Surah Falaq [Daybreak] – Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh

Surah al-Falaq – The DayBreak – Miracle Dream Tafseer

Nouman Ali Khan


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The Relationship between this Surah [al Falaq] and Surah al-Ikhlas and surah an-Nas.

This and the surah after it (an-Nas) are known as the Mu’awiddhatayn – the 2 surahs’ of refuge, named by Allah’s Messenger.

This Surah (al-Falaq’s) Relationship with Surah al Ikhlas;

1 – Qul (say) at the beginning of both the surahs’.
2 – Rabbil Falaq (Lord of the Daybreak) – This relation with the previous surah al Ikhlas.

These 2 surahs have been paired in classic tafseer’s (al Falaq and an-Nas).

Who are you seeking refuge from?
(Musta’adh min hu)

Whose protection you are seeking?
(Musta’adhu bihee)

Both these surahs have mention of both; seeking refuge in Allah, and seeking refuge from His creations’.

The One you seek refuge in is Allah.
The ones you seek refuge from are different.

Allah mentions one description of Himself (Rabb – Master) in surah Falaq. Then He mentions many things which we seek refuge in Allah from.

Insurah an-Nas – Allah mentions many of His Names, and attributes, and only mentions one thing which is sought in refuge from (the wawaas of shaytan).

The one you are seeking protection of (an-Naas).
The one you seeking protection against (al Falaq).

Both these surahs’ were revealed at the same time simultaneously, there is no dispute.

Dr Faaddil Hassaan ar-Ra’i says:

Surah Falaq deals with problems which afflict a human – which he has no control over. They are other creations. I.e. The night, the sorcerers, enviers, etc.

Surah an-Naas in contrast – deals with the actions of the human being (i.e. Wawasa – whisperings of shaytan).
And if we act upon these whisperings – we will be accountable for our actions on Judgment Day.

So we see that There is more desperation in surah an-Naas than in surah Falaq. You are calling upon Allah over and over again.

When you get affected by the whisperings – and you do evil, it will damage your Eman (belief/faith) – so you will have to call upon Allah more to strengthen it once again.

The first deals with afflictions that will come to you externally.
The second deals with afflictions that occur internally, so you require more refuge in Allah.

al Naas: So when you say; Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb al-naas, malik al-Naas, il-laahi al-Naas..
You are repeatedly asking Allah by His Names and Attributes. A show of your internal struggle and desperation.

al Falaq: The evil of external influences are less powerful in comparison to the Waswasa from shaytan which affects your Emaan inside.

So refuge is sought with Allah from outside evil forces, but evil whisperings which affect your Emaan require a more desperate cry to Allah for help. This is why Allah is mentioned more in surah an-Naas.

Sequencing of this Surah:

Allah has a remarkable sequencing in this surah. He transisions from the General to the More specific:

min sharri maa khalaq – from the evil He has created. (all creation which has evil tendencies).

Min sharri ghaasiqin idha waqab – from the evil of the night as it approaches. (specific to the evils that happen in the night.)

Wa min sharri naafathaat (soothsayers/magicians/witches).

min sharri haasidin idha hasad (those who envy).

Historical Context of this Surah:

The vast majority considered this Madani. Others said Makki.

After the Treaty of Hudaybia (6years After Hijrah) – the Quraysh were less of a threat to the Muslims. The Jewish tribes had been expelled from Medinah due to acts of breaking their contracts of agreements with the Muslims.

These Jews had moved to Khaybar. They found out that Allah’s Messenger will not be focusing on the Quraysh anymore, but on them instead.

So they started to make strategies on how to make offense against Allah’s Messenger – before he could on them.

Labeed bin ‘Aasim was a man from the tribe of Banu Zurayq, some say he was Jewish, others say Christian, others say he was a hypocrite (pretending to be a Muslim).

The Jews came to Labeed bin ‘Aasim and said that we have tried to do different forms of magic on Muhammad (Allah’s Messenger, but it has not worked. So please do magic on Muhammad (Allah’s Messenger) because you are the best of magicians we know.
Do something that will ‘tear him apart’ – dismantle him.
Some narrations say he asked help from his daughters, who were also experienced in magic.

He pays a small boy who is a Jewish servant of the Messenger of Allah, and this boy steals some pins from the comb of the Messenger of Allah. These pins have some hair strands of the Messenger of Allah.
He takes these pins to Labeed, and Labeed starts to make sorcery with knots and a doll with pins around it etc.
This device which had magic on it – they threw it into a famous well called Dhu Riwaan – they put it into the well and put a rock over it.

The Magic Effects:

– There are only a few narrations:
– Internally and Externally disturbed.
perturbed, disturbed, losing sleep, thinking he is doing something but he hasn’t, or vice versa.

Physical illnesses like high blood pressure, a heavy burden on ones self, like being squeezed inside.
Physical symptoms are real with magic (brother Nouman asked ‘ulama who deal with people affected by magic.)

Historical Background – Cause for Revelation (Asbaab al Nuzool)

In the Book of Medicine of his Sahih, Al-Bukhari recorded that `A’ishah said, “The Messenger of Allah was bewitched until he thought that he had relations with his wives, but he had not had relations with them.” Sufyan said, “This is the worst form of magic when it reaches this stage.” So the Prophet said,

«يَا عَائِشَةُ، أَعَلِمْتِ أَنَّ اللهَ قَدْ أَفْتَانِي فِيمَا اسْتَفْتَيْتُهُ فِيهِ؟ أَتَانِي رَجُلَانِ فَقَعَدَ أَحَدُهُمَا عِنْدَ رَأْسِي وَالْاخَرُ عِنْدَ رِجْلَيَّ، فَقَال الَّذِي عِنْدَ رَأْسِي لِلْاخَرِ: مَا بَالُ الرَّجُلِ؟ قَالَ: مَطْبُوبٌ، قَالَ: وَمَنْ طَبَّهُ، قَالَ: لَبِيدُ بْنُ أَعْصَمَ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي زُرَيْقٍ حَلِيفٌ لِيَهُودَ، كَانَ مُنَافِقًا، قَالَ: وَفِيمَ؟ قَالَ: فِي مُشْطٍ وَمُشَاطَةٍ، قَالَ: وَأَيْنَ؟ قَالَ: فِي جُفِّ طَلْعَةٍ ذَكَرٍ، تَحْتَ رَاعُوفَةٍ فِي بِئْرِ ذَرْوَانَ»

(O `A’ishah! Do you know that Allah has answered me concerning that which I asked Him Two men came to me and one of them sat by my head while the other sat by my feet. The one who was sitting by my head said to the other one, `What is wrong with this man’ The other replied, `He is bewitched.’ The first one said, `Who bewitched him’ The other replied, `Labid bin A`sam. He is a man from the tribe of Banu Zurayq who is an ally of the Jews, and a hypocrite.’ The first one asked, `With what (did he bewitch him)’ The other replied, `With a comb and hair from the comb.’ The first one asked, `Where (is the comb)’ The other answered, `In the dried bark of a male date palm under a rock in a well called Dharwan.’) `A’ishah said, “So he went to the well to remove it (the comb with the hair). Then he said,

«هَذِهِ الْبِئْرُ الَّتِي أُرِيتُهَا، وَكَأَنَّ مَاءَهَا نُقَاعَةُ الحِنَّاءِ،وَكَأَنَّ نَخْلَهَا رُؤُوسُ الشَّيَاطِين»

(This is the well that I saw. It was as if its water had henna soaked in it and its palm trees were like the heads of devils.) So he removed it (of the well). Then I (`A’ishah) said, `Will you not make this public’ He replied,

«أَمَّا اللهُ فَقَدْ شَفَانِي، وَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُثِيرَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ شَرًّا»

(Allah has cured me and I hate to spread (the news of) wickedness to any of the people.)”

These 2 surahs’ have 11 aayaat, and the black magic [voodoo] doll had 11 knots in it.

So Allah’s Messenger told his companions to go and get the doll from under the rock in the well. And whenever they pulled a needle out/untie a knot – they would recite one ayah.

At the end – Allah’s Messenger felt relieved. Like he had come out of darkness to light, from pain to ease.

Many scholars say that this surah is Madani, due to that event.

Other scholars say that the angels only came to remind Allah’s Messenger, to recite these surahs’ – although they had been revealed earlier in Makkah.

Strange View of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud
A peculiar opinion of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, a companion of Allah’s Messenger, it has been quite famous i.e. Mentioned in ‘Ulum al Qur’an.

This opinion is that these surahs’ are not really surahs’ of the Qur’an, but they are revelation from Allah as remedies.
His opinion is that the mus-haf ends at surah al Ikhlas.

However, this is only his view and everyone else has the opinion that these surahs’ are a part of the Mus-haf (copy of the Qur’an).

How could he have that opinion?

– Not every companion is aware of every incident within the life of Allah’s Messenger.
– It is possible that he retracted his opinion later.
– The companions all agreed (with Ijma’/consensus) on the Mus-haf compiled by Abu Bakr. Which contained the these two surahs of Falaq and an-Naas. And he is part of this Ijma’/consensus.

The proof that it is in the copy of the Qur’an is based on many authentic ahadith which mention that Allah’s Messenger recited these two surahs’ in salaah/namaz. And we know that we cannot recite anything except the Qur’an in salah. Which is proof that these surahs’ are part of the Qur’an.

There are several opinions which the Ijma’ (consensus) never took. But some of the companions held these views. This shows that they are humans, but when they saw the truth – they would incline to that.

Ayah 1:

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ

Qul aAAoodhu birabbi alfalaq

Say: “I enter the refuge with (Allah) the Lord of the daybreak,

Relationship between this surah and surah Ikhlas:

aadha / ya’oodhu

In Sarf, this has many forms;
a’aadha / yu’eedhu
‘awwadha / yu’awidhu
ta’weedh
yasta’eedhu
isti’aadha

There are several forms used in the Qur’an.

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

Fa-idha qara/ta alqur-ana fastaAAidhbillahi mina ashshaytani arrajeem
So when you recite the Qur’an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].

[an-Nahl 16:98]


وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah ].”
[aal Imraan 3:36]

‘Aadha – by itself means to cling onto someone for protection, out of fear of something which is unseen.

Dangers that are unseen.

Ijaarah – getting protection against an enemy which you can see.

Isti’aadha is against: Sorcery, shaytan (devil), the evil eye etc.

A’oodhu billah.

Clinging on someone without letting them go, seeking their help.

Ma’aadh (ism darf makaan) – a place where you seek refuge.


وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ ۚ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ رَبِّي أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَايَ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ

And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, “Come, you.” He said, “[I seek] the refuge of Allah . Indeed, he is my master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed.” [Yusuf 12:23]

A’oodhu – I am submitting myself and entering into the refuge.

Isti’aadh (istif’aal) – seeking refuge.

The difference is that you submit yourself to someone more powerful than you, and enter into their protection (A’oodhu.)
In comparison to when you just seek/want protection (isti’aadha).

So we are humbling ourselves to Allah and going into His protection.

Falaq –

Fal-laqa – to rip open something and something comes out of it.

I.e. to Tear open a cushion and the fluff comes out.

The rays of the morning tears through darkness. I.e. Daybreak. Cracks of Sunlight breaks through the darkness.

A seed slowly rips open and the plant comes out = falaq.

Faaliq ul habbi wa nawwa (the One who tears open the seed, and a date plant grows out of it)
فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ – Faaliq ul isbaah (the One who tears and causes the morning). – [An’am 6:96]

Falaq will tie this subject to the previous surah.

Falaq (as mentioned in many arabic lexicons including Taj al Uroos, Lisan al ‘Arab) includes the meaning of Khalq = that which is Created.

Because everything which has been created comes out of something that has been torn.

Examples of this;

– What comes out of something else, i.e. Water springs out of mountains.
– Water tears out from the clouds.
– Plants tear through the Earth and come out of it (Nabat min al ardd)
– Children from the wombs of their mothers.
Brother Nouman also mentions; Some contemporary scholars made The Big Bang theory part of this too. Saying that this Universe came out from an origin point, forming this universe and expanding.

So Falaq is similar to ‘Created’ in meaning – because all life comes into existence through tearing out through something else.

Falaq =
The morning Daybreak when the sun just cracks through the night, everything which forms through tearing of creation (including humans, plants, animals, bacteria [amoeba], the sky [day/night] etc.).

All these are included.

Allah is signifying that He is the Master of birth, of life. Because this tearing open signifies; the birth of the day from the night, the birth of rain tearing from the clouds which gives life to the dead earth – giving it life, providing life food for all living beings – who give birth to children.. etc.

Lam yaLid wa lam yuLad – He was not born, nor was He given birth to. (Surah ikhlas 112:3).

He owns the Creation, He is not part of the creation.

as-Samad – someone who everyone is in need of, and He is not in need of them.
Samada ilayhi – when you turn to someone in desperation – in full need of them.

In this surah – we are calling upon Allah for His protection from the unseen dangers.
This surah is a practical manifestation of the previous surah. This is a practical manifestation of Tawheed.

That lesson in Ikhlas is now practical – by us asking Allah.

This surah is about being placed in psychological and social difficulty.

– Night is a time of Fear.
– Jealousy is a feeling where someone can potentially harm you.
– Magic – someone is putting you under difficulty internally, aswell as other external factors.

Falaq – ripping and tearing through all the problems you have.

It is like Allah is giving you openness and relaxation after those times of difficulty, and now Allah is giving you relaxation after you were constricted and tight.

The Master who tears things open and takes you of of darkness into light.

اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَوْلِيَاؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ النُّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُمَاتِ ۗ أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever. [al Baqarah 2:257]

This surah is based on darkness, and coming out of it to enter into the light.

In almost all literatures in the word; Evil is associated with darkness.
i.e. dark thoughts, dark character, dark character.

One word for Tawheed in the Qur’an is Noor.

The word for shirk/polytheism is Dhulumaat (darkness of misguidance.)

All the surah has an imagery of darkness. And Allah removes the darkness by mentioning one word; Falaq.
The Falaq which pierces the dark sky and brings the light of the Day to all.

The word in Arabic for Tawheed;
اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ – Allahu Nooru as-samaawaati wal ‘ardd

(Allah is describing Himself and His guidance being light [of guidance] for the skies and the Earth) – in surah Noor 24:35.

The word for darkness in arabic is Dhulma,


إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ – Inna shirka la dhulmun adheem

(surely shirk/polytheism is a great darkness/injustice indeed). – surah Luqman 31:13]

The word of Dhulm / Injustice in arabic comes from the words original meaning of being Darkness.

It is a great loss of light, a lack of Tawheed (monotheism).

Al Falaq –

Hadith 1;

A hadith from a Persian/Farsi companion;

from Ibn Mardaway, from Uqba bin ‘Aamir, who said – Allah’s Messenger (sal Allah alayhi wasalam) said;

Recite Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi al Falaq.

Then, (Allah’s Messenger said);

Hal tadree man Falaq? – do you know what al Falaq is?
Baabun fi al naar idha futihat su’irat jahannam – It is a door in hellfire, when it is opened – the entire hellfire is blazed.

hadith 2: huwa sijnun fee jahanam yuhbasu feehi al jabbaroon wa al mutakabiroon wa inna jahannamma
la tata’awwadhu billahi min hu.

This Falaq is;

It is a prison in hell,

In it are all the tyrants and arrogant people, and it is so terrible, that hellfire itself seeks refuge of Allah from al Falaq (itself).

Falaq has all the meanings mentioned before, but it also has the meaning of punishment as seen from the ahadith quoted.

This punishment is for evil criminals;
– The magician/witch – sorcery.
– Jealousy.

Anyone involved in these crimes will be punished in al Falaq part of the hellfire.

Qul – Say.
The word Qul has a Literary rhetorical value in every context it is said in – throughout the Qur’an.

In the context of this surah; Allah wants the human to announce his weakness with his tongue. So Allah wants the human to say that he is weak, that he is helpless, and that he needs help from Allah who is greater than him.

An act of humility, powerlessness.

Because there are some humans are arrogant, their ego will prevent them from asking, and when they really need help – they might ask quietly; ‘will you help me?’

Allah is telling us to humble ourselves and ask Him out loud.

The word Qul (say) – removes arrogance and Istighna (thinking falsely you are self sufficient). Allah is removing every atom of pride in our heart.

Making this announcement out aloud, is done for many reasons. It removes;

– Your ego and self pride.
– Your false sense of ‘I don’t need protection’

– Having a self sense of protection is a form of shirk.

Because Allah says;

كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ . أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ –
No! Surely the human rebels, he sees himself as self sufficient (‘Alaq 96: 6-7)

So Allah is telling us to declare our need to Him openly.

The previous surah was surah Ikhlas, and this surah is a proof of your Ikhlas (sincerety) to Allah.

This surah kills your ego.

Qul (Say!) is a command. So when you ask Allah out aloud, you have openly obeyed a command.
This is why the word Rabb necessitates the existent of a Master.

How can it be that your asking Allah for help while disobeying Him?
So if you really want help from Allah – you should be in obedience to Him.

Your entering into the protection and obedience of Allah.

Prophet Moses proved this;

وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ إِنِّي عُذْتُ بِرَبِّي وَرَبِّكُم مِّن كُلِّ مُتَكَبِّرٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُ بِيَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ

But Moses said, “Indeed, I have sought refuge in my Master and your Master from every arrogant one who does not believe in the Day of Account.” [Ghafir 40:27]

That surah tells us that when someone has weak Emaan (Belief) of the Last Day, this is when their arrogance prevents them from seeking refuge in Allah sincerely.

This surah delivers punishments in the next life with the word Falaq against the arrogant who do sorcery and jealousy and they refuse to seek refuge.

O Allah, make us of those who seek refuge in you sincerely, humbly and in obedience.

Say (O Muhammad – specifically to him, and generally to the people); I humbly and sincerely go for protection of the Master of the Falaq.

Ayah 2:

مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
Min sharri ma khalaq

From the evil of that which He created



Sharr –

3 words used for Bad in Qur’an;

Sharr is the opposite of khayr. Universally known as evil, that which will cause someone harm.
Sharaara – a fire spark that can harm you.

بئس– bi’sa – when you feel something is disgusting and detestable. (bi’sa sharaab – disgusting drink). It’s opposite is Ni’ma (completely enjoyable.)

ساء – Saa’a (sayi’a) – Evil and Ugly, deformed, disfigured, hideous. its opposite is Hasuna (beautiful).

Min Sharri maa khalaq
The Sharri/evil of what He created.

I seek refuge in Allah from what He Created.

The One who created it – He can save you from it. He has power over His creation.

Sharr is not attributed to Allah, but to Khalq (creation) in this ayah.

Some ‘ulama (scholars) said; The general rule is that evil is not an entity by itself, but it is a lack of good.
Just like darkness is a lack of light.

This ayah has profound lessons in it, because Allah did not reduce it to shayateen (devils) only, but to the evil that He has created.
The only One without flaws is Allah.

Everything else will have some flaws; The sun, the water, the Earth, the human – every single creation will have potential harms within it. So we are asking Allah to protect us from the potential harms of everything which He has created.

Now it is getting more specific.

Ayah 3:

وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
Wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab

“And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness; (or the moon as it sets or goes away).

Ghaasiqin

ghasaq – the first part of the night. When the blue sky has gone and the sky is black.

أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ ۖ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا

Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur’an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed. [Isra’ 17:78]

The word Ghaasiq in arabic literature refers to that which disappears. I.e. When the sun disappears, and it has become dark.

Ghasaq al Qamar – Lunar Eclipse.

Ghasaqat as-Samaa‘ – when the clouds cover the sky, so the sky disappears from our vision.

Allah is referring to the time of the night, when it is completely dark.

Min sharri ghaasiqin – from the evils of the night.

Allah’s Messenger discouraged his companions from going out at night.

“If you knew what I knew, you would not go out at night.”

The shayateen/devils meet at the oceans at night.
In our society – people act like the devils, at the night times. (Nightclub? Etc.) drugs, alcohol etc.

So there is an evil in the night times.
The potential of evil is greater.

So we ask Allah to protect us from that dark evil.

Waqab – linguistically also means Darkness.

So it is like we are asking Allah to protect us from the evil of the darkness as it darkens.

So why is a different word (waqab) used?

Waqab –
waqab ad-dhalam – darkness so things become invisible.

there’s a ditch in a mountain at night, so when something falls into it – you cannot see it. That is waqaba.

So there are things in the night (including shayateen/devils) which you cannot see.


A’oodhu / ‘iyyaadh – seeking protection from things you cannot see.

When there are things lurking in the night which you cannot see.

But Ghaasiq usually refers to the moon. And the moon – according to studies – affects the tides of the oceans.

`A’ishah said, “The Messenger of Allah took me by my hand and showed me the moon when it rose, and he said,

«تَعَوَّذِي بِاللهِ مِنْ شَرِّ هَذَا الْغَاسِقِ إِذَا وَقَبَ»

(Seek refuge with Allah from the evil of this Ghasiq when it becomes dark.)”

At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i both recorded this Hadith in their Books of Tafsir in their Sunans

The human body also has affects by the magnetic forces of the moon, and people tend to become more violent.

The whole genre of mythical wear wolves is a an exaggeration of how people become much more violent within the night time, and aggravated during certain cycles of the moon.

This is what the word Lunatic/crazy comes from – the word LunaR (moon).
Because people recognized that the moon affected peoples behaviour during the night.

Allah teaches us about things we are not fully aware of.

Guys/boys/men who hang out late at night alot, they need to quit doing so. They cannot be reciting this and contradicting the teachings of Allah’s Messenger.

Ayah 4:

وَمِن شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ

Wa min sharri al naffathaati fee al ‘uqad

And from the evil of the blowers [sorcerers] in knots


naf-fathaat (a feminine plural) – in common arabic: women who blow on knots. I.e.

It could also be an adjective of nufoos, the plural of nafs (those who blow into knots of magic.)
Nafs is a feminine, word. Naf-fasaat = feminine plural.

It could also refer to groups, people doing this magic underground collectively. (jam’u qillah, and jam’u salim also).


Naf-fatha (nun, fa, fa, Tha [with 3 dots on] – to blow with a little bit of spit coming out of your mouth.
Naf-fakha – to blow really hard with your mouth.I.e. Nufikha fis-soor [blowing into a trumpet].

taNaf-fas (nun, faa, faa, Seen) – to take a breath.

The poet said; Hayaatuka anfaas – your life is just a set of breaths.


Naf-fathaat – those who continuously blow with a little bit of spit coming out of their mouth..

..fil ‘uqad – Into knots.

Ayah 5:

وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
Wa min sharri haasidin idha hasad

“And from the evil of the envier when he envies.”

The problems were mentioned before, and now the root of the problem.

Allah told us the problems, and finally has shown us the root of the problems.

Why would someone do magic on someone and harm them? Due to jealousy of wanting what they have.

The root is all jealosuy.

And from the evil of anyone who engages in Hasad (envy).

There are 2 types of Jealousy, a good one and a bad;

The vast majority of people have the bad kind.
I.e. He has a nicer house than me.

Teach your children good manners from a young age, wanting to share, the good reward’s behind doing good.

Brother Nouman tells;

The Government tries to talk and make communications with the Muslim communities. They said that they recieve hundreds of calls from Muslims who say that someone is a ‘terrorist.’

So the government checks up on the people and they realise these people are not involved in any such activities.
And they said that most of these phone calls are from people who are inlaws, or in Muslim businesses competing with each other.

This is a real evil, and can have really harmful consequences, and it is all due to jealousy.

Some people might say that they have jealousy and that they can control it. But this isn’t totally true. You have to seek refuge in Allah if you get such feelings.

He will no doubt envy the one he is jealous of, and that will only grow – unless we seek Allah’s protection from those feelings.

Allah did not say;

Min sharri haasidin INA hasad.
from the evil of the envier IF he envies.

Allah tells us that – no doubt – you will envy others if you feel Hasad/jealousy.

Min sharri haasidin IDHA hasad – from the evil of the envier WHEN he envies.

This envy might come out through the evil eye, i.e. You curse someone or pray against them by staring at them in a jealous way.

Allah’s Messenger said;

al Aynu Haq – the (evil) eye is true.

Allah says about the evil eye;

وَإِن يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ

Wa-in yakadu allatheenakafaroo layuzliqoonaka bi-absarihim lamma samiAAooaththikra wayaqooloona innahu lamajnoon

And verily, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes through hatredness when they hear the Reminder (the Quran), and they say: “Verily, he (Muhammad SAW) is a madman!” [Surah Qalam 68:51]

min sharri haasidin Idhaa hasada – from the evil of the envier when he envies.

i.e. We are seeking Allah’s protection from the one who has feelings of jealousy, and when he makes that jealousy manifest (i.e. through the evil eye etc.)

Putting this ayah into the Main Theme of Darkness, we see that the envious/jealous person will never show his jealousy in your face, but he will do it behind your back.

In ways which you won’t be able to know who asked the magician, a harm which is unseen to you [Again, this is what Isti’aadha is – to seek refuge from an unseen enemy.]

Two Points of Eloquence [Balagha]:

1 – Min sharri ma khalaq (‘aam – universal – applies to anything).

Then what is the point of mentioning what comes after (i.e. of magicians, enviers etc.), when they also come into this category?

Because Allah is making us alert that these specific harms are the WORST type from the evil that Allah has created; the night, sorcery, and jealousy.

2 – How come Allah put AL (Alif, Lam) before some, while not placing it on others?

I.e. AL naf-fathaat
but; min Sharri Ghasiqan.
Min sharri haasidin.

So what is the purpose of AL?

Because Naf-fathaat – because every single one of them is evil.

And He made every dark night without the AL – because every single dark night is not necessarily evil (i.e. The Night of Qadr / Laylat-ul Qadr.

And similarly, the jealous may not be able to harm someone. Even if he wants to. So the outcome is not necessary evil.

Secondly, this surah specifically dealt with the sorcerer – when it was revealed in the situation of Prophet Muhammad.
So AL (THE) was placed there to show specificness, but also generality (‘aam).

When Allah says;

wa min sharrin-naf-fathaat fil ‘uqad – and from the evil – ayah 4.

Prophecy:

When this ayah was revealed – no-one knew that there were people doing magic and blowing knots.
Allah’s Messenger did not even inform others of these sorcerers (who do these spells in the darkness of the night in secrecy).

These aayaat are specific to the magician blowing into knots, and Allah did not say;

Min sharri as-sahara – from the evil of the sorcerers/magicians.

To pinpoint the specific act that they are doing, Labeed bin ‘Aasim and his family – they wondered how he found out about the specific evil spells (of naf-fath – dry spitting) they were doing.

All this was from Wahy (Revelation) from Allah. To let them know that Allah’s Messenger has the highest source of knowledge, even more than the knowledge of these devil worshipping magicians.

Shaykh Muhammad Qaasim Nanoodwi (one of the founders of Deoband) had a remarkable commentary on what this surah meant.

Shabeer Ahmad Uthmani narrates this in his Tafseer Uthmani (in Urdu) – his [Shaykh Muhammad Qaasim’s] commentary on surah Falaq;

Allah wants us to think of ourselves as a plant which the Gardener protects the plant from.

I.e. An animal like a goat will try to eat from this plant, it is not an enemy of the farmer – but it is part of its nature to eat from it.

The same way – the things like the darkness are not by themselves evil – but that is their nature. Similar to a Shark, Lion etc. They naturally eat meat, but we percieve them as evil.

So the gardener puts a fence around these plants to protect them.

But the farmer needs to place the plant in a location where it can recieve enough sun, water, etc.

The obstacle for the human is the darkness. Just like it is for the plant.

Ayah 3: Being overwhelmed from an outside element.
when sorcery is done on somebody – the person feels overwhelmed from within.
the same way – if a plant is overwhelmed from outside sources i.e. Too much water, too much sun heat etc. It will get harmed and overwhelmed from these sources.

Ayah 4: The farmer finally protects his plants from an outside enemy who tries to harm his plant.
This might be due to jealousy – min sharri haasidin idha hasad – from the envier when he envies.

Allah wants to protect us from outside sources, and He wants us to humble ourselves and ask Him for that protection sincerely.

This surah was about protecting our bodies from outside harms.

The next surah is about protection of our inside Nafs (self) against the evils from shaytan/satan and his whisperings etc.

Jealousy is a terrible thing except in 2 cases;

Allah’s Messenger said;

1 – A man who destroys his wealth in Allah’s Cause;

La hasadda il-laa fitnatayn (there is no jealousy except in two trials); rajulun aataahu Allahu ta’aala maala wa sulata[?] hu ‘ala halakatihee fil haqq.(a man who has been given wealth and he is exhausting himself in destroying it – spending it for the truth).

Your jealous of his attitude of wanting to throw away money for the sake of truth.

2 – A man given wisdom by Allah and he lives and judges by it:

..wa rajulun aataahu Allahu ta’aala al hikmah fa huwa yakddibiha (and a man who Allah has given wisdom –
and he judges by it).

When he lives his life according to that wisdom.
Knowledge which benefits is only wisdom. And knowledge by itself is not hikmah/wisdom.

The ancient definition of Hikmah [Wisdom] in arabic was; You learn something beneficial, and act upon it.

The same way – you learn that touching fire is hot, and then you don’t touch it. That is hikmah/wisdom. It is not wisdom if you know it is hot, but you still touch it and get burnt anyway.

..wa yu ‘alimuhu al-naas – and he teaches the people.

Allah gave him wisdom and he uses wisdom to teach to people. He shares wisdom, making them love implementation of it.

2 Sad States of Jealousy:

1 – We Muslims compete with each other for small and useless things;

Masaajids are sueing each other in courts within the USA for power and competing between each other.
All because of jealousy, and ego problems – when this is the main intent of this surah – to protect against jealousy, and to originally humble yourself and fight your ego.

2 – Jealousy from those who Disbelieve:
We are still better than any other way of life. Plenty of People of other ways of life are jealous of us.

وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُم مِّن بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا مِّنْ عِندِ أَنفُسِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ ۖ فَاعْفُوا وَاصْفَحُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Many of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) wish that if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from their ownselves, even, after the truth (that Muhammad Peace be upon him is Allah’s Messenger) has become manifest unto them. But forgive and overlook, till Allah brings His Command. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things. [al Baqarah 2:109]

wadaka katheeran min ahlal kitab law yuradoonakum min ba’di eemanikum kuffaaran – there are many from the people of the book who want you to return to disbelief after your belief –

They want you to disbelieve, they don’t want you to have Islam.

hasadan min ‘indi anfusihim (because they have jealousy within themselves)


hasadan min ‘indi anfusihim [maf’ool lahu, illa] (because they have jealousy within themselves)

min ajli hasadin – because of a jealousy rooted deep inside of them.

min ba’di ma tabayanna lahum ul haq – after what was conveyed to them of the truth.

They saw people who did change – who had become better. They however did not change with this good. So out of jealousy – they want the good doers to become evil too as disbelievers – so they can be equals in evil and disbelief.
This is a really evil form of jealousy and envy.

There will be an entity there that will want this.

So what should be our response to this?

Take Allah’s advice;
wa’du ma ani’tum –

O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts/hearts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason. [aal Imran 3:118]

But what should our response be?

fa’fu (pardon them) wasfahu (turn the page / pretend it didn’t happen) hat-taa ta’tiyAllahu bi ‘amrih (until Allah comes with His decision).

inAllaha ‘ala kuli shay’in qadeer – surely Allah is over everything, powerful..

You do not get insulted when a dog barks at you. That’s his job.


The incident of South Park caused controversy, it would be a good response to file a lawsuit against them. Why? They did this with the intent for earning money, if you sue them [for Defamation] – they will lose money and be more respectful.

وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ – (and to Allah belong honor, and to His Messenger and to the believers) –

[surah Munafiqoon 63:8.]

Why do you have to worry of the enviers and those who do evil?

Allah has told us to recite this surah which is a Du’a (invocation) against all evils.

If we have a strong connection with the Book of Allah, no matter how powerful the enemies of this Book may have, Allah is the powerful One over everything, and He will respond to us with Divine Help, if we humbly and sincerely ask Him.

http://linguisticmiracle.blogspot.com/2010/07/surah-al-falaq-daybreak-miracle-dream.html

Surah Feel [the Elephant] – Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh


Surah Feel – the Elephant [105] –

Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

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The Layout of this Tafseer surah Feel;

– Introduction

– Last 10 Surahs’ Summarised

– A History Lesson of the Arabs of Makkah and Yemen

– A History Lessons of the Ethiopians/Abysinnians and Christians

– Meaning of the Aayaat – Linguistic Tafseer Surah Feel.

Introduction to the Last Ten Surahs’ Sequenced in the Qur’an

The final 10 surahs of the Qur’an are a change to the theme of the Afterlife mentioned previously in Juzz ‘Amma.

These last 10 surahs have some direct link to Allah’s Messenger’s life in the context of Revelation (Asbaab al Nuzool).

There is alot of context and historical background in these last 10 surahs.

When you speak in general terms, people may not necessarily get the message, so sometimes you directly have to mention ‘You‘ to the person – to make them realise that they need to change their evil ways.

The same is in regard to the Quraysh and anyone who opposes a message – they will not accept that the threat is towards them unless it is specifically said; YOU will be punished.

So now we will see that there is a direct address to the Quraysh themselves.

Previous surah al Humazah; one feature of hell was Hutama – that which tramples and crushes people in hell.

Hutaaman = the produce that comes under your feet and crushes into powder.

Since the previous surah Humazah was the last surah on the afterlife, Allah is threatening the Quraysh now with punishment in this world.

We will see how Allah sends a punishment, in this world – against the army of the Elephant.


What is the punishment?
ayah 5 of this surah. They turned up into like chewed up corn.

1 – From the universal warning to the specific warning.
2 – What connects these 10 surahs together. Ten components of one main subject.

This ideological conflict took place in the city of Makkah.

originally it was called Bakkah. It’s founder was Ibraheem/Abraham.

His du’a is the reason why Allah caused this city to exist.

Du’a is mentioned in Baqarah and Ibraheem.

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ
فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits – whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.” [ Allah ] said.

“And whoever disbelieves – I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the
destination.” [Baqarah 2:126]

This change in language signifies that at one time, this place was just desert. At another time, he realised this place was going to be a city – so he asked Allah to make it peaceful.

A few years later – there was a city.

So there are 2 prayers at different times.

His prayer was for it to be:

– Safe and Peaceful (aaminan)
– Provide its people with all kinds of fruits = Prosperity

Peace and Prosperity.

According to Political Science, a society cannot survive – unless it has Peace and Prosperity.

You have a house, business, money and cars – if it isn’t safe – society can’t survive.

You can have safety – but you don’t have any wealth, business, trading, money etc – then that society cannot function.

This is the Genius of Prophet Ibraheem that he knew this.

But then we learn about him that he worries that Allah has made him Imam (leader) over mankind.

All believers are leaders of their families. So you are asked about those who are under you.


وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا

Rabbana hablana min azwajina wa min dhurriyaatina qurrata a’yunin wa ja’alna lil muttaqeena Imaama –

Our Lord, accept from us and our partners and out descendants, make them a coolness for our eyes and make us Leaders for the God fearing/consciess who guard against evil [surah Furqan 25:74]

We will be asked about those who we are responsible over.

So Ibraheem says;

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ
And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits – whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.” [ Allah ] said. “And whoever disbelieves – I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination.” [Baqarah 2:126]

Ibraheem does not want his descendants who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day (Judgment Day) to be fed by Allah because they are not worthy of it. He would be pleased if they did not live because they would do sin and oppression.

This is the similar to the du’a of Prophet Nuh [Noah]:
إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرْهُمْ يُضِلُّوا عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوا إِلَّا فَاجِرًا كَفَّارًا

“If You leave them, they will mislead Your slaves, and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers.” [Nuh 71:27]

Don’t let them live because they will give birth to more oppressive, ungrateful disbelievers who do all sorts of evils without shame.

Allah does not answer this du’a of Ibraheem, instead He says;
wa man kaf-fara fa umati’uhoo qaleela -those who disbelieve, I will provide him a little also – then I will force him into the punishment of the fire...

All this du’a is in surah al Baqarah – and the video on the Legacy of Ibrahim by Nouman Ali Khan.

Last 10 Surahs’

Surah Feel [105].

An army of Elephants, arabs had never seen them in battle before. This was so strange and different to the Arabs that they called this year – ‘Aam al Feel – The Year of the Elephant.

How are they going to fight an army of Elephants?

So when you see the army of Elephants – you knew the peace of of Makkah had broken. There was fear. Elephants were like war Tanks.

The people of Makkah fled to the Mountains. Except a few who tried to negotiate with Abraha.

None thought the peace in Makkah would remain. Abraha – the one who was the leader – had the main intent to destroy the Ka’bah and the city of Makkah.

Under the most impossible of circumstances – Allah kept the du’a/prayer of Ibraheem answered – He kept the city safe by destroying Abraha and his army.

Surah Quraysh [106]

The du’a of Ibraheem was for Allah to make the city safe, and to provide thamaraat (fruits/food) to the people. So the next surah after Surah Feel is surah Quraysh – where Allah is telling them that He has kept them safe and provided them with all sorts of fruits and foods throughout the year.

No tribe could travel for trade safely throughout the year except the Quraysh tribe. Any other tribe who did so would be robbed.
Why doesn’t anyone mess with them? Because the Arabs thought that these were sacred people who looked after the Holy House (Masjid al Haram). The thiefs would fear to rob them because they thought they would get Divine punishment.

Also politically – all the tribes had false gods. These idols would be in the Haram (Masjid al Haram/main mosque in Makkah) – which the tribes would visit at Hajj time.

If some people tried to steal from the Quraysh – the Quraysh would warn them that they would harm their tribes idol in the Haram (main mosque in Makkah). So the thiefs/robbers would back away.

So both parts of Prophet Ibraheem’s duas’ are fulfilled.

In the end of Surah Quraysh 106 ayah 3: – fal ya’budu Rabba haadhal bayt – then let them enslave themselves to the Master of this House [Ka’bah].

The bayt/home is this city, they are being reminded of the one who prayed for this house – Ibraheem. That they should be monotheists like him.

Surah Quraysh 106 ayah 4: الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ –aladhee at’ammahum min joo’in wa aamanhum min khawf – the one who has fed them from hunger, and given them safety/peace from fear.

This is the exact same things Prophet Ibraheem had prayed for. Food and Peace/safety – despite fear.

But are they worthy of these benefits of the du’a of Ibraheem? Didn’t Ibraheem ask Allah to give only to those who believe? Yet these people do not believe in the last day, they are polytheists, so should they really deserve these blessings – when they are opposing his way?

“And whoever disbelieves – I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination.” [Baqarah 2:126]

Are these the worthy children of Ibraheem or the unworthy?

Surah Ma’un [107]

The surah after Quraysh is surah Ma’un – a surah which shows that they are not really worthy of Allah’s favours.

Ibraheem continues his du’a/prayer in Surah al Baqarah [2:126-9]:

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ. رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ. رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) and (his son) Isma’il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah), (saying), “Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.”

“Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage – Hajj and ‘Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.

Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”

The believers are good, and the evil are bad.

The custody of the house (in Makkah) should be to the Messenger, not to those who are not worthy – those who are Ma’un – those who might sacrifice but are so greedy for more.

So Allah tells us in the surah after that who the authority of the Masjid al Haram should belong to the good/obedient slaves of Allah, Allah’s Messenger. So Allah gives Him many favours in surah Kawthar.

Kawthar [abundant good to Allah’s Messenger] includes; the victories, the Qur’an, the legacy of Ibrahim, the cleansing of the house from idols.

Allah’s Messenger has the honor of removing the idols from the house built by Ibraheem originally for Allah’s worship alone.

Surah al Kawthar [108]

So Allah says in ayah 2 of surah Kawthar [108];

fa sallee – so pray.

the first sign of gratefulness to Allah is prayer.

waNhar – and sacrifice.

prayer and sacrifice are the legacy of Ibraheem.

That tradition of sacrifice with that entire incident of Isma’il.

Now you are no longer one family of Ibraheem – rather, now you are enemies (shaani’) to each other; believers and disbelievers are enemies to each other.


قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ إِذْ قَالُوا لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَآءُ مِنكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ أَبَدًا حَتَّىٰ تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ إِلَّا قَوْلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ لَأَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ وَمَا أَمْلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۖ رَّبَّنَا عَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, “Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah . We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone” except for the saying of Abraham to his father, “I will surely ask forgiveness for you, but I have not [power to do] for you anything against Allah . Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination. [Mumtahinah 60:4]

Surah Kafiroon [109]

In Arab history – your identity/citizenship is your tribe (Qabeelah). Allah’s Messenger is being told by Allah to renounce his citizenship by Allah ordering him to say;

Qul ya ayuhal Kafiroon (Say: O you who disbelieve)

He isn’t saying ‘O my people! O Quraysh!’

Now it is clear – conflict, I am not a disbeliever, I am not of you.

Allah has made his Messenger say that he is officially an enemy of his tribes people now, and that a conflict is drawing near.

So when a conflict occurs, one side has to be Victorious.

Surah Nasr [110]

Allah says;
idha jaa’a nasrullahi wal fat-h
– when the help and victory of Allah comes.

Many say it is Madani, others say it is Makki. But it is a promise of Allah that His Messenger will win in the conflict.

This is a very big occasion in history – Allah’s religions Establishment on Earth.

The final Messenger and the final victory of this Messenger.

Minor signs are shown to show that the major help will come.

When you see the small signs;

When you see the clouds and rain slightly come – you know a storm is going to occur.

So what is the small sign that a big victory (of Nasr) will come.

Surah Lahab [111]

So Allah tells in Surah Lahab that He will destroy an enemy, a sign of eventual major victory.

