57. Surah Al-Hadid
الحديدThe Iron · 29 ayahsتفہیم القرآن انگلش
سَبَّحَ لِلّٰهِ مَا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ١ۚ وَ هُوَ الْعَزِیْزُ الْحَكِیْمُ Open ayah 57:1 in the Quran reader
All that there is in the heavens and the earth has glorified Allah 1 and He alone is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise 2 .
لَهٗ مُلْكُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ١ۚ یُحْیٖ وَ یُمِیْتُ١ۚ وَ هُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَیْءٍ قَدِیْرٌ Open ayah 57:2 in the Quran reader
To Him belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth: He alone grants life and causes death and has power over everything.
1 'That is, "It has always been so that everything in the universe has proclaimed the truth that its Creator and Sustainer is free from every blemish and defect, every weakness, error and evil. He is glorified in His essence, He is glorified in His attributes, He is glorified in His works as well as His commands whether they relate to the creation, or to the religious law for mankind. Here sabbaha has been used in the past tense; at other places yusabbihu has been used which includes both the present and the future tenses. This would signify that every particle in the universe has always been extolling the glory of its Creator and Sustainer in the past, is doing 60 at present and will continue to do the same in the future for ever and ever."
2 That is, not only is He All-Mighty and All-Wist, but the truth is that He afoot is AII-Mighty and All-Wise. The word 'Aziz signifies a mighty and powerful Being Whose decrees cannot be prevented by any power in the world from being enforced, Whom no one can oppose and resist, Who has to be obeyed by every one whether one likes it or not, Whose rebel cannot escape His accountability and punishment in any way; and Hakim signifies that whatever He does He does it wisely. His creation, His administration and rule, His commands and guidance, all are based on wisdom. None of His works is tarnished by any tract of folly or ignorance.
There is another fine point here, which one should fully understand. Seldom in the Qur'an has Allah's attribute of `Aziz (AII-Mighty) been accompanied by His attributes of being Qawi (Strong), Mugtadir(Powerful), Jabber (Omnipotent), Dhuntiqam (Avenger) and the like, which only signify His absolute power, and this has been so only in places where the context demanded that the wicked and disobedient be warned of Allah's relentless punishment. Apart from such few places, wherever the word 'Aziz has been used for Allah, it has everywhere been accompanied by one Or other of His attributes of being Hakim (Wise), Alim (Knower), Rahim (Merciful), Ghafur (Forgiving), Wahhab (Generous) and Hamid (Praiseworthy). The reason is that if a being who wields un-limited power is at the same time foolish, ignorant, un-forgiving as well as stingy and devoid of character, its power and authority cannot but lead to injustice and wickedness Thus, wherever injustice and wickedness is being committed in the world, it is only because the one who wields authority over Others, is either using his power un-wisely and foolishly, or he is merciless and hardhearted, or evil-minded and wicked. Wherever power is coupled with these evil traits of character, no good can be expected to result. That is why in the Holy Qur'an Allah's attribute of `Aziz has necessarily been accompanied by His attributes of being All-Wise and Knowing, Compassionate and Forgiving, Praiseworthy and Generous, so that man may know that the God Who is ruling this universe has, on the' one hand, such absolute power that no one, from the earth to the heavens, can prevent His decrees from being enforced, but, on the other, He is also AlI-Wise: His each decision is based on perfect wisdom; He is also AII-Knowing whatever decision He makes, it precisely according to knowledge; He is also Compassionate: He does not use infinite power mercilessly; He is Forgiving as well: He does not punish His creatures for trifling faults, but overlooks their errors; He is also Generous: He does not treat His subjects stingily, but liberally and benevolently; and He is also Praiseworthy: He combines in Himself all praiseworthy virtues and excellences.
The full importance of this statement of the Qur'an can be better understood by those people who are aware of the discussions of the philosophy of politics and law on the question of sovereignty. Sovereignty connotes that the one who possesses it should wield un-limited power: there should be no internal and external power to change or modify his decision or prevent it from being enforced, and none should have any alternative but to obey him. At the mere concept of this infinite and un-limited power, man's common-sense necessarily demands that whoever attains to such power, should be faultless and perfect in knowledge and wisdom, for if the one holding this power is ignorant, merciless and evil, his sovereignty will inevitably lead to wickedness and corurption. That is why the philosophers who regarded a single man, or a man-made institution, or an assembly of men as the holder of this power, have had to presume that he or it would be infallible. But obviously, neither can un limited sovereignty be actually attained by a human power, nor is it possible for a king, or a parliament, or a nation, or a party that it may use the sovereignty attained by it in a limited circle faultlessly and harmlessly. The reason is that the wisdom that is wholly free of every trace of folly, and the knowledge that fully comprehends all the related truths, is not at all possessed even by entire mankind, not to speak of its being attain d by an individual, or an institution, or a nation. Likewise, as long as man is man, his being wholly free of and above selfishness, sensuality, fear, greed, desires, prejudice and sentimental love, anger and hate is also not possible. If a person ponders over these truths, he will realize that the Qur'an is indeed presenting here a correct and perfect view of sovereignty. It says that no one except Allah in this universe is possessor of absolute power, and with this unlimited power He alone is faultless, All-Wise and All-Knowing, Compassionate and Forgiving, and Praiseworthy and Generous in His dealings with Hid subjects.
