that they are beyond Allaahs reach or that Allaah does not care;the leash that has been extended for them can be retracted at any time and it will be

withdrawn when they least expect it.

The next two verses pose the questions that the opponents need to reflect upon:

46 (Why are they averse to themessage?) Do you ask them forcompensation, so that they areburdened with debt?

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If the most truthful and honourable man of their society, even according to their ownadmissions, is selflessly trying to tell them something, without asking for anything in return orwithout deriving any tangible benefit from it, how can they just summarily disregard itwithout duly reflecting upon it?


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Is it that they have access to the unseen and have noted that the Prophets claims are invalid?

47 Or do they have knowledge of theunseen, which they are writing down?

r& y=t9$#st6G3tAfter addressing all the issues raised by the opponents of the mission, taking care of theirguidance needs, defending the honour of the Prophet and acknowledging the superbcharacter of the Prophet and the great work he had been doing, now is the time for adviceand direction to the Prophet himself. By this time, the Prophet had been working for hismission day-in and day-out so tremendously, steadfastly, uncompromisingly andperseveringly that he was dubbed a mad man. All means of educating the Makkans andreasoning with them had been exhausted. It was natural for the Prophet to think that it wastime to move on. Moving on by a Messenger of Allaah is not an ordinary thing. It implies thatthe time has come to destroy the people who have refused to listen to the Messenger.

According to the knowledge and wisdom of Allaah SWT who is extremely kind and merciful topeople, despite the intensity of opposition and rejection, the mission still needed to continuein Makkah. How long a mission continues at one locality is something that Allaah decidesaccording to His knowledge and wisdom, not the Messenger. To make these points, AllaahSWT used the example of Prophet Younus (Jonah) who decided on his own to move onbecause the people were not listening. As a consequence, he had to suffer some trials andtribulations from Allaah. He was swallowed by a fish (or more precisely, a fish like aquaticcreature

viii) and then thrown on shore. Then Allaah SWT accepted his repentance and Duaa

and restored him to his status as a prophet.

48 So wait patiently for the decision ofyour Lord, and be not like thecompanion of the fish, when hecalled out while he was distressed. 49Were it not that a favour from hisLord had overtaken him, he wouldcertainly have been thrown upon thenaked shore, while he was censured.50 But his Lord chose him andincluded him among the righteous.

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viiiKeep in mind that the intent here is not to describe the biological nature of the creature, but to refer

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The next verse adds that Allaah SWT very well knows the kind of looks they give to theProphet and what they say about him, but he must continue to ignore them as he had beensuperbly doing and must continue to remind them of the message of the Qur-aan.

51 And those who disbelieve would

almost make you slip with theirglares whenever they hear theReminder (the Qur-aan) and say, Heindeed is a mad man. 52 Yet it ismerely a reminder to all people ofthe world.

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69 Al-aaqqah

Name and Background

The first word of the Soorah, Al-aaqqah, has been adopted as its identifier.Al-aaqqah means something that is inevitable and indispensable, itsoccurrence is beyond doubt and unstoppable. This refers to the end of thisworld and the occurrence of the Day of Judgment.

This was revealed in the early Makkan period when the Makkans wererefusing to believe in the Day of Judgment and the life Hereafter. At this

stage, they were opposing the mission of the Prophet by discounting the Qur-aanic revelations as fancies of a poet or speculations of a soothsayer.

This Soorah warns them by citing examples of previous nations that werepunished for rejecting the prophet or messenger sent to them. It thenpresents some of the scenes that will be seen on the Last Day. Towards theend, the Soorah explains that the Qur-aan is not the product of a poet or a

soothsayer, as they speculate, but it is a revelation from Allaah SWT. TheProphet is presenting it exactly as he is receiving it. Were he to add orsubtract anything at all from what was revealed to him, he would be severelypunished right away.

Umar Faarooq RA reported that before he became Muslim, one day he heardthe Prophet recite this Soorah while performing Allaahs worship (alaah) in

the Holy Kaabah. While he was listening to the Prophets recitation and beingimpressed by the quality of the language and the beauty of its composition,he thought that the Prophet must be a poet as some people claimed. Soonthe verse of the Qur-aan itself negated it. Then he thought that the Prophetmust be a soothsayer, but the very next verse negated that notion as well. Itrather claimed to be from the Lord of the universe. At this he felt drawn toIslam, but he continued to resist.


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In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious,the Most Merciful. 0!$#uq9$#m9$#The Soorah starts with an attention grabbing style.