Shaikh Ameen al Islaahi (in Tadabbur al Qur’an) and Shaikh Muhammad Farooq az-Zayn (Nadhm al Qur’an) – when people are in war for a long time – they forget what they are fighting about. ‘Why were we even in conflict?’



Surah al Ikhlas [112]

The conflict between the believers and disbelievers is quite long. So Allah reminds us why this conflict happened. Belief vs Disbelief.

If you want to summarise what Ibraheem’s unique legacy was, it is well known – Tawheed – the Oneness of Allah, depending on Him alone, asking Him alone, serving Him alone etc.

That’s his legacy.

So we are reminded of the agenda of this Ummah – Qul huwa Allahu ahad. To remind us we are struggling for Allah’s religion.

The unparalleled Oneness of Allah is what believers are always striving to uphold.

Surah Falaq [113]

But as time progresses – negative influences from outside and internal influences from inside will affect that Tawheed – trying to make it weaker, as has happened throughout history.

So Allah sent surah Falaq – to protect the believers from evil on the outside.

Surah al-Naas [114]

And Allah sent surah an-Naas to protect the believers from evil whisperings on the inside.

All these surahs tie to the legacy of Prophet Ibraheem, which is tied to Allah’s Messenger reviving it in a beautiful way.

قُلْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ ۗ فَاتَّبِعُوا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

Say, ” Allah has told the truth. So follow the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth; and he was not of the polytheists.” [aal Imran 3:95]

A History Lesson of the Arabs of Makkah and Yemen:

Specifically the Arab world can be split up into 3 parts:

– Iraq
– Sham (Syria)
– al Jazeera (Gulf) – meets sea on 3 sides, including Yemen.

For a great period in history, the rule of Saba’ controlled trade between Europe and Asia and the rest of the world. Their ports gave them alot of strength, wealth and in effect – Political power.

The great flood occurs at 450-451 CE – so everything they had is destroyed.

So now – There needs to be a new location where the travelling route can take place in Yemen.

So how is this connected to the Arabian Peninsula?

The Yemeni Arabs left that region and settled as tribes in different places.

‘Aws and Khazraj are also Yemeni tribes who settled in Medinah. And earlier times from Yemen had already settled at the location of Zamzam water when Isma’il was a baby with his mother Hajar – where Ibraheem had been commanded by Allah to leave them.
Those people had left Yemen in search for water and settled with them. Isma’il grew up amongst them and got married into them.

In Hijaz [western arabia] – the children of Isma’il are settling in different places during this similar time period. And there is a historical figure Uthayb bin Kalaam/al Mujami’ [born around 400 CE] (mentioned by Ibn Khaldun) – he makes the children of Isma’il to unify and make a state/city.

They are trying to unify their family as one block of family strength. And because he is charismatic – the people agree.

So the population of Makkah grows.

This man who united the sons of Isma’il has 3 sons. The most popular of them is Abd al Manaf, and he had 4 sons; Hashim, Mu’tallib, Abdul Shams and Nawfal.

Hashim is born on 464 CE – after the flood. (the flood was on 450 CE).
As Hashim grows up – he feels that the Makkans might be able to take advantage of the Economic vacuum which is taking place.

So Hashim starts to make trade agreements of Makkah with other business empires in the surrounding countries.

Traders from Yemen have already left the region because they couldn’t survive their economically.

So Hashim goes to secure a business connection in Sham (Syria) to an Arab King of Ghassan.
Abdul Shams – to Habasha (Ethiopia)
Nawfal – to Iraq.
And sent one of his brothers to Yemen.

So he made Makkah – a central port for trade. Since Makkah is central between all these 4 lands.

These brothers made an Agreement (Eelaaf) – these brothers are called As-haab al Eelaaf (the companions of the United Agreement).
Also they are known as Al Mutajreen – the traders.

This is the exact same word mentioned in the beginning ayah of surah Quraysh.

Hashim was of the 4 brothers who had started Makkah as an economic power.

He had a son known as Abdul Mu’tallib (457 CE born) – who had Abdullah – who had; Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (sal Allah alayhi wasalam).

The Ethiopian Christian/Roman World during all this time Period:

300 years after Jesus, the Romans rule Rome, Western Asia, Turkey, Egypt, Ethiopia, part of Yemen.

There was a brief time when Yemen became partially Jewish – they started oppressing the Christians. Some even say this oppression was against the Monotheistic followers of Jesus mentioned in surah Burooj of as-haab al Ukhdood (the companions of the ditch.)

The Ethiopians saw the oppression against other Christians in Yemen by the Jewish rule – so they invaded Yemen. They set up a king from the Christian Yemeni group who ruled them. But soon there was infighting between the kings for power.

Abraha does a military coup – he takes over the king of Yemen, while keeping good ties with Ethiopia – telling them that he did this only for the sake of wanting to apply justice.
It became weaker than before – but the allegiance was still there.

The way kings encourage people to gain strength again is by reminding the people how powerful they once were – and how they need to return to their former greatness once more.

So what does Abraha remind the people of? About their fame when they were a powerful business empire.

So now Abraha decides to build al Qullays – a christian centre, a huge building/shrine/temple made of the most expensive materials – hoping it will undermine Makkah.

You can’t change peoples religious mentality within a small amount of time.

So he sends a letter to Ethiopia – saying that the Arabs (of Yemen and Arabia) – are still preferring the Ka’bah over al Qullays – the christian temple.

The arabs found out about this and they went there out of hatred – and they defecated in the building to show that no-one respects it. Others say they burnt the place down.

Abraha is extremely anger – if they have insulted him and his religion – it incites him and his army even more to attack Makkah who has taken away, their former economic power of the past.

He has an army of between 12,000 – 60,000 in his army – directing to attack Makkah with the help of Yemenis and Ethiopians. The Arabs do not have professional armies, they are divided and their numbers are far less.

The army of Abraha had 9 – 13 elephants. Mahmood was a Massive elephant from them.

When they get to at-Ta’if – Ta’if negotiated with them. Why? Because they had their main idol Laat with them. So they did not fear their idol would get destroyed if Makkah was destroyed.
The other tribes did not fight because their idols were in Makkah, and if their tribe idol did get destroyed – who would they turn to in worship?

Abu Righal was appointed by the tribe of at-Takheef, from the town of at-Ta’if – to guide the army of Abraha to the Ka’bah. Because the path between the two towns (Makkah and at-Ta’if is complicated).

Abu Righal died on the way. This became a monument because he was a historical betrayer of the Arabs. So the arabs would spit on and stone his grave.

Abraha’s army reached Makkah in the month of Muharram. The reasons why Makkah was attacked is because of politics, and religious issues.

Allah talks about Military/political issues of the surah in surah Feel.

In surah Quraysh – Allah talks about the economic issues of Quraysh.

Ayah 1:

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ
Alam tara kayfa fa’AAala rabbuka bi-as-haabi al feel

Have you not seen, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?

alam taRa – did you not See?

alam taraW – did You (Plural) not see?

The scholars wondered whether this was referring other peoples individually, or to Allah’s Messenger?

There is evidences for both.


1 – To Individuals:

wa bil waalidayni ihsaana – and be good to both your parents. (Surah al Isra’ )

Allah’s Messenger does not have two parents in his lifetime because they had died along time ago before this command was given.

This command is to other people. Even though the singular was used.

Also – Maybe alot of people saw the event because they were alive when this event occurred? Some say this event occurred abit before the birth of Allah’s Messenger.

So it is possible that it refers to certain individuals who did see this event within their childhood. And that Allah is talking to them – did you not see..?

2 – the Messenger is being asked:

But Allah’s Messenger did not see it then. He was born after.

so it can be in a figurative way; have you not heard, have you not realised how your Master dealt with the people of the Elephant?

The Arabs did not have a christian calendar, they would say to eachother; Do you remember the event which occurred 10 years after ‘Aam al Feel (the Year of the Elephant)?

It can also be; are you not amazed at how your Master dealt with the people of the Elephant?

If you look at the size of the army – it is bigger than the amount of people living in Makkah.
When a army with Elephants loses to a people – without any fighting –
this shows Allah has plans of keeping this city secure through ways which He wills.

Did you not realise that this can happen – that Allah can keep peace in Makkah – by Himself? That He can destroy an entire deadly army without needing the help of anyone else? An army which has elephant tanks that can flatten the whole city down with their feet?

alam taRa – did you not see? Have you not heard about it? Are you not amazed?

Dr Fadil Hassaan ar-Ra’i: This surah is a lesson for every rebellious tyrant, oppressor and dictator who lives in any civilization at any time.

Anyone who seeks to overpower others with their armies, they do not care about their enemy and will not fear any consequences.

The weak ask for the law, and the strong oppressors say that the law does not apply to them because they are ‘above the law.’

This is seen throughout history, and can even be seen today.

This is the concept the surah is alluding to.

This is why the word Tarra was placed in this ayah. Didn’t you See (Tarra)?

Tarra is the verb in present tense.

Common Translation of ayah 1: Didn’t you see..? It is translated in past tense.

ammaa Ra’ayta would be past tense in arabic.

However – Present tense in arabic Balaghah/Rhetoric implies; something Continuous.

It didn’t happen – but it happened over and over again.

This will be a continuous Theme in the Surah – we will see how the Present-future tense in Arabic is used to imply continuity.

That – Allah dealing with oppressors – won’t just occur for that present Time (of the Army of the Elephant event), but it refers to Allah dealing with future oppressers too, always.

3 – In the phrase Alam Tarra there are two benefits:

Something you see physically (literally) with your eyes, or you visualise with your mind (figuratively).

taRa – Ra’a – to see literally and with insight.
Some scholars say that Allah’s Messenger did not see the event of the Army of the Elephant. They say he was born in the same year, but 50 days after that major event.

So he did not see the event with his eyes, but he has heard it over and over again within his lifetime as we will see from the commentaries of Tafseer (explanations on the Qur’an).

4 – Alam Tarra – also Produces the meaning of Shock.

Didn’t you not see/hear about how your Master dealt with them?!

5 – Iltifaat – transisions in the Qur’an.

Allah talks to different audiences in the Qur’an. So even though Allah’s Messenger is being spoken to in this ayah – he will recite it to the people – so the disbelievers who listen to this ayah will be warned, but they will also realise that Allah is siding for His Messenger (because Allah says; RabbuKa [Your Master (O Muhammad)] dealt with the companions of the Elephant).

So Allah is warning the elders of Quraysh – who did see the event of the companions of the Elephant – through His Messenger; didn’t you see how your Master (O Muhammad) – [how He dealt with the oppressors?).

ash-Shawkani: to give the Messenger amazement with what Allah did with the people of the elephant. You know and the people with you know very well because of what came to them continuously of the story of the Elephant.

They knew this because at the time the Army of the Elephant came – all the people of Makkah had to evacuate to the mountains. Apart from a few who made negotiations with Abraha (the leader of the Elephant army).

This year was so famous to the Arabs – that they made it a calendar from which they compared other dates too. I.e. Someone might say; ‘Do you remember the event which happened 2 years after the Year of the Elephant (‘Aam al Feel)?’

The Arabs all recognised the Holiness of the Ka’bah, so the Ka’bah and its guardians – the Quraysh gained more respect due to this event. This was a proof that it was a holy sanctuary which Allah had, and would protect.

ash-Shawkani continues; Alam tarra kayfa – did you not see? (how Allah dealt with His enemies?) So the disbelievers should be aware that if they oppose Allah’s Messenger, Allah can destroy them too. Just like He destroyed the people of the Elephant.

They took pride in how Allah protected His holy house – the Ka’bah, so they should take one more step in enslaving themselves to Him by following His final Messenger.

The Hamza (letter ‘A’ on A lam in the first ayah) signifies a question in the statement;

Did you not see (A lam Tarra?).

What is the significance of the Hamza (A)? What is the significance of the statement being in Question form?

– To give emphasis to the event, and evoke the Conscience of the one who has recieved a favour from Allah.

(i.e. Don’t you remember how your Master dealt with the companions of the Elephant? Why aren’t you grateful to Him for that?)

This question addresses Allah’s Messenger and also indirectly to the disbelievers.

To the disbelievers: It warns them that they should remember Allah’s favour upon them, and be grateful to Him for that. And that if they do not – they will become His enemies – and He can destroy them like He destroyed Abraha’s army.

To the Messenger: Allah is giving reminder to His Messenger that He is on his side;Your Master will give you help through whatever means it takes. The same way your Master protected the Ka’bah when it had no other human to defend it.

Historical Account continued:

When Abraha reached near Makkah, he met Abdul Mu’tallib, and Abdul Mu’tallib (the grandfather of Allah’s Messenger) tried to make a settlement. He offered Abraha the lands/plains of Tahamah, a third of the revenues of the Treasury of Tahamah.
But Abraha refused and prepared his armies – showing defiance. He wasn’t bothered with making piece. He just wanted to show his strength.

as-haab al Feel – companions of the Elephant.

Feel is the word for Elephant, and it is in singular form.

Why did Allah use the singular word Elephant, when we know there were between 9 to 13 elephants in the army (the plural for Elephant is aFyaal [Elephants].) So why didn’t Allah use the word aFyaal?

1 – Because the army was known for the most famous Elephant which was huge/extremely big and the most famous of the elephants (known as Mahmood)

2 – Feel is a singular word which can refer to an entire category [Ism Jam’].
The Elephant People. Iddaafah (causes an Identification) – these people were associated with the elephants.

As-haab al Feel will be discussed in more detail later insha’ Allah.

Alam tarra:

1 – Why did Allah say – did you not see? When Allah’s Messenger was not there?

Seeing = knowledge and reminder.
Don’t you know? Have you forgotten what happened?

It indicates that the news of this event was spreading amongst the people continuously always.

This acquired knowledge is more powerful to mention as ‘did you not see?’ instead of ‘did you know?’ Did you not see is more graphical and visual.

2 – There is Condemnation in the Qur’an many times when Allah says; Alam tarra – did you not see? i.e.:

أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّن قَرْنٍ مَّكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّن لَّكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْهِم مِّدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ

See they not [alam yaraw] how many a generation We destroyed before them, whom We had established in the earth more firmly than We have established you, and We shed on them abundant showers from the sky, and made the rivers flow beneath them. Yet we destroyed them for their sins, and created after them other generations.

[al An’am 6:6]

3 – Tafseer ul Waseet fi Tafseer il Qur’an al Kareem (a contemporary written Tafseer) – by at-Tantawi (not the present one but the one before him):

Allah put the question in the way of ‘How‘ – Allah didn’t say What He did, but HowAllah dealt with them.

The How (Kayfa) tells in more detail than just the word What (Maa). The word What would tell what happened (destruction). But the word How would explain how the destruction happened = more detail.

4 – Kayfa (how) is used for Amazement. How could it be that a massive army of strong elephants come to you and you have no army to defend your city – yet they are destroyed?

When a nations army dies abroad, the nation gets angry and sends more people to avenge them. However, Abraha did not die – he survived and made it all the way back to Yemen, so when the pebbles of Sijjeel hit him – they had peeled and burned his skin off as though he was melting (through which he gradually painfully died), so when he returned to his people – they saw his skin melting off and never wanted to avenge them – out of fear that they would get the same disease as him.

It was an amazing plan of Allah.

أَفَلَمْ يَنظُرُوا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَاهَا وَزَيَّنَّاهَا وَمَا لَهَا مِن فُرُوجٍ

Have they not then observed the sky above them, how We have constructed it and beautified it, and how there are no rifts therein? [Qaf 50:6]

So Allah makes us amazed at all the sky and universe above us through this ayah.

There is no doubt that this miracle of the Creator dealing with Abraha is a proof of His power and control (qudrah) and wisdom in the way He planned. I.e. If Abraha died in Makkah, the Yemenis and Ethiopians might have sent more people to avenge him. However, his slow melting painful death which they had seen with their own eyes in Yemen scared them from doing similar to what he did.

6 – This incident is a proof of the honor of Prophet Muhammad because miraculous events occur in the year a Prophet is born and appointed by Allah. As a indication and confirmation of their Prophethood.

And that is why they say the clouds would cast shadow over the Messenger of Allah as he travelled, and the plants prostrated to him etc.

Similarly – the year Prophet Moses was born, Pharoah started to kill the sons of the Bani Isra’il (Jewish Muslims) because Pharoah had a dream that a boy from Bani Isra’il would be born -who would remove him from his kingdom. Yet Moses/Musa survived secretly because Allah protected him in the house of Pharoah himself as a adopted child.
Then when Moses was about to get Prophethood – he accidentally killed a man (to defend another man) and Moses ran away from the kingdom of Pharoah out of fear that he would get killed.

Then he returned back after a few years to Pharoah as a Messenger from Allah.

So such miraculous moments of remembrance occur – so the people remember that this is the upcoming time for a Messenger from Allah.

Abdul Mu’tallib made Poetry as a Supplication/Du’a to Allah:

La hum il-la al mar’a yamhalahu famna’ halaalak
(there is no doubt about it – there is a man who has the intent of wreaking havoc in it [Makkah], then keep him away from your halaal [permissible]

I.e. He is implying that the holy house is called the Haram (forbidden to do evils sanctuary), and the only one it is Halal/permissible for Allah alone. You’re the only one who can defend it.

wansur ‘ala Aala as-Sareeb – so help (us) over the people of the Cross/crucifix.

The army of Abraha was Christian and influenced by the Ethiopians Christians. These Ethiopians were the people who had given them the Elephants.

wa ‘aabidheehi – and those who worship it.

Al yawma aalaK (this day (help) your people [against the worshippers of the cross/crucifix)

So he is saying to Allah that we are your people who lookafter your House of worship, so help us against the cross worshippers.

la yaghlibana sareebuhum wa mahaalahum ‘udwan (let not there cross/crucifix or there plans of destruction – out of animosity – destroy your Place/sanctity.

In kunta taarakahum wa ka’batuna (if you are going to leave them and abandon our Ka’ba

fa’mur maa badaalak – then do what you decide.

He also made a du’a;

Ya Rabb la arju lahum waaka – my Master I don’t wish for them Waaka (i.e. Success).

waak – in crop season there is harvest. And the farmer works hard to produce crops. This effort is Waaka.

Abdul Mu’tallib is wishing that Allah does not make their hard efforts – of getting to Makkah to destroy the Ka’bah – be a success.

I do not wish that they see the fruits of their labour/success.

Ya Rabb famna ‘anhum habaka – My Master – keep them from attacking those who support you.

These are the poetic supplications of Abdul Mu’tallib.

Fa’ala – Did

According to Taaj al Uroos (a famous Arabic Reference lexicon dictionary):

Fi’l –
1 – action.
2 – movement
3 – something that occurs.

Refers to something abstract.

Idioms; bi fi’li kadha (bi ta’theeriha) = because of it’s Impact.

bil Fi’l / Fi’lan – ofcourse / truly / obviously.

It is real, its not hypothetical. It really takes place.

Ja’ala (transformed) and Khalaqa (created) is not used becauseFi’l cover’s both meanings.


‘Aml could also be used but it is an action with intent. Fi’l is not. ‘Aml also requires some effort.

Fi’l is used for Allah instead of ‘Aml because it signifies there is no effort.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ
Verily, your Lord is the doer of what He wills. [Hud 11:107]

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ‘Aad – [Fajr 89:6]

Alam taRa kayfa Fa’ala Rabbuka bi as-hab al feel.
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the companions of the Elephant. [Surah Feel ayah 1]

When an ‘aml is done – you are alluding that other actions without intent.
So ‘Aml is not used because Allah always does everything with ease, and with full knowledge of what He is doing.

Al Aloosi in Rooh al Ma’ani:
If He had mentioned all 3 words (i.e. Khalaqa, Ja’ala, ‘Aml) the speech would be prolonged unnecesarily. So Allah spoke the most comprehensive of speech without having to mention other unnecessary words. Fi’l sufficed, so Allah used that.

In every word – there is wisdom from Allah.

RabbuKa – Your Master.
He didn’t use the word Allah.

Allah is an Ism ‘Aalam – a Name of Allah with ALL His Qualities included within it.

But Rabb signifies one main attribute of Being Master and therefore necessitating slavery. (it also signifies other Attributes like; al Mun’im [giver of favours], al Qayyim [powerful], al MuRabbi [Master], Mu’ttee [who gives alot]).
But the main concept of Rabb is Him being the Master, and us therefore being the slaves.

This destruction of Abraha’s army was done by your Master and so we have to be His dutiful slaves.

Rabb (Master) in this ayah places demands on you to be a slave of Allah, but the word Allah would not do achieve that same result.

This is clearer in the next surah;

fal ya’budu Rabba haadhal bayt – then let them enslave themselves to the Master of this House. (Quraysh 106:3).

RabbuKa – Your (singular ‘you’) Master.

Your Master (O Muhammad)

He mentions His Messenger, so He will protect him – just like He protected the Holy House in Makkah.

– It is as if Allah said; it is no doubt that when the people saw the revenge, and you did not see the punishment on Abraha, but you were still an obedient slave to Allah while they were not.

So it is like you saw the punishment truly, and they did not. So Allah has picked him over all others.

By saying Rabbuk – Your Master. Allah is implying that I am on your side (O Muhammad), and that I am enemies with your enemies. I can destroy them, just like I destroyed the enemies of this Holy House.

I only did this against the people of the Elephant to show the gratefulness of you and to honour your arrival. And I have been the carer for your people before your coming, so how am I going to leave your caring after you have come?

It is also a proof that Allah’s Messenger will be victorious soon and clean the House from idol worship.

By saying Rabb instead of Allah, Allah has illustrated the ugliness of what has been done of shirk/polytheism in the Holy House of Allah in the Holy Mosque.

‘How dare you enslave yourself to other masters when your true Master is only Allah who provides you with all that you have?’

Rabb has negated and attacked their shirk/polytheism.

As-haab al Feel.
Allah did not say arbaab or amlaak (the owners/masters) of the Elephant/s. He said as-haab, which means Companions.

Saahib can be a categorical statement, i.e. You are like those who you are companions (as-haab) with.

So these people are called As-haab al Feel = Elephant people.
Allah is humiliating them and implying that these people are like animals, like elephants. In their morals and etiquettes – they have a lack of understanding and intellect (‘aql).

Whenever there is companionship between two people;
it is said; lil adwanu innahoo saahib ul a’la – the lesser one is the companion of the higher one.

i.e. If there are 2 men, the one who has less skills than the other will be called the saahib (companion), and the higher skilled one will be called the higher one.

i.e. Allah’s Messenger is higher than the companions (sahaba), and this is why – they are called sahaba and Allah’s Messenger is not called a Sahabi/companion of his companions.

So these people in Abraha’s army are called the companions (as-hab) of the Elephant. It is like Allah is implying that the elephant/s are of a level higher than these people in the army!

So they are the elephants’ companions’, while the elephants are the higher ones!

وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ ۖ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ

And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless. [al A’raf 7:179]

He proves this point. Why? Because when the elephants were commanded to destroy the house, everytime the elephant was pointed towards the house – he would turn away and run in the opposite direction.

Just like the hadith:

قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : “ لا طَاعَةَ لِمَخْلُوقٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ . ” رواه الإمام أحمد 1041 وهو حديث صحيح

La ttaa’ata li makhlooqin fee ma’asiyyatin Khaliq

There is no obedience to a created being if it involves disobedience of the Creator” (reported by Ahmad, 1041; a saheeh hadeeth)


The animal refuses to obey the creation in destroying the Ka’bah – yet these people who are worser than animals are bent upon destroying it.
The elephant was in a better state than even them humans were.

al Aloosi:
Isn’t it true that the polytheists have done a worse crime (of shirk) than Abraha’s plan of taking down the walls of the Ka’ba?

So why did Allah not destroy them? Aren’t they both criminals?

Allah waged His destruction on the one who was harming the rights of other humans in this life – so Allah destroyed him in this life.
But the one who harmed the rights of Allah – his destruction will be in the next life.


Ayah 2:

أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ


Alam yajAAal kaydahum fee tadleel

Did He not make their decieving plotting go into great waste?

Alam
Didn’t He make their plot go to waste?

the second: A lam – didn’t He..?

This is further emphasis of Allah helping and reminding us of His favours.

yaj’al is also present tense. Showing Continuity – He took their plot, and took it to waste.
Showing that He will always do this – He will always make the plot of those who attempt to harm Allah’s signs (religion etc.) go to waste.

This is why Present-future (Muddaari’) tense is used.

Ja’ala as opposed to Fa’ala in this ayah.
Ja’ala – take something and transform it into something else.

So Allah let them make their plan, prepare for it, train for it, march forward in their armies for it, then fully execute it, and then suddenly – Allah transformed it into waste.

Allah didn’t alleviate it at the beginning. Rather – He let them think that the plan was working. Yaj’al – Allah played them along and failed and fooled them right at the end.

Nouman’s teacher Dr Sami: when someone is rebellious – Allah let’s them go free.

Like a wild dog with a lead. At first you might tie them to a lead of 1 metre.
But if he is really rebellious, take him to a 400 meter field. He will think he is free – he will run at full speed in this field – thinking he is free to rebel. As he runs really fast, when he reaches the 400 metre level – he gets yanked, and chokes – that pain is much worse for him.

اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
Allah mocks at them and gives them increase in their wrong-doings to wander blindly. [Baqarah 2:15]

Allah could have destroyed them earlier, but because of their sincerety in going down this evil path – Allah allows them to go down this way and then He fails them. But this evil will only increase their punishment with Allah.

In the last ayah of this surah – past tense is used to describe the unique punishment. And past tense is used because Allah will not continuously send such a punishment.

The word Qayd is similar to Makr – a Plot (a plan made to harm someone).

Military plans are Qayd, i.e. Ambush which is secret.

Makr = deception in a Plan. I.e. You lead people on and you are decieving them.

Didn’t He take your secret plot and put it to waste?

Qayd is used as an attempt to harm someone secretly.
How come it’s called when his plan was open in clear day time?

Explanation:

1 – Because they were hiding animosity in their hearts against the Makkans which they did not show to them.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا بِطَانَةً مِّن دُونِكُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًا وَدُّوا مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ ۚ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts/hearts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason. [aal Imran 3:118]

2 – Society which revolves around religion, similar to secular nations who now call to patriotism to ones nationality. These people use these these calls (of religion or national loyalty) to incite people to fight another people – even though the battle is usually for Economic benefit.

So Abraha called people to have war of faiths, but the real Qayd was for economic benefits.

This is the exact same situation of Quraysh rejecting the Messenger of Allah.
Ja’ala aalihata illaaha wahida, inaha shay’un ‘ujaab – (has he made all the gods into One God? This is a strange thing indeed!) – quran

The Quraysh is not really shocked that all the gods are not real and that there is One God. They are inside fearful that if people find out about this One God – they will desert the idol worship, and Quraysh will lose out financially in selling idols.

Qayd is the secret plans of the Abraha in doing a economic war secretly, and pretending it is a Christian cause.


Dalaala (taddleel) – to waste, to destroy. So it is no longer useable at all.
dal-la – to be lost literally, to place something somewhere and not be able to find it.

Didn’t We take put the efforts of the Ethiopians /companions of the Elephant go to waste?

Taddleel (taf’eel) – repetition. On many occassions, Allah made it go to waste.

Failures:

I.e. They built al Qul-lays (the Chrisitian temple – so people would worship at it) – that failed.
– he tried to urge Arabs to love it like the Ka’bah – that failed.
– It was burnt, and defecated on – another fail.
– They planned and marched to take the Ka’bah and break it down – they failed.

taddleel (in taf’eel format) signifies continuous failures.

Allah put their entire plans to fail.

Imru’ al Qays (a famous pre-Islamic poet) – was called; the king with the quality of Ddaleel ضلي ل – because he wasted the fortunes of his father after recieiving his inheritance.

Failing Abraha’s plans added respect to the Ka’bah instead of lowering its status.

وَمَا دُعَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ– what is the prayer of the disbelievers except to waste?[ar-Ra’d 13:14]

Fee – in

Allah did not say; He put their plan to waste.

He put their Plan Fee (In) waste.

What’s the benefit of that?

Fee – (in) is used for imagery.

it is harf ad-dharff (zamaan or makaan) – word of imagery; of time or location.

Allah is making us visualise that you take something good, and you throw it in a fire so it is burnt and worthless.

I.e. The elaborate plan was completely destroyed and wasted.

Ayah 3:

وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ
Waarsala AAalayhim tayran abaabeel

And He sent upon them birds in flocks,

sent against them birds

abaabeel – herds upon herds upon herds.

When Abdul Mu’tallib made the du’a (prayer) to Allah, he saw flocks/herds of birds flying from the direction of Yemen (interestingly because the army of Abraha also came from Yemen).

He then said;
wallahi inaha la tayrun ghareeba, ma hiyya bi najdiyya wa la tah-hamiyyah, – I swear by Allah, these are strange birds, they are not from Najd, nor are they from Tahhaam.

Each bird carried 3 stones, two in its feet claws, and one in its beak.

Then the stone that would land – would land on a person and hit their head and come out from the other side.

Abu Ubayda said: Ababeel – multiple groups of different kinds (species).

It is said; the horses (or birds?) came herds upon herds from many different directions.

an-Nuhaas (a great arabic grammarian in our Islamic history) said: The reality is that they are huge awesome flocks of many different kinds of birds / species.

They were coming from every part of the sky – so it was very dark in the sky.

The arabs had an amazing imagination, with picturesque poetry. This is proven through their literature because they lived in a plain desert. So they needed to put colour and description in their lives through their media – poetry.

It was said; They were green birds coming from the oceans.

Allah might not want us to see what He did, but How He did it (kayfa).

Weightless birds destroyed an army of Elephants?

How can Allah use birds destroy an army?

Why did Allah say; arsala ‘Alayhim(sent Upon them)
and not; arsala Ilayhim (sent To them).

The word ‘Ala shows Superiority and and Domination and wreaking havoc on someone and imposing oneself on them.

And this is why Allah says when punishing people; aRsala ‘Alayhim (sent Upon them) – showing His domination over them.

To and Upon shows a big difference.


حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَابًا ذَا عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ إِذَا هُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ

Until when We have opened upon them [علي alayhim] a door of severe punishment, immediately they will be therein in despair. [Mu’minum 23:77]

fa arsalna ‘alayhim tayran abaabeel – so We sent Upon them birds in flocks.

So we see Allah says ‘Ala (upon) when sending punishment to show Power from above.

But when He sends a Messenger, He mentions Ilaa إلى (to). (il-laa fir’awn.. – quran)

So we see that Moses was sent as a Mercy, if he was sent as a punishment – Allah would say ‘alaa fir’awn.

at-Tabari: And your Master sent upon them birds of different natures, one kind would follow behind another kind.


ababeel – in herds/flocks/packs. There is no singular for this word.
Flocks upon flocks of birds, scores upon scores.

Tayr – used as a collective/plural noun = All kinds of birds. (in comparison to tayoor which would be many birds only) Tayran implies ALL kinds of birds.

Adding tanween on it – TayraN – showing they were many birds of different kinds and to terrify.

Because tanween is done to Terrorise (in Nasab form [fat-ha/zabar form] – TayrAN). TayrAN! Terror. All birds!
Exclamation.

This exclamation of tanween which had guided shooting stones – they did not hit you. But you were there – what if they had hit you?

Similar words are;
shammaateet شماتة
abbaadeed

and others.

Ibn Hashim: the arabs never used a singular word for Abaabeel (flocks).

Ibn Abbas and ad-Dahhak: Abaabeel refers to groups that follow one after the other.

Hasan al Basri and Qatadah: Ababeel refers to many and many.

Mujahid: they are dispersed (in their species), continuous and unified in one place.

Ibn Zayd: they came from every direction and united.

Al Farraa’: I did not hear the arabs use the single form of the word Ababeel ever.

This surah is a gift to the Messenger of Allah.

al Bica’i: Allah gives His Messenger gifts even before he was born. He protects this city, and He defended this holy House of worship for him, so he could clear the Holy house from idols and turn to it for prayer and the Muslims (a house originally built for Allah’s worship alone by Prophet Ibraheem).

This newly found respect for Allah’s Messenger.

We gain new respect of how Allah guards this house for Allah’s Messenger (alam tara kayfa fa’ala Rabbuka – do you know how Your Lord [O Muhammad] – dealt with the companions of the elephant.

The arabs thought Allah had protected this house for them. But Allah firstly, had protected this house for His beloved final Messenger, Muhammad (sal Allah alayhi wasalam) – so he could revive the legacy of Ibraheem for mankind, and unite people to the worship of Allah alone.

Ayah 4:

تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍ مِّن سِجِّيلٍ

tarmeehim bi hijaaratin min sijjeel

Striking them with stones of hard clay,

Allah sent upon them birds

In surah Ahzab – Allah sent winds and armies [of angels] you did not see – Reehan wa junooda lam tarawha [ رِيحًا وَجُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا ۚ Ahzab 33:9 ]

ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ – none knows the armies of Allah except Him [Mudathir 74:31]

tarmee – Ramee – to throw.

tarmee – present tense is being used. For present tense to be used to describe a past event = it was happening continuously.

The pebbles kept coming down continuously.

If Ramat (past tense of Tarmee) was used – it would imply that the birds only threw once.

But it kept coming down continuously like rain.


Tarmee – Rama / yaRmee – to throw from a distance.
Thrown with a specific target.

So the birds threw from a height. And this hurts because of the force of gravity.

Thrown with a specific target. – so it is like Allah is targetting each criminal with guided missiles.

bi hijaaratin..

With stones

min sijjeel / from sijjeel

Sijjeel was originally a Farsi (Persian) word, and gradually became an arabic word.

Sange Gil (Sijjeel in arabic) in Farsi refers to pebbles which form on the ground when it rains, the sand clogs up like mud. Then it is baked with the extreme heat of the sun.

So sijjeel could refer to these dust based rocks.

That which is weak/powerless – Allah can destroy the strongest of things. He destroyed an army of Elephants by dust and birds.

at-Tabari said; Yunus the grammarian said:

The arabs said Sijjeel is the type of rock which hits you – it gets inside your body. (discussed in the tafseer of the next ayah).

Each bird had 3 rocks, two in its claws and 1 pebble in its beak, and they heaped upon the army from the skies, and their army was not even able to return.

They continuously pebbled them with clay which is burnt by the sun.


The word SijjeeL (Lam at end), has a similar meaning to SijjeeN.

In Arabic – when letters have a similar sound, it is likely that they have a similar meaning.

So since the letters; L and N have a similar sound in arabic – they are more likely to be with a same meaning or similar phrase.

And Sijjeen is the book of the people of the left hand on Judgment Day – those who are in loss.

Kal-laa innal kitab al fujjaara la fee Sijjeen (surah mutaffifeen)

A huge record in hellfire which contains the names of the people in hell, like an attendance register.

So some say these peoples punishment was mentioned in the Sijjeen.

Ibn Abbas: When the pebble would fall on anyone of them – it causes swelling and it burns and infects their skin.
The first time a plague hit the arabs – it came from this attack and the rotting corpses.

This is one of the worst calamities to have hit the Arab world in that location.

The pebbles would enter into the skulls. And the pebble would go in from one side and come out from the other side. This was like a really strong bullet.

These statements are some witness statements from the actual event.

We notice the graphical images being described in sharp violent ways. How Allah destroyed them.

This is a response to the Kayfa (how?) in ayah 1. Did you not see How your Master deal with the people of the Elephant.

Ayah 5:

فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَّأْكُولٍ

FajaAAalahum kaAAasfin ma/kool

So [He] made them like an empty field of stalkseaten up.

Ja’ala – you have something and make it into something else, i.e. transformed Wood into a table.

khalaqa – create out of nothing.

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا – He transformed you into a middle balanced nation.. [Baqarah 2:143]

Ja’ala – make from one form to another.

Allah has made this strong army into like totally weak and dead empty corn stalks.


“Ka” as an independent word = ‘Like/similar to.‘
(tashbeeh – likeness)

Allah describes us so we can imagine how this massive army transformed into like;

Asf – ‘Aasif – winds which blow and cut off crumpled up leaves.

Reeh al ‘Aasif – which blows leaves in the air.

‘Asf also refers to straws which fly in the air.


Ma/kool – that which is eaten.

When cattle eat food, and when it eats a big piece, some part of it comes out of its mouth and flies into the air. The remains is called ‘Asf al Ma/kool.

That’s how they were crushed and destroyed.

Really grinded and chewed. This is how He transformed them.

It can also mean:
Ma/kool – that which is supposed to be eaten.

That which is about to be eaten up by its enemy. It is defenseless. Just like that animal is about to be eaten and it is defenseless, just like the hay and grass is defenseless before the cattle eat it.

These people were about to be eaten – about to be destroyed – and they were defenseless and weak.

Or these are the straws which the animals eat.

ash-Shawkani: Allah sent birds which threw pebbles made of clay baked into stones – so they became like eaten chewed up straws.

Allah uses this language to poke fun at them. They thought they were so strong and arrogant, and Allah destroyed them so they became like chewed up straw. They’re not even like a leaf hanging off a tree (which has support to a branch), they’re not even a full leaf, no – they are chewed up and worthless and totally weak.
Winds can even move it.

– Alam Tara – have you not seen/wondered?

Even though this surah is about Makkah and Allah protecting it from destruction.
Allah did not mention that He is the Lord of the Ka’ba – that He will protect it. Rather, He said He is the Master of Muhammad (RabbuKa – Your Lord [O Muhammad]). So Allah is showing defense for His Messenger.

We were expecting Allah to mention the house (Masjid al Haram in Makkah – the holy mosque in Makkah.)
But He will mention it in the next surah (Quraysh).

Rhyme Theme

In this surah, Allah mentioned continuous mention of the same phonetic sound which helps in the rhythm;

Feel, Tadleel,Abaabeel, etc.

This feature of rhyme makes you appreciate the Qur’an when Allah is telling the event of the army of the Elephant. But when the narrative is concluded – Allah removes the rhyme (the last word is Ma/kool) – showing the narrative has ended, because the rhyme has ended.

By saying Rabbuka – Allah has shown who His loyalty is with – and He has shown through this surah that He has power to destroy the enemy of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. (sal Allah alayhi wasalam).

Surah al Feel [Elephant] – Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh


Surah Feel – the Elephant [105] –

Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

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The Layout of this Tafseer surah Feel;

– Introduction

– Last 10 Surahs’ Summarised

– A History Lesson of the Arabs of Makkah and Yemen

– A History Lessons of the Ethiopians/Abysinnians and Christians

– Meaning of the Aayaat – Linguistic Tafseer Surah Feel.

Introduction to the Last Ten Surahs’ Sequenced in the Qur’an

The final 10 surahs of the Qur’an are a change to the theme of the Afterlife mentioned previously in Juzz ‘Amma.

These last 10 surahs have some direct link to Allah’s Messenger’s life in the context of Revelation (Asbaab al Nuzool).

There is alot of context and historical background in these last 10 surahs.

When you speak in general terms, people may not necessarily get the message, so sometimes you directly have to mention ‘You‘ to the person – to make them realise that they need to change their evil ways.

The same is in regard to the Quraysh and anyone who opposes a message – they will not accept that the threat is towards them unless it is specifically said; YOU will be punished.

So now we will see that there is a direct address to the Quraysh themselves.

Previous surah al Humazah; one feature of hell was Hutama – that which tramples and crushes people in hell.

Hutaaman = the produce that comes under your feet and crushes into powder.

Since the previous surah Humazah was the last surah on the afterlife, Allah is threatening the Quraysh now with punishment in this world.

We will see how Allah sends a punishment, in this world – against the army of the Elephant.


What is the punishment?
ayah 5 of this surah. They turned up into like chewed up corn.

1 – From the universal warning to the specific warning.
2 – What connects these 10 surahs together. Ten components of one main subject.

This ideological conflict took place in the city of Makkah.

originally it was called Bakkah. It’s founder was Ibraheem/Abraham.

His du’a is the reason why Allah caused this city to exist.

Du’a is mentioned in Baqarah and Ibraheem.

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ
فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits – whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.” [ Allah ] said.

“And whoever disbelieves – I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the
destination.” [Baqarah 2:126]

This change in language signifies that at one time, this place was just desert. At another time, he realised this place was going to be a city – so he asked Allah to make it peaceful.

A few years later – there was a city.

So there are 2 prayers at different times.

His prayer was for it to be:

– Safe and Peaceful (aaminan)
– Provide its people with all kinds of fruits = Prosperity

Peace and Prosperity.

According to Political Science, a society cannot survive – unless it has Peace and Prosperity.

You have a house, business, money and cars – if it isn’t safe – society can’t survive.

You can have safety – but you don’t have any wealth, business, trading, money etc – then that society cannot function.

This is the Genius of Prophet Ibraheem that he knew this.

But then we learn about him that he worries that Allah has made him Imam (leader) over mankind.

All believers are leaders of their families. So you are asked about those who are under you.


وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا

Rabbana hablana min azwajina wa min dhurriyaatina qurrata a’yunin wa ja’alna lil muttaqeena Imaama –

Our Lord, accept from us and our partners and out descendants, make them a coolness for our eyes and make us Leaders for the God fearing/consciess who guard against evil [surah Furqan 25:74]

We will be asked about those who we are responsible over.

So Ibraheem says;

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ
And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits – whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.” [ Allah ] said. “And whoever disbelieves – I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination.” [Baqarah 2:126]

Ibraheem does not want his descendants who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day (Judgment Day) to be fed by Allah because they are not worthy of it. He would be pleased if they did not live because they would do sin and oppression.

This is the similar to the du’a of Prophet Nuh [Noah]:
إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرْهُمْ يُضِلُّوا عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوا إِلَّا فَاجِرًا كَفَّارًا

“If You leave them, they will mislead Your slaves, and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers.” [Nuh 71:27]

Don’t let them live because they will give birth to more oppressive, ungrateful disbelievers who do all sorts of evils without shame.