هُوَ الْاَوَّلُ وَ الْاٰخِرُ وَ الظَّاهِرُ وَ الْبَاطِنُ١ۚ وَ هُوَ بِكُلِّ شَیْءٍ عَلِیْمٌ Open ayah 57:3 in the Quran reader
He is the First as well as the Last, the Manifest as well as the Hidden 3 , and He has knowledge of everything.
3 That is, "When there was nothing, He was, and when there will be nothing, He will be. He is the most Manifest of all the manifest, for whatever manifests itself in the world, does 50 only by His attributes and His works and His light. And He is the Most Hidden of all the hidden, for not only do the senses fail to percieve Him but the intellect and thought and imagination also cannot attain to His essence and reality. The best commentary in this regard are the words of a supplication of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings). which Imam Ahmad, Muslim, Tirmidhi, and Baihaqi have related on the authority of Hadrat Abu Hurairah, and Hafiz Abu Ya'la Mosuli in his Musnad on the authority of Hadrat 'A'ishah:
"Antal Awwal, fa-laisa qablaka shai'in; wa Antal Akhir fa-laisa ba 'daka shai 'in; wa Antal Zahir, fa-laisa fauqaka shai in; wa Anfal Batin, fa laisa dunaka shai'in. " "You alone are the First; none is before You; You alone are the Last: none is after You; You alone are the Exalted none is above You; You alone are the Hidden: none is more hidden than You. "
Here, the question arises: How does this accord with the immortality and eternal life of the dwellrs of Paradise and Hell mentioned in the Qur'an when Allah alone is the Last and Eternal? Its answer has been provided by the Qur'an itself: "Everything is perishable except Allah Himself." (AI-Qasas: 88). In other words no creature is immortal in its personal capacity; if a thing exists or continuos to exist, it does so because Allah keeps it so, and can exist only by His letting it exist; otherwise in its own capacity everything is perishable except Allah, Immortality in Heaven and Hell will not be bestowed upon somebody because he is immortal by himself, but because AIIah will grant him eternal life. The same is true of the angels: they are not immortal by themselves. When Allah willed they came into existence, and will continue to exist only as long as Her wills.
هُوَ الَّذِیْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ فِیْ سِتَّةِ اَیَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوٰى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ١ؕ یَعْلَمُ مَا یَلِجُ فِی الْاَرْضِ وَ مَا یَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَ مَا یَنْزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ وَ مَا یَعْرُجُ فِیْهَا١ؕ وَ هُوَ مَعَكُمْ اَیْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُوْنَ بَصِیْرٌ Open ayah 57:4 in the Quran reader
It is He Who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then ascended the Throne 4 He knows whatever ever goes into the earth and whatever comes out of it, and whatever comes down from heaven and whatever goes up into it 5 . He is with you wherever you may be 6 and sees whatever you do.
لَهٗ مُلْكُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ١ؕ وَ اِلَى اللّٰهِ تُرْجَعُ الْاُمُوْرُ Open ayah 57:5 in the Quran reader
To Him belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and all matters are referred to Him for decision.
یُوْلِجُ الَّیْلَ فِی النَّهَارِ وَ یُوْلِجُ النَّهَارَ فِی الَّیْلِ١ؕ وَ هُوَ عَلِیْمٌۢ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُوْرِ Open ayah 57:6 in the Quran reader
It is He who causes the night to enter into the day and the day to enter into the night and He knows the hiddenmost secrets of the hearts,
4 That is, He alone is the Creator of the universe as well as Its Ruler. (For further explanation, see E.N.'s 41, 42 of AI-A'raf, E.N.4 of Yunus, E.N.'s 2 to 5 of Ar-Ra'd, E.N,'s 11 to 15 of Ha Mim As-Sajdah).