1 The Inevitable! 2 What is theInevitable? 3 And what would makeyou realize what the Inevitable is?

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It asks questions to make people think and pay attention. The occurrence of the end of theworld has been called the Inevitable to give people a clear message that they should notspeculate on it being merely a hollow, baseless claim. Their disbelief or doubts about it arenot going to make it go away. It is inevitable and they better be ready for it.

The Makkans were not the first people to reject the reality of the Day of Judgment and thelife Hereafter. The next section cites some familiar historical examples to warn them that anypeople who rejected the call of a messenger and the belief in the Hereafter were destroyedby Allaah. Thus they should not take the call of the Prophet lightly. It is an extremely seriousmatter. If they reject it, they will be doing so at their own peril.

4 Thamood and Aad called the loudlyknocking calamity a lie. 5 So, as forThamood, they were destroyed by an

excessively severe incident.6

And asfor Aad, they were destroyed by afierce, violent wind, 7 which Allaahimposed on them continuously forseven nights and eight days, so youcould have seen the people thereinfallen as if they were hollow trunks of

palm trees.8

Do you then see anysurvivors from them?

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In verse 4, the Last Day has been called Al-Qaariah which means something that knocks,pounds, pulverizes or hammers with a loud sound.

The destruction of the people of Thamood and Aad was known among Arabs. The calamitywhich struck Thamood has been described differently at different places in the Qur-aan,emphasizing its different aspects. In Soorah Al-Araaf 7:78 it was called a violent shaking, inSoorah Hood 11:67, it was described as explosive sound and in Fuilat 41:17 it was termed asthunder. Here only its excessive severity has been mentioned. Aad were destroyed by a cold,dry and fierce winter wind which not only destroyed them completely but also buried themand their city under meters of sand.

9 The same mistake was made byFirown (Pharaoh) and those beforehim, and the overturned townships.10 They disobeyed the messenger oftheir Lord, so He seized them with atightening grip.

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11 It was indeed Us Who carried youupon the floating Ark when the wateroverflowed beyond limits, 12 so thatWe make it a reminder for you andthat the remembering ears wouldhear and remember it.

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Although the people who survived in Noos (Noahs) Ark had been many, many generationsago, carried you has been used to make people realize that they exist only because Nooand his followers were saved. Being their descendents, they must remember the incident andlearn lessons from it.

After warning them of the consequences of disbelief in this world, a very concise descriptionof the conditions of the Day of Judgment is given in the next six verses. Two points must beremembered in this regard:

Firstly, human beings are incapable of understanding exactly or even imaginingsomething that they have not seen. Consequently, their languages do not haveappropriate vocabulary to describe those things. The facts described to us about the


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Day of Judgment, life Hereafter or Allaah SWT use such of the words of ourdeficient language that are closest to the reality and that can help us develop theright perception according to our limited capabilities. The objective is to deliver theright understanding, not the precise description.

Secondly, at this stage, people were being introduced to these concepts and thuswere being given a high level overview of the events of the Last Day. More detailswere provided in subsequent revelations.

13 Then, when the trumpet is blownwith a single blast, 14 and the earthand the mountains are lifted up andcrushed to powder with a singlecrushing, 15 on that Day shall theOccurrence occur. 16 And the heavenwill split asunder, for it will be friablethat Day, 17 while the angels will becowering on its sides and eight ofthem will bear that Day the Throne ofyour Lord above them. 18 That is theDay when you shall be presented for

accountability none of your secretsshall remain hidden.

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In this paragraph, the Last Day has been called Al-Waaqiah, indicating that its occurrence is

already predestined and predetermined. It is only a matter of time. As soon as itspredetermined time arrives, it will suddenly happen without any warning.

While describing the scenes of destruction that Day, mountains are especially mentioned.Makkah was surrounded by mountains and Makkans considered them invincible. It was verydifficult for them to understand how they could be destroyed. They are being told that it isvery easy for Allaah and the mountains will be powdered at the very first stage of destruction.

Similarly, the sky that also seems to be invincible will be splitting up, falling apart and

collapsing like something frail, fragile and loose.

Arabs thought that angels are Allaahs daughters and worshipped them to gain their favour sothat they can intercede for their worshippers. The angels, except for the eight who will


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already be pressed for service to the Throne, will themselves be cowering on the sides, fearfulof what will be happening. Thus they should know that It is useless to expect any help fromany of them.