Allah does not answer this du’a of Ibraheem, instead He says;
wa man kaf-fara fa umati’uhoo qaleela -those who disbelieve, I will provide him a little also – then I will force him into the punishment of the fire...

All this du’a is in surah al Baqarah – and the video on the Legacy of Ibrahim by Nouman Ali Khan.

Last 10 Surahs’

Surah Feel [105].

An army of Elephants, arabs had never seen them in battle before. This was so strange and different to the Arabs that they called this year – ‘Aam al Feel – The Year of the Elephant.

How are they going to fight an army of Elephants?

So when you see the army of Elephants – you knew the peace of of Makkah had broken. There was fear. Elephants were like war Tanks.

The people of Makkah fled to the Mountains. Except a few who tried to negotiate with Abraha.

None thought the peace in Makkah would remain. Abraha – the one who was the leader – had the main intent to destroy the Ka’bah and the city of Makkah.

Under the most impossible of circumstances – Allah kept the du’a/prayer of Ibraheem answered – He kept the city safe by destroying Abraha and his army.

Surah Quraysh [106]

The du’a of Ibraheem was for Allah to make the city safe, and to provide thamaraat (fruits/food) to the people. So the next surah after Surah Feel is surah Quraysh – where Allah is telling them that He has kept them safe and provided them with all sorts of fruits and foods throughout the year.

No tribe could travel for trade safely throughout the year except the Quraysh tribe. Any other tribe who did so would be robbed.
Why doesn’t anyone mess with them? Because the Arabs thought that these were sacred people who looked after the Holy House (Masjid al Haram). The thiefs would fear to rob them because they thought they would get Divine punishment.

Also politically – all the tribes had false gods. These idols would be in the Haram (Masjid al Haram/main mosque in Makkah) – which the tribes would visit at Hajj time.

If some people tried to steal from the Quraysh – the Quraysh would warn them that they would harm their tribes idol in the Haram (main mosque in Makkah). So the thiefs/robbers would back away.

So both parts of Prophet Ibraheem’s duas’ are fulfilled.

In the end of Surah Quraysh 106 ayah 3: – fal ya’budu Rabba haadhal bayt – then let them enslave themselves to the Master of this House [Ka’bah].

The bayt/home is this city, they are being reminded of the one who prayed for this house – Ibraheem. That they should be monotheists like him.

Surah Quraysh 106 ayah 4: الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ –aladhee at’ammahum min joo’in wa aamanhum min khawf – the one who has fed them from hunger, and given them safety/peace from fear.

This is the exact same things Prophet Ibraheem had prayed for. Food and Peace/safety – despite fear.

But are they worthy of these benefits of the du’a of Ibraheem? Didn’t Ibraheem ask Allah to give only to those who believe? Yet these people do not believe in the last day, they are polytheists, so should they really deserve these blessings – when they are opposing his way?

“And whoever disbelieves – I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination.” [Baqarah 2:126]

Are these the worthy children of Ibraheem or the unworthy?

Surah Ma’un [107]

The surah after Quraysh is surah Ma’un – a surah which shows that they are not really worthy of Allah’s favours.

Ibraheem continues his du’a/prayer in Surah al Baqarah [2:126-9]:

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ. رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ. رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) and (his son) Isma’il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah), (saying), “Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.”

“Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage – Hajj and ‘Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.

Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”

The believers are good, and the evil are bad.

The custody of the house (in Makkah) should be to the Messenger, not to those who are not worthy – those who are Ma’un – those who might sacrifice but are so greedy for more.

So Allah tells us in the surah after that who the authority of the Masjid al Haram should belong to the good/obedient slaves of Allah, Allah’s Messenger. So Allah gives Him many favours in surah Kawthar.

Kawthar [abundant good to Allah’s Messenger] includes; the victories, the Qur’an, the legacy of Ibrahim, the cleansing of the house from idols.

Allah’s Messenger has the honor of removing the idols from the house built by Ibraheem originally for Allah’s worship alone.

Surah al Kawthar [108]

So Allah says in ayah 2 of surah Kawthar [108];

fa sallee – so pray.

the first sign of gratefulness to Allah is prayer.

waNhar – and sacrifice.

prayer and sacrifice are the legacy of Ibraheem.

That tradition of sacrifice with that entire incident of Isma’il.

Now you are no longer one family of Ibraheem – rather, now you are enemies (shaani’) to each other; believers and disbelievers are enemies to each other.


قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ إِذْ قَالُوا لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَآءُ مِنكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ أَبَدًا حَتَّىٰ تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ إِلَّا قَوْلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ لَأَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ وَمَا أَمْلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۖ رَّبَّنَا عَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, “Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah . We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone” except for the saying of Abraham to his father, “I will surely ask forgiveness for you, but I have not [power to do] for you anything against Allah . Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination. [Mumtahinah 60:4]

Surah Kafiroon [109]

In Arab history – your identity/citizenship is your tribe (Qabeelah). Allah’s Messenger is being told by Allah to renounce his citizenship by Allah ordering him to say;

Qul ya ayuhal Kafiroon (Say: O you who disbelieve)

He isn’t saying ‘O my people! O Quraysh!’

Now it is clear – conflict, I am not a disbeliever, I am not of you.

Allah has made his Messenger say that he is officially an enemy of his tribes people now, and that a conflict is drawing near.

So when a conflict occurs, one side has to be Victorious.

Surah Nasr [110]

Allah says;
idha jaa’a nasrullahi wal fat-h
– when the help and victory of Allah comes.

Many say it is Madani, others say it is Makki. But it is a promise of Allah that His Messenger will win in the conflict.

This is a very big occasion in history – Allah’s religions Establishment on Earth.

The final Messenger and the final victory of this Messenger.

Minor signs are shown to show that the major help will come.

When you see the small signs;

When you see the clouds and rain slightly come – you know a storm is going to occur.

So what is the small sign that a big victory (of Nasr) will come.

Surah Lahab [111]

So Allah tells in Surah Lahab that He will destroy an enemy, a sign of eventual major victory.

Shaikh Ameen al Islaahi (in Tadabbur al Qur’an) and Shaikh Muhammad Farooq az-Zayn (Nadhm al Qur’an) – when people are in war for a long time – they forget what they are fighting about. ‘Why were we even in conflict?’



Surah al Ikhlas [112]

The conflict between the believers and disbelievers is quite long. So Allah reminds us why this conflict happened. Belief vs Disbelief.

If you want to summarise what Ibraheem’s unique legacy was, it is well known – Tawheed – the Oneness of Allah, depending on Him alone, asking Him alone, serving Him alone etc.

That’s his legacy.

So we are reminded of the agenda of this Ummah – Qul huwa Allahu ahad. To remind us we are struggling for Allah’s religion.

The unparalleled Oneness of Allah is what believers are always striving to uphold.

Surah Falaq [113]

But as time progresses – negative influences from outside and internal influences from inside will affect that Tawheed – trying to make it weaker, as has happened throughout history.

So Allah sent surah Falaq – to protect the believers from evil on the outside.

Surah al-Naas [114]

And Allah sent surah an-Naas to protect the believers from evil whisperings on the inside.

All these surahs tie to the legacy of Prophet Ibraheem, which is tied to Allah’s Messenger reviving it in a beautiful way.

قُلْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ ۗ فَاتَّبِعُوا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

Say, ” Allah has told the truth. So follow the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth; and he was not of the polytheists.” [aal Imran 3:95]

A History Lesson of the Arabs of Makkah and Yemen:

Specifically the Arab world can be split up into 3 parts:

– Iraq
– Sham (Syria)
– al Jazeera (Gulf) – meets sea on 3 sides, including Yemen.

For a great period in history, the rule of Saba’ controlled trade between Europe and Asia and the rest of the world. Their ports gave them alot of strength, wealth and in effect – Political power.

The great flood occurs at 450-451 CE – so everything they had is destroyed.

So now – There needs to be a new location where the travelling route can take place in Yemen.

So how is this connected to the Arabian Peninsula?

The Yemeni Arabs left that region and settled as tribes in different places.

‘Aws and Khazraj are also Yemeni tribes who settled in Medinah. And earlier times from Yemen had already settled at the location of Zamzam water when Isma’il was a baby with his mother Hajar – where Ibraheem had been commanded by Allah to leave them.
Those people had left Yemen in search for water and settled with them. Isma’il grew up amongst them and got married into them.

In Hijaz [western arabia] – the children of Isma’il are settling in different places during this similar time period. And there is a historical figure Uthayb bin Kalaam/al Mujami’ [born around 400 CE] (mentioned by Ibn Khaldun) – he makes the children of Isma’il to unify and make a state/city.

They are trying to unify their family as one block of family strength. And because he is charismatic – the people agree.

So the population of Makkah grows.

This man who united the sons of Isma’il has 3 sons. The most popular of them is Abd al Manaf, and he had 4 sons; Hashim, Mu’tallib, Abdul Shams and Nawfal.

Hashim is born on 464 CE – after the flood. (the flood was on 450 CE).
As Hashim grows up – he feels that the Makkans might be able to take advantage of the Economic vacuum which is taking place.

So Hashim starts to make trade agreements of Makkah with other business empires in the surrounding countries.

Traders from Yemen have already left the region because they couldn’t survive their economically.

So Hashim goes to secure a business connection in Sham (Syria) to an Arab King of Ghassan.
Abdul Shams – to Habasha (Ethiopia)
Nawfal – to Iraq.
And sent one of his brothers to Yemen.

So he made Makkah – a central port for trade. Since Makkah is central between all these 4 lands.

These brothers made an Agreement (Eelaaf) – these brothers are called As-haab al Eelaaf (the companions of the United Agreement).
Also they are known as Al Mutajreen – the traders.

This is the exact same word mentioned in the beginning ayah of surah Quraysh.

Hashim was of the 4 brothers who had started Makkah as an economic power.

He had a son known as Abdul Mu’tallib (457 CE born) – who had Abdullah – who had; Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (sal Allah alayhi wasalam).

The Ethiopian Christian/Roman World during all this time Period:

300 years after Jesus, the Romans rule Rome, Western Asia, Turkey, Egypt, Ethiopia, part of Yemen.

There was a brief time when Yemen became partially Jewish – they started oppressing the Christians. Some even say this oppression was against the Monotheistic followers of Jesus mentioned in surah Burooj of as-haab al Ukhdood (the companions of the ditch.)

The Ethiopians saw the oppression against other Christians in Yemen by the Jewish rule – so they invaded Yemen. They set up a king from the Christian Yemeni group who ruled them. But soon there was infighting between the kings for power.

Abraha does a military coup – he takes over the king of Yemen, while keeping good ties with Ethiopia – telling them that he did this only for the sake of wanting to apply justice.
It became weaker than before – but the allegiance was still there.

The way kings encourage people to gain strength again is by reminding the people how powerful they once were – and how they need to return to their former greatness once more.

So what does Abraha remind the people of? About their fame when they were a powerful business empire.

So now Abraha decides to build al Qullays – a christian centre, a huge building/shrine/temple made of the most expensive materials – hoping it will undermine Makkah.

You can’t change peoples religious mentality within a small amount of time.

So he sends a letter to Ethiopia – saying that the Arabs (of Yemen and Arabia) – are still preferring the Ka’bah over al Qullays – the christian temple.

The arabs found out about this and they went there out of hatred – and they defecated in the building to show that no-one respects it. Others say they burnt the place down.

Abraha is extremely anger – if they have insulted him and his religion – it incites him and his army even more to attack Makkah who has taken away, their former economic power of the past.

He has an army of between 12,000 – 60,000 in his army – directing to attack Makkah with the help of Yemenis and Ethiopians. The Arabs do not have professional armies, they are divided and their numbers are far less.

The army of Abraha had 9 – 13 elephants. Mahmood was a Massive elephant from them.

When they get to at-Ta’if – Ta’if negotiated with them. Why? Because they had their main idol Laat with them. So they did not fear their idol would get destroyed if Makkah was destroyed.
The other tribes did not fight because their idols were in Makkah, and if their tribe idol did get destroyed – who would they turn to in worship?

Abu Righal was appointed by the tribe of at-Takheef, from the town of at-Ta’if – to guide the army of Abraha to the Ka’bah. Because the path between the two towns (Makkah and at-Ta’if is complicated).

Abu Righal died on the way. This became a monument because he was a historical betrayer of the Arabs. So the arabs would spit on and stone his grave.

Abraha’s army reached Makkah in the month of Muharram. The reasons why Makkah was attacked is because of politics, and religious issues.

Allah talks about Military/political issues of the surah in surah Feel.

In surah Quraysh – Allah talks about the economic issues of Quraysh.

Ayah 1:

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ
Alam tara kayfa fa’AAala rabbuka bi-as-haabi al feel

Have you not seen, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?

alam taRa – did you not See?

alam taraW – did You (Plural) not see?

The scholars wondered whether this was referring other peoples individually, or to Allah’s Messenger?

There is evidences for both.


1 – To Individuals:

wa bil waalidayni ihsaana – and be good to both your parents. (Surah al Isra’ )

Allah’s Messenger does not have two parents in his lifetime because they had died along time ago before this command was given.

This command is to other people. Even though the singular was used.

Also – Maybe alot of people saw the event because they were alive when this event occurred? Some say this event occurred abit before the birth of Allah’s Messenger.

So it is possible that it refers to certain individuals who did see this event within their childhood. And that Allah is talking to them – did you not see..?

2 – the Messenger is being asked:

But Allah’s Messenger did not see it then. He was born after.

so it can be in a figurative way; have you not heard, have you not realised how your Master dealt with the people of the Elephant?

The Arabs did not have a christian calendar, they would say to eachother; Do you remember the event which occurred 10 years after ‘Aam al Feel (the Year of the Elephant)?

It can also be; are you not amazed at how your Master dealt with the people of the Elephant?

If you look at the size of the army – it is bigger than the amount of people living in Makkah.
When a army with Elephants loses to a people – without any fighting –
this shows Allah has plans of keeping this city secure through ways which He wills.

Did you not realise that this can happen – that Allah can keep peace in Makkah – by Himself? That He can destroy an entire deadly army without needing the help of anyone else? An army which has elephant tanks that can flatten the whole city down with their feet?

alam taRa – did you not see? Have you not heard about it? Are you not amazed?

Dr Fadil Hassaan ar-Ra’i: This surah is a lesson for every rebellious tyrant, oppressor and dictator who lives in any civilization at any time.

Anyone who seeks to overpower others with their armies, they do not care about their enemy and will not fear any consequences.

The weak ask for the law, and the strong oppressors say that the law does not apply to them because they are ‘above the law.’

This is seen throughout history, and can even be seen today.

This is the concept the surah is alluding to.

This is why the word Tarra was placed in this ayah. Didn’t you See (Tarra)?

Tarra is the verb in present tense.

Common Translation of ayah 1: Didn’t you see..? It is translated in past tense.

ammaa Ra’ayta would be past tense in arabic.

However – Present tense in arabic Balaghah/Rhetoric implies; something Continuous.

It didn’t happen – but it happened over and over again.

This will be a continuous Theme in the Surah – we will see how the Present-future tense in Arabic is used to imply continuity.

That – Allah dealing with oppressors – won’t just occur for that present Time (of the Army of the Elephant event), but it refers to Allah dealing with future oppressers too, always.

3 – In the phrase Alam Tarra there are two benefits:

Something you see physically (literally) with your eyes, or you visualise with your mind (figuratively).

taRa – Ra’a – to see literally and with insight.
Some scholars say that Allah’s Messenger did not see the event of the Army of the Elephant. They say he was born in the same year, but 50 days after that major event.

So he did not see the event with his eyes, but he has heard it over and over again within his lifetime as we will see from the commentaries of Tafseer (explanations on the Qur’an).

4 – Alam Tarra – also Produces the meaning of Shock.

Didn’t you not see/hear about how your Master dealt with them?!

5 – Iltifaat – transisions in the Qur’an.

Allah talks to different audiences in the Qur’an. So even though Allah’s Messenger is being spoken to in this ayah – he will recite it to the people – so the disbelievers who listen to this ayah will be warned, but they will also realise that Allah is siding for His Messenger (because Allah says; RabbuKa [Your Master (O Muhammad)] dealt with the companions of the Elephant).

So Allah is warning the elders of Quraysh – who did see the event of the companions of the Elephant – through His Messenger; didn’t you see how your Master (O Muhammad) – [how He dealt with the oppressors?).

ash-Shawkani: to give the Messenger amazement with what Allah did with the people of the elephant. You know and the people with you know very well because of what came to them continuously of the story of the Elephant.

They knew this because at the time the Army of the Elephant came – all the people of Makkah had to evacuate to the mountains. Apart from a few who made negotiations with Abraha (the leader of the Elephant army).

This year was so famous to the Arabs – that they made it a calendar from which they compared other dates too. I.e. Someone might say; ‘Do you remember the event which happened 2 years after the Year of the Elephant (‘Aam al Feel)?’

The Arabs all recognised the Holiness of the Ka’bah, so the Ka’bah and its guardians – the Quraysh gained more respect due to this event. This was a proof that it was a holy sanctuary which Allah had, and would protect.

ash-Shawkani continues; Alam tarra kayfa – did you not see? (how Allah dealt with His enemies?) So the disbelievers should be aware that if they oppose Allah’s Messenger, Allah can destroy them too. Just like He destroyed the people of the Elephant.

They took pride in how Allah protected His holy house – the Ka’bah, so they should take one more step in enslaving themselves to Him by following His final Messenger.

The Hamza (letter ‘A’ on A lam in the first ayah) signifies a question in the statement;

Did you not see (A lam Tarra?).

What is the significance of the Hamza (A)? What is the significance of the statement being in Question form?

– To give emphasis to the event, and evoke the Conscience of the one who has recieved a favour from Allah.

(i.e. Don’t you remember how your Master dealt with the companions of the Elephant? Why aren’t you grateful to Him for that?)

This question addresses Allah’s Messenger and also indirectly to the disbelievers.

To the disbelievers: It warns them that they should remember Allah’s favour upon them, and be grateful to Him for that. And that if they do not – they will become His enemies – and He can destroy them like He destroyed Abraha’s army.

To the Messenger: Allah is giving reminder to His Messenger that He is on his side;Your Master will give you help through whatever means it takes. The same way your Master protected the Ka’bah when it had no other human to defend it.

Historical Account continued:

When Abraha reached near Makkah, he met Abdul Mu’tallib, and Abdul Mu’tallib (the grandfather of Allah’s Messenger) tried to make a settlement. He offered Abraha the lands/plains of Tahamah, a third of the revenues of the Treasury of Tahamah.
But Abraha refused and prepared his armies – showing defiance. He wasn’t bothered with making piece. He just wanted to show his strength.

as-haab al Feel – companions of the Elephant.

Feel is the word for Elephant, and it is in singular form.

Why did Allah use the singular word Elephant, when we know there were between 9 to 13 elephants in the army (the plural for Elephant is aFyaal [Elephants].) So why didn’t Allah use the word aFyaal?

1 – Because the army was known for the most famous Elephant which was huge/extremely big and the most famous of the elephants (known as Mahmood)

2 – Feel is a singular word which can refer to an entire category [Ism Jam’].
The Elephant People. Iddaafah (causes an Identification) – these people were associated with the elephants.

As-haab al Feel will be discussed in more detail later insha’ Allah.

Alam tarra:

1 – Why did Allah say – did you not see? When Allah’s Messenger was not there?

Seeing = knowledge and reminder.
Don’t you know? Have you forgotten what happened?

It indicates that the news of this event was spreading amongst the people continuously always.

This acquired knowledge is more powerful to mention as ‘did you not see?’ instead of ‘did you know?’ Did you not see is more graphical and visual.

2 – There is Condemnation in the Qur’an many times when Allah says; Alam tarra – did you not see? i.e.:

أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّن قَرْنٍ مَّكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّن لَّكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْهِم مِّدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ

See they not [alam yaraw] how many a generation We destroyed before them, whom We had established in the earth more firmly than We have established you, and We shed on them abundant showers from the sky, and made the rivers flow beneath them. Yet we destroyed them for their sins, and created after them other generations.

[al An’am 6:6]

3 – Tafseer ul Waseet fi Tafseer il Qur’an al Kareem (a contemporary written Tafseer) – by at-Tantawi (not the present one but the one before him):

Allah put the question in the way of ‘How‘ – Allah didn’t say What He did, but HowAllah dealt with them.

The How (Kayfa) tells in more detail than just the word What (Maa). The word What would tell what happened (destruction). But the word How would explain how the destruction happened = more detail.

4 – Kayfa (how) is used for Amazement. How could it be that a massive army of strong elephants come to you and you have no army to defend your city – yet they are destroyed?

When a nations army dies abroad, the nation gets angry and sends more people to avenge them. However, Abraha did not die – he survived and made it all the way back to Yemen, so when the pebbles of Sijjeel hit him – they had peeled and burned his skin off as though he was melting (through which he gradually painfully died), so when he returned to his people – they saw his skin melting off and never wanted to avenge them – out of fear that they would get the same disease as him.

It was an amazing plan of Allah.

أَفَلَمْ يَنظُرُوا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَاهَا وَزَيَّنَّاهَا وَمَا لَهَا مِن فُرُوجٍ

Have they not then observed the sky above them, how We have constructed it and beautified it, and how there are no rifts therein? [Qaf 50:6]

So Allah makes us amazed at all the sky and universe above us through this ayah.

There is no doubt that this miracle of the Creator dealing with Abraha is a proof of His power and control (qudrah) and wisdom in the way He planned. I.e. If Abraha died in Makkah, the Yemenis and Ethiopians might have sent more people to avenge him. However, his slow melting painful death which they had seen with their own eyes in Yemen scared them from doing similar to what he did.

6 – This incident is a proof of the honor of Prophet Muhammad because miraculous events occur in the year a Prophet is born and appointed by Allah. As a indication and confirmation of their Prophethood.

And that is why they say the clouds would cast shadow over the Messenger of Allah as he travelled, and the plants prostrated to him etc.

Similarly – the year Prophet Moses was born, Pharoah started to kill the sons of the Bani Isra’il (Jewish Muslims) because Pharoah had a dream that a boy from Bani Isra’il would be born -who would remove him from his kingdom. Yet Moses/Musa survived secretly because Allah protected him in the house of Pharoah himself as a adopted child.
Then when Moses was about to get Prophethood – he accidentally killed a man (to defend another man) and Moses ran away from the kingdom of Pharoah out of fear that he would get killed.

Then he returned back after a few years to Pharoah as a Messenger from Allah.

So such miraculous moments of remembrance occur – so the people remember that this is the upcoming time for a Messenger from Allah.

Abdul Mu’tallib made Poetry as a Supplication/Du’a to Allah:

La hum il-la al mar’a yamhalahu famna’ halaalak
(there is no doubt about it – there is a man who has the intent of wreaking havoc in it [Makkah], then keep him away from your halaal [permissible]

I.e. He is implying that the holy house is called the Haram (forbidden to do evils sanctuary), and the only one it is Halal/permissible for Allah alone. You’re the only one who can defend it.

wansur ‘ala Aala as-Sareeb – so help (us) over the people of the Cross/crucifix.

The army of Abraha was Christian and influenced by the Ethiopians Christians. These Ethiopians were the people who had given them the Elephants.

wa ‘aabidheehi – and those who worship it.

Al yawma aalaK (this day (help) your people [against the worshippers of the cross/crucifix)

So he is saying to Allah that we are your people who lookafter your House of worship, so help us against the cross worshippers.

la yaghlibana sareebuhum wa mahaalahum ‘udwan (let not there cross/crucifix or there plans of destruction – out of animosity – destroy your Place/sanctity.

In kunta taarakahum wa ka’batuna (if you are going to leave them and abandon our Ka’ba

fa’mur maa badaalak – then do what you decide.

He also made a du’a;

Ya Rabb la arju lahum waaka – my Master I don’t wish for them Waaka (i.e. Success).

waak – in crop season there is harvest. And the farmer works hard to produce crops. This effort is Waaka.

Abdul Mu’tallib is wishing that Allah does not make their hard efforts – of getting to Makkah to destroy the Ka’bah – be a success.

I do not wish that they see the fruits of their labour/success.

Ya Rabb famna ‘anhum habaka – My Master – keep them from attacking those who support you.

These are the poetic supplications of Abdul Mu’tallib.

Fa’ala – Did

According to Taaj al Uroos (a famous Arabic Reference lexicon dictionary):

Fi’l –
1 – action.
2 – movement
3 – something that occurs.

Refers to something abstract.

Idioms; bi fi’li kadha (bi ta’theeriha) = because of it’s Impact.

bil Fi’l / Fi’lan – ofcourse / truly / obviously.

It is real, its not hypothetical. It really takes place.

Ja’ala (transformed) and Khalaqa (created) is not used becauseFi’l cover’s both meanings.


‘Aml could also be used but it is an action with intent. Fi’l is not. ‘Aml also requires some effort.

Fi’l is used for Allah instead of ‘Aml because it signifies there is no effort.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ
Verily, your Lord is the doer of what He wills. [Hud 11:107]

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ‘Aad – [Fajr 89:6]

Alam taRa kayfa Fa’ala Rabbuka bi as-hab al feel.
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the companions of the Elephant. [Surah Feel ayah 1]

When an ‘aml is done – you are alluding that other actions without intent.
So ‘Aml is not used because Allah always does everything with ease, and with full knowledge of what He is doing.

Al Aloosi in Rooh al Ma’ani:
If He had mentioned all 3 words (i.e. Khalaqa, Ja’ala, ‘Aml) the speech would be prolonged unnecesarily. So Allah spoke the most comprehensive of speech without having to mention other unnecessary words. Fi’l sufficed, so Allah used that.

In every word – there is wisdom from Allah.

RabbuKa – Your Master.
He didn’t use the word Allah.

Allah is an Ism ‘Aalam – a Name of Allah with ALL His Qualities included within it.

But Rabb signifies one main attribute of Being Master and therefore necessitating slavery. (it also signifies other Attributes like; al Mun’im [giver of favours], al Qayyim [powerful], al MuRabbi [Master], Mu’ttee [who gives alot]).
But the main concept of Rabb is Him being the Master, and us therefore being the slaves.

This destruction of Abraha’s army was done by your Master and so we have to be His dutiful slaves.

Rabb (Master) in this ayah places demands on you to be a slave of Allah, but the word Allah would not do achieve that same result.

This is clearer in the next surah;

fal ya’budu Rabba haadhal bayt – then let them enslave themselves to the Master of this House. (Quraysh 106:3).

RabbuKa – Your (singular ‘you’) Master.

Your Master (O Muhammad)

He mentions His Messenger, so He will protect him – just like He protected the Holy House in Makkah.

– It is as if Allah said; it is no doubt that when the people saw the revenge, and you did not see the punishment on Abraha, but you were still an obedient slave to Allah while they were not.

So it is like you saw the punishment truly, and they did not. So Allah has picked him over all others.

By saying Rabbuk – Your Master. Allah is implying that I am on your side (O Muhammad), and that I am enemies with your enemies. I can destroy them, just like I destroyed the enemies of this Holy House.

I only did this against the people of the Elephant to show the gratefulness of you and to honour your arrival. And I have been the carer for your people before your coming, so how am I going to leave your caring after you have come?

It is also a proof that Allah’s Messenger will be victorious soon and clean the House from idol worship.

By saying Rabb instead of Allah, Allah has illustrated the ugliness of what has been done of shirk/polytheism in the Holy House of Allah in the Holy Mosque.

‘How dare you enslave yourself to other masters when your true Master is only Allah who provides you with all that you have?’

Rabb has negated and attacked their shirk/polytheism.

As-haab al Feel.
Allah did not say arbaab or amlaak (the owners/masters) of the Elephant/s. He said as-haab, which means Companions.

Saahib can be a categorical statement, i.e. You are like those who you are companions (as-haab) with.

So these people are called As-haab al Feel = Elephant people.
Allah is humiliating them and implying that these people are like animals, like elephants. In their morals and etiquettes – they have a lack of understanding and intellect (‘aql).

Whenever there is companionship between two people;
it is said; lil adwanu innahoo saahib ul a’la – the lesser one is the companion of the higher one.

i.e. If there are 2 men, the one who has less skills than the other will be called the saahib (companion), and the higher skilled one will be called the higher one.

i.e. Allah’s Messenger is higher than the companions (sahaba), and this is why – they are called sahaba and Allah’s Messenger is not called a Sahabi/companion of his companions.

So these people in Abraha’s army are called the companions (as-hab) of the Elephant. It is like Allah is implying that the elephant/s are of a level higher than these people in the army!

So they are the elephants’ companions’, while the elephants are the higher ones!

وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ ۖ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ

And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless. [al A’raf 7:179]

He proves this point. Why? Because when the elephants were commanded to destroy the house, everytime the elephant was pointed towards the house – he would turn away and run in the opposite direction.

Just like the hadith:

قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : “ لا طَاعَةَ لِمَخْلُوقٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ . ” رواه الإمام أحمد 1041 وهو حديث صحيح

La ttaa’ata li makhlooqin fee ma’asiyyatin Khaliq

There is no obedience to a created being if it involves disobedience of the Creator” (reported by Ahmad, 1041; a saheeh hadeeth)


The animal refuses to obey the creation in destroying the Ka’bah – yet these people who are worser than animals are bent upon destroying it.
The elephant was in a better state than even them humans were.

al Aloosi:
Isn’t it true that the polytheists have done a worse crime (of shirk) than Abraha’s plan of taking down the walls of the Ka’ba?

So why did Allah not destroy them? Aren’t they both criminals?

Allah waged His destruction on the one who was harming the rights of other humans in this life – so Allah destroyed him in this life.
But the one who harmed the rights of Allah – his destruction will be in the next life.


Ayah 2:

أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ


Alam yajAAal kaydahum fee tadleel

Did He not make their decieving plotting go into great waste?

Alam
Didn’t He make their plot go to waste?

the second: A lam – didn’t He..?

This is further emphasis of Allah helping and reminding us of His favours.

yaj’al is also present tense. Showing Continuity – He took their plot, and took it to waste.
Showing that He will always do this – He will always make the plot of those who attempt to harm Allah’s signs (religion etc.) go to waste.

This is why Present-future (Muddaari’) tense is used.

Ja’ala as opposed to Fa’ala in this ayah.
Ja’ala – take something and transform it into something else.

So Allah let them make their plan, prepare for it, train for it, march forward in their armies for it, then fully execute it, and then suddenly – Allah transformed it into waste.

Allah didn’t alleviate it at the beginning. Rather – He let them think that the plan was working. Yaj’al – Allah played them along and failed and fooled them right at the end.

Nouman’s teacher Dr Sami: when someone is rebellious – Allah let’s them go free.

Like a wild dog with a lead. At first you might tie them to a lead of 1 metre.
But if he is really rebellious, take him to a 400 meter field. He will think he is free – he will run at full speed in this field – thinking he is free to rebel. As he runs really fast, when he reaches the 400 metre level – he gets yanked, and chokes – that pain is much worse for him.

اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
Allah mocks at them and gives them increase in their wrong-doings to wander blindly. [Baqarah 2:15]

Allah could have destroyed them earlier, but because of their sincerety in going down this evil path – Allah allows them to go down this way and then He fails them. But this evil will only increase their punishment with Allah.

In the last ayah of this surah – past tense is used to describe the unique punishment. And past tense is used because Allah will not continuously send such a punishment.

The word Qayd is similar to Makr – a Plot (a plan made to harm someone).

Military plans are Qayd, i.e. Ambush which is secret.

Makr = deception in a Plan. I.e. You lead people on and you are decieving them.

Didn’t He take your secret plot and put it to waste?

Qayd is used as an attempt to harm someone secretly.
How come it’s called when his plan was open in clear day time?

Explanation:

1 – Because they were hiding animosity in their hearts against the Makkans which they did not show to them.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا بِطَانَةً مِّن دُونِكُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًا وَدُّوا مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ ۚ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts/hearts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason. [aal Imran 3:118]

2 – Society which revolves around religion, similar to secular nations who now call to patriotism to ones nationality. These people use these these calls (of religion or national loyalty) to incite people to fight another people – even though the battle is usually for Economic benefit.

So Abraha called people to have war of faiths, but the real Qayd was for economic benefits.

This is the exact same situation of Quraysh rejecting the Messenger of Allah.
Ja’ala aalihata illaaha wahida, inaha shay’un ‘ujaab – (has he made all the gods into One God? This is a strange thing indeed!) – quran

The Quraysh is not really shocked that all the gods are not real and that there is One God. They are inside fearful that if people find out about this One God – they will desert the idol worship, and Quraysh will lose out financially in selling idols.

Qayd is the secret plans of the Abraha in doing a economic war secretly, and pretending it is a Christian cause.


Dalaala (taddleel) – to waste, to destroy. So it is no longer useable at all.
dal-la – to be lost literally, to place something somewhere and not be able to find it.

Didn’t We take put the efforts of the Ethiopians /companions of the Elephant go to waste?

Taddleel (taf’eel) – repetition. On many occassions, Allah made it go to waste.

Failures:

I.e. They built al Qul-lays (the Chrisitian temple – so people would worship at it) – that failed.
– he tried to urge Arabs to love it like the Ka’bah – that failed.
– It was burnt, and defecated on – another fail.
– They planned and marched to take the Ka’bah and break it down – they failed.

taddleel (in taf’eel format) signifies continuous failures.

Allah put their entire plans to fail.

Imru’ al Qays (a famous pre-Islamic poet) – was called; the king with the quality of Ddaleel ضلي ل – because he wasted the fortunes of his father after recieiving his inheritance.

Failing Abraha’s plans added respect to the Ka’bah instead of lowering its status.

وَمَا دُعَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ– what is the prayer of the disbelievers except to waste?[ar-Ra’d 13:14]

Fee – in

Allah did not say; He put their plan to waste.

He put their Plan Fee (In) waste.

What’s the benefit of that?

Fee – (in) is used for imagery.

it is harf ad-dharff (zamaan or makaan) – word of imagery; of time or location.

Allah is making us visualise that you take something good, and you throw it in a fire so it is burnt and worthless.

I.e. The elaborate plan was completely destroyed and wasted.

Ayah 3:

وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ
Waarsala AAalayhim tayran abaabeel

And He sent upon them birds in flocks,

sent against them birds

abaabeel – herds upon herds upon herds.

When Abdul Mu’tallib made the du’a (prayer) to Allah, he saw flocks/herds of birds flying from the direction of Yemen (interestingly because the army of Abraha also came from Yemen).

He then said;
wallahi inaha la tayrun ghareeba, ma hiyya bi najdiyya wa la tah-hamiyyah, – I swear by Allah, these are strange birds, they are not from Najd, nor are they from Tahhaam.

Each bird carried 3 stones, two in its feet claws, and one in its beak.

Then the stone that would land – would land on a person and hit their head and come out from the other side.

Abu Ubayda said: Ababeel – multiple groups of different kinds (species).

It is said; the horses (or birds?) came herds upon herds from many different directions.

an-Nuhaas (a great arabic grammarian in our Islamic history) said: The reality is that they are huge awesome flocks of many different kinds of birds / species.

They were coming from every part of the sky – so it was very dark in the sky.

The arabs had an amazing imagination, with picturesque poetry. This is proven through their literature because they lived in a plain desert. So they needed to put colour and description in their lives through their media – poetry.

It was said; They were green birds coming from the oceans.

Allah might not want us to see what He did, but How He did it (kayfa).

Weightless birds destroyed an army of Elephants?

How can Allah use birds destroy an army?

Why did Allah say; arsala ‘Alayhim(sent Upon them)
and not; arsala Ilayhim (sent To them).

The word ‘Ala shows Superiority and and Domination and wreaking havoc on someone and imposing oneself on them.

And this is why Allah says when punishing people; aRsala ‘Alayhim (sent Upon them) – showing His domination over them.

To and Upon shows a big difference.


حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَابًا ذَا عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ إِذَا هُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ

Until when We have opened upon them [علي alayhim] a door of severe punishment, immediately they will be therein in despair. [Mu’minum 23:77]

fa arsalna ‘alayhim tayran abaabeel – so We sent Upon them birds in flocks.

So we see Allah says ‘Ala (upon) when sending punishment to show Power from above.

But when He sends a Messenger, He mentions Ilaa إلى (to). (il-laa fir’awn.. – quran)

So we see that Moses was sent as a Mercy, if he was sent as a punishment – Allah would say ‘alaa fir’awn.

at-Tabari: And your Master sent upon them birds of different natures, one kind would follow behind another kind.


ababeel – in herds/flocks/packs. There is no singular for this word.
Flocks upon flocks of birds, scores upon scores.

Tayr – used as a collective/plural noun = All kinds of birds. (in comparison to tayoor which would be many birds only) Tayran implies ALL kinds of birds.

Adding tanween on it – TayraN – showing they were many birds of different kinds and to terrify.

Because tanween is done to Terrorise (in Nasab form [fat-ha/zabar form] – TayrAN). TayrAN! Terror. All birds!
Exclamation.

This exclamation of tanween which had guided shooting stones – they did not hit you. But you were there – what if they had hit you?

Similar words are;
shammaateet شماتة
abbaadeed

and others.

Ibn Hashim: the arabs never used a singular word for Abaabeel (flocks).

Ibn Abbas and ad-Dahhak: Abaabeel refers to groups that follow one after the other.

Hasan al Basri and Qatadah: Ababeel refers to many and many.

Mujahid: they are dispersed (in their species), continuous and unified in one place.

Ibn Zayd: they came from every direction and united.

Al Farraa’: I did not hear the arabs use the single form of the word Ababeel ever.

This surah is a gift to the Messenger of Allah.

al Bica’i: Allah gives His Messenger gifts even before he was born. He protects this city, and He defended this holy House of worship for him, so he could clear the Holy house from idols and turn to it for prayer and the Muslims (a house originally built for Allah’s worship alone by Prophet Ibraheem).

This newly found respect for Allah’s Messenger.

We gain new respect of how Allah guards this house for Allah’s Messenger (alam tara kayfa fa’ala Rabbuka – do you know how Your Lord [O Muhammad] – dealt with the companions of the elephant.

The arabs thought Allah had protected this house for them. But Allah firstly, had protected this house for His beloved final Messenger, Muhammad (sal Allah alayhi wasalam) – so he could revive the legacy of Ibraheem for mankind, and unite people to the worship of Allah alone.

Ayah 4:

تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍ مِّن سِجِّيلٍ

tarmeehim bi hijaaratin min sijjeel

Striking them with stones of hard clay,

Allah sent upon them birds

In surah Ahzab – Allah sent winds and armies [of angels] you did not see – Reehan wa junooda lam tarawha [ رِيحًا وَجُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا ۚ Ahzab 33:9 ]

ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ – none knows the armies of Allah except Him [Mudathir 74:31]

tarmee – Ramee – to throw.

tarmee – present tense is being used. For present tense to be used to describe a past event = it was happening continuously.

The pebbles kept coming down continuously.

If Ramat (past tense of Tarmee) was used – it would imply that the birds only threw once.

But it kept coming down continuously like rain.


Tarmee – Rama / yaRmee – to throw from a distance.
Thrown with a specific target.

So the birds threw from a height. And this hurts because of the force of gravity.

Thrown with a specific target. – so it is like Allah is targetting each criminal with guided missiles.

bi hijaaratin..

With stones

min sijjeel / from sijjeel

Sijjeel was originally a Farsi (Persian) word, and gradually became an arabic word.

Sange Gil (Sijjeel in arabic) in Farsi refers to pebbles which form on the ground when it rains, the sand clogs up like mud. Then it is baked with the extreme heat of the sun.

So sijjeel could refer to these dust based rocks.

That which is weak/powerless – Allah can destroy the strongest of things. He destroyed an army of Elephants by dust and birds.

at-Tabari said; Yunus the grammarian said:

The arabs said Sijjeel is the type of rock which hits you – it gets inside your body. (discussed in the tafseer of the next ayah).

Each bird had 3 rocks, two in its claws and 1 pebble in its beak, and they heaped upon the army from the skies, and their army was not even able to return.

They continuously pebbled them with clay which is burnt by the sun.


The word SijjeeL (Lam at end), has a similar meaning to SijjeeN.

In Arabic – when letters have a similar sound, it is likely that they have a similar meaning.

So since the letters; L and N have a similar sound in arabic – they are more likely to be with a same meaning or similar phrase.

And Sijjeen is the book of the people of the left hand on Judgment Day – those who are in loss.

Kal-laa innal kitab al fujjaara la fee Sijjeen (surah mutaffifeen)

A huge record in hellfire which contains the names of the people in hell, like an attendance register.

So some say these peoples punishment was mentioned in the Sijjeen.

Ibn Abbas: When the pebble would fall on anyone of them – it causes swelling and it burns and infects their skin.
The first time a plague hit the arabs – it came from this attack and the rotting corpses.

This is one of the worst calamities to have hit the Arab world in that location.

The pebbles would enter into the skulls. And the pebble would go in from one side and come out from the other side. This was like a really strong bullet.

These statements are some witness statements from the actual event.

We notice the graphical images being described in sharp violent ways. How Allah destroyed them.

This is a response to the Kayfa (how?) in ayah 1. Did you not see How your Master deal with the people of the Elephant.

Ayah 5:

فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَّأْكُولٍ

FajaAAalahum kaAAasfin ma/kool

So [He] made them like an empty field of stalkseaten up.

Ja’ala – you have something and make it into something else, i.e. transformed Wood into a table.

khalaqa – create out of nothing.

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا – He transformed you into a middle balanced nation.. [Baqarah 2:143]

Ja’ala – make from one form to another.

Allah has made this strong army into like totally weak and dead empty corn stalks.


“Ka” as an independent word = ‘Like/similar to.‘
(tashbeeh – likeness)

Allah describes us so we can imagine how this massive army transformed into like;

Asf – ‘Aasif – winds which blow and cut off crumpled up leaves.