5 In other words, He is not only the Knower of the wholes but also of the parts. He knows each seed that goes under the layers of the soil, each leaf and bud that comes out of the soil, each rain-drop that falls from the sky, and each molecule of the vapour that ascends from the seas and lakes to the sky. He is aware of every seed Iying anywhere under the soil. That is how He causes it to split and sprout up and develop. He Is aware of how much vapour has risen from each different place and where it has reached. That is how he collects it into cloud and distributes it and causes it to fall as rain in due measure on different place of the earth. The same is true of the details of everything that goes into the earth and comes out of it, and of everything that ascends to the sky and descends from it. If aII this were not comprehended by Allah in His knowledge, it would not be possible for Him to plan and order each thing separately and to regulate and control it in a wise manner.
6 That is, "Nowhere are you outside Allah's knowledge, His power, His rule, His management and administration. Allah knows wherever you are, whether in the earth, or the air, or the water, or in a secret place. Your being alive there is by itself a proof that Allah is providing for you in that very place. If yow heart is beating, if your lungs are breathing, if yow hearing and yow sight arc functioning, it is only because all parts of yow body are working under Allah's rule. And if death comes to you at any place; it comes because Allah takes a decision to stop providing for you and to recall you from the world."
اٰمِنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ وَ رَسُوْلِهٖ وَ اَنْفِقُوْا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُمْ مُّسْتَخْلَفِیْنَ فِیْهِ١ؕ فَالَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مِنْكُمْ وَ اَنْفَقُوْا لَهُمْ اَجْرٌ كَبِیْرٌ Open ayah 57:7 in the Quran reader
Believe in Allah and His Messenger 7 and spend out 8 of what He has made you successor. 9 For those of you who will believe and expend of their wealth 10 there is a great reward
7 The addressees here are not the non-Muslims, but, as is borne out by the whole subsequent discourse, the Muslims who had affirmed the Faith and joined the ranks of the believers, but were not fulfilling the demands of the Faith and conducting themselves as true believers should. It is obvious that non-Muslims cannot be invited to affirm the Faith and then immediately asked to subscribe generously to the cause of Jihad for the sake of Allah, nor can they be told that whoever would fight and spend his wealth in the cause of Allah before the victory, would attain to a higher rank than him who would perform these services later, For, when a non-Muslim is invited to the Faith, the preliminary demands of it only are presented before him and not the-ultimate once, Therefore,. in view of the context, the meaning of saying "Believe in Allah and His messenger" here would be: "O people, who profess to have affirmed the Faith and have joined the ranks of the Muslims,. believe in Allah and Messenger sincerely and conduct yourselves as the true and sincere believers should. "
8 Here, by spending is not implied spending on public welfare, but, as is clearly borne out by the words of verse 10, it implies subscribing to the cause of the war effort that was being waged at that time under the leadership of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) to uphold Islam against paganism. Two things, in particular, were such for which the Islamic Government at that time stood in great need of financial help. First, the war equipment; second, supporting and sustaining the oppressed Muslims, who, due to persecution by the disbelievers had emigrated, and were still emigrating, to Madinah from every corner of Arabia, The sincere Muslims were trying their best to render as much help as they could but meeting the entire expenses in this regard was much beyond their means and resources, and their this same spirit of sacrifice has been commended in vv. 10, 12, 18 and 19 below. But among the Muslims there were quite a number of well-to-do people, who were watching this struggle between Islam and paganism as mere spectators and had no feeling whatever that the faith they claimed to believe in imposed certain rights also on their life and wealth. This second kind of people are the addressees of this verse, They have been exhorted to believe sincerely, and to spend their wealth in the cause of Allah.
9 This has two meanings and both are implied here. The first meaning is "The wealth that you possess is not, in fact, your personal property but has been givers to you by Allah. You are not its exclusive master and owner. Allah has given you proprietary right over it as His vicegerent. Therefore, you should have no hesitation in spending it in the service of the real Master. It is not for the vicegerent to withhold the Master's wealth from being spent for the Master's own sake.." The second: "Neither bas this wealth been with you since ever nor will it remain in your possession for ever, Yesterday it was in some other people's possession; then Allah made you their successor and entrusted it to you, A time will come when it will not remain with you but some other people will succeed you as its owners, Therefore, in this short-lived ownership, when you are its trustees, spend it in the cause of AIlah so that in the Hereafter You may be rewarded for it permanently and eternally. This same thing has been stated by the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) in a Hadith. Tirmidhi relates that once a goat was slaughtered in the Holy Prophet's house and its flesh was given away to the poor. When he came to the house and asked: "What remains of the goat?" Hadrat `A'ishah replied: "Nothing but a shoulder." Thereupon the Holy Prophet remarked: "Nay, the whole goat but the shoulder !" That is, "Whatever has been given away for the sake of Allah, has, in fact, been saved. " According to another Hadith, a person asked: "O Messenger of Allah, what kind of charity brings the highest reward? He replied: That you should give away a thing In charity when you are hale and hearty: when you feel it could be saved and may like to invest it in the hope of earning more. Do not wait till death when you may say: Give this to so and so and that to so and so, for at that time the wealth has in any case to pass on to so and so. "(Bukhari, Muslim). According to still another Hadith, the Holy Prophet said: "Man says: `My wealth! My wealth!' whereas his own share in his wealth is no more than what he has eaten up, or worn away, or passed on in charity? Whatever remains will leave him and will be passed on to others. " (Muslim)
10 Here again, expending wealth in the cause of Jihad has been regarded as an essential demand of the Faith and a proof of one's sincerity in it, as if to say: "The true and sincere believer is he who does not shirk spending wealth on such an occasion."