As far as matters such as the Throne of Allaah and the angels carrying it are concerned, theyfall in the category of Mutashaabihaat (approximate hints about matters that are beyondhuman understanding). We have been commanded just to believe in them without makingany effort to understand them or define them exactly in human terms. These matters canneither be taken literally nor commented upon. Any explanation, opinion or description willbe conjecture, speculation, serious error and misguidance. All we know is that Allaah SWT isnot subject to any human concept of shape, physique, direction or location. He is infinite andis totally above and beyond such concepts or limitations. The mention of His Throne tells us inhuman terms about His absolute and complete authority and control over the whole universeand everything whatsoever in it. We will find out the exact nature of such matters only in theHereafter.

The intent of these verses is to give people some idea about the conditions of the Day whenpeople will be presented for accountability and judgment.

Many people commit crimes or behave improperly only because they think that no one willfind out and, thus, they will never be caught or held accountable. On the Day of Judgment,everything they ever did, regardless of how secretly they did it, will be in their record ofdeeds for which they will be held publicly accountable.

The next set of verses describes the immediate reaction people will have when they are giventheir record of deeds and the kind of life they will have according to the contents of thatrecord. The first six verses are about those who will be successful on that Day and thesubsequent 13 verses are about the losers.

19 So, anyone who is given his recordin his right hand, he will say: Ahhere! Read my record! 20 I alwaysthought that I would face myreckoning. 21 So he will have a life ofpleasure, 22 in a lofty garden, 23 thefruit clusters of which will be in easyreach. 24 (They will be told), Eat anddrink enjoying freely, because of what

you did beforehand in the days goneby.

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The first sign indicating who is successful in the test and who is a failure will be whether aperson is given his or her record of actions in the right or left hand. A person who is given hisrecord in his right hand will react with joy and will proudly invite others to view his record. Hewill not be shy or ashamed, trying to hide his result. The main factor for his success wouldhave been that he believed in the accountability to Allaah and lived his worldly lifeaccordingly.

Conversely, the losers will be given their record in their left hands. In Soorah Al-Inshiqaaq, wehave been told that they will be given their record behind their back. Perhaps they will puttheir left hands behind their backs so that they do not have to receive the record with theirleft hands, but it will still be given in their left hands.

25

However, anyone who is given hisrecord in his left hand, he will say:Oh, would that my book had neverbeen given to me, 26 and I had notknown how my account stood! 27 Oh,would that it (my death) had been thedecisive one! 28 My wealth has nothelped me out! 29 Gone from me ismy authority!

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In this world such people are so proud that they disregard any notion of accountability andassume that physical death is the end of everything for a human being. Thus they try tomaximize wealth and power by all means and live a pompous and haughty lifestyle. Whenthey will receive their record, they will be so ashamed of themselves and their deeds thatthey would wish that they had not received it and that death would have been the end of it

all. Unfortunately, it will be too late for them to realize their mistake and they will face thefollowing consequences:

30 (It will be said), Seize him, andcollar him, 31 then cast him into thehell-fire; 32 then fetter him with achain the length of which is seventycubits. 33 Verily He used not to believein Allaah, the Tremendous, 34 nor didhe encourage the feeding of the poor.

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35 Thus he has no close friend heretoday, 36 nor any food exceptsomething like the discharge ofwounds, 37 which only the sinners willeat.

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.'t)ts:$#Note the relationship between belief in Allaah and helping the poor. The Qur-aan contendsthat a true belief in Allaah compels a person to take care of underprivileged people in thesociety by spending their own money as well as encouraging others to do the same.Conversely, if a person does not care for the poor, his belief in Allaah is invalid despite hisclaim to be a believer.

Influential people in the society (who have wealth and power) are usually surrounded bymany friends and well-wishers. But those friends are there only because of theirinfluence. In the Hereafter, with their wealth and influence gone, they will not have anyfriends either. In this world, they may be eating fancy foods, but in hell they will be living onrecycled discharges.

The next verse starts with the negation of their baseless assumptions and their fallaciousarguments against the belief in the Hereafter and invites them to think and reflect honestly toarrive at the right conclusions.

38 So no! I swear by that which yousee, 39 and that which you do not see,40 it definitely is the word of a noblemessenger. 41 It is not the word of apoet; little is it that you believe;42

nor the word of a soothsayer; littleis it that you think over. 43 It is arevelation sent down by the Lord ofthe universe.