Reeh al ‘Aasif – which blows leaves in the air.

‘Asf also refers to straws which fly in the air.


Ma/kool – that which is eaten.

When cattle eat food, and when it eats a big piece, some part of it comes out of its mouth and flies into the air. The remains is called ‘Asf al Ma/kool.

That’s how they were crushed and destroyed.

Really grinded and chewed. This is how He transformed them.

It can also mean:
Ma/kool – that which is supposed to be eaten.

That which is about to be eaten up by its enemy. It is defenseless. Just like that animal is about to be eaten and it is defenseless, just like the hay and grass is defenseless before the cattle eat it.

These people were about to be eaten – about to be destroyed – and they were defenseless and weak.

Or these are the straws which the animals eat.

ash-Shawkani: Allah sent birds which threw pebbles made of clay baked into stones – so they became like eaten chewed up straws.

Allah uses this language to poke fun at them. They thought they were so strong and arrogant, and Allah destroyed them so they became like chewed up straw. They’re not even like a leaf hanging off a tree (which has support to a branch), they’re not even a full leaf, no – they are chewed up and worthless and totally weak.
Winds can even move it.

– Alam Tara – have you not seen/wondered?

Even though this surah is about Makkah and Allah protecting it from destruction.
Allah did not mention that He is the Lord of the Ka’ba – that He will protect it. Rather, He said He is the Master of Muhammad (RabbuKa – Your Lord [O Muhammad]). So Allah is showing defense for His Messenger.

We were expecting Allah to mention the house (Masjid al Haram in Makkah – the holy mosque in Makkah.)
But He will mention it in the next surah (Quraysh).

Rhyme Theme

In this surah, Allah mentioned continuous mention of the same phonetic sound which helps in the rhythm;

Feel, Tadleel,Abaabeel, etc.

This feature of rhyme makes you appreciate the Qur’an when Allah is telling the event of the army of the Elephant. But when the narrative is concluded – Allah removes the rhyme (the last word is Ma/kool) – showing the narrative has ended, because the rhyme has ended.

By saying Rabbuka – Allah has shown who His loyalty is with – and He has shown through this surah that He has power to destroy the enemy of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. (sal Allah alayhi wasalam).

Surah al Falaq [Daybreak] – Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh
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Nouman Ali Khan


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The Relationship between this Surah [al Falaq] and Surah al-Ikhlas and surah an-Nas.

This and the surah after it (an-Nas) are known as the Mu’awiddhatayn – the 2 surahs’ of refuge, named by Allah’s Messenger.

This Surah (al-Falaq’s) Relationship with Surah al Ikhlas;

1 – Qul (say) at the beginning of both the surahs’.
2 – Rabbil Falaq (Lord of the Daybreak) – This relation with the previous surah al Ikhlas.

These 2 surahs have been paired in classic tafseer’s (al Falaq and an-Nas).

Who are you seeking refuge from?
(Musta’adh min hu)

Whose protection you are seeking?
(Musta’adhu bihee)

Both these surahs have mention of both; seeking refuge in Allah, and seeking refuge from His creations’.

The One you seek refuge in is Allah.
The ones you seek refuge from are different.

Allah mentions one description of Himself (Rabb – Master) in surah Falaq. Then He mentions many things which we seek refuge in Allah from.

In surah an-Nas – Allah mentions many of His Names, and attributes, and only mentions one thing which is sought in refuge from (the wawaas of shaytan).

The one you are seeking protection of (an-Naas).
The one you seeking protection against (al Falaq).

Both these surahs’ were revealed at the same time simultaneously, there is no dispute.

Dr Faaddil Hassaan ar-Ra’i says:

 Surah Falaq deals with problems which afflict a human – which he has no control over. They are other creations. I.e. The night, the sorcerers, enviers, etc.

Surah an-Naas in contrast – deals with the actions of the human being (i.e. Wawasa – whisperings of shaytan).
And if we act upon these whisperings – we will be accountable for our actions on Judgment Day.

So we see that There is more desperation in surah an-Naas than in surah Falaq. You are calling upon Allah over and over again.

When you get affected by the whisperings – and you do evil, it will damage your Eman (belief/faith) – so you will have to call upon Allah more to strengthen it once again.

The first deals with afflictions that will come to you externally.
The second deals with afflictions that occur internally, so you require more refuge in Allah.

al Naas: So when you say; Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb al-naas, malik al-Naas, il-laahi al-Naas..
You are repeatedly asking Allah by His Names and Attributes. A show of your internal struggle and desperation.

al Falaq: The evil of external influences are less powerful in comparison to the Waswasa from shaytan which affects your Emaan inside.

So refuge is sought with Allah from outside evil forces, but evil whisperings which affect your Emaan require a more desperate cry to Allah for help. This is why Allah is mentioned more in surah an-Naas.

Sequencing of this Surah:

Allah has a remarkable sequencing in this surah. He transisions from the General to the More specific:

min sharri maa khalaq – from the evil He has created. (all creation which has evil tendencies).

Min sharri ghaasiqin idha waqab – from the evil of the night as it approaches. (specific to the evils that happen in the night.)

Wa min sharri naafathaat (soothsayers/magicians/witches).

min sharri haasidin idha hasad  (those who envy).

Historical Context of this Surah:

The vast majority considered this Madani. Others said Makki.

After the Treaty of Hudaybia (6years After Hijrah) – the Quraysh were less of a threat to the Muslims. The Jewish tribes had been expelled from Medinah due to acts of breaking their contracts of agreements with the Muslims.

These Jews had moved to Khaybar. They found out that Allah’s Messenger will not be focusing on the Quraysh anymore, but on them instead.

So they started to make strategies on how to make offense against Allah’s Messenger – before he could on them.

Labeed bin ‘Aasim was a man from the tribe of Banu Zurayq, some say he was Jewish, others say Christian, others say he was a hypocrite (pretending to be a Muslim).

The Jews came to Labeed bin ‘Aasim and said that we have tried to do different forms of magic on Muhammad (Allah’s Messenger, but it has not worked. So please do magic on Muhammad (Allah’s Messenger) because you are the best of magicians we know.
Do something that will ‘tear him apart’ – dismantle him.
Some narrations say he asked help from his daughters, who were also experienced in magic.

He pays a small boy who is a Jewish servant of the Messenger of Allah, and this boy steals some pins from the comb of the Messenger of Allah. These pins have some hair strands of the Messenger of Allah.
He takes these pins to Labeed, and Labeed starts to make sorcery with knots and a doll with pins around it etc.
This device which had magic on it – they threw it into a famous well called Dhu Riwaan – they put it into the well and put a rock over it.

The Magic Effects:

– There are only a few narrations:
– Internally and Externally disturbed.
perturbed, disturbed, losing sleep, thinking he is doing something but he hasn’t, or vice versa.

Physical illnesses like high blood pressure, a heavy burden on ones self, like being squeezed inside.
Physical symptoms are real with magic (brother Nouman asked ‘ulama who deal with people affected by magic.)

Historical Background – Cause for Revelation (Asbaab al Nuzool)

In the Book of Medicine of his Sahih, Al-Bukhari recorded that `A’ishah said, “The Messenger of Allah was bewitched until he thought that he had relations with his wives, but he had not had relations with them.” Sufyan said, “This is the worst form of magic when it reaches this stage.” So the Prophet said,

«يَا عَائِشَةُ، أَعَلِمْتِ أَنَّ اللهَ قَدْ أَفْتَانِي فِيمَا اسْتَفْتَيْتُهُ فِيهِ؟ أَتَانِي رَجُلَانِ فَقَعَدَ أَحَدُهُمَا عِنْدَ رَأْسِي وَالْاخَرُ عِنْدَ رِجْلَيَّ، فَقَال الَّذِي عِنْدَ رَأْسِي لِلْاخَرِ: مَا بَالُ الرَّجُلِ؟ قَالَ: مَطْبُوبٌ، قَالَ: وَمَنْ طَبَّهُ، قَالَ: لَبِيدُ بْنُ أَعْصَمَ: رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي زُرَيْقٍ حَلِيفٌ لِيَهُودَ، كَانَ مُنَافِقًا، قَالَ: وَفِيمَ؟ قَالَ: فِي مُشْطٍ وَمُشَاطَةٍ، قَالَ: وَأَيْنَ؟ قَالَ: فِي جُفِّ طَلْعَةٍ ذَكَرٍ، تَحْتَ رَاعُوفَةٍ فِي بِئْرِ ذَرْوَانَ»

(O `A’ishah! Do you know that Allah has answered me concerning that which I asked Him Two men came to me and one of them sat by my head while the other sat by my feet. The one who was sitting by my head said to the other one, `What is wrong with this man’ The other replied, `He is bewitched.’ The first one said, `Who bewitched him’ The other replied, `Labid bin A`sam. He is a man from the tribe of Banu Zurayq who is an ally of the Jews, and a hypocrite.’ The first one asked, `With what (did he bewitch him)’ The other replied, `With a comb and hair from the comb.’ The first one asked, `Where (is the comb)’ The other answered, `In the dried bark of a male date palm under a rock in a well called Dharwan.’) `A’ishah said, “So he went to the well to remove it (the comb with the hair). Then he said,

«هَذِهِ الْبِئْرُ الَّتِي أُرِيتُهَا، وَكَأَنَّ مَاءَهَا نُقَاعَةُ الحِنَّاءِ،وَكَأَنَّ نَخْلَهَا رُؤُوسُ الشَّيَاطِين»

(This is the well that I saw. It was as if its water had henna soaked in it and its palm trees were like the heads of devils.) So he removed it (of the well). Then I (`A’ishah) said, `Will you not make this public’ He replied,

«أَمَّا اللهُ فَقَدْ شَفَانِي، وَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُثِيرَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ شَرًّا»

(Allah has cured me and I hate to spread (the news of) wickedness to any of the people.)”

These 2 surahs’ have 11 aayaat, and the black magic [voodoo] doll had 11 knots in it.

So Allah’s Messenger told his companions to go and get the doll from under the rock in the well. And whenever they pulled a needle out/untie a knot – they would recite one ayah.

At the end – Allah’s Messenger felt relieved. Like he had come out of darkness to light, from pain to ease.

Many scholars say that this surah is Madani, due to that event.

Other scholars say that the angels only came to remind Allah’s Messenger, to recite these surahs’ – although they had been revealed earlier in Makkah.

Strange View of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud

A peculiar opinion of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, a companion of Allah’s Messenger, it has been quite famous i.e. Mentioned in ‘Ulum al Qur’an.

This opinion is that these surahs’ are not really surahs’ of the Qur’an, but they are revelation from Allah as remedies.
His opinion is that the mus-haf ends at surah al Ikhlas.

However, this is only his view and everyone else has the opinion that these surahs’ are a part of the Mus-haf (copy of the Qur’an).

How could he have that opinion?

– Not every companion is aware of every incident within the life of Allah’s Messenger.
– It is possible that he retracted his opinion later.
– The companions all agreed (with Ijma’/consensus) on the Mus-haf compiled by Abu Bakr. Which contained the these two surahs of Falaq and an-Naas. And he is part of this Ijma’/consensus.

The proof that it is in the copy of the Qur’an is based on many authentic ahadith which mention that Allah’s Messenger recited these two surahs’ in salaah/namaz. And we know that we cannot recite anything except the Qur’an in salah. Which is proof that these surahs’ are part of the Qur’an.

There are several opinions which the Ijma’ (consensus) never took. But some of the companions held these views. This shows that they are humans, but when they saw the truth – they would incline to that.

Ayah 1:

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ

Qul aAAoodhu birabbi alfalaq

Say: “I enter the refuge with (Allah) the Lord of the daybreak,

Relationship between this surah and surah Ikhlas:

aadha / ya’oodhu

In Sarf, this has many forms;
a’aadha / yu’eedhu
‘awwadha / yu’awidhu
ta’weedh
yasta’eedhu
isti’aadha

There are several forms used in the Qur’an.

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

Fa-idha qara/ta alqur-ana fastaAAidhbillahi mina ashshaytani arrajeem

So when you recite the Qur’an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].

[an-Nahl 16:98]


وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah ].”
[aal Imraan 3:36]

‘Aadha – by itself means to cling onto someone for protection, out of fear of something which is unseen.

Dangers that are unseen.

Ijaarah – getting protection against an enemy which you can see.

Isti’aadha is against: Sorcery, shaytan (devil), the evil eye etc.  

A’oodhu billah.

Clinging on someone without letting them go, seeking their help.

Ma’aadh (ism darf makaan) – a place where you seek refuge.


وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ ۚ قَالَ مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ رَبِّي أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَايَ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ

And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, “Come, you.” He said, “[I seek] the refuge of Allah . Indeed, he is my master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed.” [Yusuf 12:23]



A’oodhu – I am submitting myself and entering into the refuge.

Isti’aadh (istif’aal) – seeking refuge.

The difference is that you submit yourself to someone more powerful than you, and enter into their protection (A’oodhu.)
In comparison to when you just seek/want protection (isti’aadha).

So we are humbling ourselves to Allah and going into His protection.

Falaq –

Fal-laqa – to rip open something and something comes out of it.

I.e. to Tear open a cushion and the fluff comes out.

The rays of the morning tears through darkness. I.e. Daybreak. Cracks of Sunlight breaks through the darkness.

A seed slowly rips open and the plant comes out = falaq.

Faaliq ul habbi wa nawwa (the One who tears open the seed, and a date plant grows out of it)

فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ – Faaliq ul isbaah (the One who tears and causes the morning). – [An’am 6:96]

Falaq will tie this subject to the previous surah.

Falaq (as mentioned in many arabic lexicons including Taj al Uroos, Lisan al ‘Arab) includes the meaning of Khalq = that which is Created.

Because everything which has been created comes out of something that has been torn.

Examples of this;

– What comes out of something else, i.e. Water springs out of mountains.
– Water tears out from the clouds.
– Plants tear through the Earth and come out of it (Nabat min al ardd)
– Children from the wombs of their mothers.

Brother Nouman also mentions; Some contemporary scholars made The Big Bang theory part of this too. Saying that this Universe came out from an origin point, forming this universe and expanding.

So Falaq is similar to ‘Created’ in meaning – because all life comes into existence through tearing out through something else.

Falaq =
The morning Daybreak when the sun just cracks through the night, everything which forms through tearing of creation (including humans, plants, animals, bacteria [amoeba], the sky [day/night] etc.).

All these are included.

Allah is signifying that He is the Master of birth, of life. Because this tearing open signifies; the birth of the day from the night, the birth of rain tearing from the clouds which gives life to the dead earth – giving it life, providing life food for all living beings – who give birth to children.. etc.

Lam yaLid wa lam yuLad – He was not born, nor was He given birth to. (Surah ikhlas 112:3).

He owns the Creation, He is not part of the creation.

as-Samad – someone who everyone is in need of, and He is not in need of them.
Samada ilayhi – when you turn to someone in desperation – in full need of them.

In this surah – we are calling upon Allah for His protection from the unseen dangers.
This surah is a practical manifestation of the previous surah. This is a practical manifestation of Tawheed.

That lesson in Ikhlas is now practical – by us asking Allah.

This surah is about being placed in psychological and social difficulty.

– Night is a time of Fear.
– Jealousy is a feeling where someone can potentially harm you.
– Magic – someone is putting you under difficulty internally, aswell as other external factors.

Falaq – ripping and tearing through all the problems you have.

It is like Allah is giving you openness and relaxation after those times of difficulty, and now Allah is giving you relaxation after you were constricted and tight.

The Master who tears things open and takes you of of darkness into light.


اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَوْلِيَاؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ النُّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُمَاتِ ۗ أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever. [al Baqarah 2:257]

This surah is based on darkness, and coming out of it to enter into the light.

In almost all literatures in the word; Evil is associated with darkness.
i.e. dark thoughts, dark character, dark character.

One word for Tawheed in the Qur’an is Noor.

The word for shirk/polytheism is Dhulumaat (darkness of misguidance.)

All the surah has an imagery of darkness. And Allah removes the darkness by mentioning one word; Falaq.
The Falaq which pierces the dark sky and brings the light of the Day to all.

The word in Arabic for Tawheed;

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ –  Allahu Nooru as-samaawaati wal ‘ardd

(Allah is describing Himself and His guidance being light [of guidance] for the skies and the Earth) – in surah Noor 24:35.

The word for darkness in arabic is Dhulma,


  إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ – Inna shirka la dhulmun adheem

(surely shirk/polytheism is a great darkness/injustice indeed). – surah Luqman 31:13]

The word of Dhulm / Injustice in arabic comes from the words original meaning of being Darkness.

It is a great loss of light, a lack of Tawheed (monotheism).

Al Falaq –

Hadith 1;

A hadith from a Persian/Farsi companion;

from Ibn Mardaway, from Uqba bin ‘Aamir, who said – Allah’s Messenger (sal Allah alayhi wasalam) said;

Recite Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi al Falaq.

Then, (Allah’s Messenger said);

Hal tadree man Falaq? – do you know what al Falaq is?
Baabun fi al naar idha futihat su’irat jahannam – It is a door in hellfire, when it is opened – the entire hellfire is blazed.

hadith 2: huwa sijnun fee jahanam yuhbasu feehi al jabbaroon wa al mutakabiroon wa inna jahannamma
la tata’awwadhu billahi min hu.

This Falaq is;

It is a prison in hell,

In it are all the tyrants and arrogant people, and it is so terrible, that hellfire itself seeks refuge of Allah from al Falaq (itself).

Falaq has all the meanings mentioned before, but it also has the meaning of punishment as seen from the ahadith quoted.

This punishment is for evil criminals;
– The magician/witch – sorcery.
– Jealousy.

Anyone involved in these crimes will be punished in al Falaq part of the hellfire.

Qul – Say.
The word Qul has a Literary rhetorical value in every context it is said in – throughout the Qur’an.

In the context of this surah; Allah wants the human to announce his weakness with his tongue. So Allah wants the human to say that he is weak, that he is helpless, and that he needs help from Allah who is greater than him.

An act of humility, powerlessness.

Because there are some humans are arrogant, their ego will prevent them from asking, and when they really need help – they might ask quietly; ‘will you help me?’

Allah is telling us to humble ourselves and ask Him out loud.

The word Qul (say) – removes arrogance and Istighna (thinking falsely you are self sufficient). Allah is removing every atom of pride in our heart.

Making this announcement out aloud, is done for many reasons. It removes;

– Your ego and self pride.
– Your false sense of ‘I don’t need protection’

– Having a self sense of protection is a form of shirk.

Because Allah says;

كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ . أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ –
No! Surely the human rebels, he sees himself as self sufficient (‘Alaq 96: 6-7)

So Allah is telling us to declare our need to Him openly.

The previous surah was surah Ikhlas, and this surah is a proof of your Ikhlas (sincerety) to Allah.

This surah kills your ego.

Qul (Say!) is a command. So when you ask Allah out aloud, you have openly obeyed a command.
This is why the word Rabb necessitates the existent of a Master.

How can it be that your asking Allah for help while disobeying Him?
So if you really want help from Allah – you should be in obedience to Him.

Your entering into the protection and obedience of Allah.

Prophet Moses proved this;

وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ إِنِّي عُذْتُ بِرَبِّي وَرَبِّكُم مِّن كُلِّ مُتَكَبِّرٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُ بِيَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ

But Moses said, “Indeed, I have sought refuge in my Master and your Master from every arrogant one who does not believe in the Day of Account.” [Ghafir 40:27]

That surah tells us that when someone has weak Emaan (Belief) of the Last Day, this is when their arrogance prevents them from seeking refuge in Allah sincerely.

This surah delivers punishments in the next life with the word Falaq against the arrogant who do sorcery and jealousy and they refuse to seek refuge.

O Allah, make us of those who seek refuge in you sincerely, humbly and in obedience.

Say (O Muhammad – specifically to him, and generally to the people); I humbly and sincerely go for protection of the Master of the Falaq.

Ayah 2:
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ

Min sharri ma khalaq
From the evil of that which He created



Sharr –

3 words used for Bad in Qur’an;

Sharr is the opposite of khayr. Universally known as evil, that which will cause someone harm.
Sharaara – a fire spark that can harm you.

بئس – bi’sa  – when you feel something is disgusting and detestable. (bi’sa sharaab – disgusting drink). It’s opposite is Ni’ma (completely enjoyable.)

ساء – Saa’a (sayi’a) – Evil and Ugly, deformed, disfigured, hideous. its opposite is Hasuna (beautiful).

Min Sharri maa khalaq
The Sharri/evil of what He created.

I seek refuge in Allah from what He Created.

The One who created it – He can save you from it. He has power over His creation.

Sharr is not attributed to Allah, but to Khalq (creation) in this ayah.

Some ‘ulama (scholars) said; The general rule is that evil is not an entity by itself, but it is a lack of good.
Just like darkness is a lack of light.

This ayah has profound lessons in it, because Allah did not reduce it to shayateen (devils) only, but to the evil that He has created.
The only One without flaws is Allah.

Everything else will have some flaws; The sun, the water, the Earth, the human – every single creation will have potential harms within it. So we are asking Allah to protect us from the potential harms of everything which He has created.

Now it is getting more specific.

Ayah 3:

وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ

Wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab

“And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness; (or the moon as it sets or goes away).

Ghaasiqin

ghasaq – the first part of the night. When the blue sky has gone and the sky is black.

أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ ۖ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا

Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur’an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed. [Isra’ 17:78]

The word Ghaasiq in arabic literature refers to that which disappears. I.e. When the sun disappears, and it has become dark.

Ghasaq al Qamar – Lunar Eclipse.

Ghasaqat as-Samaa‘ – when the clouds cover the sky, so the sky disappears from our vision.

Allah is referring to the time of the night, when it is completely dark.

Min sharri ghaasiqin – from the evils of the night.

Allah’s Messenger discouraged his companions from going out at night.

“If you knew what I knew, you would not go out at night.”

The shayateen/devils meet at the oceans at night.
In our society – people act like the devils, at the night times. (Nightclub? Etc.) drugs, alcohol etc.

So there is an evil in the night times.
The potential of evil is greater.

So we ask Allah to protect us from that dark evil.

Waqab – linguistically also means Darkness.

So it is like we are asking Allah to protect us from the evil of the darkness as it darkens.

So why is a different word (waqab) used?

Waqab –
waqab ad-dhalam – darkness so things become invisible.

there’s a ditch in a mountain at night, so when something falls into it – you cannot see it. That is waqaba.

So there are things in the night (including shayateen/devils) which you cannot see.


A’oodhu / ‘iyyaadh – seeking protection from things you cannot see.

When there are things lurking in the night which you cannot see.

But Ghaasiq usually refers to the moon. And the moon – according to studies – affects the tides of the oceans.

`A’ishah said, “The Messenger of Allah took me by my hand and showed me the moon when it rose, and he said,

«تَعَوَّذِي بِاللهِ مِنْ شَرِّ هَذَا الْغَاسِقِ إِذَا وَقَبَ»

(Seek refuge with Allah from the evil of this Ghasiq when it becomes dark.)”

At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i both recorded this Hadith in their Books of Tafsir in their Sunans

The human body also has affects by the magnetic forces of the moon, and people tend to become more violent.

The whole genre of mythical wear wolves is a an exaggeration of how people become much more violent within the night time, and aggravated during certain cycles of the moon.

This is what the word Lunatic/crazy comes from – the word LunaR (moon).
Because people recognized that the moon affected peoples behaviour during the night.

Allah teaches us about things we are not fully aware of.

Guys/boys/men who hang out late at night alot, they need to quit doing so. They cannot be reciting this and contradicting the teachings of Allah’s Messenger.

Ayah 4:

وَمِن شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ

Wa min sharri al naffathaati fee al ‘uqad

And from the evil of the blowers [sorcerers] in knots


naf-fathaat (a feminine plural) – in common arabic: women who blow on knots. I.e.

It could also be an adjective of nufoos, the plural of nafs (those who blow into knots of magic.)
Nafs is a feminine, word. Naf-fasaat = feminine plural.

It could also refer to groups, people doing this magic underground collectively. (jam’u qillah, and jam’u salim also).


Naf-fatha (nun, fa, fa, Tha [with 3 dots on] – to blow with a little bit of spit coming out of your mouth.

Naf-fakha  – to blow really hard with your mouth. I.e. Nufikha fis-soor [blowing into a trumpet].

taNaf-fas (nun, faa, faa, Seen) – to take a breath.

The poet said; Hayaatuka anfaas  – your life is just a set of breaths.


Naf-fathaat – those who continuously blow with a little bit of spit coming out of their mouth..

..fil ‘uqad – Into knots.

Ayah 5:

وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ

Wa min sharri haasidin idha hasad
“And from the evil of the envier when he envies.”

The problems were mentioned before, and now the root of the problem.

Allah told us the problems, and finally has shown us the root of the problems.

Why would someone do magic on someone and harm them? Due to jealousy of wanting what they have.

The root is all jealosuy.

And from the evil of anyone who engages in Hasad (envy).

There are 2 types of Jealousy, a good one and a bad;

The vast majority of people have the bad kind.
I.e. He has a nicer house than me.

Teach your children good manners from a young age, wanting to share, the good reward’s behind doing good.

Brother Nouman tells;

The Government tries to talk and make communications with the Muslim communities. They said that they recieve hundreds of calls from Muslims who say that someone is a ‘terrorist.’

So the government checks up on the people and they realise these people are not involved in any such activities.
And they said that most of these phone calls are from people who are inlaws, or in Muslim businesses competing with each other.

This is a real evil, and can have really harmful consequences, and it is all due to jealousy.

Some people might say that they have jealousy and that they can control it. But this isn’t totally true. You have to seek refuge in Allah if you get such feelings.

He will no doubt envy the one he is jealous of, and that will only grow – unless we seek Allah’s protection from those feelings.

Allah did not say;

Min sharri haasidin INA hasad.
from the evil of the envier IF he envies.

Allah tells us that – no doubt – you will envy others if you feel Hasad/jealousy.

Min sharri haasidin IDHA hasad – from the evil of the envier WHEN  he envies.

This envy might come out through the evil eye, i.e. You curse someone or pray against them by staring at them in a jealous way.

Allah’s Messenger said;

al Aynu Haq – the (evil) eye is true.

Allah says about the evil eye;

وَإِن يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُ لَمَجْنُونٌ

Wa-in yakadu allatheenakafaroo layuzliqoonaka bi-absarihim lamma samiAAooaththikra wayaqooloona innahu lamajnoon

And verily, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes through hatredness when they hear the Reminder (the Quran), and they say: “Verily, he (Muhammad SAW) is a madman!” [Surah Qalam 68:51]

min sharri haasidin Idhaa hasada – from the evil of the envier when he envies.

i.e. We are seeking Allah’s protection from the one who has feelings of jealousy, and when he makes that jealousy manifest (i.e. through the evil eye etc.)

Putting this ayah into the Main Theme of Darkness, we see that the envious/jealous person will never show his jealousy in your face, but he will do it behind your back.

In ways which you won’t be able to know who asked the magician, a harm which is unseen to you [Again, this is what Isti’aadha is – to seek refuge from an unseen enemy.]

Two Points of Eloquence [Balagha]:

1 – Min sharri ma khalaq (‘aam – universal – applies to anything).

Then what is the point of mentioning what comes after (i.e. of magicians, enviers etc.), when they also come into this category?

Because Allah is making us alert that these specific harms are the WORST type from the evil that Allah has created; the night, sorcery, and jealousy.

2 – How come Allah put AL (Alif, Lam) before some, while not placing it on others?

I.e. AL naf-fathaat
but; min Sharri Ghasiqan.
Min sharri haasidin.

So what is the purpose of AL?

Because Naf-fathaat – because every single one of them is evil.

And He made every dark night without the AL – because every single dark night is not necessarily evil (i.e. The Night of Qadr / Laylat-ul Qadr.

And similarly, the jealous may not be able to harm someone. Even if he wants to. So the outcome is not necessary evil.

Secondly, this surah specifically dealt with the sorcerer – when it was revealed in the situation of Prophet Muhammad.
So AL (THE) was placed there to show specificness, but also generality (‘aam).

When Allah says;

wa min sharrin-naf-fathaat fil ‘uqad – and from the evil  – ayah 4.

Prophecy:

When this ayah was revealed – no-one knew that there were people doing magic and blowing knots.
Allah’s Messenger did not even inform others of these sorcerers (who do these spells in the darkness of the night in secrecy).

These aayaat are specific to the magician blowing into knots, and Allah did not say;

Min sharri as-sahara – from the evil of the sorcerers/magicians.

To pinpoint the specific act that they are doing, Labeed bin ‘Aasim and his family – they wondered how he found out about the specific evil spells (of naf-fath – dry spitting) they were doing.

All this was from Wahy (Revelation) from Allah. To let them know that Allah’s Messenger has the highest source of knowledge, even more than the knowledge of these devil worshipping magicians.

Shaykh Muhammad Qaasim Nanoodwi (one of the founders of Deoband) had a remarkable commentary on what this surah meant.

Shabeer Ahmad Uthmani narrates this in his Tafseer Uthmani (in Urdu) – his [Shaykh Muhammad Qaasim’s] commentary on surah Falaq;

Allah wants us to think of ourselves as a plant which the Gardener protects the plant from.

I.e. An animal like a goat will try to eat from this plant, it is not an enemy of the farmer – but it is part of its nature to eat from it.

The same way – the things like the darkness are not by themselves evil – but that is their nature. Similar to a Shark, Lion etc. They naturally eat meat, but we percieve them as evil.

So the gardener puts a fence around these plants to protect them.

But the farmer needs to place the plant in a location where it can recieve enough sun, water, etc.

The obstacle for the human is the darkness. Just like it is for the plant.

Ayah 3: Being overwhelmed from an outside element.
when sorcery is done on somebody – the person feels overwhelmed from within.
the same way – if a plant is overwhelmed from outside sources i.e. Too much water, too much sun heat etc. It will get harmed and overwhelmed from these sources.

Ayah 4: The farmer finally protects his plants from an outside enemy who tries to harm his plant.
This might be due to jealousy – min sharri haasidin idha hasad – from the envier when he envies.

Allah wants to protect us from outside sources, and He wants us to humble ourselves and ask Him for that protection sincerely.

This surah was about protecting our bodies from outside harms.

The next surah is about protection of our inside Nafs (self) against the evils from shaytan/satan and his whisperings etc.

Jealousy is a terrible thing except in 2 cases;

Allah’s Messenger said;

1 – A man who destroys his wealth in Allah’s Cause;

La hasadda il-laa fitnatayn (there is no jealousy except in two trials); rajulun aataahu Allahu ta’aala maala wa sulata[?] hu ‘ala halakatihee fil haqq. (a man who has been given wealth and he is exhausting himself in destroying it – spending it for the truth).

Your jealous of his attitude of wanting to throw away money for the sake of truth.

2 –  A man given wisdom by Allah and he lives and judges by it:

..wa rajulun aataahu Allahu ta’aala al hikmah fa huwa yakddibiha (and a man who Allah has given wisdom –
and he judges by it).

When he lives his life according to that wisdom.
Knowledge which benefits is only wisdom. And knowledge by itself is not hikmah/wisdom.

The ancient definition of Hikmah [Wisdom] in arabic was; You learn something beneficial, and act upon it.

The same way – you learn that touching fire is hot, and then you don’t touch it. That is hikmah/wisdom. It is not wisdom if you know it is hot, but you still touch it and get burnt anyway.

..wa yu ‘alimuhu al-naas – and he teaches the people.

Allah gave him wisdom and he uses wisdom to teach to people. He shares wisdom, making them love implementation of it.

2 Sad States of Jealousy:

1 – We Muslims compete with each other for small and useless things;

Masaajids are sueing each other in courts within the USA for power and competing between each other.
All because of jealousy, and ego problems – when this is the main intent of this surah – to protect against jealousy, and to originally humble yourself and fight your ego.

2 – Jealousy from those who Disbelieve:
We are still better than any other way of life. Plenty of People of other ways of life are jealous of us.

وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُم مِّن بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا مِّنْ عِندِ أَنفُسِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ ۖ فَاعْفُوا وَاصْفَحُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Many of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) wish that if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from their ownselves, even, after the truth (that Muhammad Peace be upon him is Allah’s Messenger) has become manifest unto them. But forgive and overlook, till Allah brings His Command. Verily, Allah is Able to do all things. [al Baqarah 2:109]

wadaka katheeran min ahlal kitab law yuradoonakum min ba’di eemanikum kuffaaran – there are many from the people of the book who want you to return to disbelief after your belief –

They want you to disbelieve, they don’t want you to have Islam.

hasadan min ‘indi anfusihim (because they have jealousy within themselves)


hasadan min ‘indi anfusihim [maf’ool lahu, illa] (because they have jealousy within themselves)

min ajli hasadin – because of a jealousy rooted deep inside of them.

min ba’di ma tabayanna lahum ul haq – after what was conveyed to them of the truth.

They saw people who did change – who had become better. They however did not change with this good. So out of jealousy – they want the good doers to become evil too as disbelievers – so they can be equals in evil and disbelief.
This is a really evil form of jealousy and envy.

There will be an entity there that will want this.

So what should be our response to this?

Take Allah’s advice;
wa’du ma ani’tum –

O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts/hearts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason. [aal Imran 3:118]

But what should our response be?

fa’fu (pardon them) wasfahu (turn the page / pretend it didn’t happen) hat-taa ta’tiyAllahu bi ‘amrih (until Allah comes with His decision).

inAllaha ‘ala kuli shay’in qadeer – surely Allah is over everything, powerful..

You do not get insulted when a dog barks at you. That’s his job.


The incident of South Park caused controversy, it would be a good response to file a lawsuit against them. Why? They did this with the intent for earning money, if you sue them [for Defamation] – they will lose money and be more respectful.

وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ  – (and to Allah belong honor, and to His Messenger and to the believers) –

[surah  Munafiqoon 63:8.]

Why do you have to worry of the enviers and those who do evil?

Allah has told us to recite this surah which is a Du’a (invocation) against all evils.

If we have a strong connection with the Book of Allah, no matter how powerful the enemies of this Book may have, Allah is the powerful One over everything, and He will respond to us with Divine Help, if we humbly and sincerely ask Him.

Surah al Ikhlas [Sincerety] – Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh

Surah al Ikhlas [Sincerety] - 

Miracle Dream Tafseer - Nouman Ali Khan

 
Download in .PDF [Adobe Reader]
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Download in .RTF [Rich Text Format]
 

This Surah's connection with the Previous surah (Lahab):


1 - Similar Style [saj'] - the syllables by which the words end are the
same = a similar rhyming pattern continues.
 
(i.e. Tabat ya-daa abee Lahabin wa Tab.
Rhymes with; Qul huwa Allahuw ahad.)


This similar rhyming pattern continues for the aayaat of the rest of the surah.
 
 
2 - Shift of Focus in Attention

This surah has a relation to the previous surah Lahab because Abu
Lahab was continuously on the focus of Allah's Messenger due to his
acts of insults and abuse.

But Allah told in the previous surah that He would gradually destroy [tabb]
Abu Lahab and his efforts against the message.

Now that Allah will deal with Abu Lahab, now you (O Muhammad) should
focus on Allah's Oneness alone, and the conveying of it to others.
 
 
When people have a long conflict, people forget the agenda of the conflict.
So we come back to the main message which caused these disputes
between disbelievers and believers - it is the legacy of Ibraheem -
the Tawheed (Oneness of Allah).
 
 

Introduction:
 
Allah's Messenger would pair many surahs together in salaah, i.e. It
was his sunnah (example) to pray surah al A'la and Ghashiyah together,
or surah al Falaq and an-Naas. And this is why these surahs' are - by
Allah's will - placed next to each other in the mus-haf (copies of the
Qur'an).

He would recite one in one raka'ah, and the other in the next raka'ah.
 

It was also the practise of Allah's Messenger to recite surah Kafiroon
and surah al Ikhlas in the prayers in Hajj and 'Umrah time.
So there is something unique about this because these surahs' are not
paired in the Mus-haf (copies of the Qur'an).

 
This deserves attention:
 
 
What is the Relationship between surah al Ikhlas, and surah al Kafiroon:
 
1 - At the end of surah Kafiroon, it is clear that the disbelievers
have their own religion, and Allah's Messenger has his own religion.
No compromises.
 
-Even though they worship at the same place of worship - the Ka'ba.
-Even though they all believe Allah is the Creator of everything
 


وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ ۚ قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ - 

and surely if you ask them who created the skies and the earth - they will say Allah... - 

[Surah Luqman 31:25]


 So it seems they are similar in beliefs and practise, however - by the end of surah Kafiroon
it becomes clear that this is not the case.
 
That distinction is explained in surah Kafiroon [109], it is further
supported in surah Nasr [110] when Allah shows that His victory will come
and defeat the religion of Abu Lahab (surah Lahab [111]).

 
 
2 - Surah Kafiroon begins with Qul [Say!], and surah Ikhlas begins with Qul (say). 

The surahs' in between these two surahs' do not, so it shows these surahs' have a relation.
 
 
3 - Same Nicknames;

The companions of Allah's Messenger would give nicknames to surahs'
they liked and recited alot. I.e. They called surah al Ikhlas many
nicknames, it has over 20.
 
 One of those names is; al Mukashkish - that which removes diseases.
Taksheesh al Mareed - removing the illness of the ill so he is totally cured.
 
Ironically, this is the exact same name given to al Kafiroon too.
 
Because both surahs are defeating Shirk (association of partners - with Allah).
 
 

A few other nicknames of surah al Ikhlas:
 
2 - surah at-Tafreed - Fard [Individual] - the surah that Allah is
Unique, with none is like Him.
 
3 - surah at-Tajreed - the surah which removes all false
misconceptions about Allah.
 
4 - surah at-TaWheed - the surah which Unifies (wahhada) all of
Allah's attributes. Allah is the One.
 
5 - surah al Ma'rifah - meaning, to know, recognise and be well
acquainted with someone/thing. So if you do not know this surah, you
do not really recognise Allah.
 
6 - surah as-Samad - this word (and it's root) is exclusively used in
this surah in the Qur'an. And none other. So it is called as-Samad.
 
7 - surah al Assaas - the Essence/Core. The core mission of Allah's
Messenger is this surah - the Tawheed of Allah.
 


Hadith: 

 « أسست السموات السبع والأرضون السبع على قل هو الله أحد »

ussisat as-samaawaat as-sab'u wal arddoona sab' 'ala qul huwwa
Allahu ahad

The heavens and earth are founded upon Qul Huwwa Allahu ahad - Say, He is Allah, One. (Tawheed
- the Oneness of Allah).
 

Tafseer/sharh of the Hadeeth: As long as there are people on this Earth who are declaring Tawheed,
 Allah allows the heavens and Earth to continue.

 
- Allah says in the Qur'an that the heavens/skies would tear, the
mountains collapse (surah maryam) - when the people say lies about
Allah i.e. that He has a son etc.

تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدّاً

The heavens are all but rent apart and the earth split asunder and the mountains brought
 crashing down. (Maryam 19: 90)

Kaada is used to express that the verb it qualifies was on the brink of happening but didn’t.

We realise from the hadith quoted above that the reason why this does not occur is due to there 
being followers of Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) on the Earth who enslave themselves to Allah alone.
 
 
When we study the End Times, one of the signs is that anyone who believes in;
 Laa illaha illAllah, Muhammadun RasoolAllah (there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) - 
they die when a soft wind comes and takes their souls away. 

Then only disbelievers remain on the Earth, and it is upon them that the destruction of the
Earth occurs before Judgment Day.
 
This is because there are no believers of Tawheed at that time.
 



If there were Multiple gods:

 
لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا ۚ فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

If there were therein gods beside Allah, then verily both (the  heavens and the earth) had been 
disordered. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, from all that 
they ascribe (unto Him). [Anbiya 21:22] 


If there had been among them gods except Allah, surely there would be corruption.
 
Multiple gods - brings corruption and disruption. Since two equals in power - compete
for that power. And there are many Mythological stories amongst Hindu
and Greek and other Polytheistic scriptures which show their gods'
fighting with each other for power.

 
 

Surah an-Noor 24:35 -

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ

Allah is  the  Light  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth... 



Hadith: 

< ف هو المنور ل السماوات و الأرض و سورة تنور قلبك > 
fa huwwa al-munawwir lis-samaawaati wal ardd wa sooratu tunnawir qalbak 
(so He is the light of the Heavens and the Earth, and this surah alightens your heart)

 
hadith 2: 

إن علي كل شيع نور و نور القرآن قل هو الله أحد
inna 'ala kuli shay'in noor , wa noor-ul Qur'ani; Qul huwwa Allahu ahad. 
(surely, for every thing is light, and the light of the Qur'an is; Say, He is Allah, the One [surah al Ikhlas]).
 
 
Allah's Messenger said about surah al Baqarah;

 ل كل شيعن سنام و سنام القرآن سوره البقرة 

li kulli shay'in sanaam, wa sanaam al Qur'an al Baqarah - 
for everything there is a peak, and the peak of the Qur'an is surah al Baqarah.
 
This is amazing gift because this surah of the Qur'an is one of the
shortest surahs, yet it is the Light of the Qur'an. And we can easily
memorize it.
 
 
 

Historical Context:
 
The scholars disputed whether it was a Makki, or Madani surah. Both
had strong legitimate proofs for their opinions.
 
 
Allah:
The polytheist arabs would use the word Allah for God, but what they
associated with Him was not correct.
 
So when Allah's Messenger came with the correct teachings on who Allah
was, the polytheists would be confused. 'We believe in Allah, and you
believe in Allah, so why do we dispute?'
 

"siflannaa Rabbak" - describe for us the Attributes (sifaat) of your
Lord.' They would say.
 