وَ مَا لَكُمْ لَا تُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللّٰهِ١ۚ وَ الرَّسُوْلُ یَدْعُوْكُمْ لِتُؤْمِنُوْا بِرَبِّكُمْ وَ قَدْ اَخَذَ مِیْثَاقَكُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِیْنَ Open ayah 57:8 in the Quran reader
What is the matter with you that you do not believe in Allah, whereas the Messenger is inviting you to believe in your Lord 11 and has taken a pact from you 12 , if you are true believers?
هُوَ الَّذِیْ یُنَزِّلُ عَلٰى عَبْدِهٖۤ اٰیٰتٍۭ بَیِّنٰتٍ لِّیُخْرِجَكُمْ مِّنَ الظُّلُمٰتِ اِلَى النُّوْرِ١ؕ وَ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ بِكُمْ لَرَءُوْفٌ رَّحِیْمٌ Open ayah 57:9 in the Quran reader
Allah it is Who is sending down clear Revelations to His servants that he may bring you out of the darknesses into the light. And the fact is that Allah is most Kind and Most Merciful to you.
11 That is, "You are adopting this unbelieving attitude and conduct at a time when the Messenger of Allah is present among you, and you are receiving the invitation to the Faith not through an indirect and remote means but directly through the Messenger of Allah himself."
12 Some commentators have taken this pledge to imply the pledge of service to Allah, which had been taken at the beginning of creation from the future offspring of Adam (peace be upon him), and some others take it for the pledge with which man has been naturally endowed to serve and obey Allah. But the trnth is that it implies the conscious pledge of obedience to Allah and His Messenger that every Muslim makes to his Lord by the affirmation of the Faith At another place in the Qur'an this same pledge has been referred to thus;
"Keep in mind the blessing Allah has bestowed upon you and do not forget the solemn covenant which He made with you (and which you confirmed), when you said: `We have heard and submitted.' Fear Allah for Allah knows the very secrets of the hearts," (AI-Ma'idah: 7)
Hadrat `Ubadah bin Samit relates: "The Holy Messenger of Allah (upon whom be His peace and blessings) had made us pledge that we would listen and obey both in sound health and in ill health; would spend in the cause of Allah both in prosperity and in adversity would enjoin the good and forbid the evil; would proclaim the truth for the sake of Allah and would not fear the blame of any one in this regard." (Musnad Ahmad)
وَ مَا لَكُمْ اَلَّا تُنْفِقُوْا فِیْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰهِ وَ لِلّٰهِ مِیْرَاثُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضِ١ؕ لَا یَسْتَوِیْ مِنْكُمْ مَّنْ اَنْفَقَ مِنْ قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَ قٰتَلَ١ؕ اُولٰٓئِكَ اَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِّنَ الَّذِیْنَ اَنْفَقُوْا مِنْۢ بَعْدُ وَ قٰتَلُوْا١ؕ وَ كُلًّا وَّعَدَ اللّٰهُ الْحُسْنٰى١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُوْنَ خَبِیْرٌ۠ Open ayah 57:10 in the Quran reader
What is the matter with you that you do not spend in the Way of Allah, whereas Allah's is the inheritance of the heavens and the earth? 13 Those of you who will spend and fight after the victory can never be equal to those who have spent and fought before the victory. They are higher in rank than those who spent and fought afterwards, though Allah has made good promises to both. 14 Allah is well aware of whatever you do. 15
13 This has two meanings: (1) "Your wealth is not going to stay with you for ever. One day you will leave it behind; then Allah alone will inherit it. Thus the best thing would be that you should spend it yourself in the cause of Allah so that. your reward for it is guaranteed with Allah. If you do not spend it yourself, it will in any case return to Allah, but then you will not be entitled to any reward from Him. " (2) "You should have no fear of indigence and poverty when you spend it in the cause of Allah, because Allah for Whose sake you would spend your wealth, is the Owner of aII the treasures of the heavens and the earth. He possessed not only what He has bestowed on you today but has much more to bestow on you tomorrow. " This same thing bas been expressed at another place, thus
"O Prophet, say to there: `My Lord gives abundantly to whomever of His servants He wills and sparingly to whomever He wills. Whatever you spend, He replenishes it by other provisions: He is the best of Providers'." (Saba: 39)