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As we have repeatedly explained, the oaths in the Qur-aan stand for calling to witness

certain things, reflection on which will help people understand the matter being discussed.Here the matter is that the Qur-aan is the word of a noble messenger revealed to him by theLord of the universe. It is not the word of a poet; nor the word of a soothsayer. In support ofthese facts, people are being invited to reflect upon two kinds of things:


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What they saw at that time: The presenter of the Qur-aan has been the most honourable, most truthful

and most trustworthy person of their society; He has selflessly made huge financial, social and personal sacrifices for this

mission without expecting any worldly benefit in return; Those who follow him become the most excellent persons in the society in

their conduct, morals, ethics, dealings and interactions; His message makes sense and corroborates with the signs in the universe

and the things around them that they can observe; His warnings of punishments are corroborated by the ruins of previously

punished nations that they know about; The text of the Qur-aan is neither like poetry in any aspect, nor does it bear

any resemblance to the kind of things soothsayers talk about; The Qur-aanic prose is so superb, exquisite and eloquent that the most

celebrated orators of the time could not even come close to its excellence; The Prophets own statements were of a different style and quality than

the Qur-aanic prose; and The topics covered by the Qur-aan were such that the Prophet was never

found talking or learning about them even a day before the first revelationcame to him. And being illiterate, he had no way of acquiring suchknowledge on his own from anywhere.

What they did not see: The unseen matters described by the revelations.

As for those who still think that the Prophet composes the passages himself and presentsthem as the revelation from Allaah, their attention has been drawn to Allaahs ways ofdealing with His messengers:

44 Had he (Muammad) made up

some sayings about Us, 45 We wouldcertainly have seized him by the righthand, 46 then We would certainly havecut off his aorta; 47 and not one of youcould have prevented it.

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The true messengers of Allaah are under strict supervision and are not allowed to make any

changes in the revelation sent to them or to add anything to it from their own. If anyonewould ever entertain such an idea, he would be punished severely and swiftly. This has beenworded such that anyone can easily visualize it in terms of a king dealing with his messenger.This has been stated for two reasons: firstly, people should know that Allaah does not


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tolerate any changes, additions or deletions in His revelations; and secondly, they should notexpect the Prophet to change the message to suit public demands. One point that should beclearly understood in this regard is that this rule is for Allaahs true messengers, not falseclaimants. As for those who make a false claim to be the prophets or messengers of Allaah,Allaah does not bother with them. As they are not from Him, He lets people use their sensesto reject their false claims. Like all other sinners, fraudsters and cheaters, false claimants willbe punished in the Hereafter.

However, despite all the facts mentioned earlier, only those people who want to pleaseAllaah SWT and avoid His displeasure (people with the attitude of Taqwa) will benefit fromthe admonitions, reminders and teachings of the Qur-aan.

48 Indeed, it (the Qur-aan) is anadmonition for those who have

Taqwa.

49

And We certainly know thatthat some of you are rejecters;50 and it will definitely be a cause ofregret for those disbelievers. 51 And itindeed is the absolute truth.

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Taqwa is the attitude of protecting oneself against risks, hazards and troubles. Those whohave this attitude would protect themselves form the troubles and the punishments of theHereafter by heeding the message, avoiding Allaahs displeasure and maximizing His pleasure.They are the ones who benefit from the admonitions and guidance provided by the Qur-aan.As for disbelievers, they will be extremely sorry on the Day of Judgment, which is an absolutetruth and inevitable. By emphatically stating here the inevitability of the Hereafter, theSoorah concludes with the same message with which it started.

The last verse exhorts the Prophet, and through him the Muslims, not to be disheartened by

the rejection from people, but rather, to persist in glorifying Allaah with patience andsteadfastness.

52 Therefore, glorify the name of yourLord, the Tremendous. xm7|s$$/y7n/uy9$#In addition to glorifying Allaah day and night, the glorification that Muslims engage in while

worshipping Allaah in the bowing position during alaah is pursuant to this command, astaught by the Prophet all-Allaahu alayhi wa sallam.


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70 Al-Maaarij

Name and Background

The name of this Soorah has been taken from the third verse, identifying theSoorah as the one in which the word Al-Maaarij has occurred. Al-Maaarijmeans stairs, ladder or other ways and means to ascend or climb heights.

This Soorah is the twin of the previous Soorah Al-aaqqah in terms of itstheme and structure. It was revealed soon after Al-aaqqah, around the sameearly Makkan period when the Makkans were being introduced to the

concept of the Day of Judgment and the life Hereafter, but they were resistingthe idea and refusing to believe in it. By the time of the revelation of thisSoorah, they had started openly challenging the Prophet to bring on the Dayof Resurrection, if he was true in his claim. Demanding the occurrence of theLast Day was their way of attacking the credibility of the Prophet and makinglight of his teachings.

This Soorah comments on their demand and educates

tafseer (the seventh group - juz 29 and 30)

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