A min dhahab, a min fiddah (is He made of gold, is he made of silver?)
- they had these thoughts because they believed these metals were
precious and expensive - so their gods were a source of competition of pride i.e. our god is made of gold.
They boasted.
 
Ansib hu? - what's his lineage/family descendence?
 

 
Hadith: A polytheist once came to Allah's Messenger and said;
Everything was created by Allah, fa man khalaqAllah? - then who created Allah?
 

Allah's Messenger became extremely angry, so Angel Jibreel calmed him
down and Allah revealed this surah.
 
 


The Sahabas' Love for Surah al Ikhlas and it's Virtues;

Al-Bukhari reported from `Amrah bint `Abdur-Rahman, who used to stay in the apartment of `A’ishah, the wife of the Prophet , that `A’ishah said, “The Prophet sent a man as the commander of a war expedition and he used to lead his companions in prayer with recitation (of the Qur’an). And he would complete his recitation with the recitation of `Say: He is Allah, One.’ So when they returned they mentioned that to the Prophet and he said,

«سَلُوهُ لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَصْنَعُ ذَلِكَ؟»

(Ask him why does he do that.) So they asked him and he said, `Because it is the description of Ar-Rahman and I love to recite it. So the Prophet said,

«أَخْبِرُوهُ أَنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى يُحِبُّه»

(Inform him that Allah the Most High loves him.)” This is how Al-Bukhari recorded this Hadith in his Book of Tawhid. Muslim and An-Nasa’i also recorded it. In his Book of Salah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Anas said, “A man from the Ansar used to lead the people in prayer in the Masjid of Quba’. Whenever he began a Surah in the recitation of the prayer that he was leading them, he would start by reciting `Say: He is Allah, One’ until he completed the entire Surah. Then he would recite another Surah along with it (after it). And used to do this in every Rak`ah. So his companions spoke to him about this saying; `Verily, you begin the prayer with this Surah. Then you think that it is not sufficient for you unless you recite another Surah as well. So you should either recite it or leave it and recite another Surah instead.’ The man replied, `I will not leave it off. If you want me to continue leading you (in prayer), I will do this; and if you all do not like it, I will leave you (i.e., I will stop leading you).’ They used to consider him to be of the best of them to lead them in prayer and they did not want anyone else to lead them other than him. So, when the Prophet came they informed him of this information and he said,

«يَا فُلَانُ، مَا يَمْنَعُكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ مَا يَأْمُرُكَ بِهِ أَصْحَابُكَ، وَمَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى لُزُوم هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ؟»

(O so-and-so! What prevents you from doing what your companions are commanding you to do, and what makes you adhere to the recitation of this Surah in every Rak`ah) The man said, `Verily, I love it.’ The Prophet replied,

«حُبُّكَ إِيَّاهَا أَدْخَلَكَ الْجَنَّة»

(Your love of it will cause you to enter Paradise.) This was recorded by Al-Bukhari

A Hadith that mentions this Surah is equivalent to a Third of the Qur’an

Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Sa`id that a man heard another man reciting

[قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ]

(Say: “He is Allah, One.”) and he was repeating over and over. So when morning came, the man went to the Prophet and mentioned that to him, and it was as though he was belittling it. The Prophet said,

«وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ إِنَّهَا لَتَعْدِلُ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآن»

(By He in Whose Hand is my soul, verily it is equivalent to a third of the Qur’an.) Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’i also recorded it. Another Hadith Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Sa`id, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah said to his Companions,

«أَيَعْجِزُ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ؟»

(Is one of you not able to recite a third of the Qur’an in a single night) This was something that was difficult for them and they said, “Which of us is able to do that, O Messenger of Allah” So he replied,

«اللهُ الْوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ ثُلُثُ الْقُرْآن»

(“Allah is the One, As-Samad” is a third of the Qur’an.) Al-Bukhari was alone in recording this Hadith.

Another Hadith that its Recitation necessitates Admission into Paradise


Imam Malik bin Anas recorded from `Ubayd bin Hunayn that he heard Abu Hurayrah saying, “I went out with the Prophet and he heard a man reciting `Say: He is Allah, the One.’ So the Messenger of Allah said,

«وَجَبَت»

(It is obligatory.) I asked, `What is obligatory’ He replied,

«الْجَنَّة»

(Paradise.)” At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i also recorded it by way of Malik, and At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan Sahih Gharib. We do not know of it except as a narration of Malik.” The Hadith in which the Prophet said,

«حُبُّكَ إِيَّاهَا أَدْخَلَكَ الْجَنَّة»

(Your love of it will cause you to enter Paradise.) has already been mentioned.

A Hadith about repeating this Surah
`Abdullah bin Imam Ahmad recorded from Mu`adh bin `Abdullah bin Khubayb, who reported that his father said, “We became thirsty and it had become dark while we were waiting for the Messenger of Allah to lead us in prayer. Then, when he came out he took me by my hand and said,

«قُل»

(Say.) Then he was silent. Then he said again,

«قُل»

(Say.) So I said, `What should I say’ He said,

[قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ]

وَالْمُعَوِّذَتَيْنِ حِينَ تُمْسِي وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُ ثَلَاثًا، تَكْفِكَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ مَرَّتَيْن»

(Say: “He is Allah, One,” and the two Surahs of Refuge (Al-Falaq and An-Nas) when you enter upon the evening and the morning three times (each). They will be sufficient for you two times every day.)” This Hadith was also recorded by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i. At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan Sahih Gharib.” An-Nasa’i also recorded through another chain of narrators with the wording,

«يَكْفِكَ كُلَّ شَيْء»

(They will suffice you against everything.)

Tafsir ibn Katheer – Surah al Ikhlas;
http://tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=112&tid=59492

 

Linguistic Definitions:

 
Allah الله :
 

A - Ishtiqaaq words (Mushtaq) - 
Words which have an origin from another word.
 

B - Asmaa al-Jamida - words which are 
original words without being derived from other words. Unique by itself.
 

 

A - The Mushtaq Opinion - that the word Allah comes from other words;
 

Allah comes from إله  Illaah.
 
Al أل  + Illaah إله (hamza, lam, ha) [due to Hadhf حذف - the hamza is removed] = Allaah.
 

Alaha/ya'lahu - to worship.
 Illaah - one who is worshipped.

 
Aliha أله - this word is used when a child is thirsty and desperately
seeking his mother for milk.
 

So Illaah = one who is worshipped, obeyed and who people desperately
turn to [ilha].
 
This is the origin of Illaah. There is none to turn to except He.
 



B - Jamid view - the word Allah is an Original Word without a Root word:
 

1 - Other scholars say Allah is the Universal word for Allah (without
coming from the root word Illah), in every language. So every Messenger sent by Allah said that Allah is God, 
no matter what language they spoke the message in.

I.e. Even in Aramaic, and Hebrew - the word Eloah אלוהּ [in Hebrew] and Ellah [in Aramaic]
 were used for God. Similarly, Elohim is used like we say Allahumma [Oh Allah] in arabic.
 

 
2 - It would be Linguistically Incorrect to say Ya Allah! (O Allah!)

Al + Illaah = Allah.
 when you call someone, you place a Yaa before that.
 
I.e. Ya Raheem (O Especially Merciful (one))
 

However, you can never place a AL before it. I.e. Ya AL Raheem - since
that is linguistically incorrect.
 
It can either be; AL Raheem, or YA Raheem.
 
So they argue that if Allah is made up of the word Al + Illah, then it
does not make linguistic sense to say "Ya Al Illah/Allah!"

No Arab would say this due to wrong grammar, so it is possible that
Allah is not made up of the wordings; Al + Illaah.
 

 
3 - Allah is unique in the way it is pronounced.
 
Normally when Alif and Lam are placed together, they make a light
sound. I.e. Alif and Lam would be pronounced as A-llaa.
 

However, the word Allah is pronounced with a heavier sound. Ie. as Al-laa.
 
This is against normal arabic grammatic speech and pronunciation. So
it is possible this word is Universal, and not of an arabic origin.
 
 

Final Comment:
 
mamnoo'a min al Sarf - When a word comes from another language and
enters into the Arabic language, you cannot place a; Fat-ha [zabar/A],
Damma [peysh/U], or Kasra [zeyr/I] on it.
 
However, Allah does place a Kasra on His Name in the ayah;
 
wa man asdaqu minAllahI qeela - and who is truer in speech than Allah?
- surah an-Nisa'.
 
So how can this have a Kasra [zeyr/I sound] on it, while not being an
Arabic word?
 
The scholars reply that Allah is recognised in every culture and
nation. So He is recognised, and this is why the word has become
recognised as an Arabic word (mu'rab).


 
 

Ayah 1:

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

Qul huwwa Allahu Ahad
Say,  "He  is Allah ,  [who  is]  One,


 
Qul - Say.
 
 Command to the Messenger to;
 
1 - Learn for himself.
2 - Teach it to others.
 
Message of Tawheed, is connected to Da'wah (inviting to Islam).
 

 
Huwwa - He.
 
This was not required in the ayah because Allah could say; Qul Allahu
ahad - say Allah is One.
 
However, A pronoun is used when you know who is being spoken about
(this is called Sha'n شأن ).
 
Allah is so great, He is already known by the people (as the
Originator, Creator, Designer etc.)

So 'He' is an implication that you know this God already, it is not a new God.
 
 

2 - It is also a reply to the people who asked Allah's Messenger who
his god was?

Man Huwwa, Maa huwwa - who is he, what is he? These are the questions
the polytheists asked Allah's Messenger about Allah.
 
So Allah is answering that He is Allah, the One.
 
 
3 - Say, He is Allah, Say He is One.

Two sentences have been fused into one ayah.

Say, He is Allah, One.
 


Ahad - One
 

The difference between Wahid and Ahad:
 

1 - 

Ahad is used exclusively in the Negative sense only.
 
Wahid is used in the Positive sense only.



i.e. Laysa ahad mawjoodan fee al masjid - there is not One person in the Mosque [it is empty].

Laysa wahid mawjoodan fee al masjid - there is not One in the Mosque [but there are alot (more than one)
 people in the Mosque].




وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا
 
..wa la yushriku bi 'ibadatihee Ahada -

 and no-One should associate partners with Him in worship. [al Kahf 18:110]
 



However, We notice that Allah uses the word Ahad in ayah 1 of surah al Ikhlas, to describe Himself.

This is strange, because Ahad is usually only used in the negative. This Ahad is used to show that there is a
uniqueness of the useage of this word when describing Allah - now in the positive sense instead of the negative.
 

By Allah using Ahad, He is implying affirmation to His Oneness, and there being none similar to Him in that Oneness. 

Amazing: There is no Arabic literature which ever uses the word Ahad by itself in a positive way - except for surah al Ikhlas.
 
 

2 - The other form of 'Ahad' is used in Iddaafa form i.e. 'One of..' Ahad al Muslimeen (one of the Muslims) etc.

So this Ahad can only be used in a positive way if another set of words are attached to it.
 

 
Ahad comes from - Wahd/Wahada.
 

Wahd وحد  (waw, ha, daal) - one who is individual by himself, his tribe/lineage/origin is not known.
 

Allah did not use that word for Himself because He does not want to
make Himself similar to humans in attributes.
 


Raghib al Isfahani in Mufradaat al Qur'an: 

Ahad is a separate word which implies; That One cannot have any comparison, 
a sole unique entity who does not have an equal or competitor in any way. He does not have a 2nd or affiliate.
 
So Ahad is different to Wahid.

 
The people of other religions believe in God as One (this is Wahid), but they always make the mistake of giving Him 
Attributes of the creation. It is only when you disassociate Allah's attributes from similarity to
the creation that you can believe Allah is Ahad (Unique in His Oneness).
 

A strong Theme in this surah is that Everything about Allah is Unique in His Oneness. 

This is why all the attributes of Allah in this surah are Unique for Allah Himself. 
(i.e. Allah, ahad, as-Samad, lam yaLid, lam yuWlad).

 

 
3 -
Allah has some attributes which humans might also call themselves. 

I.e. Raheem (especially merciful), Ra'oof (compassionate), Baseer [seeing] etc.
 

If we use one of Allah's attributes, i.e. Allah is 'Aleem - the Knowing.
 

The Difference between our knowledge and Allah's knowledge is that;

1 - Allah's knowledge is infinite, ours is not.

2 - Allah's knowledge has no limit, ours is.

3 - Our knowledge and attributes are given to us, Allah's attributes -
He owns them, they are His.
 

Use these 3 steps for any of Allah's attributes, and we see how Allah is unique in His attributes of Perfection.


لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

Laysa ka mithlihee shay' wa huwwa as-samee'ul baseer - 

there is no similarity to Him, and He is the hearer, the Seer.  [ash-Shura 42:11]
 

 
AhaduN أحدن (taNween - letter Noon ن at the end) - this is used to put an exclamation mark, strong
emphasis - He is Allah, One!!

 

The tanween ن is also used in a Khabr/information - to answer a question. The
question posed was - who/what do you worship? This news/khabr is
informing and answering the people - that our Master is Ahad - the
Unique One.
 
This is what Bilal bin Rabbah got tortured for, and he would
continuously say "Ahadun Ahad".
 

 

Dr. Rafee'uddeen from Pakistan - Allah created the human with
knowledge of Himself. The greatest honor the human can have is to be
the perfect slave of Him.
 
But if you do not strive to achieve that goal, you will still be
hungry. If you do not fulfill that hunger with obedience to Allah, you
will fulfill that hunger through something else. Even if that food of
disobedience is disgusting and harmful to your body.
 
So you are either a slave to Allah, or a slave to the worthless creation.
 
You might know He is One, but is He the One you dedicate your life to?
Do you worry that He might not talk to you on Judgment Day out of
displeasure? Do you do action so that He will be pleased with you?
 
 

Allamah Iqbal poetry on Allah's Oneness/Tawheed: 

What used to be something that burned inside the hearts of men, has now turned into something of abstract,
philosophical debate.
 
 Tawheed has now become theological debates, whereas there were people
before us who would have a strong, practical connection with Allah.
Hoping that He will have Mercy on them. So they struggled for His
pleasure.

O Allah, make us the true people of Tawheed, and who implement it with
their wealth, and lives, and die in a state that you are pleased with.




 
Ayah 2:

اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ

Allahu as-Samad
Allah is He on Whom all depend.

 
as-Samad - the one who is enough, whenever they turn to Him, 
He fulfills and answers all their needs and questions in times of need.
 

When you use the word Samad as a verb - it implies that you turn to
them to ask them to fulfill a need.
 
Masmood - the one to whom people turn to in times of need.
 
 
2 - When you make someone your goal, to attain them, to win them, the
Ultimate Goal.
 
This is one of the reasons this surah is called surah al Ikhlas - we
are seeking the pleasure of Allah.
 
 
3 - The One who is not in need of anyone else, and he is always above
them, none can overpower him or be above him in status or any
attribute.
 
4 - The One who is free from blemishes or faults.
 

5 - From the People are those who cannot be overcome in battle, or
eloquence, or business etc. They are called as-Samad.
 
 
6 - He is incredible and great in His glory. Everlasting. The One who
people turn to in times of need.
 
 

7 - Samad is used as an adjective - something that is solid with no
holes or emptiness inside.
 
Something Absolute without any flaws.
 
This shows that Allah's Names are not lacking or empty, rather - He
has perfect Names, and these Names and Attributes are fulfilled
perfectly.

 
I.e. Someone might be called Jameel/Beautiful, but they might not be beautiful.
However, Allah is Perfect in His Names and fulfills them properly - without anything missing in their perfection.
 

Allah is as-Samad, and He fulfills that role perfectly.
 
Allah the Absolute is the Only One. This ayah emphasises what has been
mentioned in ayah 1.
 
The reason why these words are mentioned is because the polytheists
would describe Allah as the Creator, and the Merciful, but they would
not say He is Ahad, or as-Samad.
 
 
AL samad - The AL أل signifies Absoluteness.
 
as-Samad - the one who everyone needs and He needs none Himself.
 
 

al Bica'i: Surah Lahab spoke about someone (Abu Lahab) who thought he
did not need anyone, and that he had none equal in wealth and riches.
 

So Allah is telling us now that Allah has destroyed him, then you
should know that the only One who truly needs no-one else is Allah,
and that He alone is rich and free of need (Ghaniy).
 


 
 
Ayah 3:

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ

Lam yaLid wa Lam yuWlad 
He did not give birth, nor was He fathered.

 

Lam - past tense negation - forces a verb to become past tense.
 
Lan - future tense Negation.
 
 
Lam is used - Past tense removes all forms of birth associated to Allah in the past,
and all these ideas of Allah having daughters who are angels (as the
polytheists said), or that He has sons [Jesus, or Uzayr/Ezra] (as
christians and some jewish sects in Medinah said) - removes their
false claims.
 
Removal of past tense doubts removes all doubts - because the present
doubts we have today have been repeated throughout history, so even if someone
claims Allah has a son today - this had already been said in the past.
So Allah has refuted such a claim by saying that it has never happened
- He has never had a son.
 
Having a son implies you will have an equal, and that is not possible for Allah.
 


Allah says;

بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ ۖ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

[He  is]  Originator  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  How  could  He  have  a  son  
when  He does  not  have  a  companion [sahibah]  and  He  created  all  things?  And  He  is,  
of  all  things, Knowing.

[al An'am 6:101]


How can Allah have a son when He does not have a Sahiba (wife, Spouse, Associate)? 

One word for wife is Sahibah, and another word is Kufuw. And this word
is mentioned in ayah 4 of this surah.
 
 
Allah does not share attributes with His creation. 
If you are born - you had a beginning. Which mean's you are not eternal, so you are not Divine/God.
 

 

Reasons why people commit Shirk [association of Partners with Allah]

Argument: Even if a judgement did occur, we have intercessors (angels, saints etc) 
to hide behind between us and Allah.

This is the psychology of Shirk (associating partners [with Allah]) 
because a person may do whatever he wants of disobedience to Allah, but 
then he wants to hide behind someone close to Allah to protect him from 
Allah's anger. This person will even try to please and overpraise that 
intercessor, so that the  intercessor will intercede in favour of his 
case in the court of Allah. Little do these people know that Allah will 
forgive who He wills on that Day, and this is the sin that Allah does 
not forgive (of shirk).

 
 The One who everyone turns to, as-Samad. So you do not need to place a
'son' or idol between you and Allah.

Turn to Him alone, because He is as-Samad - the absolute One to be turned to.
 
This removes people's need to turn to anyone else besides Him.
 

 

Ayah 4:

وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ 

wa Lam yakun lahu kufuwwan ahad
And Nor was  there  to  Him  any  equivalent."

 

Kufuw - your partner, it can also be your equal opposition in battle.
 
Someone who is equal to you in rank, compatible with you, similar in
your level. This is why it is used for marriage partners.
 
So Allah is saying He had no Kufuw - equal in His Ahad (Uniqueness).
 
 

In Normal Arabic Grammar Sentence; -

wa lam ya kun ahadun kufuwwan lahu (and there is not any equivalent to Him).

This is the grammatically normal sequence.
 
ahad is at the end
Lahu is in the beginning.
Kufuw is in the middle.
 
The normal grammatical sentence would have placed Allah in the end.
 

 But Allah switches the normal phrase, and instead mentions Himself first.
 

Lahu - for Him [Allah], this is Taqdeem - placed earlier in the sentence,
showing specificness. There is none La Hu (For Him) an equal
competitor (kufuw) ahad - anyOne.
 
Ahad is awwal - the One for whom there is no 2nd. And the One who is First.
He has no counterpart, there is none higher than Him. Yet everything
of the creation has an equal competitor or one better than him, but
there is none competing with Allah in His Uniqueness.
 
 
 

Benefits of this Surah:
 

Fakhrud-deen ar-Razi: The first part of the surah shows Allah's Oneness.
 
The second part of surah show's Allah's grace and Mercy upon us -
because He turns to us to help us.
 
The 3rd ayah shows that Allah is free from weakness. Because having
children can be a sign of weakness because you want your name to live
on. (Even if you don't feel this now, you might at the age of 40
because you wonder what you have left behind in this world).
 

The honoring of humans is them having children, because they will require them for strength in old age.

The honoring of Allah is that He has no children, because He is always free of need.
 
 
This surah in conclusion is probably the most important surah for our
children to internalise. What does it mean that He is; Ahad, as-Samad?
Lam yaLid, wa lam yuWlad, wa lam ya kun Lahu kufuwan Ahad.
 
We learn that Allah helps us in all times because He has no competitor
(kufuw) in preventing Him from helping us and answering our prayers.
 

Surah an-Najaat - it Rescues you from; sadness and hardships, and
hellfire, and this is why the companions of Allah's Messenger loved it
so much.

Surah al Ikhlas [Sincerety] – Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh

Surah al Ikhlas [Sincerety] - 

Miracle Dream Tafseer - Nouman Ali Khan
 
Download in .PDF [Adobe Reader]
Download in .DOC [MS Word Format]
Download in .RTF [Rich Text Format] 

This Surah's connection with the Previous surah (Lahab):


1 - Similar Style [saj'] - the syllables by which the words end are the
same = a similar rhyming pattern continues.
 
(i.e. Tabat ya-daa abee Lahabin wa Tab.
Rhymes with; Qul huwa Allahuw ahad.)

This similar rhyming pattern continues for the aayaat of the rest of the surah.
 
 
2 - Shift of Focus in Attention
This surah has a relation to the previous surah Lahab because Abu
Lahab was continuously on the focus of Allah's Messenger due to his
acts of insults and abuse.
But Allah told in the previous surah that He would gradually destroy [tabb]Abu Lahab and his efforts against the message.

Now that Allah will deal with Abu Lahab, now you (O Muhammad) should
focus on Allah's Oneness alone, and the conveying of it to others.
 
 
When people have a long conflict, people forget the agenda of the conflict.
So we come back to the main message which caused these disputes
between disbelievers and believers - it is the legacy of Ibraheem -
the Tawheed (Oneness of Allah).
 
 

Introduction:
 
Allah's Messenger would pair many surahs together in salaah, i.e. It
was his sunnah (example) to pray surah al A'la and Ghashiyah together,
or surah al Falaq and an-Naas. And this is why these surahs' are - by
Allah's will - placed next to each other in the mus-haf (copies of the
Qur'an).
He would recite one in one raka'ah, and the other in the next raka'ah.
 
It was also the practise of Allah's Messenger to recite surah Kafiroon
and surah al Ikhlas in the prayers in Hajj and 'Umrah time.
So there is something unique about this because these surahs' are not
paired in the Mus-haf (copies of the Qur'an).
 
This deserves attention:
 
 
What is the Relationship between surah al Ikhlas, and surah al Kafiroon:
 
1 - At the end of surah Kafiroon, it is clear that the disbelievers
have their own religion, and Allah's Messenger has his own religion.
No compromises.
 
-Even though they worship at the same place of worship - the Ka'ba.
-Even though they all believe Allah is the Creator of everything
 


وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ ۚ قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ - 

and surely if you ask them who created the skies and the earth - they will say Allah... - 

[Surah Luqman 31:25]

 So it seems they are similar in beliefs and practise, however - by the end of surah Kafiroon
it becomes clear that this is not the case.
 
That distinction is explained in surah Kafiroon [109], it is further
supported in surah Nasr [110] when Allah shows that His victory will come
and defeat the religion of Abu Lahab (surah Lahab [111]).
 
 
2 - Surah Kafiroon begins with Qul [Say!], and surah Ikhlas begins with Qul (say). 

The surahs' in between these two surahs' do not, so it shows these surahs' have a relation. 
 
3 - Same Nicknames;

The companions of Allah's Messenger would give nicknames to surahs'
they liked and recited alot. I.e. They called surah al Ikhlas many
nicknames, it has over 20.
 
 One of those names is; al Mukashkish - that which removes diseases.
Taksheesh al Mareed - removing the illness of the ill so he is totally cured.
 
Ironically, this is the exact same name given to al Kafiroon too.
 
Because both surahs are defeating Shirk (association of partners - with Allah).
 
 

A few other nicknames of surah al Ikhlas:
 
2 - surah at-Tafreed - Fard [Individual] - the surah that Allah is
Unique, with none is like Him.
 
3 - surah at-Tajreed - the surah which removes all false
misconceptions about Allah.
 
4 - surah at-TaWheed - the surah which Unifies (wahhada) all of
Allah's attributes. Allah is the One.
 
5 - surah al Ma'rifah - meaning, to know, recognise and be well
acquainted with someone/thing. So if you do not know this surah, you
do not really recognise Allah.
 
6 - surah as-Samad - this word (and it's root) is exclusively used in
this surah in the Qur'an. And none other. So it is called as-Samad.
 
7 - surah al Assaas - the Essence/Core. The core mission of Allah's
Messenger is this surah - the Tawheed of Allah.
 


Hadith: 

 « أسست السموات السبع والأرضون السبع على قل هو الله أحد »

ussisat as-samaawaat as-sab'u wal arddoona sab' 'ala qul huwwa
Allahu ahad

The heavens and earth are founded upon Qul Huwwa Allahu ahad - Say, He is Allah, One. (Tawheed
- the Oneness of Allah).
 
Tafseer/sharh of the Hadeeth: As long as there are people on this Earth who are declaring Tawheed,
 Allah allows the heavens and Earth to continue.
 
- Allah says in the Qur'an that the heavens/skies would tear, the
mountains collapse (surah maryam) - when the people say lies about
Allah i.e. that He has a son etc.

تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدّاً

The heavens are all but rent apart and the earth split asunder and the mountains brought
 crashing down. (Maryam 19: 90)

 
Kaada is used to express that the verb it qualifies was on the brink of happening but didn’t.

We realise from the hadith quoted above that the reason why this does not occur is due to there 
being followers of Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) on the Earth who enslave themselves to Allah alone.
 
 
When we study the End Times, one of the signs is that anyone who believes in;
 Laa illaha illAllah, Muhammadun RasoolAllah (there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) - 
they die when a soft wind comes and takes their souls away. 

Then only disbelievers remain on the Earth, and it is upon them that the destruction of the
Earth occurs before Judgment Day.
 
This is because there are no believers of Tawheed at that time.
 


If there were Multiple gods:

 
لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا ۚ فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
If there were therein gods beside Allah, then verily both (the  heavens and the earth) had been 
disordered. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, from all that 
they ascribe (unto Him). [Anbiya 21:22] 

If there had been among them gods except Allah, surely there would be corruption.
 
Multiple gods - brings corruption and disruption. Since two equals in power - compete
for that power. And there are many Mythological stories amongst Hindu
and Greek and other Polytheistic scriptures which show their gods'
fighting with each other for power.
 
 
Surah an-Noor 24:35 -

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ

Allah is  the  Light  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth... 


Hadith: 

< ف هو المنور ل السماوات و الأرض و سورة تنور قلبك > 
fa huwwa al-munawwir lis-samaawaati wal ardd wa sooratu tunnawir qalbak 
(so He is the light of the Heavens and the Earth, and this surah alightens your heart)
 
hadith 2: 

إن علي كل شيع نور و نور القرآن قل هو الله أحد
inna 'ala kuli shay'in noor , wa noor-ul Qur'ani; Qul huwwa Allahu ahad. 
(surely, for every thing is light, and the light of the Qur'an is; Say, He is Allah, the One [surah al Ikhlas]).
 
 
Allah's Messenger said about surah al Baqarah;

 ل كل شيعن سنام و سنام القرآن سوره البقرة 

li kulli shay'in sanaam, wa sanaam al Qur'an al Baqarah - 
for everything there is a peak, and the peak of the Qur'an is surah al Baqarah.
 
This is amazing gift because this surah of the Qur'an is one of the
shortest surahs, yet it is the Light of the Qur'an. And we can easily
memorize it.
 
 
 
Historical Context:
 
The scholars disputed whether it was a Makki, or Madani surah. Both
had strong legitimate proofs for their opinions.
 
 
Allah:
The polytheist arabs would use the word Allah for God, but what they
associated with Him was not correct.
 
So when Allah's Messenger came with the correct teachings on who Allah
was, the polytheists would be confused. 'We believe in Allah, and you
believe in Allah, so why do we dispute?'
 

"siflannaa Rabbak" - describe for us the Attributes (sifaat) of your
Lord.' They would say.
 
A min dhahab, a min fiddah (is He made of gold, is he made of silver?)
- they had these thoughts because they believed these metals were
precious and expensive - so their gods were a source of competition of pride i.e. our god is made of gold.
They boasted. 
Ansib hu? - what's his lineage/family descendence?
 
 
Hadith: A polytheist once came to Allah's Messenger and said;
Everything was created by Allah, fa man khalaqAllah? - then who created Allah?
 
Allah's Messenger became extremely angry, so Angel Jibreel calmed him
down and Allah revealed this surah.
 
 

The Sahabas' Love for Surah al Ikhlas and it's Virtues;

Al-Bukhari reported from `Amrah bint `Abdur-Rahman, who used to stay in the apartment of `A’ishah, the wife of the Prophet , that `A’ishah said, “The Prophet sent a man as the commander of a war expedition and he used to lead his companions in prayer with recitation (of the Qur’an). And he would complete his recitation with the recitation of `Say: He is Allah, One.’ So when they returned they mentioned that to the Prophet and he said,

«سَلُوهُ لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَصْنَعُ ذَلِكَ؟»

(Ask him why does he do that.) So they asked him and he said, `Because it is the description of Ar-Rahman and I love to recite it. So the Prophet said,

«أَخْبِرُوهُ أَنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى يُحِبُّه»

(Inform him that Allah the Most High loves him.)” This is how Al-Bukhari recorded this Hadith in his Book of Tawhid. Muslim and An-Nasa’i also recorded it. In his Book of Salah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Anas said, “A man from the Ansar used to lead the people in prayer in the Masjid of Quba’. Whenever he began a Surah in the recitation of the prayer that he was leading them, he would start by reciting `Say: He is Allah, One’ until he completed the entire Surah. Then he would recite another Surah along with it (after it). And used to do this in every Rak`ah. So his companions spoke to him about this saying; `Verily, you begin the prayer with this Surah. Then you think that it is not sufficient for you unless you recite another Surah as well. So you should either recite it or leave it and recite another Surah instead.’ The man replied, `I will not leave it off. If you want me to continue leading you (in prayer), I will do this; and if you all do not like it, I will leave you (i.e., I will stop leading you).’ They used to consider him to be of the best of them to lead them in prayer and they did not want anyone else to lead them other than him. So, when the Prophet came they informed him of this information and he said,

«يَا فُلَانُ، مَا يَمْنَعُكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ مَا يَأْمُرُكَ بِهِ أَصْحَابُكَ، وَمَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى لُزُوم هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ فِي كُلِّ رَكْعَةٍ؟»

(O so-and-so! What prevents you from doing what your companions are commanding you to do, and what makes you adhere to the recitation of this Surah in every Rak`ah) The man said, `Verily, I love it.’ The Prophet replied,

«حُبُّكَ إِيَّاهَا أَدْخَلَكَ الْجَنَّة»

(Your love of it will cause you to enter Paradise.) This was recorded by Al-Bukhari

A Hadith that mentions this Surah is equivalent to a Third of the Qur’an

Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Sa`id that a man heard another man reciting

[قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ]

(Say: “He is Allah, One.”) and he was repeating over and over. So when morning came, the man went to the Prophet and mentioned that to him, and it was as though he was belittling it. The Prophet said,

«وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ إِنَّهَا لَتَعْدِلُ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآن»

(By He in Whose Hand is my soul, verily it is equivalent to a third of the Qur’an.) Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’i also recorded it. Another Hadith Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Sa`id, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah said to his Companions,

«أَيَعْجِزُ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ ثُلُثَ الْقُرْآنِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ؟»

(Is one of you not able to recite a third of the Qur’an in a single night) This was something that was difficult for them and they said, “Which of us is able to do that, O Messenger of Allah” So he replied,

«اللهُ الْوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ ثُلُثُ الْقُرْآن»

(“Allah is the One, As-Samad” is a third of the Qur’an.) Al-Bukhari was alone in recording this Hadith.

Another Hadith that its Recitation necessitates Admission into Paradise

Imam Malik bin Anas recorded from `Ubayd bin Hunayn that he heard Abu Hurayrah saying, “I went out with the Prophet and he heard a man reciting `Say: He is Allah, the One.’ So the Messenger of Allah said,

«وَجَبَت»

(It is obligatory.) I asked, `What is obligatory’ He replied,

«الْجَنَّة»

(Paradise.)” At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i also recorded it by way of Malik, and At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan Sahih Gharib. We do not know of it except as a narration of Malik.” The Hadith in which the Prophet said,

«حُبُّكَ إِيَّاهَا أَدْخَلَكَ الْجَنَّة»

(Your love of it will cause you to enter Paradise.) has already been mentioned.

A Hadith about repeating this Surah
`Abdullah bin Imam Ahmad recorded from Mu`adh bin `Abdullah bin Khubayb, who reported that his father said, “We became thirsty and it had become dark while we were waiting for the Messenger of Allah to lead us in prayer. Then, when he came out he took me by my hand and said,

«قُل»

(Say.) Then he was silent. Then he said again,

«قُل»

(Say.) So I said, `What should I say’ He said,

[قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ]

وَالْمُعَوِّذَتَيْنِ حِينَ تُمْسِي وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُ ثَلَاثًا، تَكْفِكَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ مَرَّتَيْن»

(Say: “He is Allah, One,” and the two Surahs of Refuge (Al-Falaq and An-Nas) when you enter upon the evening and the morning three times (each). They will be sufficient for you two times every day.)” This Hadith was also recorded by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i. At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan Sahih Gharib.” An-Nasa’i also recorded through another chain of narrators with the wording,

«يَكْفِكَ كُلَّ شَيْء»

(They will suffice you against everything.)

Tafsir ibn Katheer – Surah al Ikhlas;
http://tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=112&tid=59492

 

Linguistic Definitions:
 
Allah الله :
 

A - Ishtiqaaq words (Mushtaq) - 
Words which have an origin from another word.
 

B - Asmaa al-Jamida - words which are 
original words without being derived from other words. Unique by itself.
 
 

A - The Mushtaq Opinion - that the word Allah comes from other words;
 

Allah comes from إله  Illaah.
 
Al أل  + Illaah إله (hamza, lam, ha) [due to Hadhf حذف - the hamza is removed] = Allaah.
 

Alaha/ya'lahu - to worship.
 Illaah - one who is worshipped.
 
Aliha أله - this word is used when a child is thirsty and desperately
seeking his mother for milk.
 
So Illaah = one who is worshipped, obeyed and who people desperately
turn to [ilha].
 
This is the origin of Illaah. There is none to turn to except He.
 



B - Jamid view - the word Allah is an Original Word without a Root word:
 

1 - Other scholars say Allah is the Universal word for Allah (without
coming from the root word Illah), in every language. So every Messenger sent by Allah said that Allah is God, 
no matter what language they spoke the message in.

I.e. Even in Aramaic, and Hebrew - the word Eloah אלוהּ [in Hebrew] and Ellah [in Aramaic]
 were used for God. Similarly, Elohim is used like we say Allahumma [Oh Allah] in arabic. 
 
2 - It would be Linguistically Incorrect to say Ya Allah! (O Allah!)

Al + Illaah = Allah.
 when you call someone, you place a Yaa before that.
 
I.e. Ya Raheem (O Especially Merciful (one))
 
However, you can never place a AL before it. I.e. Ya AL Raheem - since
that is linguistically incorrect.
 
It can either be; AL Raheem, or YA Raheem.
 
So they argue that if Allah is made up of the word Al + Illah, then it
does not make linguistic sense to say "Ya Al Illah/Allah!"
No Arab would say this due to wrong grammar, so it is possible that
Allah is not made up of the wordings; Al + Illaah.
 
 
3 - Allah is unique in the way it is pronounced.
 
Normally when Alif and Lam are placed together, they make a light
sound. I.e. Alif and Lam would be pronounced as A-llaa.
 
However, the word Allah is pronounced with a heavier sound. Ie. as Al-laa.
 
This is against normal arabic grammatic speech and pronunciation. So
it is possible this word is Universal, and not of an arabic origin.
 
 
Final Comment:
 
mamnoo'a min al Sarf - When a word comes from another language and
enters into the Arabic language, you cannot place a; Fat-ha [zabar/A],
Damma [peysh/U], or Kasra [zeyr/I] on it.
 
However, Allah does place a Kasra on His Name in the ayah;
 
wa man asdaqu minAllahI qeela - and who is truer in speech than Allah?
- surah an-Nisa'.
 
So how can this have a Kasra [zeyr/I sound] on it, while not being an
Arabic word?
 
The scholars reply that Allah is recognised in every culture and
nation. So He is recognised, and this is why the word has become
recognised as an Arabic word (mu'rab).


 
 

Ayah 1:

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

Qul huwwa Allahu Ahad
Say,  "He  is Allah ,  [who  is]  One,

 
Qul - Say.
 
 Command to the Messenger to;
 
1 - Learn for himself.
2 - Teach it to others.
 
Message of Tawheed, is connected to Da'wah (inviting to Islam).
 
 
Huwwa - He.
 
This was not required in the ayah because Allah could say; Qul Allahu
ahad - say Allah is One.
 
However, A pronoun is used when you know who is being spoken about
(this is called Sha'n شأن ).
 
Allah is so great, He is already known by the people (as the
Originator, Creator, Designer etc.)

So 'He' is an implication that you know this God already, it is not a new God.
 
 
2 - It is also a reply to the people who asked Allah's Messenger who
his god was?

Man Huwwa, Maa huwwa - who is he, what is he? These are the questions
the polytheists asked Allah's Messenger about Allah.
 
So Allah is answering that He is Allah, the One.
 
 
3 - Say, He is Allah, Say He is One.
Two sentences have been fused into one ayah.

Say, He is Allah, One.
 


Ahad - One 

The difference between Wahid and Ahad:
 

1 - 

Ahad is used exclusively in the Negative sense only.
 
Wahid is used in the Positive sense only.


i.e. Laysa ahad mawjoodan fee al masjid - there is not One person in the Mosque [it is empty].

Laysa wahid mawjoodan fee al masjid - there is not One in the Mosque [but there are alot (more than one)
 people in the Mosque].




وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا
 
..wa la yushriku bi 'ibadatihee Ahada -

 and no-One should associate partners with Him in worship. [al Kahf 18:110]
 


However, We notice that Allah uses the word Ahad in ayah 1 of surah al Ikhlas, to describe Himself.

This is strange, because Ahad is usually only used in the negative. This Ahad is used to show that there is a
uniqueness of the useage of this word when describing Allah - now in the positive sense instead of the negative.
 

By Allah using Ahad, He is implying affirmation to His Oneness, and there being none similar to Him in that Oneness. 
Amazing: There is no Arabic literature which ever uses the word Ahad by itself in a positive way - except for surah al Ikhlas.
 
 

2 - The other form of 'Ahad' is used in Iddaafa form i.e. 'One of..' Ahad al Muslimeen (one of the Muslims) etc.

So this Ahad can only be used in a positive way if another set of words are attached to it.
 
 
Ahad comes from - Wahd/Wahada.
 

Wahd وحد  (waw, ha, daal) - one who is individual by himself, his tribe/lineage/origin is not known.
 
Allah did not use that word for Himself because He does not want to
make Himself similar to humans in attributes.
 

Raghib al Isfahani in Mufradaat al Qur'an: 

Ahad is a separate word which implies; That One cannot have any comparison, 
a sole unique entity who does not have an equal or competitor in any way. He does not have a 2nd or affiliate.
 
So Ahad is different to Wahid.
 
The people of other religions believe in God as One (this is Wahid), but they always make the mistake of giving Him 
Attributes of the creation. It is only when you disassociate Allah's attributes from similarity to
the creation that you can believe Allah is Ahad (Unique in His Oneness).
 
A strong Theme in this surah is that Everything about Allah is Unique in His Oneness. 
This is why all the attributes of Allah in this surah are Unique for Allah Himself. 
(i.e. Allah, ahad, as-Samad, lam yaLid, lam yuWlad).
 
 
3 -
Allah has some attributes which humans might also call themselves. 

I.e. Raheem (especially merciful), Ra'oof (compassionate), Baseer [seeing] etc.
 
If we use one of Allah's attributes, i.e. Allah is 'Aleem - the Knowing.
 
The Difference between our knowledge and Allah's knowledge is that;

1 - Allah's knowledge is infinite, ours is not.
2 - Allah's knowledge has no limit, ours is.
3 - Our knowledge and attributes are given to us, Allah's attributes -
He owns them, they are His.
 

Use these 3 steps for any of Allah's attributes, and we see how Allah is unique in His attributes of Perfection.


لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

Laysa ka mithlihee shay' wa huwwa as-samee'ul baseer - 

there is no similarity to Him, and He is the hearer, the Seer.  [ash-Shura 42:11]
 
 
AhaduN أحدن (taNween - letter Noon ن at the end) - this is used to put an exclamation mark, strong
emphasis - He is Allah, One!!
 
The tanween ن is also used in a Khabr/information - to answer a question. The
question posed was - who/what do you worship? This news/khabr is
informing and answering the people - that our Master is Ahad - the
Unique One.
 
This is what Bilal bin Rabbah got tortured for, and he would
continuously say "Ahadun Ahad".
 
 
Dr. Rafee'uddeen from Pakistan - Allah created the human with
knowledge of Himself. The greatest honor the human can have is to be
the perfect slave of Him.
 
But if you do not strive to achieve that goal, you will still be
hungry. If you do not fulfill that hunger with obedience to Allah, you
will fulfill that hunger through something else. Even if that food of
disobedience is disgusting and harmful to your body.
 
So you are either a slave to Allah, or a slave to the worthless creation.
 
You might know He is One, but is He the One you dedicate your life to?
Do you worry that He might not talk to you on Judgment Day out of
displeasure? Do you do action so that He will be pleased with you? 
 
Allamah Iqbal poetry on Allah's Oneness/Tawheed: 

What used to be something that burned inside the hearts of men, has now turned into something of abstract,
philosophical debate.
 
 Tawheed has now become theological debates, whereas there were people
before us who would have a strong, practical connection with Allah.
Hoping that He will have Mercy on them. So they struggled for His
pleasure.

O Allah, make us the true people of Tawheed, and who implement it with
their wealth, and lives, and die in a state that you are pleased with.



 
Ayah 2:

اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ

Allahu as-Samad
Allah is He on Whom all depend.

 
as-Samad - the one who is enough, whenever they turn to Him, 
He fulfills and answers all their needs and questions in times of need.
 
When you use the word Samad as a verb - it implies that you turn to
them to ask them to fulfill a need.
 
Masmood - the one to whom people turn to in times of need.
 
 
2 - When you make someone your goal, to attain them, to win them, the
Ultimate Goal.
 
This is one of the reasons this surah is called surah al Ikhlas - we
are seeking the pleasure of Allah.
 
 
3 - The One who is not in need of anyone else, and he is always above
them, none can overpower him or be above him in status or any
attribute.
 
4 - The One who is free from blemishes or faults.
 
5 - From the People are those who cannot be overcome in battle, or
eloquence, or business etc. They are called as-Samad.
 
 
6 - He is incredible and great in His glory. Everlasting. The One who
people turn to in times of need.
 
 
7 - Samad is used as an adjective - something that is solid with no
holes or emptiness inside.
 
Something Absolute without any flaws.
 
This shows that Allah's Names are not lacking or empty, rather - He
has perfect Names, and these Names and Attributes are fulfilled
perfectly.
 
I.e. Someone might be called Jameel/Beautiful, but they might not be beautiful.
However, Allah is Perfect in His Names and fulfills them properly - without anything missing in their perfection.
 

Allah is as-Samad, and He fulfills that role perfectly.
 
Allah the Absolute is the Only One. This ayah emphasises what has been
mentioned in ayah 1.
 
The reason why these words are mentioned is because the polytheists
would describe Allah as the Creator, and the Merciful, but they would
not say He is Ahad, or as-Samad.
 
 
AL samad - The AL أل signifies Absoluteness.
 
as-Samad - the one who everyone needs and He needs none Himself.
 
 
al Bica'i: Surah Lahab spoke about someone (Abu Lahab) who thought he
did not need anyone, and that he had none equal in wealth and riches.
 
So Allah is telling us now that Allah has destroyed him, then you
should know that the only One who truly needs no-one else is Allah,
and that He alone is rich and free of need (Ghaniy).
 

 
 
Ayah 3:

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ

Lam yaLid wa Lam yuWlad 
He did not give birth, nor was He fathered.
 
Lam - past tense negation - forces a verb to become past tense.
 
Lan - future tense Negation.
 
 
Lam is used - Past tense removes all forms of birth associated to Allah in the past,
and all these ideas of Allah having daughters who are angels (as the
polytheists said), or that He has sons [Jesus, or Uzayr/Ezra] (as
christians and some jewish sects in Medinah said) - removes their
false claims.
 
Removal of past tense doubts removes all doubts - because the present
doubts we have today have been repeated throughout history, so even if someone
claims Allah has a son today - this had already been said in the past.
So Allah has refuted such a claim by saying that it has never happened
- He has never had a son.
 
Having a son implies you will have an equal, and that is not possible for Allah.
 


Allah says;

بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ ۖ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

[He  is]  Originator  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth.  How  could  He  have  a  son  
when  He does  not  have  a  companion [sahibah]  and  He  created  all  things?  And  He  is,  
of  all  things, Knowing.

[al An'am 6:101]


How can Allah have a son when He does not have a Sahiba (wife, Spouse, Associate)? 
One word for wife is Sahibah, and another word is Kufuw. And this word
is mentioned in ayah 4 of this surah.
 
 
Allah does not share attributes with His creation. 
If you are born - you had a beginning. Which mean's you are not eternal, so you are not Divine/God.
 
 

Reasons why people commit Shirk [association of Partners with Allah]

Argument: Even if a judgement did occur, we have intercessors (angels, saints etc) 
to hide behind between us and Allah.

This is the psychology of Shirk (associating partners [with Allah]) 
because a person may do whatever he wants of disobedience to Allah, but 
then he wants to hide behind someone close to Allah to protect him from 
Allah's anger. This person will even try to please and overpraise that 
intercessor, so that the  intercessor will intercede in favour of his 
case in the court of Allah. Little do these people know that Allah will 
forgive who He wills on that Day, and this is the sin that Allah does 
not forgive (of shirk).

 
 The One who everyone turns to, as-Samad. So you do not need to place a
'son' or idol between you and Allah.

Turn to Him alone, because He is as-Samad - the absolute One to be turned to.
 
This removes people's need to turn to anyone else besides Him.
 
 

Ayah 4:

وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ 

wa Lam yakun lahu kufuwwan ahad
And Nor was  there  to  Him  any  equivalent."

 
Kufuw - your partner, it can also be your equal opposition in battle.
 
Someone who is equal to you in rank, compatible with you, similar in
your level. This is why it is used for marriage partners.
 
So Allah is saying He had no Kufuw - equal in His Ahad (Uniqueness).
 
 
In Normal Arabic Grammar Sentence; -

wa lam ya kun ahadun kufuwwan lahu (and there is not any equivalent to Him).

This is the grammatically normal sequence.
 
ahad is at the end
Lahu is in the beginning.
Kufuw is in the middle.
 
The normal grammatical sentence would have placed Allah in the end. 

 But Allah switches the normal phrase, and instead mentions Himself first.
 

Lahu - for Him [Allah], this is Taqdeem - placed earlier in the sentence,
showing specificness. There is none La Hu (For Him) an equal
competitor (kufuw) ahad - anyOne.
 
Ahad is awwal - the One for whom there is no 2nd. And the One who is First.
He has no counterpart, there is none higher than Him. Yet everything
of the creation has an equal competitor or one better than him, but
there is none competing with Allah in His Uniqueness.
 
 
 

Benefits of this Surah:
 
Fakhrud-deen ar-Razi: The first part of the surah shows Allah's Oneness.
 
The second part of surah show's Allah's grace and Mercy upon us -
because He turns to us to help us.
 
The 3rd ayah shows that Allah is free from weakness. Because having
children can be a sign of weakness because you want your name to live
on. (Even if you don't feel this now, you might at the age of 40
because you wonder what you have left behind in this world).
 
The honoring of humans is them having children, because they will require them for strength in old age.

The honoring of Allah is that He has no children, because He is always free of need.
 
 
This surah in conclusion is probably the most important surah for our
children to internalise. What does it mean that He is; Ahad, as-Samad?
Lam yaLid, wa lam yuWlad, wa lam ya kun Lahu kufuwan Ahad.
 
We learn that Allah helps us in all times because He has no competitor
(kufuw) in preventing Him from helping us and answering our prayers.
 
Surah an-Najaat - it Rescues you from; sadness and hardships, and
hellfire, and this is why the companions of Allah's Messenger loved it
so much.

Surah al Layl [the Night] – Miracle Dream Tafseer

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh

Surah Layl – Miracle Dream Tafseer –

Nouman Ali Khan

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Relation of this Surah (Layl) to the Previous Surah (Shams):

1 – Similar words but Opposite Sequencing.

In surah Shams, Allah says;

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّاهَا

wan-nahar idha jal-laha.
And [by] the day when it brilliantly displays it [the sun]. [Shams 91:3]

jal-la (bright splendour) when referring to the Day and yaghsha (covering of) night.

The sequencing in Surah Shams was; Day and then night.

The Opposite Sequencing is in this surah;

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ . وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ

By the night when it covers. And [by] the day when it appears[Layl 92:1-2]

Night covering first, and then day with its brightness.

2 – Slight Grammatical Differences:

In Surah Shams, Allah says;

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَاهَا

Wallayli itha yaghshaha
And [by] the night when it covers it [the sun] [Shams 91:4]

In this surah [Layl], Allah says:

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَا

Wallayli itha yaghsha
And [by] the night when it covers. [Layl 90:1]

The ayah in surah Layl has no; هَا Ha [meaning ‘Her/it’] at the end. So the ayah means; – The night as it covers. Covers what?

We see the previous surah Shams and realise that the night covers the Sun.

Why is it not mentioned? Because it creates a question.

So Allah is hinting at us to recite and understand the Surah before surah al-Layl, which is surah ash-Shams to answer our question.

3 –Surah Shams explains Surah Layl

In Surah Shams:

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّاهَا

wan-nahar idha jal-laha.
And [by] the day when it brilliantly displays it [the sun]. [Shams 91:3]

In this Surah Layl;

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ

And [by] the day when it appears brilliant [Layl 92:2]

We find out – through Surah Shams – that it is the sun which has made the day brilliant.

One surah is forcing you to read the other.

4 – Differences in Tenses

The Night covering up (yaghsha) is present tense.

When Allah spoke about the Day – He spoke it as past tense. (jal-laha and tajal-la).

Why? Because past tense signifies a certainty. Whereas present tense signifies partiality or uncompleteness [because the present has not fully completed itself – due to it being partly in the past and partly in the future – because the present time is always changing].

So the Layl [Night] is mentioned in the present tense – because even when the night/layl has covered (yaghsha) the day, there are remnants of the day which have not been covered i.e. the moon which reflects its light off the sun – still allows us to see during the night. So the night covering is not a complete covering.

Compare this to the day – when all traces of night covering have gone.
This is why the covering of the Night is in the present tense (showing uncompleteness because it is not complete darkness).

This is why the brilliance of the Day is in the past tense (showing it is complete with no traces of darkness).

When day manifests – everything is brightened immediately, whereas night slowly and gradually covers [from ‘Asr to Maghrib to Isha].

5 – Similarities between the Sky/Earth and Male/Female;

وَالسَّمَاءِ وَمَا بَنَاهَا . وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَاهَا .

And [by] the sky and He who constructed it. And [by] the earth and He who spread it. [Shams 91: 5-6]

In this surah, Allah says;

وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَىٰ

And by what Created the male and female. [al Layl 92:3]

The sky and Earth are different in their characteristics – but they work together to produce vegetation, fruits and plants of benefit – for life to continue.

Similarly, the male and female are different in their characteristics – but they work together to produce children – for life to continue.

Impregnation:

The sky sends down water, which penetrates through the Earth and impregnates it.

The liquid water then penetrates the seed – giving it life so it grows gradually, and finally the seed is born – coming out of the mother Earth. This newborn plant then continues to grow healthily until it reaches its peak age. This plant then either benefits humanity, or it does not.

Its seeds spread for future generations to be born.

Then as time passes – it gradually withers away, becomes wrinkly, and dies.

Now Replace the word Plant with Human in the above Paragraph. And replace the word Sky with father, and Earth with Mother.

6 – Surah Shams is Specific in Wording, Surah Layl is more General

Allah used the words; banaaha (made it) [the skies], and tahaha (spread it out) [the Earth] etc. to show what He has made.

In this surah, ayah 3; He says – وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَىٰ – wa ma Khalaqa adh-dhakara wal untha – and what has Created the male and female.

The word Khalaqa (created) is comprehensive to all the different descriptions of creation mentioned in the previous surah.

7 – Switching from 3rd person [in surah Shams] – to 2nd person [in surah Layl]

In surah Shams, Allah told us how previous nations rebelled and were punished. [This was in the 3rd person narrative i.e. them, he etc.]

In this surah [al Layl] – Allah speaks in the 2nd person (andhartuKum – I warn YOU). The general warning – of the previous nations’ destruction – is really a specific warning to YOU.

8 – The Relation of the Nafs in both Surahs’

In Surah Shams, Allah says;

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا

فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا

And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it.

And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness, [Shams 91: 7-8]

We humans have been inspired by Allah to know the 2 ways of; Fujoor (clear rebellion) or the best Taqwa (God consciessness).= fitrah [the natural disposition]. (explained more in Tafseer surah ash-shams).

In this surah Layl – He tells us that although we have been inspired to know the good, certain humans still willingly follow the bad path. While others will follow the good path while knowing the evil path.

9 – The Inner State (in surah Shams) of the Nafs, and the Outer State (surah Layl)


Surah Shams: Allah told us what goes INSIDE the Nafs (cleansing [zak-kaa] or corrupting [khaaba] the nafs).

Surah al Layl: OUTER state of the Nafs is shown in this surah – Actions – إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّىٰ – inna Sa’Yakum la shat-ta [surely your Strivings are different] [Layl 92:4].

10 – This surah will explain how someone can purify or corrupt their Nafs

Surah Shams:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا.

He has achieved success, who purifies it. [Shams 91:9]

وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا

And he has failed who instills it [with corruption]. [Shams 91:10]

Surah Layl; how do you attain that success/failure is mentioned in this surah;-

فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَىٰ وَاتَّقَىٰ. وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَىٰ

As for he who gives and fears Allah. And believes in the best [reward], [Layl 92:5-6]

وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَىٰ . وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَىٰ

But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need. And denies the best [reward],

Themes in this Surah:

1 –The Two Diseases;

In Surah Shams, the problem was; Tughyan طَغْوَا– Rebellion of the people of Thamood.

In this surah Layl – the disease is Istaghna اسْتَغْنَىٰ(thinking he is ‘free of need‘ from everyone [including Allah].)

Because when people have alot of power and wealth, they think they are not in need of Allah.

(Imagine; if you are given a pay cheque by your boss, you will stay humble and obedient to him.
Now if you suddenly win 1 million dollars, you will probably disobey your boss and rebel against him – the source of this rebellion was wealth).

2 – Theme of Wealth

The theme has become wealth in this surah because of;

– Istaghna اسْتَغْنَىٰ (thinking one is free of need [due to having alot of wealth] [Layl 92:8]

– وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّىٰ – His wealth will not benefit him, when he throws himself in the fire; [Layl 92:11]

– الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّىٰ – He gives wealth to purify himself [Layl 92:18]

Since wealth has become imbedded in the mind/psyche of the people to represent Power.

3 – Defeating the ‘Self-Righteous’ & ‘Self-Sufficiency’ Attitude

There are people who believe, but gradually get the attitude that they think they are guided because they do good deeds.

To them, Allah says;

إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَىٰ–in-na ‘alayna lal huda – surely guidance is Ours (to give). (Layl 92:12)

So Allah is replying to such a personality – that only Allah can guide the people, and anyone who thinks that they are ‘self-righteous’ or that they are guaranteed Allah’s safety in this life or the next – then they should know that guidance is only with Allah, who guides and misguides whom He wills.

You are only going to get His guidance if you ask for it. If you don’t ask for it – you will not get it.

You cannot gain guidance by your deeds alone, you will always have to be in a humble state infront of Allah and beg Him to get it.

This is why we always ask Allah to ‘guide us to the straight path’ in surah al Fatiha in our Salaah (prayer/salawat).

To those with arrogant ‘Self-Sufficiency‘ attitude, Allah replies to them;

وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْآخِرَةَ وَالْأُولَىٰ – to Us belongs this life and the next (Layl 92:13)

So Allah is telling the rejectors that this life and the next life belong to Him, so He is in charge – not you. Since He owns, so He is the Real One in Power. Not you.

4 – Lying against the Miracle

Surah Shams; فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا – (they lied (against the message) and killed the [miracle] she camel). [Shams 91:14]

Surah Layl:الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ – They lied against the message and turned away (from the Qur’an [miracle]). [Layl 92:16]

5 – Opposing the Commands of the Message

– In Surah Shams [92:13] – the people were told by Prophet Thamood to stay away from the miracle camel – but they approached it instead and killed it.

فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا

And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, “[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink.” [Shams 92:13]

In this Surah Layl – the people are told to come close to the miracle Qur’an but they are turning away from it and distancing.

الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ – They lied against the message and turned away (from the Qur’an [miracle]). [Layl 92:16]

6 – A Warning!

In Surah Shams;

Allah says in the previous surah that the Messenger (Salih) said;

فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا

And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, “[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink.” [Shams 92:13]

This was a warning – from a Messenger – not to kill the miracle camel because it would bring their destruction.

In this surah Layl; Allah says;

فَأَنذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّىٰ

So I have warned you of a Fire which is blazing. [Layl 92:14]

Allah is giving a powerful warning, a warning which is more powerful than the words of a Messenger. The threatening warning is a Threat from Allah Himself!

7 – Ashqa – the most Wretched!

In Surah Shams, the Ashqa is mentioned;

إِذِ انبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا

When the most wretched of them was sent forth [to kill the she miracle camel].[Shams 91:!2]

This surah Layl tells us what happens to the Ashqa.

لَا يَصْلَاهَا إِلَّا الْأَشْقَى
No-one will throw themselves in the blazing fire except the Ashqa. (Layl 92:15)

Surah Shams told us the punishment of the ashqa in this life (damdama alayhim rabuhum – their crushing destruction). [Shams 91:14]

Surah Layl tells their punishment in this life, and the next punishment is in the next life (mentioned of the crackling fire). [Layl 92:14]

8 – Consequences

Surah Shams – وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا – He does not fear the consequences (of punishing the bad people). [Shams 91:15]

In Layl 92:21 – وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَىٰ– He mentions the consequences of saving His believing slaves – so they are well pleased with Him (wa la sawfa yardda).

Limited punishment and unlimited reward.

9 – Allah will make the Path – of Good or Evil – Easy for him

– Before these two Surahs’ came, in surah Balad – the going up of a mountain (‘aqabah) – this path is difficult. Allah is telling us that He will make the high path of good easy for him.

The one who takes the wrong way – Allah will make the most difficult of things (of evil) – easy for him.

(This will be explained further in this tafsir of surah Layl [92:] 6-10).

Through this imagery – Allah shows the righteous are elevating in ranks (by climbing the steep path of good).

The wretched/destroyed are going lower and lower (thumma radadna hu asfala as-safileen – surah balad).

According to the worldly perspective – the more you waste in wealth, the more your respect in society grows.

Yet what kind of words is he being described with?

– Das-saha دَسَّاهَا (put in the dust)
– Tarad-da تَرَدَّىٰ(falling into a ditch/cliff)

he is lowering himself while thinking he is honoring himself.

However, according to Allah’s perspective – giving in charity raises your nobility and rank in the life to come. It is like you are rising higher and higher up the steep path – getting closer and closer to Allah.

إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الْأَعْلَىٰ

Except he seeks the face of his Lord the MOST HIGH. (Layl 92:8)

So he is getting closer and closer up the steep path towards his Lord the Most High (A’la).

The ones who put themselves down for the sake of Allah – Allah honors them and raises them in ranks.

The ones who try to raise themselves through evil – Allah humiliates them and lowers them more and more.


The LAYOUT and STRUCTURE of the Surah:

Passage 1:
The surah begins with aQsaam (Oaths);

– Allah is making us reflect on these Oaths.
– These Oaths will have a Jawab al Qasam (Response to the oath), which is related to these Oaths.
– The Jawab al Qasam is usually the Central message within the Surah. In this surah, the Central Message is in Ayah 4 – Inna sa’yakum la shatta – surely your efforts are diverse).

Passage 2:
The following aayaat after this ayah (4) describe these efforts in detail. (from ayah 5-11)

Passage 3:
After this, Allah tells His Role in all of this. (ayah 12-13)
Meaning these 2 groups of people are going in opposite directions, and Allah is the true Owner. He is able to reward and punishment, not just in the next life, but this life too.
So none should feel secure from Allah.

Part 4:
The Warning and Good News: (ayah: 14-21)

I am warning you of a fire, none will enter it except the most wretched.

The worst will go in it.

So Allah is telling that;
1- I am warning you,
2 – none will enter it except the wretched.
(ayah 14-15)

So maybe Allah is giving you a warning because you are the most wretched and you just don’t know it?
(you better not become one of them, otherwise you will be in that fire – that’s what Allah is implying through this ayah).

(Ayah 17-18) – will be pushed FAR away from hell.
tajneeb (taf’eel/hyperbolised) – push extremely FAR away.
janaba – push away

wa sayujan-nabbahu al attqa –
those who guarded against evil and had fear of Allah – they will be pushed FAR AWAY from hell.

Compare this to the most wretched (ashqa) who will throw themselves into hellfire.

When the people of hell havn’t even entered hell, they have just seen it – and they will yad’u Thuboora (call upon others and say; destroy me!). So being pushed far away from hell is such a big blessing.

How will they be pushed away from hell?
Ayah 18. He who spends his wealth for purification.

So we see that Wealth is a main theme in this surah.

The previous Surah was about Allah telling us to purify ourselves. Allah in this surah is telling us that our purification is related to how we deal with our wealth (will it be used for Allah’s sake or not?)

DISCLAIMER: There is nothing wrong with owning wealth, so long as you do not love it in your heart. (wa innahu li hubbi khayri la shadeed – surely he loves wealth with a strong love.- surah ‘aadiyat) (maala wa ‘addada – he gathers wealth and counts it – surah humazah).

sa’yakum la shatta (ayah 4): –

Sa’ee – to rushingly make an effort. Either you want to get wealthy in this world, or you want to get wealthy in the next. You can be wealthy in both – if you are sincere to Allah, and you are striving for the next life more.

It’s only if you prefer this life over the next life that you will become of the ashqa (wretched).

Ayah 1:

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ

wal layli idha yaghsha

I swear by the night as it covers up.

Allah does not mention what it covers up.

A strong Theme in this surah will also be that Objects are NOT mentioned in this surah [as if they are covered].
You are expected to find the missing words through your knowledge of previous surahs’ of Qur’an.

Allah forces you to think.

yaghsha:

ash-Shawkani: it covers with its darkness everything it covers of the Earth.
It also refers to the darkness of Kufr (disbelief). And when Allah mentions the Day – He is implying the Light of the Day (Revelation) which brightens the darkness (of disbelief) which covered everything before.

Ayah 2:

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ

Wannahari idha tajalla

By the Day as it appears in glory;

The removal of darkness is sudden when the Daylight comes, in comparison to the night which approaches and covers gradually.

Even abit of light in the morning suddenly removes the darkness. Whereas darkness approaches gradually (from ‘Asr time till Maghrib [sunset], and even after that).

The same way the Revelation of guidance quickly removes the darkness of misguidance. Whereas the darkness of misguidance gradually occurs through sins, innovations, and gradually acts of oppression and disbelief.

The nation of the Arabs were in polytheism for many hundreds of years. Then within 23years, the Arabs as a nation had converted to Islam as a whole. And 23 years is nothing in the history of a nation.
So we see that the light of guidance removed the darkness of polytheism within an extremely short period of time.

Ayah 3:

وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَىٰ

Wama khalaqa az-zakara wal-ontha

And [by] What created the male and female,

ma –

ma al mawsoolah – (What) – What One who could create the male and female.
ma as masdariyyah – What – how incredible [amazement] and awe inspiring is the creation of the male and female.

ذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَىٰ dhakara wal untha – does not just refer to man and woman. It refers to anything which is created in the male and female. I.e. Animals, plants, humans, etc.

Allah opened up the scope of male and female, just as He left the scope for yaghsha (covering) and tajal-la (brightness) open.

Ameen Ahsan Islahi:

These pairs have a profound lesson;

This pairing – وَمِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ (We created everything in pairs so perhaps you may remember – Dhariyat 51:49).

Night would be destruction by itself.

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ اللَّيْلَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِضِيَاءٍ ۖ أَفَلَا تَسْمَعُونَ

Say, “Have you considered: if Allah should make for you the night continuous until the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allah could bring you light? Then will you not hear?” [Qasas 28:71]

What if the day never went? What if there were only males on the Earth without females? WHat if there were only females without males?

We see that everything on Earth is made in pairs (male/female, big/small etc.)
Life can’t continue without the other opposite. Who causes this balance?

When a man gets angry, a woman can calm him down in a way which other men can’t. A woman can relax in a unique way only through a male who understands her and cares for her.

Everything requires an opposite, a pair – so that a perfect balance can be achieved.

This is why Allah says;

And truly belongs to Us the last (life) and the first (life). (ayah 13)

So the hereafter becomes a necessary pair to this life. This causes a balance, just like the night causes a balance to the day, like the female causes a balance to the male.

Everything is incomplete without a pair. What will complete this world is the next one.

Ayah 4:

إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّىٰ

Inna saAAyakum la shatta

no doubt – your efforts are divided/Shatta.

This surah is in the 2nd person – You. This focuses that the stories of the nations before you mentioned in the previous surah (Shams) were lessons for You to learn from.

kum – Your (plural) – can refer to Muslims doing different forms of effort.
But another stronger opinion is that it refers to mankind.

sa’ee – walking / pacing fast.
When something important is concerning you, you are walking fast (doing Sa’ee)


shatta – all over the place. Divided.

Muslims are making efforts to establish the Religion.
The disbelievers are trying to oppose the Religion of Allah.

It can also refer to worldly perspectives;
We have different racing/strivings – to different motives. Some people do one job, another does another different type/path job.

Shatta – shattered. (mankind was originally upon one way [the religion of their father Adam – Islam (submission to Allah/God)], and then they were shattered into pieces – different paths).

mukhtalif – two different things from the start.

Our efforts are part of a whole – larger plan. People might offend the believers, the Muslims are trying to spread the religion.
But all this part of Allah’s big plan of revealing the different aayaat of the Qur’an; including Allah encouraging patience to the believers, giving warnings to the disbelievers, and giving commands etc.

All this was part of Allah’s One big plan. So although the people are divided (shatta) in their motives and ideologies, they are all under the One main plan of Allah.

Shatta – plural of shateet – broken and dispersed.

Antonym: Alaf-fa ألف (ta/leef) = to unite shattered up pieces into 1 whole.

But after all this dividing (shatta) of mankind, and their different paths;

Which side are you on?

shatta – originally together and then broken apart.

Allah says;

وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمُ اللَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ –

a special miraculous sign for them is the night. We snatch/pull the day out of it. So Allah is describing Day being pulled/broken away from night. [Yasin 36:37]

Just like the word Shatta (breaking up/shattering.)

Ayah [Surah Layl 90]:3 – wa ma khalaqa adh-dhakara wal untha (and by what created the male and female).

Where did the first human female (Hawwa, the wife of Adam) come from?

She was broken away from Adam.

The word shatta is so powerful and fitting in this ayah, and context of the surah.

Our situation and parallel of the Muslim struggle can be related to through all nature. So instead of us being saddened and feeling hopeless, we should feel stronger in our resolve by reflecting on the creation.

Ayah 5:

فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَىٰ وَاتَّقَىٰ

Faamma man aAAta wattaqa

As for he who gives and fears Allah

fa ammaa man – then as for the one – who gave [a’tta] and warded evil from himself (or God consciouss).

a’ttaa – give in much abundance.
aataa – give

Allah said a’ttaa in surah al Kawthar; surely We have given (a’ttaa) you abundance (kawthar).

Words used for Giving in the Qur’an include;
nahalla, hadiyya, wahabba, dafa’a, rafada, athaaba, diyya, ada’a.

But this type of giving is to give something in response to something, i.e. You might see something and you like it – as a reaction, you give them. Giving something as a favour, as a bonus, far beyond what was expected (= i’ttaa).

Gave who? In previous surahs’ – we learn who should be given to (see and quote surah Balad 90: 13-17).

wat-taqqaa – taqqa – save yourself from harm and the consequences of harm.

Allah also uses this word to guard against;

– fataqqun-naar فَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ (so guard yourself against the fire [Baqarah 2:24]),

وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا لَّا تَجْزِي نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَلَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ – wataqqun-yawman tajizu nafsan ‘an nafsin shay’a.. (fear the Day when every person will be recompensed for what it did… [Baqarah 2:248])

at-taqqaa – taqwa – guarding yourself against what you fear (khawf).

khawf – fear. I.e. You hear a loud sound, and you’re scared.

But to hide when scared is an act of Taqwa, because you Guarded yourself.

So taqwa is an action of guarding due to fear of being harmed.

Taqwa – from Wiqaayah – literally, to protect yourself /or someone.

This ayah states;

He gave (a’ttaa) and then he had fear to protect himself (wattaqaa).

The one who gives – usually feels confident about himself and his charity.
But in this ayah, Allah is telling us that this person has fear even after the giving.

There is a mistake which happens in alot of deviant religions, and also some Muslims are bringing this into Islam.
These people are involved in earning haraam (unlawful) money, so they give ALOT of money in charity to recompense for this evil, but they do not stop their unlawful earnings.

Allah wants us to give, and to fear Him through Taqwa (action based fear – to Guard yourself against His punishment).

You have to have both (giving and fear).

Some people have Taqwa but they do not give in charity.

You have to have both (fear and giving).

al Islaahi: This is not the only place in the Qur’an where this sequence of giving and fear is mentioned.

In surah Insan/Dahr, Allah says;

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا

إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوْمًا عَبُوسًا قَمْطَرِيرًا

(We feed you for Allah’s face (wajh), we do not want any reward or thanks, we fear from our Master a day which will make the faces frown[al Insan 76:9-10]

Their giving for Allah’s face is mentioned there, and also in this surah (ayah 19-20) when associated with giving.

Ayah 20 of this surah has the mention of: Wajh – face.

The brothers of Yusuf (your father’s face will turn to you –يَخْلُ لَكُمْ وَجْهُ أَبِيكُمْ [Surah Yusuf 12:9]) – your father will look at you with love and affection (when Yusuf is gone).

This is the type of attention these givers in charity want from Allah.
The attention you love when someone famous recognises you and is pleased with you.

ash-Shawkani: He kept exhausting his wealth for good causes. Diversifying all your money for all types of different good causes.

Some people do this in this life, they invest their money in different projects in businesses which aren’t going well – hoping that the businesses will grow – and they will get reward and profits out of it.

Now imagine such a person did this for the sake of Allah – fearing Him, and invested his money in all types of good; in helping the orphan, the oppressed, the Muslim prisoner etc. The fruits of all this would amaze him on Judgment Day.

Assaam ar-Ra’i:

He gave and he was afraid (a’ttaa wat-taqqaa) means;

He gave because he was afraid of being cheap and miserly in the sight of Allah.

Brother Nouman’s teacher:

Is it really our money that we are giving? Or did Allah give it to us in the first place?

Try getting a sweet, and see if your children ask for it. When you give it them – ask for it back. The child won’t give it back, he’ll say “it’s mine!”

This is exactly how we act as humans with Allah. We forget that He is the One who gave it us, so we are greedy like that child, claiming it belongs to us alone.

مَّن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَقْبِضُ وَيَبْسُطُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan so He may multiply it for him many times over? And it is Allah who withholds and grants abundance, and to Him you will be returned. [al Baqarah 2;245]

Money is the essential thing which makes you think you are in charge. You think you own this money.
This is the attitude Allah is exposing.

A’ttaa wat-taqqaa – he gave and he feared (that he might get an attitude that this is his money only).

– You only give Alot of money in a Sure Deal. If you are in doubt about a reward – you don’t invest alot of money into it.
So the stronger you are in your trust in Allah – the more you give. And the more you give – the stronger your Eman (belief) increases.

The weaker your trust in Allah, the less you give.

If you are guaranteed a reward through a certain investment – don’t you invest ALOT of your money?

Why? Because its a sure deal.

This person gives alot in charity because he fears he might get a personality of being greedy and stingy/miserly.

A’tta أعطى – hyperbolised (maximum form – of giving).

You would imagine that sequence would be; at-taqqaa wa a’tta (he feared, so he gave). But it is the opposite to show the above amazing explanations of the emotions of this humanitarian giver.

Allah mentions the CONCLUSION 1st and the ROOT 2nd. This Theme is repeated throughout the surah.

Allah mentions this life and the next life in ayah 13.
Which should be mentioned first really?

And surely to Us belong the last (life) and the first (life – this world).

Allah mentioned the last life of the hereafter first, then the life of this world.

This is part of the remarkable sequencing of the Surah. You see the Fruit (results), and then you see its Root which caused such a result.

Ayah 6:

وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَىٰ
wa sad-daqa bi al husna

and he confirmed the truth in the ultimate good.


masculine words in this form; afdal, akbar, etc.

feminine form; kubra, husna etc.

This form implies; Ultimate, best possible.

He confirmed the truth in the Best/ultimate what? Allah does not say. But he is implying;

He confirmed the truth In the best; guidance, way of life, religion, in obedience to Allah and His Messenger, Paradise, etc.

Allah has summarised all the religion in 1 word; al Husna (the Ultimate Good).

The salaf would comment on al Husna [Ultimate Good] and say it is;

– the Kalimataan (La illaha illAllah Muhammadun Rasool Allah – there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger (sal Allah alayhi wasalam))

– Paradise is the ultimate good.

– the following of the Messenger.

– giving to the poor.

Allah wants you to think, so He misses words for you to fill in the gaps.

Allah is teaching us; A person who knows something is good, but he doesn’t do it.

sad-daqa – tasdeeq – to know something is good and to do it.

The fundamental theme in this Surah is action (sa’yakum).

The topics which have been addressed in this surah (chronologically) are;

– Give Wealth in charity
– Taqwa
– Confirming the ultimate good.

If we reverse these – this is how real life occurs; you confirm the ultimate good, you gain taqwa, and then you give wealth.

Taqwa is in your heart and actions.
Giving is in action.

What is the central theme in this surah? Action.

A’tta أعطى , wat-taqqaa, sad-daqa.

A’tta [Giving] is the closest to action, then taqwa is [safeguarding against evil], and then sad-daqa (confirming the truth) is furthest since it is a belief.

So the closest word to sa’yakum (your fast pacing/walking) is an action; A’tta, then taqwa which is partly action, and then sad-daqqa which is a belief in the heart.

This is part of the Balaghah (eloquence) of the Qur’an style.

To place the word which is close to the main theme closest to it. And the least consistent word is most distance from it.

Faaddil Hassaan ar-Ra’i:

The nature of an individual to the nature of society.

Nature of the individual:
– he first confirms (sad-daqa) the truth.
– he increases in taqwa (fears and guards against evil)
– he gives (a’tta) alot in charity.

Nature of Society:
– you have to contribute back to society by giving (a’tta).
– abide by the law in that society (afraid of breaking the law is taqwa)
– the progression of a society to the best level of health and morality is through confirming (sad-daqa) the Ultimate good (husna of Islam).

ash-Shawkani (in his tafseer Fath al Qadeer):
He confirms the truth means;.

He gave the right of Allah which he recognised was binding upon him.
Allah gives you wealth – so you recognise that you should spend it in His cause.

Hasan bin Ali: He confirmed the Ultimate good of La illaha illAllah.

Mujahid: the Jannah (Paradise).

Zayd bin Aslam: Confirmed the good in Salah, Zakah etc. All that is good of the religion and its rituals.
The rights of Allah upon you.

The first words of this ayah 5 were;

amma man (as for the one) – If he does this [gives in charity and fears, and confirms the truth]..

This is called kalimat ash-Shart (a conditional statement).

If he does this (all what was mentioned above)…

Ayah 7:

فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ

Fasanu yassiruhu lilyusra

We will soon make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness).

We will make ease for him, .

Until He (Allah) makes something easy – it is not easy.

Yusra is the feminine form of aysar = the easiest = I will make the easiest, really easy for him.

Allah is giving a gift, He makes doing good deeds easy for him.

So Allah makes it hard for him to do evil deeds, evil sins are hard for him to do.
But doing good deeds, Allah has made that easy for him due to him showing his sincerety to Allah (from his previously mentioned actions).

Most of us – when we do good things, its hard. Bad things to do are easy.

Allah will make your attitude for the better so you enjoy and find it easier to do good deeds.

Ease:
yaseer – a task done without difficulty.

hayyin حين – “huwa alayya hayyin” – a task which is beneath your skillset. Way too easy.

Allah says to His Messenger in another ayah in the Qur’an;

وَنُيَسِّرُكَ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ– wa nuyasiruka lil yusra – i will make the easiest thing easy for you (O Muhammad).

[al A’la 87:6]

Allah will make the easy easy for His Messenger.

He says about the character being discussed earlier;

فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ faSa nu yasiruka lil yusra (then SOON We will make easy for him the way of ease).

The ‘Sa‘ as a prefic means ‘Soon’.

The difference is that Allah said to His Messenger; I will make easy for you.

He said to the righteous character being discussed earlier; SOON I will make easy for you.

He did not say this to His Messenger. Because His Messenger is content, he is not at unrest with his Lord.

The people who are not Messengers’ are not tranquil, they are sometimes even in a state of sin (which removes your feeling of tranquility with Allah). But if they persist in doing good – Allah will SOON make the path of ease easy for them.

– The Arabs would talk about the horse which is hard to ride without a saddle, seat and the reins, etc.
But when the horse had all this riding uniform placed upon it, they would describe it as;

Yasar-ra al faras يسر الفرس – an easy to ride horse.

This is where the word yas-sar originally came from.

So Allah is saying that if you do these good acts of giving ALOT (A’tta) in charity, having taqwa/fear/guarding against evil, and you confirm (sad-daqa) the good – it is like Allah has placed you upon a comfortable riding horse, and He will make the riding journey of ease – easy for you.

Allah will make all the arrangements of good easy for you. All the doors of good will be open for you.

وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ ۚ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا

And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent.

[Talaq 65:3]

Hadith: bukhari;

اعملو ف كل ميسر ل ما خلقه

i’maloo, fa kulu muyussaru li ma khuliqahu
(work (in good deeds), because everyone has had made easy for them what they have been created for).

[Sahih al Bukhari]
I.e. Do good deeds, because whatever has been written for you [in your destiny] will be made easy for you. (we hope that good is written for us in our destiny, and that’s why we are commanded to do good.)

Human Perspective: Even the things you do often and make a habit of – they become easy for you due to continuous experience.

So keep the habit of good, always think of good (so you are not distracted by bad thoughts which can influence you to do bad.) think of good so you continue to do good deeds, and Allah will make that way of good easy for you.

You condition yourself to do good. If you keep telling yourself you can’t do it – you will give up (this is called Ethicacy) and you will be unable to achieve what you want.

Ease comes when you accept the fact that you have to do it. You do not complain, rather you do it because you affirm that with this will come reward from Allah.

The proof that this character accepts this fact is from the words;
(sad-daqa bil husna – he confirms the truth of the Ultimate good).

So Allah will make the path of ease easy for him.

When you come with a strong positive attitude, Allah makes it easy for you. When you have a negative and half-hearted weak attitude – the path remains difficult.

يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ ۚ وَخُلِقَ الْإِنسَانُ ضَعِيفًا

Allah wishes to lighten (the burden) for you; and man was created weak. [Nisa 4:28]

The Sunan and the Musnad compilers recorded that Allah’s Messenger said:

«بُعِثْتُ بِالْحَنِيفِيَّةِ السَّمْحَة»

(I was sent with the easy Hanifiyyah (Islamic Monotheism).)

amma – (as for..)

When one ‘Amma’ is mentioned, you are going to expect another one after it to show comparison.

Ayah 8:

وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَىٰ
Waamma man bakhila wastaghna

But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient.

(amma) And as for the one who is Bakhila and Astaghna.

الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبُخْلِ – Who are stingy and enjoin upon [other] people stingines… [Nisa’ 4:37]

He became cheap in giving others, but what was the result of that. What did he do when not giving wealth to others? His wealth was stored with him and he became of the Astaghna (those who think they are not in need of anyone else.) they think they are better than others because they have alot of money.

Istighna – to feel not in need of anyone else. What was the cause for Istighna?

Bukhl – hoarding wealth and thinking that he should not spend on others.

Allah said as a response to these type of people;
wastaghna Allah – Allah does not need (them or anyone else).

(أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ – inAllaha ghaneey ul hameed – and Allah truly is the Ghaniy – Rich [not in need of anyone else], hameed [most praised]) [Baqarah 2:267].

ash-Shawkani; he was cheap in his wealth, he did not spend his wealth in any of the good causes (even though he had so much opportunities to), he was very reluctant when it came to earning rewards for the hereafter.
He had an attitude of; I don’t need reward in the hereafter, I just need my wealth now in this world. This bukhl (miserly) attitude made him arrogant with istighna’ (thinking he needs nobody else).

Ayah 9:

وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَىٰ

Wa kadhaba bil husna

and he lied against the Ultimate Good (al Husna).

He lied against the religion because of his arrogant attitude of al Istighna’. Thinking his wealth now is enough and that he should not spend it on others.

This is even spreading in parts of the Muslim world;
Some Muslims are getting wealthy in the Muslim world, so they attack the religion.
Before they were poor, but they earned money and were cheap/miserly in giving it to others.
Then they amassed alot of wealth and became arrogant, thinking that the religion should suit their desires, not that they should submit to the religions commands. So they started saying that the religion should be changed or different. = They lied against the Ultimate Good of the religion.

You notice that it is not the poor who have such an attitude, usually it is the ones who have become rich and miserly, thinking that their power and richness (istighna’) should give them such an authority to lie against the religion and its principles.

O Allah, protect us from such characteristics, ameen.

Ayah 10:

فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَىٰ

Fasanuyassiruhu lil AAusra

We will soon make the hardest thing easy for him.

This is scary.

Some scholars said this ayah means;
We will make the path to Hell (Jahannam) easy for him.
Ibn Abbas: We will make evil deeds (sharr) easy for him.

‘Usr – the hardest possible thing.

After he develops such an attitude – Allah curses them for their Istighna’ – so He makes them spend their money on alot of worthless things, and the money they waste becomes a source of evil for their future.

I.e. Their children – who they spend their money on – might become a source of evil for them, i.e. The parent might get a heart attack due to an act of their rebellious children, or raised blood pressure etc.
Allah punishes them for their evils from ways they did not expect, because of their rebellion and lying against al Husna (the Ultimate Good).

The very things they invested in. In old age – those investments will be a cause of their stress and loss.

Allah tells His Messenger about the hypocrites;

فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ

So let not their wealth or their children impress you. Allah only intends to punish them through them in worldly life and that their souls should depart [at death] while they are disbelievers. [Tawba 9:55]

They were looking for ease in those things, but Allah made the harsh things come to them from them.

O Allah, protect us from that, ameen.

The evil that leads to the punishment of Allah, and it becomes easy for them.

So if you ask them why they do a certain evil, they say ‘i dont know’ – they can’t leave their addiction to an evil, even though they don’t enjoy it – they have become a slave to it so they cannot quit. This brings their gradual destruction.

That’s proof of this ayah.

Ayah 11:

وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّىٰ

Wama yughnee AAanhu maaluhu idha taradda

his wealth is not going to make him free of need when he falls [in a ditch of hell].

radda – slam someone down in a ditch.
taradda – to fall yourself off a ditch or cliff.

What ditch is this? The grave. Or the hellfire. The indignation of evil deeds.

When is the wealth going to help him then?

The one who Allah elevates – he gives up his wealth for Allah. So Allah raises him higher in the ranks of Paradise.

The one who holds back – Allah lowers him. Yet wasn’t he amassing wealth to get honor? But Allah has humiliated him lower and lower until he falls into the ditch of hellfire.

Ayah 12:

إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَىٰ

Inna AAalayna lalhuda

It is only upon Us, truly to give guidance.

‘alayna – upon us (muqaddam – placed before to imply that it is only Allah who can give guidance).

This is a wealth which none owns except Allah.

al Farra:
1- By saying this; Real guidance is only that which leads you to Us (Allah).
2 – It is only upon Allah to guide (fujooraha wa taqwaha), and on top of that – He sent al Husna (the Ultimate Good guidance).
Real Guidance is to reach the goal – Allah Himself.

Hassaan ar-Ra’i:
1 – it is only upon Allah to give guidance, He is enough of Allah to clarify the path of guidance.
2 – Guidance in of itself will lead the one journeying to Allah.

Ayah 13:

وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْآخِرَةَ وَالْأُولَىٰ

Wa-inna lana lal–akhirati wal-oola

and surely, it is only We – surely – who own the last (life) and the first (life).

We who own the final and earliest (oowla) – We own everything in this life and the next. We mould and change situations how We want.

When He owns it fully – He owns and changes order of it how He wants it to be like. We do not order Allah how He should layout the plans and destiny of everything.

The people can ask of either this life or the next, but they all truly belong to Him.
So you can ask for this life, and He will give you. (people who are not sincere usually just ask for good things in this life). There are others who just ask for good in the next (like the Rahbaniyyah [christian monks of old].

Allah told us to ask for good in both lives;

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ –

Rabbanna aatina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil akhirati hasanah, wa kinaa azab an-naar

(our Master, give us good in this life, and good in the next life, and save us from the fire.) [al Baqarah 2:201]

The one who wants both of them – ask, and He will give us both.
He owns both, so why not ask for both?

thawab ad-dunya, thawab al akhirah.

Previously, the latter is mentioned first, and then the former is mentioned second.

In surah Qasas;
fa lahul hamdu fil oowla wa fil akhirah.

There – the surah was about the favours of Allah in this life. So we recognised His favours of this life, this is why the hamd/praise mentioned belongs to Him, firstly in this life and the next.

In this surah [Layl]; the focus is more about not getting lost in this world, and focusing more on the next life.
So Allah mentions His ownership of the next life first, since it is given more precedence.

fa lillah al akhirah wal oowla (surah najm) – to Allah belong this life and the next.

Fa inna lana LAL akhirah (surah layl) an extra letter Lam.
The Lam makes an emphasis; TRULY the next life and this life only belong to Him.

This surah has been talking about Ownership. Allah has been talking to people who have istighna’ (thinking they are not in need of anyone else due to their richness).

Allah is telling them that TRULY the next life and this life belong to Him. So they are not really rich, only He is.

Allah is also telling us that everything – including the wealth you have – is Allah’s property.

The people had a mindset that the wealth they had was there’s only, so why should they give it away?
When you know it is Allah’s property – it is easier to give it away to others because you know it wasn’t yours to begin with, and when you give it away – you hope for Allah’s promise of reward.

Why was the word Oowla (what came earlier) used and not Dunya (meaning ‘Inferior’ worldly life)?

– This ayah is about Allah’s onwership. It is more befitting to say that to Allah belongs ‘what came earlier’ (oowla). [this is better than saying Dunya, because Allah is too high to be associated with lowly words like ‘inferior/dunya’.

– oowla – everything before
akhirah – everything after.

Oowla covers more meaning than dunya because oowla and aakhirah cover everything, from what came before, to what will come after. This mean’s that to Allah belongs EVERYTHING of the past and future.

Ayah 14:

فَأَنذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّىٰ

Fa andhartukum naaran taladhdha

So I have warned you of a Sparking/Crackling Fire
(prophet Salih warned before but they did not listen).
in this surah – Allah Himself is warning.

taladhdhaa – something keeps sparking, crackling, making noise.

tataladhdhaa – this is the full version of the word. But Allah removed the second Ta because He is angry.

After the warning, He is thoroughly warning, scaring you.

Indhar – thoroughly warn and scare. (a Mundhir is a warner). I am scaring you.

Indhaar – sit someone down and make them know the entire situation (assuming they don’t know the entire threat of danger they are in). If they continue to do what you do, there is a danger ahead of you, and explain of its full consequences.

The Qur’an Indhar/warns/explains;
– Fully the kind of situation you are in.
– fully explains where you are headed.
– fully aware of what that’s going to do to you.

That’s indhaar.

Allah warns about the fire in the past tense.

Ayah 14 continued:

In other parts of the Qur’an, warning is also mentioned;

– innaa andharnakum adhaaban qareeba (surah naba’)

– andhartukum saa’iqatan mithli saa’iqati ‘aadin wa thamood (surah fussilat) – i have warned you of an explosion, like the explosion of ‘aad and thamood.

Warned, warned.. All these warnings are Past tense.

There is only one case of warning in the present tense;
ina ma undhirukum bil wahy – i am warning you (present tense) with Revelation.

ash-Sha’rawi: When Allah warns of only one thing specifically (i.e. hereafter, punishment etc.) – He mentions past tense. When He warns of many things (wahy contains all forms of information) – He will mention present tense.

So wahy can; encourage good deeds, of forbid evils, warn you of the Last Day etc. Many things which are continuously revealed – in the present tense – of the life of Allah’s Messenger. This is why present tense is more suitable.

The biggest warning is the hellfire. A singular thing. So it is placed in the past tense;

I have warned you of a Hellfire..

Ayah 15:

لَا يَصْلَاهَا إِلَّا الْأَشْقَى

La yaslaha illaal-ashqa

None will throw themselves in it except the most wretched.

yasla – literally means to throw ones self in.

ashqa – the most wretched [one who does evil, despicable crimes].

in surah Shams, Allah told us what this ashqa / wretched person did in this life. He killed a miracle camel from Allah, so Allah killed him and his people for their evil.

Allah in this surah tells us what will happen to this ashqa/wretched person in the next life;

He will throw himself into the blazing hot, crackling, sparking fire.

None will enter it except the most wretched.

The most wretched approached the miracle she camel of Allah, while Prophet Salih warned him not to go close to it.
Now Allah’s Messenger is telling the Quraysh to come close to the Qur’an, but they are distancing themselves away from it.
In each circumstance – the warning is Allah’s punishment in this life and the fire.

No-one will go into this type of crackling, sparking fire – except (il-laa) the Ashqa (the most unfortunate person).

How is he unfortunate?

Ayah 16:

الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ

aladhee kadh-dhaba wa tawal-la

he lied against the truth and turned away.

this person lied against the Husna (Ultimate good) – see ayah 9.

then he turned away from it – that was a big crime in the sight of Allah because he denied the guidance of Allah while knowing it is the truth.

Assaam ar-Ra’i: Who else does he turn away from?
The people who ask him (i.e. the needy etc.)
this opinion is based on ayah 8 of this surah – as for the one who is greedy and miserly (bakhila wa is-staghna)

Allah does not tell us specifically what he turns away from because the Theme of the surah is to fill in the missing gaps. You should know now.

Ayah 17:

وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا الْأَتْقَى

Wa sayujannabuha al-atqa

and soon the most fearful (attqa) will be warded away from it.

Attqa – those who have the MOST fear/God consciessness. This is a level higher than muttaqeen.
(attqa – in the linguistic form of afdal)

Janaba – to be on the side. Tajanub – to be taken on the side.

Tajneeb – to be taken extremely FAR to the side. This is what is being used in this ayah.
Moved FAR away from the hellfire and placed on the FAR side where there is total safety.

And the most righteous will soon be turned far away from it.

Al Wahidi: al Atqa refers to Abu Bakr, because these aayaat are referring to him when he brought and freed a group of Muslim slaves who were being tortured by the disbelievers.
And due to that – these aayaat came down.

The Amazement of these 2 Aayaat:
Allah is telling us through these two earlier aayaat;
None will enter the Naarun Taladdhaa (crackling blazing fire) except the Ashqa (most wretched).

He then says that the Atqa (most God fearing) will be the saved ones who will be turned away from the fire.

What is amazing about this?

Allah is saying that the Ashqa (most wretched) will EXCLUSIVELY go to that specific crackling fire.

ButHe is not saying that the Atqa (most God fearing) will EXCLUSIVELY be turned away from the fire.

Meaning: those who are not on such a high level of God fearness/consciessness as the Atqa will also be turned away from the fire.

This is the amazing Mercy of Allah, because if He used the same sentence structure in both aayaat – it would mean that we would all go to hell – unless we were on the highest level of Atqa (fear of Allah/God consciessness).

The language of the Qur’an is VERY precise.
Allah has told us that those who have the most taqwa will be turned away from the fire, and also some of those below them in taqwa.

O Allah, make us of those with the highest amount of Taqwa.

How can you be of the Atqa?

aladhee yu’tee maalahu LI ya tazak-ka.
he gave his wealth FOR his purification.

But the LI is not in this ayah.

Why?

Because Allah is teaching us that giving wealth will not purify you guaranteed, rather – Allah will purify who He wills.

Yata zak-ka – this then implies that he HOPES Allah will purify him.

So you give a generous gift to the poor for Allah’s pleasure, and you hope that Allah will cleanse you.

O Allah, cleanse and purify us inwardly and outwardly. Ameen.

The surah began; amma man a’ttaa (as for the one who gives alot).

now;

Ayah 18:

الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّىٰ
aladhee yu’tee maalahu yatazak-ka

he gives from his wealth to purify himself.

We see that to purify ourselves, Allah is telling us to continuously give, even if it is a little.
In the ayah of a’tta – no specific giving is mentioned. (i.e. It could refer to; Time, effort, your youth, talents, your life, and even your money if you have alot of it, etc). This means he gave alot of everything he had available.

In this ayah – wealth has been mentioned. Not everyone can give alot of wealth, so Allah has mentioned that this person gives a little bit (yu/tee) of wealth to purify himself. In comparison to the a’tta mentioned before.

Give a seed, give something. He didn’t mention alot of wealth because not everyone is rich. But He mentioned a’tta to alot of other things which you DO have.

Just make it a habit, give a little every now and then. Make a sadaqa (charity) box, teach your family and encourage them to give and be generous. Whenever you give them a gift – remind them to be generous in giving to others too.

We give our kids toys, and we don’t teach them to give things back. Teach them to give to each other, to the relatives, to the neighbour, to their friends.
A father once brought some chocolates and gave them to his wife, asked her to put them on a plate. Then they gave the chocolates to the young daughter and share them with the family and relatives.
This teaches children generosity and the joy of sharing from a young age.

Or you should buy new clothes and give them to some poor person. Make your children imagine the great reward Allah will give them for doing that in the next life. Teach them this from a young age so they love that and learn generosity. If you don’t teach this from a young age, it will be too late by the time they are teenagers – since they will begin to get influenced by society and friends more than the home.

( لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِن شَيْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ –

Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah ] from that which you love. And whatever you spend – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it. [aal Imran 3:92]

Ayah 19:

وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُ مِن نِّعْمَةٍ تُجْزَىٰ
Wama li-ahadin AAindahu min niAAmatin tujza

And have in his mind no favour from anyone for which a reward is expected in return,

He didn’t have anyone infront of him to which he should be payed back.

So only for his purification and for Allah’s face – that’s the only reason you give.
Not for cultural norms, not for fame – only so Allah purifies you. And it doesn’t matter if people criticize you because that will make your intention more firmer for Allah’s sake instead of for popularity or worldly gain.

So fear should not prevent you from giving.

“And there was not a single person that had a blessing for him that should be payed back”

how can there be anyone who will pay him back for what he gave?

jazaa – payback – giving someone absolutely so there is no dissatisfaction left

Ayah 20:

إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الْأَعْلَىٰ
Illa ibtighaa wajhi rabbihi al-aAAla

But only seeking the face of his Lord, Most High.

Except in pursuit of the face / pleasure (ontentment of his Most High/Supreme Lord.

This lowers and humbles us, even if we have alot of wealth, our Master Allah is the Most Supreme.

ibtigha – seek out, it also means to rebel.
Combined the 2 meanings to mean: you cross all limits to seek/get it. (interpretation by Raghib al Isfahani)

ibtighaa’A – mansoob (A/fat-ha/zabar at the end) implies:-
– IT IS THE ONLY REASON THEY DID IT – FOR ALLAH’S FACE.
– Because of that pursuit of Allah’s pleasure – they started giving. (i.e. They would pray and fast alot, and then they realised how beloved giving in charity is in the sight of Allah – so they started giving wealth seeking Allah’s pleasure).

wajh = face i.e. for His pleasure.

wa la sawfa yardda –

Ibn Katheer: the one who acquires the attributes mentioned in this surah – he will soon be very very content.

this world is all about being content. Everyone strives for happiness/content.

Allah is teaching us that we just want to be content – we only want to collect money to be happy, so He is telling us that we should seek His face by giving – and He will make us content/satisfied/ardda.

Allah will give you what all humans are striving for – happiness and satisfaction.

In the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction (surah ar-Ra’d)

La – can be illustrated as an Oath/emphasis which hasn’t been said.

Ibn Katheer: and i truly Swear by Allah that he will be pleased when Allah gives him satisfaction and rewards.

Ayah 21:

وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَىٰ

wa La sawfa yardda.

He surely soon will be pleased (when he will enter Paradise).

This is being said to an audience who is happy to run after and gather the wealth of this world without helping the poor.

Allah is swearing, doing an oath – that for sure you will be happy if you acquire the characteristics of such righteous people.

You will find tranquility and contentment.

Ibn Katheer: These narrations may be about Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq.

Most scholars said they think it refers to Abu Bakr because Allah says; al Atqa (the most God fearing/consciess) – which is Abu Bakr after all the Prophets’.

So we should strive to be like Abu Bakr.

Surah Quraysh – Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh

Surah Quraysh [106] – Miracle Dream Tafseer

Nouman Ali Khan

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There are several things which connect this surah [Quraysh], and the previous surah Feel.

Especially the last ayah [ayah 4] of this surah;

الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ – (He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear.
.
This is the central Theme in this surah.

Safety against fear (min khawf) – this is proven through surah Feel.

Umar would recite this surah in Maghrib prayer, and in the firstraka’ak he would recite surah at-Teen.

In the second raka’ah he would recite Feel and Quraysh without placing the
basmallah [bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Raheem] between them. This is what Abdullah ibn Mas’ud would do too.

They knew they were 2 separate surahs’ – but they did it to show theclose connection between these 2 surahs’.

Imam al Fakhr ar-Razi said;

The gift of Allah is of 2 types:

– To remove harm. I.e. He gets rid of your problems. This is the gift
Allah gave in surah Feel.

– To give benefit. I.e. He provides you food and safety and benefit.
This is the case in surah Quraysh.


When you recognise Allah’s favours – you have to be His slave to show
appreciation.

فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَٰذَا الْبَيْتِ – Fal ya’budu Rabba al hadhal bayt – so let them enslave themselves to the Master of this House [the Ka’bah]. [Quraysh 106:3]

The sequencing of the surahs in the copy of the Qur’an [Mus-haf] is either;

– Due to the Ijma’ (consensus of the sahaba/companions)
– or It was revelation.

ash-Shawkani quotes al Farra’: says it is not Divine sequencing. This surah is however
is connected to the previous surah. This is because how Allah dealt with the Ethiopians/Abyssinians who attacked.

This is because Allah said at the beginning of surah Quraysh; Lieelaafi Quraysh (For the convenience of Quraysh).

The Li (For) impliesthat Allah destroyed the army of Abraha – Li (For – the convenience ofthe Quraysh).

So we see there is a connection between both surahs in their sequencing.

The Arabs would head to Yemen to trade – and if Abraha had destroyed them and been successful – the Quraysh Arabs would not be able to trade there;

1 – Due to their trading business center (Makkah) being destroyed by Abraha.
2 – or Abraha would return to Yemen and would not allow them to enter Yemen for trade because of his hatred against them.

There would never be an ambush against the Quraysh amongst the Arabs because all thetribes feared Divine punishment if they were harmed.

Prophet Ibraheem prayed for this city of Makkah;

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ
فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits –
whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.” [ Allah ] said.

“And whoever disbelieves – I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the
destination.” [Baqarah 2:126]

Peace and Prosperity – the foundations required for any society to run in a healthy form.

Ayah 1:

لِ إِيلَافِ قُرَيْشٍ
Li–eelafi quraysh

(It is a great Grace and Protection from Allah), For the taming of the Quraish,

Li – for

Eelaaf – Ulfa – to have a soft heart and make feelings of affectiontowards someone. Alafa.


Al-lafa (mentioned in surah aal Imran 3:103) – cause love to happen betweentwo people.
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember
the favor of Allah upon you – when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together [as one]
and you became, by His favor, brothers. [aal Imran 3:103]

Eelaaf إيلاف – to make love happen immediately.

Ta/leef تأليف – to make love happen gradually. [this is the word used in the ayah quoted of surah aal Imraan 3:103]

Allah has – for sudden affection (Eelaaf) from the Quraysh –

He has given them many favours, even destroying the army of Abraha.


In tafseer surah Feel; As-haab al Eelaaf (the companions of the HeartSofteners i.e. Hashim and his brothers) were mentioned – because they
softened up the hearts of other nations to do business with them.

Li – for.

Basri and Kufan grammarian schools had differences in opinion what this implied:

Basri school: We did this (the destruction of Abraha’s army – the
people of the Elephant) as a favour from us towards those who live
around the Sacred house. (they hold the opinion that what is mentioned in the previous Surah Feel is connected to this Li [for]).

Kufa School: Allah is making His Messenger amazed.
Li can be used to show amazement [ta’ajjub]. This Lam by itself can imply that;

how amazing it is that Allah can soften the heart of Quraysh, even
though they are so drowned in their sinful ways of polytheism/shirk
and major sins (i.e. killing their daughters etc.)

What an amazing extension of Mercy Allah is showing upon them.

Abu Zayd: the entire surah al Feel – every individual aayaat of the previous surah is
connected to the first ayah of this surah.

Every part of the ayah should soften the hearts of the Quraysh to the truth.

1 –
Lam ل of Ta’ajjub (amazement).


How shocking is it that Allah wants to soften the hearts of these
people by defending the house for them, which Ibraheem built – yet
they still remain firm on their polytheism and disbelief without being
thankful to Allah.

Amazement with these people.


Despite the fact that He provides them at times of hunger and gives
them safety against fear.


2 – Others say this Lam is separate from the previous surah, and what is
in this surah.
The only purpose We gave the Quraysh is so they are grateful to Allah.

Ibraheem prayed to Allah that the people have a softened heart towards
this Sacred House and its people

رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ
تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ

Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your
sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So
make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide
for them from the fruits that they might be grateful. [Ibrahim 14:37]

Those who lookafter the House should have the softest of hearts. SoAllah makes their life so easy – that they can concentrate on
worshipping Allah alone without having to worry about businessdealings.

Yet they are still keeping themselves busy in worldly affairs? WhenAllah has provided them so they can worship him?


A short story;

Brother Nouman mentions a Muslim Doctor/Physician who works Part time,
and earns $100,000 per year. The people ask him why he doesn’t work
fulltime to earn $500,000 per year? He tells them that Allah has
provided him enough, and that he can spend his other time memorizing
Qur’an and remembering Allah etc.

So the fact that the Quraysh have enough money – they shouldn’t waste
more time on worldly matters – they should spend the time they have
now on softening their heart and getting closer to Allah.

Lam al ‘uqooba (of consequence) – because Allah softened their hearts
– they should worship the Lord of this House. This should be enough to
soften your heart.

Lam at-Ta’ajjub – Amazement – described above.

3 – Or it is connected with the previous surah – that due to the
destruction of Abraha’s army – they should be thankful and worship the
Lord of this Sacred House in Makkah.

Quraysh – taqarrush – to gather people from many distances.


1st: They were a gathering of many dispersed people by the man al Muj’im
(described in tafseer surah Feel).
2nd: Qarsh – A massive beast in the ocean.A whale or octopus that can
destroy ships. And it cannot be overpowered except by fire (and itcannot be destroyed by fire because it is in the water – a saying of the Arabs).

QuraYsh is a tasgheer/smallened version of this big powerful beast.
I.e. They are big and powerful, but they are smaller than it. (i.e.
Hasan is a name to mean beautiful. A small person called Hasan is
HusaYn, or Umar and UmaYr (little Umar, ‘Abd and UbaYd (little slave),
Qarsh and QuraYsh etc.

This tasgheer/making small can also magnify them.
i.e. We might jokingly call a tall person – short, or a thin person – ‘fatty’ (fat). etc.

So QuraYsh in tasgheer [smallness] form can actually imply they are powerful and
big. Even though tasgheer/smallness is used in language.

Ibn Abbas was askesd why are they called Quraysh? He replied; Because the beast in
the ocean eats – but it is not eaten. It overpowers, but it cannot be
overpowered. And this is the case with Quraysh.

Poetry:
Wa qurayshun hiyya alatee taskunu. Al bahra bi ma summiyat qurayshun
qurayshan – the Quraysh is the one who lives in the ocean and because
of it Quraysh is called Quraysh.

3rd: Qarsh – to earn (qasb) – they’re called that because of their constant
trading and travelling in the land.

The Abraha army being destroyed allows the Quraysh to remain the
strong economic power, and it also keeps their high status to remain
firm – that Allah is protecting them and their city from any harm from
enemies.

If Someone who was skeptic – then the event of Abraha was mentioned to
‘prove’ their sacredness.

The people living around the Ka’ba had a new respect.

The Quraysh themselves hearts’ should soften to Allah.

Allah only gave them honour so they would facilitate Allah’s worship
for other people at Allah’s Sacred House in Makkah.


Allah spoke about them in this surah in 3rd person.
The last surah was 2nd person to Allah’s Messenger, and this surah is
talking 3rd person about them – to Allah’s Messenger.

3rd person is used when you are not happy with them. But you are
talking to the one you like about their mistakes and what they should
be doing instead.

Ayah 2:

إِيلَافِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ
Eelafihim rihlata ashshitaa-i wa-assayf

(And with all those Allah’s Grace and Protections for their taming, We cause)
the (Quraish) caravans to travel with baggage safe in the winter (to the south)
, and in the summer(to the north without any fear),




The Eelaaf is repeated in the second ayah – Why?

To emphatically declare with emphasis – a strong emphasis. (i.e. Didyou hear what I said, Did you hear?!)

Repetition is done in classical arabic to emphasise what Allah said.

I.e. For their Elaaf (soften their heart, did you hear – to soften
your hearts!)
Allah did the following favours for the Quraysh;

He destroyed Abraha’s army for them
He gave them the house of worship
– they are descendants of Ibraheem
– that Allah sent His final Messenger Muhammad (sal Allah alayhiwasalam) to them.

The first Elaaf was general, the second was specific.

If all those things mentioned before did not soften you up, then the
second one should.



The caravans of the summer.

It is in the Nasab state, the convenience is given – so they can have
the caravans of the Summer and the winter.

Why did Allah mention Rihla for travel?

Safar سفر – to travel far away
Saaha ساحة (i.e. siyahah) – to go somewhere for luxury and pleasant.
Dha’ana ظَعْن– to travel from one spot to another – tourism on the move. [see an-Nahl 16:80]

– Nafara نفر – travel to fight somewhere.

Rahla – rihl – merchandise. merchandise / baggage – journey where you carry alot of bags– i.e. They sell so they pack alot of bags.

So when you travel with camels – people will see all their products
loads of bags of merchandise for trade – yet none robs them.
and whenever they wanted to – they could stop their trade for holidays.

Other people had to travel because they could die if they never had
food and trade.
the Quraysh were so rich in their trade – they could stop whenever
they wanted to.
Ikrimah: The Quraysh went to Busra and Yemen. They would switch with
going to one in summer and the other in winter simultaneously.

Some say Allah criticized them for that, and that they should have
stayed in Makkah since the wealth was coming to them anyway.

They were business people and Allah exposed how they liked going to
Syria (Sham), and they made alot of poetry about that. In the winter
they would go to Yemen because it is extremely hot there, even in
Summer, and they would go to Syria in summer because it is cooler
there.

Allah mentioned winter first, and summer second.

Winter is associated with lack of produce, and summer is related to
produce growing.

Allah mentions winter first because it is miraculous that they even
get produce and food for the winter – a special favour of Allah to
them.

at-Tabari and Qurtubi: the winter is associated with lack of food, and
the warm climate was when the thief tribes would steal from caravans
(they would stay inside in the winters because it was really cold
then.)

So Allah mentions the economical problem first, and then the safety
problem last. Because the main theme in this surah is the economics.


Rihla is singular – the travelling of the Quraysh were really two
journeys per year. The reason why Allah might mention it as one Rihla
(as opposed to Rihlatayn/taan) for this is because the travellings
from one location to the other was like one continuous trade.

The Quraysh would travel and trade at one place, come back to Makkah
and trade abit, then go directly to their other location for buying
and selling.
I.e. Yemen to Makkah, then to Syria and back to Makkah and Yemen – throughout the year. Justlike one continuous journey.

Why is RIhla is nasab [kasra/zeyr] form ? Because it is alluding to a location.

Allah mentions Elaaf (for the affection of the Quraysh) first – then
He mentions that – due to that – they should worship and enslave
themselves to the Master of this House of Worship in Makkah – Masjid
al Haraam.

Ayah 3:

فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَٰذَا الْبَيْتِ
FalyaAAbudoo rabba hadha albayt

So let them worship (Allah)/enslave themselves [to] the Lord of this House (the Ka’bah in Makkah).



The favours of Allah cannot be counted, and if they cannot – then
atleast worship Him for this one big favour through which Allah has
given you an easy lifestyle.

That is the manifest favour of Allah upon them that their economy can survive.

It is also connected because Allah protected this house from Abraha’s army.

Those 2 favours are enough for them to worship Allah.

– (Li) For the convenience of the Quraysh.

Allah is connecting the Li from the first ayah to this ayah.

So that their hearts should become soft – they should worship the Lordof this House.

or switched:

They should worship the Lord of this House – so their hearts become soft.Lazim and malzoom.


Why did Allah mention ‘that house’ (hadhal bayt)? Because Ibraheem
built it – that’s what gives them this status in the sight of the
Arabs – so they are not attacked in trade.

This is the house which boosted and increased their economy – because
they told the other nations that all the Arabs unite their.

It is that house which Allah protected against Abraha.

And it was that house – when Ibraheem built it – he said Allah make it
a house of security and provide it with foods.


Allah could have said let them thank the Master of this house.
He told us to enslave ourselves to Him though. This means that the
only way you can truly thank Allah is by enslaving yourself to Him.

There is no other way.

Ayah 4:

الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ

Alladhee atAAamahum min joo’AAin wa aamanahum min khawf

(He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safefrom fear.

Ibn Abbas: referring to Quraysh who were provided with food – based on
the du’a of Ibraheem (min ath-thamaraat.. – quran)
az-Zamakhshari: the taNween (nakira) on Joo’iN and khawfiN implies that
Allah protected them from the worst types of fear and worst types of
hunger (shadeed – severe).

Because before the caravans – they would be in extreme hunger.

And Allah protected them from the fear of being destroyed (ie. The
army of Abraha – the elephant). Or the fear of being snatched and
kidnapped when they travel.



أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا حَرَمًا آمِنًا وَيُتَخَطَّفُ النَّاسُ مِنْ حَوْلِهِمْ ۚ أَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ يَكْفُرُونَ

Or is it that they have not seen, [have not] realised, that We have appointed, their town of Mecca
to be, a secure Sanctuary, while people are snatched away all around
them?, by being killed or taken captive, except for them? Is it that
they believe in falsehood, [in] the idol, and are [wont to be]
ungrateful for God’s grace?, when they ascribe partners to Him?

[al Ankabut 29:67]


All people from mankind would be robbed, kidnapped and their wealth stolen – except in the sanctuary of Makkah.

When a man was kidnapped – The thiefs would then leave abit of money forhim so he could travel back and they could rob him again in the
future when he travels again.

This is a big favour on Quraysh that they do not experience this.

Min joo’ [from hunger] – provides them; despite hunger, He gave them food, when
there is no land fertile land for fruit, crops etc. in the barren dry city of Makkah.

And there is no real security there either – except because Allah has
given it. Because Makkah is in the middle of the desert – it should
really be open to attack. But despite that – Allah has given them
security..

رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ
تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ
Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your
sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So
make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide
for them from the fruits that they might be grateful. [Ibrahim 14:37]

not ‘ala joo’ (against hunger)min joo’ [from hunger] – tab’eed [distancing] – Allah put hunger and fear FAR away from them because
they have full confidence Allah will protect this city.

Allah selects the best words in His Speech for the best context;


وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits,
but give good tidings to the patient,[al Baqarah 2:155]

We will test you with fear and hunger.

In this surah [Quraysh] – He mentioned hunger first and then khawf [fear].

Allah mentioned the battle of Badr One of the consequences of battle is econonomic loss, but fear is more
dangerous.

In this surah – the economic situation is more important – so Joo’
(hunger) is mentioned first and then fear.

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رْيَةً كَانَتْ آمِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ اللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ
لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ

And Allah presents an example: a city which was safe and secure, its provision
coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied
the favors of Allah . So Allah made it taste the envelopment of
hunger and fear for what they had been doing.

[Nahl 16:112]

baasal al joo’i wal khawf – Allah made them taste hunger, and then fear.

Economical conditions are mentioned first in this surah Nahl, and then fear.


The amazing sequencing of the words in the Qur’an – placing words inthe right sequence in context.


The winter season was associated with hunger. The summer wasassociated with fear.

shittaa and sa’if [winter and summer]
joo‘ and khawf. [hunger and fear]

Joo’ – literally means Hunger. Jaw’aan – extremely hungry person.

Ibraheem did not say give them alot of money. The opposite of ghaniy is miskeen.

Allah did not say fakr [poverty], He said joo’ (associated with food). Ibraheem said mentioned that provide them with fruit. So Allah mentioned joo’ – hunger, not fakr (poorness).

2 favours of Allah:
removing harm
gives you benefit

Then the prayer of Ibraheem – peace and prosperity.

How these surahs soften the heart of Quraysh – destroy Abraha’s army,
and this surah is based on prosperity – travel back and forth through
summer and winter with all sorts of foods.

Now Allah has perfected His favors upon them – the stage has been set
– it is expected of them to become Allah’s slaves. But did they become
enslaved to Allah in thankfulness to Him?

Surah Ma’un – the next surah – will show how how they react to Allah’s favours.

http://linguisticmiracle.blogspot.com/2010/07/surah-quraysh-miracle-dream-tafseer.html


Surah Quraysh – Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh

Surah Quraysh [106] – Miracle Dream Tafseer

Nouman Ali Khan

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There are several things which connect this surah [Quraysh], and the previous surah Feel.

Especially the last ayah [ayah 4] of this surah;

الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ – (He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear.
.
This is the central Theme in this surah.

Safety against fear (min khawf) – this is proven through surah Feel.

Umar would recite this surah in Maghrib prayer, and in the firstraka’ak he would recite surah at-Teen.

In the second raka’ah he would recite Feel and Quraysh without placing the
basmallah [bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Raheem] between them. This is what Abdullah ibn Mas’ud would do too.

They knew they were 2 separate surahs’ – but they did it to show theclose connection between these 2 surahs’.

Imam al Fakhr ar-Razi said;

The gift of Allah is of 2 types:

– To remove harm. I.e. He gets rid of your problems. This is the gift
Allah gave in surah Feel.

– To give benefit. I.e. He provides you food and safety and benefit.
This is the case in surah Quraysh.


When you recognise Allah’s favours – you have to be His slave to show
appreciation.

فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَٰذَا الْبَيْتِ – Fal ya’budu Rabba al hadhal bayt – so let them enslave themselves to the Master of this House [the Ka’bah]. [Quraysh 106:3]

The sequencing of the surahs in the copy of the Qur’an [Mus-haf] is either;

– Due to the Ijma’ (consensus of the sahaba/companions)
– or It was revelation.

ash-Shawkani quotes al Farra’: says it is not Divine sequencing. This surah is however
is connected to the previous surah. This is because how Allah dealt with the Ethiopians/Abyssinians who attacked.

This is because Allah said at the beginning of surah Quraysh; Lieelaafi Quraysh (For the convenience of Quraysh).

The Li (For) impliesthat Allah destroyed the army of Abraha – Li (For – the convenience ofthe Quraysh).

So we see there is a connection between both surahs in their sequencing.

The Arabs would head to Yemen to trade – and if Abraha had destroyed them and been successful – the Quraysh Arabs would not be able to trade there;

1 – Due to their trading business center (Makkah) being destroyed by Abraha.
2 – or Abraha would return to Yemen and would not allow them to enter Yemen for trade because of his hatred against them.

There would never be an ambush against the Quraysh amongst the Arabs because all thetribes feared Divine punishment if they were harmed.

Prophet Ibraheem prayed for this city of Makkah;

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُم بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ قَالَ وَمَن كَفَرَ
فَأُمَتِّعُهُ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ أَضْطَرُّهُ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ النَّارِ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits –
whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.” [ Allah ] said.

“And whoever disbelieves – I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the
destination.” [Baqarah 2:126]

Peace and Prosperity – the foundations required for any society to run in a healthy form.

Ayah 1:

لِ إِيلَافِ قُرَيْشٍ
Li–eelafi quraysh

(It is a great Grace and Protection from Allah), For the taming of the Quraish,

Li – for

Eelaaf – Ulfa – to have a soft heart and make feelings of affectiontowards someone. Alafa.


Al-lafa (mentioned in surah aal Imran 3:103) – cause love to happen betweentwo people.
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember
the favor of Allah upon you – when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together [as one]
and you became, by His favor, brothers. [aal Imran 3:103]

Eelaaf إيلاف – to make love happen immediately.

Ta/leef تأليف – to make love happen gradually. [this is the word used in the ayah quoted of surah aal Imraan 3:103]

Allah has – for sudden affection (Eelaaf) from the Quraysh –

He has given them many favours, even destroying the army of Abraha.


In tafseer surah Feel; As-haab al Eelaaf (the companions of the HeartSofteners i.e. Hashim and his brothers) were mentioned – because they
softened up the hearts of other nations to do business with them.

Li – for.

Basri and Kufan grammarian schools had differences in opinion what this implied:

Basri school: We did this (the destruction of Abraha’s army – the
people of the Elephant) as a favour from us towards those who live
around the Sacred house. (they hold the opinion that what is mentioned in the previous Surah Feel is connected to this Li [for]).

Kufa School: Allah is making His Messenger amazed.
Li can be used to show amazement [ta’ajjub]. This Lam by itself can imply that;

how amazing it is that Allah can soften the heart of Quraysh, even
though they are so drowned in their sinful ways of polytheism/shirk
and major sins (i.e. killing their daughters etc.)

What an amazing extension of Mercy Allah is showing upon them.

Abu Zayd: the entire surah al Feel – every individual aayaat of the previous surah is
connected to the first ayah of this surah.

Every part of the ayah should soften the hearts of the Quraysh to the truth.

1 –
Lam ل of Ta’ajjub (amazement).


How shocking is it that Allah wants to soften the hearts of these
people by defending the house for them, which Ibraheem built – yet
they still remain firm on their polytheism and disbelief without being
thankful to Allah.

Amazement with these people.


Despite the fact that He provides them at times of hunger and gives
them safety against fear.


2 – Others say this Lam is separate from the previous surah, and what is
in this surah.
The only purpose We gave the Quraysh is so they are grateful to Allah.

Ibraheem prayed to Allah that the people have a softened heart towards
this Sacred House and its people

رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ
تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ

Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your
sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So
make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide
for them from the fruits that they might be grateful. [Ibrahim 14:37]

Those who lookafter the House should have the softest of hearts. SoAllah makes their life so easy – that they can concentrate on
worshipping Allah alone without having to worry about businessdealings.

Yet they are still keeping themselves busy in worldly affairs? WhenAllah has provided them so they can worship him?


A short story;

Brother Nouman mentions a Muslim Doctor/Physician who works Part time,
and earns $100,000 per year. The people ask him why he doesn’t work
fulltime to earn $500,000 per year? He tells them that Allah has
provided him enough, and that he can spend his other time memorizing
Qur’an and remembering Allah etc.

So the fact that the Quraysh have enough money – they shouldn’t waste
more time on worldly matters – they should spend the time they have
now on softening their heart and getting closer to Allah.

Lam al ‘uqooba (of consequence) – because Allah softened their hearts
– they should worship the Lord of this House. This should be enough to
soften your heart.

Lam at-Ta’ajjub – Amazement – described above.

3 – Or it is connected with the previous surah – that due to the
destruction of Abraha’s army – they should be thankful and worship the
Lord of this Sacred House in Makkah.

Quraysh – taqarrush – to gather people from many distances.


1st: They were a gathering of many dispersed people by the man al Muj’im
(described in tafseer surah Feel).
2nd: Qarsh – A massive beast in the ocean.A whale or octopus that can
destroy ships. And it cannot be overpowered except by fire (and itcannot be destroyed by fire because it is in the water – a saying of the Arabs).

QuraYsh is a tasgheer/smallened version of this big powerful beast.
I.e. They are big and powerful, but they are smaller than it. (i.e.
Hasan is a name to mean beautiful. A small person called Hasan is
HusaYn, or Umar and UmaYr (little Umar, ‘Abd and UbaYd (little slave),
Qarsh and QuraYsh etc.

This tasgheer/making small can also magnify them.
i.e. We might jokingly call a tall person – short, or a thin person – ‘fatty’ (fat). etc.

So QuraYsh in tasgheer [smallness] form can actually imply they are powerful and
big. Even though tasgheer/smallness is used in language.

Ibn Abbas was askesd why are they called Quraysh? He replied; Because the beast in
the ocean eats – but it is not eaten. It overpowers, but it cannot be
overpowered. And this is the case with Quraysh.

Poetry:
Wa qurayshun hiyya alatee taskunu. Al bahra bi ma summiyat qurayshun
qurayshan – the Quraysh is the one who lives in the ocean and because
of it Quraysh is called Quraysh.

3rd: Qarsh – to earn (qasb) – they’re called that because of their constant
trading and travelling in the land.

The Abraha army being destroyed allows the Quraysh to remain the
strong economic power, and it also keeps their high status to remain
firm – that Allah is protecting them and their city from any harm from
enemies.

If Someone who was skeptic – then the event of Abraha was mentioned to
‘prove’ their sacredness.

The people living around the Ka’ba had a new respect.

The Quraysh themselves hearts’ should soften to Allah.

Allah only gave them honour so they would facilitate Allah’s worship
for other people at Allah’s Sacred House in Makkah.


Allah spoke about them in this surah in 3rd person.
The last surah was 2nd person to Allah’s Messenger, and this surah is
talking 3rd person about them – to Allah’s Messenger.

3rd person is used when you are not happy with them. But you are
talking to the one you like about their mistakes and what they should
be doing instead.

Ayah 2:

إِيلَافِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ
Eelafihim rihlata ashshitaa-i wa-assayf

(And with all those Allah’s Grace and Protections for their taming, We cause)
the (Quraish) caravans to travel with baggage safe in the winter (to the south)
, and in the summer(to the north without any fear),




The Eelaaf is repeated in the second ayah – Why?

To emphatically declare with emphasis – a strong emphasis. (i.e. Didyou hear what I said, Did you hear?!)

Repetition is done in classical arabic to emphasise what Allah said.

I.e. For their Elaaf (soften their heart, did you hear – to soften
your hearts!)
Allah did the following favours for the Quraysh;

He destroyed Abraha’s army for them
He gave them the house of worship
– they are descendants of Ibraheem
– that Allah sent His final Messenger Muhammad (sal Allah alayhiwasalam) to them.

The first Elaaf was general, the second was specific.

If all those things mentioned before did not soften you up, then the
second one should.



The caravans of the summer.

It is in the Nasab state, the convenience is given – so they can have
the caravans of the Summer and the winter.

Why did Allah mention Rihla for travel?

Safar سفر – to travel far away
Saaha ساحة (i.e. siyahah) – to go somewhere for luxury and pleasant.
Dha’ana ظَعْن– to travel from one spot to another – tourism on the move. [see an-Nahl 16:80]

– Nafara نفر – travel to fight somewhere.

Rahla – rihl – merchandise. merchandise / baggage – journey where you carry alot of bags– i.e. They sell so they pack alot of bags.

So when you travel with camels – people will see all their products
loads of bags of merchandise for trade – yet none robs them.
and whenever they wanted to – they could stop their trade for holidays.

Other people had to travel because they could die if they never had
food and trade.
the Quraysh were so rich in their trade – they could stop whenever
they wanted to.
Ikrimah: The Quraysh went to Busra and Yemen. They would switch with
going to one in summer and the other in winter simultaneously.

Some say Allah criticized them for that, and that they should have
stayed in Makkah since the wealth was coming to them anyway.

They were business people and Allah exposed how they liked going to
Syria (Sham), and they made alot of poetry about that. In the winter
they would go to Yemen because it is extremely hot there, even in
Summer, and they would go to Syria in summer because it is cooler
there.

Allah mentioned winter first, and summer second.

Winter is associated with lack of produce, and summer is related to
produce growing.

Allah mentions winter first because it is miraculous that they even
get produce and food for the winter – a special favour of Allah to
them.

at-Tabari and Qurtubi: the winter is associated with lack of food, and
the warm climate was when the thief tribes would steal from caravans
(they would stay inside in the winters because it was really cold
then.)

So Allah mentions the economical problem first, and then the safety
problem last. Because the main theme in this surah is the economics.


Rihla is singular – the travelling of the Quraysh were really two
journeys per year. The reason why Allah might mention it as one Rihla
(as opposed to Rihlatayn/taan) for this is because the travellings
from one location to the other was like one continuous trade.

The Quraysh would travel and trade at one place, come back to Makkah
and trade abit, then go directly to their other location for buying
and selling.
I.e. Yemen to Makkah, then to Syria and back to Makkah and Yemen – throughout the year. Justlike one continuous journey.

Why is RIhla is nasab [kasra/zeyr] form ? Because it is alluding to a location.

Allah mentions Elaaf (for the affection of the Quraysh) first – then
He mentions that – due to that – they should worship and enslave
themselves to the Master of this House of Worship in Makkah – Masjid
al Haraam.

Ayah 3:

فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَٰذَا الْبَيْتِ
FalyaAAbudoo rabba hadha albayt

So let them worship (Allah)/enslave themselves [to] the Lord of this House (the Ka’bah in Makkah).



The favours of Allah cannot be counted, and if they cannot – then
atleast worship Him for this one big favour through which Allah has
given you an easy lifestyle.

That is the manifest favour of Allah upon them that their economy can survive.

It is also connected because Allah protected this house from Abraha’s army.

Those 2 favours are enough for them to worship Allah.

– (Li) For the convenience of the Quraysh.

Allah is connecting the Li from the first ayah to this ayah.

So that their hearts should become soft – they should worship the Lordof this House.

or switched:

They should worship the Lord of this House – so their hearts become soft.Lazim and malzoom.


Why did Allah mention ‘that house’ (hadhal bayt)? Because Ibraheem
built it – that’s what gives them this status in the sight of the
Arabs – so they are not attacked in trade.

This is the house which boosted and increased their economy – because
they told the other nations that all the Arabs unite their.

It is that house which Allah protected against Abraha.

And it was that house – when Ibraheem built it – he said Allah make it
a house of security and provide it with foods.


Allah could have said let them thank the Master of this house.
He told us to enslave ourselves to Him though. This means that the
only way you can truly thank Allah is by enslaving yourself to Him.

There is no other way.

Ayah 4:

الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ

Alladhee atAAamahum min joo’AAin wa aamanahum min khawf

(He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safefrom fear.

Ibn Abbas: referring to Quraysh who were provided with food – based on
the du’a of Ibraheem (min ath-thamaraat.. – quran)
az-Zamakhshari: the taNween (nakira) on Joo’iN and khawfiN implies that
Allah protected them from the worst types of fear and worst types of
hunger (shadeed – severe).

Because before the caravans – they would be in extreme hunger.

And Allah protected them from the fear of being destroyed (ie. The
army of Abraha – the elephant). Or the fear of being snatched and
kidnapped when they travel.



أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا حَرَمًا آمِنًا وَيُتَخَطَّفُ النَّاسُ مِنْ حَوْلِهِمْ ۚ أَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ يَكْفُرُونَ

Or is it that they have not seen, [have not] realised, that We have appointed, their town of Mecca
to be, a secure Sanctuary, while people are snatched away all around
them?, by being killed or taken captive, except for them? Is it that
they believe in falsehood, [in] the idol, and are [wont to be]
ungrateful for God’s grace?, when they ascribe partners to Him?

[al Ankabut 29:67]


All people from mankind would be robbed, kidnapped and their wealth stolen – except in the sanctuary of Makkah.

When a man was kidnapped – The thiefs would then leave abit of money forhim so he could travel back and they could rob him again in the
future when he travels again.

This is a big favour on Quraysh that they do not experience this.

Min joo’ [from hunger] – provides them; despite hunger, He gave them food, when
there is no land fertile land for fruit, crops etc. in the barren dry city of Makkah.

And there is no real security there either – except because Allah has
given it. Because Makkah is in the middle of the desert – it should
really be open to attack. But despite that – Allah has given them
security..

رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ
تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ
Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your
sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So
make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide
for them from the fruits that they might be grateful. [Ibrahim 14:37]

not ‘ala joo’ (against hunger)min joo’ [from hunger] – tab’eed [distancing] – Allah put hunger and fear FAR away from them because
they have full confidence Allah will protect this city.

Allah selects the best words in His Speech for the best context;


وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits,
but give good tidings to the patient,[al Baqarah 2:155]

We will test you with fear and hunger.

In this surah [Quraysh] – He mentioned hunger first and then khawf [fear].

Allah mentioned the battle of Badr One of the consequences of battle is econonomic loss, but fear is more
dangerous.

In this surah – the economic situation is more important – so Joo’
(hunger) is mentioned first and then fear.

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رْيَةً كَانَتْ آمِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ اللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ
لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ

And Allah presents an example: a city which was safe and secure, its provision
coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied
the favors of Allah . So Allah made it taste the envelopment of
hunger and fear for what they had been doing.

[Nahl 16:112]

baasal al joo’i wal khawf – Allah made them taste hunger, and then fear.

Economical conditions are mentioned first in this surah Nahl, and then fear.


The amazing sequencing of the words in the Qur’an – placing words inthe right sequence in context.


The winter season was associated with hunger. The summer wasassociated with fear.

shittaa and sa’if [winter and summer]
joo‘ and khawf. [hunger and fear]

Joo’ – literally means Hunger. Jaw’aan – extremely hungry person.

Ibraheem did not say give them alot of money. The opposite of ghaniy is miskeen.

Allah did not say fakr [poverty], He said joo’ (associated with food). Ibraheem said mentioned that provide them with fruit. So Allah mentioned joo’ – hunger, not fakr (poorness).

2 favours of Allah:
removing harm
gives you benefit

Then the prayer of Ibraheem – peace and prosperity.

How these surahs soften the heart of Quraysh – destroy Abraha’s army,
and this surah is based on prosperity – travel back and forth through
summer and winter with all sorts of foods.

Now Allah has perfected His favors upon them – the stage has been set
– it is expected of them to become Allah’s slaves. But did they become
enslaved to Allah in thankfulness to Him?

Surah Ma’un – the next surah – will show how how they react to Allah’s favours.

al Ma’un – Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh

Surah al Ma’un (small kindnesses) [107] –

Miracle Dream Tafseer – Nouman Ali Khan

..also known as surah al-Deen.

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Relationship of this Surah [Ma’un] with the Previous Surah (Quraysh):

The previous surah Quraysh concludes on a demand on Quraysh;
they should enslave themselves fully and worship the Master of this house (the Ka’bah).

Allah tells them what they should be doing (enslaving themselves to Him.)

In this surah Ma’un, Allah tells us what they are doing presently without Emaan (Belief). A contrast between what they should be doing, and what they are doing instead.

Introduction:

By majority count, this is a Makki surah (revealed in Makkah). Although some say it is Madani (revealed in Medina). We will discuss the opinions later insha’ Allah (God willing).

This surah is a sharp, intelligent, uncompromising, unapologetic, you can even argue controversial depiction of social corruption in that society.

Allah’s Messenger is not in social or political power in Makkah, and for him to criticize and point direct fingers at the leaders who have power to harm – requires full trust in Allah.

One type of people who face injustice in society are the Yateem (orphans). They have no tribe or clan to support them, so they are all alone and weak. People can abuse, beat up on him/her, hit them – and if no-one is there to support them, nothing will happen against the oppressor.

In the previous surah Quraysh;
Allah mentions His favours on Quraysh, and due to His favours upon them – they should enslave themselves and submit to their Merciful Master. (positive reinforcement).
However, they did not become Muslim – so Allah criticized them (negative reinforcement) in this surah for their evil acts. He comments on the reality of their behaviour without Islam.

This surah looks like it is discussing 2 distinct groups, because the surah seems divided into two parts: Aayaat: (Part 1: [ayahs’; 1-3]) (Part 2: [ayahs; 4-7]).

But in reality – we will learn that it is referring to 1 group only. And we will reconcile the confusion as to why people originally think it is referring to 2 groups.

The first half of the surah is clearly talking about a disbeliever.
The second half of the surah is talking about someone who is praying, although being cheap in that.

Some opinions are that the 2nd half of the surah is revealed in Madinah about the hypocrites because there were no hypocrites in Makkah.

Although that it is a legitimate opinion, we will take the opinion that the entire surah is a description of the Quraysh as we will see insha’ Allah (God willing).

A few surahs ago;

In surah at-Teen 95:7, Allah mentioned – فَمَا يُكَذِّبُكَ بَعْدُ بِالدِّينِ – (so what will after this, make them lie against You (O Muhammad) after this religion?)

It seems that even the most powerful of arguments are not enough.
So Allah says at the beginning of this surah;

أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ have You (O Muhammad) seen the one who lies against the religion? [Ma’un 107:1]

In both aayaat – Allah is speaking to His Messenger.
What kind of low state has this person reached that they still lie against this religion?

ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَاهُ أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَ – (then We rejected him to the lowest of the low) – surah at-Teen 95:5.

This surah will explain the characteristics this person had, so Allah rejected him and lowered him to the lowest of levels.

Surah at-Teen was talking about Insan (the people/humans). But this surah comes right after Surah Quraysh, so it is directly about the polytheists of Quraysh. This is further supported by the statement aRa’ayTa (did You see? [O Muhammad] – and Allah’s Messenger saw the Quraysh in these acts of lying against the religion, and repulsing the orphan, and not urging the feeding of the poor etc.

So it goes from general criticism in surah at-Teen of humanity, to specific critique of the disbelieving leaders of Quraysh in this surah.

Ayah 1:

أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ

Ara’ayta alladhee yukadhdhibu bid-deen

Have you seen the one who lies against the Recompense?


aRa’ayt – did you See?
Allah uses this to honor His Messenger and his morality, in comparison to the disbelievers who have stooped to such a low level.
So this is used to show the strength of His Messenger, and to show the corruption of those who oppose his way.

(I.e. It is like a teacher says to the best student, “have you seen why all them people have failed?” – the teacher is honoring the best student by talking to him only, and humiliating those who purposelly failed.)

Differences in Useage of; a lam taRa [Did you not see?], and aRa’ayt [Did you see?]

a lam taRa – did you not See?

Allah says this when His Messenger is overwhelmedand he is extremely saddened that the leaders have power and media against the message, whereas he does not have such power.

So Allah reminds him; Did you not See [alam taRa] – how your Lord dealt (kayfa fa’ala Rabbuka) with; ‘Aad, Thamood, Fir’awn, as-hab al Feel – the companions of the Elephant etc.)

So this “a lam taRa” is used when Allah’s Messenger was in distress.

But; aRa’ayta – Have you seen – is used when Allah is empowering His Messenger in confidence.

al Mutawali ash-Sha’rawi: Allah continuously asks and repeats questions in the Qur’an to get the hearer involved, just like a teacher will continuously ask questions – even though he knows that the students know the answers. Just so the students stay awake, and the lessons taught are emphasised.

Allah is teaching. (‘alam-ma al Qur’an – He taught the Qur’an – surah Rahman 55:2)

ash-Shawkani: everyone with an intellect (‘aql) is being asked.

aRa’ayt: “Have you seen?”

So we need to think; have I seen anyone who lies against the religion?

aladhee – “the one who..”

There are two opinions on who this ayah is about:

1 – mukhtas/khas – some specific/particular Enemy (‘aas bin wa’il, akhnas bin shuraiq, some said Abu Lahab because he is wealthy and will be discussed in the next surah Lahab 111).

Allah may be Targetting them one at a time since they were enemies of the message of Islam.

2 – ‘aam – General to anyone who fits that description.

The person who has a guilty conscience, will think it is referring to him; have you seen the one who lies against the religion? Who repulses the orphan? Who doesn’t encourage the feeding of the poor?

Anyone who fits that description will actually think it is referring to him. Because of the guilty conscience.

Allah makes them start thinking too. So a friction is being caused in society where individuals who fit that description think they are being humiliated by this Qur’an.

Remember that the Qur’an is not revealed and being recited in a Dars (lesson), rather – Allah’s Messenger would recite this Qur’an in the presence of the people, and each ayah could cause offence to the leaders of that society – who would harm the believers as a result.

But this was the reality of society, and Allah criticized those who did evil to show their corrupt and flawed ideas.

What is the difference between:

– aladhee yakfuru bid-deen – the one who rejects the religion.

outright denial and rejection.

– aladhee yukazibu bid-deen – the one who lies against the religion.

The one who is doing takzeeb/yukazibu – they are lying against the religion, saying it is a lie.

mukazib – he knows that something is true – but he is rejecting it and saying it is a lie. (he is lying against the religion – whilst knowing the religion is true).
He kills his conscience, chokes it, and rejects it.

Allah is telling us that it is the ego and arrogance and criminal addictions of sins which are making you lie against the religion, even though you fully know it is the truth. So you lie against it to fool others, so that you can feel
satisfied and justified in the sins that you are continuously doing.

So Allah is telling us the pscyhe/mindset of this person.

yukazibu (Present tense) – he lies against (the religion). By using the present tense, Allah is showing us that this person persists in lying against the religion.

He hears more aayaat – they make sense to him – but he continues to lie against them so he can continue his own sinful ways.

Deen –
Can be in 2 forms:
General term and Specific term.

– Technical term (al istilah) – when a word is used generally and used for a particular science.

i.e. Journal means Diary. But if you are an Editor or a Publishing business – you are thinking about a specific print edition for your magazine.

The exact same word Journal in the accounting industry will have a totally different meaning, and will refer to the Accountants book with Credit and Debit balances.
So the same word can have a general meaning and a technical meaning.

Same way the word Site has different meanings in different contexts.

Islam came and gave general words specific meanings. I.e. Salah originally referred to prayer/invocation/du’a. But this word got a more specific meaning of Prayer which we pray 5 times a day.

ad-Deen – Generally it has a meaning.
But after Islam, it refers to the religion of Islam itself.

Have you seen the one who lies against the religion of Islam? (Prophethood, Tawheed, the hereafter etc)

Others said this refers to the General meaning of Deen.

Deen: Daana/yadeenu – literally – to give a loan.
Hiba – to give a gift (without expecting a gift back).

Dayn – you give and you expect it back. (And it is so disgusting to the arabs that you take back a gift – that it is like taking back your own vomit.) So a Dayn is a Loan.

But when it refers to Dayn – it is a loan which the other person is expected to give back at a certain date/time.

Arabic saying; ‘kama tudeena ta daanu’ – the same way you give, you will be payed back.

so Deena can refer to Payback.

So Deen refers to Payback.

ash-Shawkani: Deen refers to Payback and being Accounted for.

Have you seen the one who lies againstthe Deen/Payback (on Judgment Day)?

The people who have weak belief that a Payback will occur – then it will be easy for them to engage in criminal behaviour, even if you are religious, even if you pray. (as will be mentioned in tafseer of Ayah 4,5,6 of this surah.)

The first thing that stops criminals is the fear of consequence. If you know for certainty that someone in authority is watching you, and that they will give you punishment as a payback for your evil – you will stop your criminal acts out of fear for your ownself.

There is a red traffic light WITH a camera on it. You will not drive past out of losing your license or paying a fine. Sometimes we even have belief in the unseen – we don’t pass a red traffic light because there MIGHT be a police officer there around the corner. (lol)

الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ – aladheena yu’minoona bil ghayb – those who believe in the unseen (Baqarah 2:3)

Something in his heart tells him that he will have to Payback for his evils. But he lies against it any way (‘so you’re afraid of hell huh?’)

Somewhere in the back of their mind –there is a thought that the afterlife might be real. But they ignore that thought and move on. They don’t care. And this is the attitude of these people described in this surah; They Don’t Care.

In this speech – part of the rhetoric is that they are in a mission (Hadhf).

What did the scholars say about this ayah?

– Have you not seen the one who lies against the Payback?

have you seen such people (literally)?
Have you seen such people (figuratively) [i.e. how they act etc.]?

If you say ‘I see’ [Ra’aa] – it can mean ‘I literally see with my eyes’ [literally], and it also means ‘I understand’ (figuratively).

ar-Razi – have you recognised the one who lies against the final Payback (on Judgment Day)?
Allah is establishing that Denial of the Ressurection is the essence of all forms of disbelief and of rebellion.

This is because people do not normally want to change themselves.
So they deny and rebel and lie against the religion (Deen) and the Day of Payback (Deen).

بَلْ يُرِيدُ الْإِنسَانُ لِيَفْجُرَ أَمَامَهُ

Nay! [man] he desires to continue committing sins violently (against Allah’s sacred limits). [Qiyamah 75:5]

When reality is too hard – the human tries to deny it, and tries to find a way out. This is why these people do not submit to and accept the Deen. (the religion and the Payback on Judgment Day).

Usually you are supposed to answer the question, atleast in your heart or mind. So Allah is asking His Messenger firstly, but also the people of intellect (‘aql).

Have you seen the one who lies against the religion and final Payback – even after all the evidences came to him?

But this time, Allah will answer for us;

Ayah 2:

فَذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ

Fadhalika alladhee yadu’u al yateem

That is he who repulses the orphan(harshly),

Fa – then the sign (of their disbelief is) that they are the one who pushes the orphan around.


Yateem – someone who lost their parents in childhood.
They feel depressed, hopeless, like there is no ground to stand on.

These people are most in need of pity and courtesy. Which disgusting person would repulse and oppress this innocent orphan?

When you deny the Judgment Day and the next life, you deny a reality that Allah placed in your Fitrah (natural disposition). If you deny the reality – you lie against yourself, so your heart contradicts and contradiction in the self makes one at unease, making the heart feel harden and closed.

When the heart goes hard – you lose your mercy. And that is when you oppress the weak.

تَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ – tasaww bil marhamah –
[the believers] enjoin/encourage upon each other extreme mercy.

(Balad 90:17)

Da/’a – push someone far away, without expecting that they will push you back. Push someone afar.

to intimidate someone by ‘kicking them out’ of a gathering. I.e. “get out of here!” = da/’a.

Allah is Extremely sensitive about the Orphan;

1 – Surah an-Nisa [the Women] – we would think begins discussing women. But no, Allah first starts the surah talking about the orphans, then women are mentioned later.

2 – Allah tells His Messenger in surah Duha;فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ – as for the orphan, do not oppress him (Duha 93:9) He mentioned the orphan before the beggar!

3 – كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ – no! But you do not treat the orphan, with honor and kindness and generosity. (Fajr 89:17)

4 – So this surah is harsher, you don’t honor the orphan but instead you push him far away?!

Dhalika – that is the one (ba’eed – distanced). This shows Allah distancing Himself from this person who pushes the orphan away, and it is also a humiliating way of mentioning someone; ‘That one who pushes the orphan away!?’

Allah could have said; fa Hadha aladhee yadu’u al yateem (then this is the one who pushes the orphan away.)

But He said; fa Dhalika aladhee yadu’u al yateem (That onewho pushes the orphan away!?’)

But dhalika is more powerful in Allah distancing him from Himself and degradation and humiliation for such a character.

1 – Fa – when the Fa (then) – is used, it is a cause and effect from Ayah 1 to Ayah 2;

Have you seen him who lies against the Deen (religion and Payback Day?)..
Fa – he is that person who pushes / repulses the orphan far away.

2 – The one who lies against the religion and payback day.
Then he pushes the orphan away too.

This is a subtle difference to point 1, but it implies that crimes against Allah will most likely bring crimes against the creation too.

Criminal behaviour against Allah is most likely to bring you to criminal behaviour against the people, and vice versa (if you do criminal behaviour against the people – you are most likely committing crimes against A䁬lah too).

ash-Shawkani: If he lies against the Deen (and disbelieves), it is easy for him to do that oppression against the orphan.

The one who denies the next life, then it is expected of him that he will do such immoral and horrible crimes against the creation. This surah chooses to highlight one area (of oppressing and pushing away the orphan because it is one of those big sins).

Allah is always in support of the orphans who are weak. And we know this because Allah’s Messenger Muhammad (sal Allah alayhi wasalam) was even a Yateem (orphan). And Allah chose him, helped him, and supported him over all mankind.

Yadu’u – push someone violently with animosity and intimidation. Push the orphan even away from his own rights (i.e. Of wealth which his parents might have left behind).

Its not just a stranger, even his own neighbours and relatives, and society – the people push him away from what is his.

Da’a – also used in the Qur’an to describe people who will be pushed into the hellfire.


يَوْمَ يُدَعُّونَ إِلَىٰ نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ دَعًّا – yawma yuda/’una fee naari jahannam da/’a!
(the day they will be pushed into the fire of the torture chamber of hell, a forceful violent push) [at-Toor 52:13]

O Allah protect us from being pushed into the fire, ameen.

ash-Shawkani: the Quraysh were people who did not give inheritence to women and children. They pushed them away if they asked for any wealth.

Their reason was that men require wealth for warfare, whereas what do women and children need money for?
So they did not give the right of wealth to women and children which really belonged to them.

This is whyAllah gave people their rights by allowing inheritance for women and children. (with the male getting twice as much as the female because he has an obligation to spend his wealth on the females and children of the household, whereas women do not have that duty and can spend their wealth on whatever good they wish.)

That is he who repulses the orphan(harshly),

Another Qira’ah (recitation style) of the Qur’an states;

fa dhalik aladhee yad’u al yateem; he is the one who calls the Yateem [orphan]

He calls the orphan.
I.e. He calls him, uses and abuses him, then pushes (yadu’u) him away.

He has turned him into a slave or servant.

So the one who he should really be honoring (see surah Fajr 89:17) – he has turned him into a slave / servant who does his chores for him.

ar-Razi: he does not feed him, he only calls him to make use of him or to make fun of him.



This Connection between Denial of the Next life and Bad Behaviourhas been mentioned many times in the Qur’an before: i.e.

1 – وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ– Destruction for those who cheat/fraud in business… [Mutaffifeen 83:1]

2 – كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ. أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ – No man goes past all limits, because he thinks himself self sufficient. [‘Alaq 96:6-7]

All these are direct blows and offensive to the Quraysh’s honour in society. The most powerful of these blows is in the next ayah:

Ayah 3:

وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ
Wa laa yahuddu ‘alaa taAAami almiskeen

and he does not encourage on feeding the poor.

The previous aayaat was in regard to their personal lives.

But this ayah is directly affecting their public reputation that they’ve took so long to build up.

These people who are being criticized – are the leaders of the Quraysh (i.e. Abu Lahab who is the treasurer) – who have the duty and role of feeding and supporting the weak (atleast at an official level). However, they do not fulfill this role.

Leaders should be at the forefront of feeding the poor, serving the public, and helping the weak. But instead, these leaders are wasting the money they are entrusted with to the other rich men in society, whereas this money is public money. Thus showing their corruption and lack of responsibility in their role as leader.

They had the mentality that they needed to protect the agenda of the rich instead of protecting the weak. Because the rich support their high position, and keep their support in place. If they helped the poor – they would not get such benefits.
So they didn’t help the poor, neither enjoin people to help them – so that they would keep their power and position in society.

Why doesn’t he encourage people to give to the poor?

– If he encourages people to feed the poor – people will ask him why he doesn’t feed the orphan and poor himself?
Allah is exposing this corrupt rich persons psyche – you don’t want to encourage people to spend on the poor, otherwise you won’t be able to use this money in corruption and dealings with other rich people.

This is all over the world. The leaders trample over the rights of the weak.
So they can keep their power.


Hadda هض – similar to Hattha هث

to make something rise and push it forward. i.e. a horse.

I.e. If you sit on a horse and say ‘giddyup‘ (come on, let’s go!) – the horse rises and pushes its speed forward. This is Hattha.


Anything else is Hadda – i.e. To rise and push an agenda forward.

Hadda – can also mean to; Encourage people to move forward, on something good.

wa la yaHuddu ‘ala ta’am al miskeen
and he does not push and rise others to feed the poor.

If he does not even feed the orphan relative, it’s obvious that he will not even encourage the feeding of the poor.

Allah said he does not encourage others to feed the Miskeen.

miskeen – singular.
masaakeen – plural.


Forget many poor people, he doesn’t even encourage the feeding of one poor person (miskeen).

Another reason for these singulars (instead of plurals) is because it makes the criminal remember the particular poor orphan and poor person they treated badly.

Allah is telling them that He knows what specific crime you did today against that poor orphan, and that poor person). This makes the criminal guilty about the specific crime he did lately against someone specific,instead of generally thinking about all orphans and poor people).

This has more of a guilty personal effect on the criminal.

These politicians and leaders have the power and influence to yuhadd (rise and speed people to feed the orphan and needy) – but they do not out of their own stinginess and greed.

فَقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَا تُكَلَّفُ إِلَّا نَفْسَكَ ۚ وَحَرِّضِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَكُفَّ بَأْسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ۚ وَاللَّهُ أَشَدُّ بَأْسًا وَأَشَدُّ تَنكِيلًا

So fight, [O Muhammad], in the cause of Allah ; you are not held responsible except for yourself. And encourage/incite [Harridd] the believers [to join you] that perhaps Allah will restrain the [military] might of those who disbelieve. And Allah is greater in might and stronger in [exemplary] punishment. [an-Nisa’ 4:84]

harradda – Encourage.

This type of inciting is caused to prevent a harm from occurring. I.e. If you do not do this – you will face harm from others.
Let’s do it – otherwise there are negative consequences.

He doesn’t encourage himself, his family, or friends or society, all because of his stinginess, and his utter denial of thinking he will have to pay society back. ‘whose going to do a lawsuit against me? I am the leader.’ (such a psychological mindset.)
He doesn’t know that the angels are writing his every deed. But he has denied the Deen (Day of Payback).

ta’am al miskeen (muddaaf and muddaf ‘alay) – food of the needy.

maskana – who cannot help themselves.
Sak-kana – they are stuck/still in a place and they cannot leave their place/situation [of hardship].

Unless you help them – they cannot come out of their hard situation. They can’t help themselves, you need to help them.

ta’am al miskeen [food (of) the orphan] – it shows that the food belongs to him, it is his right.

Allah did not say that they did not give food for him. (ta’am LI al miskeen – food FOR the orphan).

Rather He said;ta’am al miskeen (the food OF the Miskeen).

Allah is telling that; the food – which the corrupt leaders are keeping for themselves – is really the food which belongs to the orphan and the miskeen/poor, but you are not encouraging others to give -what is theirs – to them.

These people are corruptly consuming that charity wealth themselves – wealth which belongs to this poor orphan and poor miskeen.

This illustrates the hard heartness of his corrupt politician, and shows how cheap he is. He is not even encouraging others to give food to the needy – when this food actually is theirs to begin with!

Allah did not say Itt’aam (feeding). He said;

Ta’am طعام – food.

Feeding (itt’aam إطعام ) – you are doing something for someone. This is not mentioned in the ayah.

But Ta’am is mentioned in this ayah; which implies that this person does not even do a good favour of feeding, rather – he doesn’t even give the food which belongs to the poor – to them.

He’s not even standing up for the rights of the one who has the right to it.

Now Allah has explained this persons terrible and evil situation and relationship with the people. He will now tell us His relationship with Allah in his Salah (prayer) to Allah.

Passage 2:

Ayah 4:

فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ

Fa waylun li al musalleen

Then – as a consequence – the worst form of destruction and curse (wayl) for the ones who pray.


mussali – one who prays.

فَوَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ – (Destruction and curse on That Day for the liars [against the religion]). [at-Toor 52:11]

Because the curse and destruction in this ayah is ON THAT DAY (yawma idhin). Whereas the curse mentioned in this surah is Ultimate Destruction without any specificness, so it is a destruction coming soon.

Whereas this curse in surah Ma’un is not saying ‘yawma idhin’ (on that Day). Rather, it has no restriction – so it is a direct curse and destruction which is going to fall on those who pray…

Immediately right now – they are in a state of destruction..

Ayah 4 roughly translated in meaning:

Then as a consequence – the worst form of destruction and curse (wayl) upon the ones who pray…

Anyone who prays – is now alerted.
Even the word salah used to mean ‘prayer/invocation’ before the Qur’an was revealed – alerts the non Muslim arabs and Muslims.

Allah has cursed those who pray!? (what comes next is going to be really important now that it has got your full attention).

Allah said; Musalleen (those who pray). He could have said; waylun lil munafiqeen (curse / destruction on the hypocrites.. Who are lazy in their prayers.)

But Allah said Musalleen (those who pray). So everyone is terrified. It makes us read and reflect on the ayah again.
So we cannot read the ayah upto here in Salah and finish, we will have to continue onto recite the rest.

But it also makes you think to yourself; Am I going to be described next? Because I pray. You fear you are not of the hypocrites.

This is why some scholars thought this ayah referred to the hypocrites.

O Allah, please do not make us of the hypocrites.

Ayah 5:

الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ

Alladheena hum AAan salaatihim saahoown

Those who in regard to their prayers are heedless.

Allah could have connected these 2 ayah and made them as one without mentioning prayer twice. But He mentioned prayer/salah twice for emphasis.

What connects these aayaat with the aayaats of Passage 1?

ash-Shawkani and ar-Razi: hurting the creation, and not giving them their own right, then it’s only natural that you will not give the rights of the Creator fully.

If you have bad behaviour with the creation, then it’s only natural your heart will not be strong in worship and prayer to Allah.

Doesn’t Allah say;

إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ– surely prayer protects against shameful and evil acts. [al Ankabut 29:45]

So if prayer protects against evil – then why is this person doing this really harmful evil to others?

musalleen (noun – showing long term) – those who always pray

aladheena yusalloon – those who pray (verb – showing temporary i.e. Sometimes they pray). However, musalleen is used.

Allah says these people who pray often and are committed to that (musalleen) – those who are heedless of their prayers – curse and destruction be on them.

aRa’ayta aladhee – singular – have you seen the one..

Musalleen – plural – those who pray. These people would pray in public together – to show off (as will be explained in ayah 6).

Allah has cursed many;
وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةٍ – waylun li kuli humaz-zati lumaza – curse/destruction upon every backbiter and slanderer. [Humazah 104:1]
وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ – waylin lil mutafiffeen – woe to every fraud. [Mutafiffeen 83:1]

Allah cursed those who go against the rights of humans.

So what then about the rights of Allah?

Allah said;
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَٰذَا مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۖ فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ – (destruction to those who write the book (i.e. falsehood) with their own hands and say this is from Allah in order to exchange it for a small price. Curse to them for what their hands have written and Curse to them for what they earn.) [surah al Baqarah 2:79]

These are bad crimes which Allah is cursing destruction for.

And in the list of these cursed criminals are also those who are heedless and show off in the prayer – that He is putting them along with those who do such major crimes.

What is the description of the Prayer mentioned in these aayaat?;

1 – Some say it was the prayer of the hypocrites – who only showed off so they could be seen by the people praying.

2 – Other scholars say it was the prayer of the Quraysh leaders;

Brief History:

Prophet Ibraheem [Abraham] settles in this city Makkah and prays to Allah;


وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ. رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ ۖ فَمَن تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي ۖ وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ. رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ.رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ مَا نُخْفِي وَمَا نُعْلِنُ ۗ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ. رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِي ۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ

And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this city [Makkah] secure and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols.
My Lord, indeed they have led astray many among the people. So whoever follows me – then he is of me; and whoever disobeys me – indeed, You are [yet] Forgiving and Merciful.
Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.

Our Lord, indeed You know what we conceal and what we declare, and nothing is hidden from Allah on the earth or in the heaven.
Praise to Allah , who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac. Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication.
My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [many] from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication.
Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and the believers the Day the account is established.”

[Surah Ibrahim 14: 35-41]

In surah Maryam 19: 54-55 – Allah tells us Isma’il/Ishmael commanded his family to pray.

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ وَكَانَ رَسُولًا نَّبِيًّا. وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَكَانَ عِندَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا

And mention in the Book, Ishmael. Indeed, he was true to his promise, and he was a messenger and a prophet. And he used to enjoin on his people prayer and zakah and was to his Lord pleasing.

That prayer was passed on from generation to generation. The original prayer which was given to you [O Quraysh] through your father Ibrahim’s prayer, through to Isma’il – which was originally full of sincerety to Allah, it became altered – passed on with innovations, and became a thing of showing off.

aladheena ‘an salatihim saahoown– those who are – in regard to their prayer – Saahoown (ayah 5).

Saahoown – sahw – to forget something out of neglectfulness because something – of a greater thought to you – was on your mind.

i.e. sajdah sahw – prostration of forgetfulness (because your mind was thinking about something else).

sahw also includes: If you caught the prayer, well and good. But if you never – you think it doesn’t matter.

Or if you keep your plans to do a certain thing while not worrying if you miss the prayer in the process.

Meaning: You don’t mind if you miss the prayer = Being Neglectful = Saahoown

The worst destruction (wayl) if you have such an attitude.

How Important is Salah/prayer to Allah?

1 – Allah introduces Himself to Moses;

نَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي
(Surely, no doubt I am Allah – there is no god but Me, so enslave yourself to Me/worship me and establish the prayer for my remembrance). [Taha 20:14]

To Really remember Allah – you have to establish prayer.

2 –

قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah , Lord of the worlds. [An’am 6:162]

Salah is mentioned first, life and death are mentioned in the end.

3 –
وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ– Allah will not waste your Eman [Baqarah 2:143]) eman = prayers.

The muslims changed their Qiblah (direction of prayer from Jerusalem/bayt al Maqdis to Makkah. And the jews said to the Muslims that your prayers will be wasted, so Allah said the above. And He referred to the prayers as Eman.

– Eman rests in our hearts, and so does Salah. These people have salah, but is not in their hearts. So not caring for salah = eman is not strong in their hearts.

ash-Shawkani:

– You pray some time and other times you don’t,
– you don’t fulfill the prerequisites/conditions of the Salah,
– you pray like a bird picking up pebbles off the ground (i.e. Pecking on the ground and getting back up quickly from sajdah),
– you wait till the end of the finish of salah (i.e. you want it to end quick).


Falling into any of these makes you of the Saahoown.

This is the person – it doesn’t bother him if he prays or not. He doesn’t make a fuss about if he does not pray.


ۚ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا-

Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.[Nisa’ 4:103]

so we as Muslims have to schedule our daily activities around the Salah.

Sa’d bin Abi Waqas; (Recorded in al-Bayhaqi) –
those who are heedless – who are they? (ayah 5)

hum aladheena yu akhir-roona salata ‘ala waqtiha – they delay the prayer from it’s actual time. (i.e. They wait near the end of the time of prayer and quickly read it then, or they perform all the prayers all at once [i.e. qadha]

Ayah 6:

الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ

Alladheena hum yuraa’oon

Those who (do good deeds) only to be seen (of men),

The ayah is perfectly correct without the word Hum (them) being mentioned [because Allah says ‘aladheena’ in the beginning of the ayah, and He also said Yuraa’oon.]

So why is it mentioned?

For strong emphasis 3 times on them. This is Allah’s anger at them.

Aladheena Hum Yuraa’oon.

“You want attention? I’ll give you attention!” It is extreme anger associated with a curse from before.

Not are they only heedless, but even when they do pray (reluctantly), they show off so they are seen by the people.

The Hum (them) also emphasises ikhtisas (specificness) – that those who are careless in salah/prayer – then their prayer will be abit more ‘proper and correct’ when others are watching them. Maybe abit more slower, more accurate in movements etc.

The disease started in ayah 5 – they did not care about their prayer, they were forgetful of it, and this is why Allah had cursed them and threatened them with approaching destruction.

Advice: Don’t sleep late. Pray on time.

إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا – (surely the Qur’an recited at Fajr is witnessed).[Isra’ 17:78]

O Allah, please do not make us of the Saaheen (neglectful of our prayers). Ameen.

‘an salatihim sahoon – in regard to their prayers – they are heedless.

Allah said ‘an عن(in regard to), He did not say;fee في salatihim sahoon (in their prayers they are heedless). This is a mercy from Allah because we are all heedless sometimes within our prayers, and if that was mentioned – we would all be destroyed.

sahwah fis-salah – heedless in the prayer – this would be examples like forgetting how much raka’ah you prayed,or how much sajdahs you performed, or what your wife made for dinner etc.

Salatihim ‘AN sahoon (which is criticized) is when you’re not sure if you should pray or not. You think you have other plans.

وَإِذَا رَأَوْا تِجَارَةً أَوْ لَهْوًا انفَضُّوا إِلَيْهَا وَتَرَكُوكَ قَائِمًا ۚ قُلْ مَا عِندَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهْوِ وَمِنَ التِّجَارَةِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ
Say “That which Allah has is better than any amusement or merchandise! And Allah is the Best of providers.” [Jumu’a 62:11]

And these are the 2 things which mainly distract us from salah/prayer – our job, or our activities for fun.

yuraa’oon – ra’a – to see
aRa – see

Raa’a (mufa’ala) – of two parties to struggle against the other.
They’re trying really hard to be seen while praying.


muRa’aat = show off to show yourself as righteous and pious, but in contrast to what you really are (i.e. you are really; unsincere, showing off etc.) Allah is exposing the Quraysh and their roles in their acts of worship to gain respect by other tribes.

The Quraysh who lookaftered the Ka’bah had to show off in praying – they had to show their spiritual guardianship of the Ka’bah – so they would show off in acts of worship to show others we are the true guardians of this House of worship.
This includes the hypocrites who pretend to be pious, and also the mockery of the prayer of the Quraysh.

إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىٰ يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

Indeed, the hypocrites [think to] deceive Allah , but He is deceiving them. And when they stand to pray, they stand lazily, showing [themselves to] the people and not remembering Allah except a little, [Nisa’ 4:142]

Advice on how not to Show Off:

Anecdote: Advice to Muslims for Prayer:Do not leave the nawafil/optional prayers out of shame (of showing off). But don’t show off either.

Other scholars said; Pray the Fard (obligatory prayers) in the Masjid, and the Nawafil (optional) at home. Because you are not showing off at home – you are being a good example to your family.

This is why Allah said; Al Musalleen – everyone is scared and tries to be sincere in their prayers.


Ibn Abbas said; Minor Shirk [in showing off] which is less apparent than a black ant crawling on a black stone in the darkness of the night.

Ayah 7:

وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ

WayamnaAAoona almaAAoon

And refuse Al-Ma’un (small kindnesses)

this ayah is connected to ayah 3 in context.

This surah began with crimes against people, then about crimes against Allah, then again – crimes against people.
People try to separate these things, although they are intertwined – that’s why Allah has placed them together and inseparatable.

you have to be good to the people and good to Allah. You have to have a balance of a good relationship with Allah and the people.

and they forbid al Ma’oon:

al Ma’oon:
some companions of Allah’s Messenger and many scholars said it refers to the obligatory charity of Zakat (2.5% of your wealth per lunar year).

ma’oon – ma’an – something small and insignificant. A loss of it would not harm you.
a thing which people share with each other like a bucket, or a pen. Small things which you do not suffer from or lose if you were to give them.
zakat is so little of our income – it is ma’oon. This is how the sahaba/companions of Prophet Muhammad viewed it.

Ma’oon: That which you cannot possibly be cheap in it I.e. Water.

they are extremely cheap – they forbid even ma’oon. They can’t see a smile on someones face. They think; why should i help you? i just don’t want to help you.

this is a harsh and hard heart. So even if someone asks you for something small, they say no!

this is how someone can go so low.

are you the leaders who – Allah mentioned in the previous surah – He who gave you food (at’amahum min joo’). Are you not going to give even a little when Allah gave you everything you have?

Finally a Du’a/Prayer to Allah:


ar-Razi made a beautiful du’a at the end of this surah’s tafseer;

illaahana (our God who we obey and serve), hadhihi surah fee dhikril munafiqeen, wa soorat alatee ba’da ha fee sifati Muhammadin (sal Allah alayhi wasalam) [and the surah after it which describes the beautiful characteristics of Muhammad (saws) (kawthar), fanahnu wa in lam naslee fit-taa’ati Muhammad (so if we cannot reach the level of obedience of Muhammad (saws), wa ilaa as-habihee (nor his companions), lam naslee fee al af’ali al qabeeha ilaa ha ulaa ila al munafiqeen. (then do not let us fall so low as the actions of the hypocrites – i.e. Do not let us drop so low as to their disgusting level).

fa’fu anna bi fadlik – ya ar-ham arRahimeen. (so pardon us by your Favour oh Merciful of those who show Mercy).

wa sal Allah ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasalam.

One of the core teachings in this Deen:

The 2 things which will keep your heart soft:

– how much you pray (rights of Allah)
– how much you give people. (rights of the people).

Measure your Eman (belief) with these measurements. If you are lacking in any of these – especially the prayer/salah – make it a life project.

If our dealings with the orphans, then that should be our project. Maybe we have orphans in the family, or cousins, relatives who you might not even like – but give them if they are in need – to prove to yourself that you are truly doing it for Allah’s sake alone.

O Allah, make our prayers pleasing to you, and do not make us of the Sahoon (heedless in our prayers). O Allah make us the best of people to humanity, and perfect in giving our rights to Allah. Ameen oh Merciful of those who show Mercy.