14 That is, "Although both are entitled to the reward, yet the former are necessarily higher in rank than the latter, for they faced greater risks for the sake of Allah in difficult circumstances, which the latter not. They spent their wealth at a time when there appeared no remote chance of victory that would compensate for their expenditure, and they fought the disbelieves at a critical tune when there was an ever present apprehension that the enemy might overpower and crush the followers of Islam completely." Mujahid, Qatadah and Zaid bin Aslam, from among the commentators, say that the word °victory" in this verso has been used for the Conquest of Makkah, and `Amir Sha'bi says that it refers to the Truce of Hudaibiyah. The former view has been adopted by most of the commentators, and in support of the latter this tradition from Hadrat Abu Sa'id Khudri is presented: "During the time when the Truce of Hudaibiyah was concluded, the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) said to us: `In the near future there will appear the people, whose deeds will make you look upon your own deeds as mean and trifling, but even if one of them possessed a mountain of gold and he expended all of it in the cause of Allah, he would not attain to your spending two pounds, or even one pound of it." (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Marduyah, Abu Nu'aim Isfahani). Further. more, it is also supported by the ,Hadith which Imam Ahmad has related on the authority of Hadrat Anas. He says: "Once a dispute arose between Hadrat Khalid bin Walid and Hadrat `Abdur Rahman bin `Auf, in the course of which Hadrat Khalid said w Hadrat `Abdur Rahman: "You people assume your superiority over us on account of your past services. `When this thing came to the Holy Prophet's notice, he said: `By God in whose hand is my lift, even if you people spent gold equal (in weight) to Mount Uhud, or equal to other mountains, you would not attain to the deeds of these people." From this it is argued that in this verse "victory" refers to the Truce of Hudaibiyah, for Hadrat Khalid bin Walid had embraced Islam after this Truce and had participated in the Conquest of Makkah. However, whether "victory" in this particular case is taken to imply the Truce of Hudaibiyah or the Conquest of Makkah, in any case the verse dces not mean that the distinction of the ranks is confined to this one victory alone, but as a general principle it shows that those who fight and spend in the cause of Islam at the time when disbelief and disbelievers appear to be dominant and Islam seems to have no remote chance of victory, are far superior in rank to those who make sacrifices after the conflict between Islam and paganism has been decided in favour of Islam."
15 That is, "Allah dces not bestow His favours blindly. Ho sees who has performed what deeds, under what kind of circumstances, and with what motive and then determines the rank and the reward of the deed of each person with full justice and awareness,"
مَنْ ذَا الَّذِیْ یُقْرِضُ اللّٰهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَیُضٰعِفَهٗ لَهٗ وَ لَهٗۤ اَجْرٌ كَرِیْمٌۚ Open ayah 57:11 in the Quran reader
Who is he who will give to Allah a loan?-a good loan, so that Allah may return it manifold; and he shall have the best reward. 16
16 How Generous and Beneficent is Allah that if a man spends the wealth granted by Himself in His way, He calls it a loan Himself, provided that it is a good loan, that is, a loan which in given with a pure intention, without any selfish motive of winning reputation and renown, or of doing favour to somebody, but only for the sake of Allah's approval and to win His good-will and rewards. Allah makes two promises in this regard: (1) That He will repay it increasing it manifold; and (2) that He will also give from Himself the best reward for it.
According to a Hadith reported by Hadrat `Abdullah bin Mas'ud, when this verse was revealed and the people heard it from the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace), Hadrat Abud-Dahdah Ansari asked: "O Messenger of Allah, dces Allah want a loan from us? The Holy Prophet replied: Yes, O Abud-Dahdah,. He said Kindly show me your hand. The Holy Prophet extended his hand towards him. He took his hand in his own hand and said: I give away my garden in loan to my Lord." Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud says that the garden had 600 date-palms and his own house also in which his family lived- Saying this to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) he went straight back home, and calling out to his wife said: "Come out, O mother of Dahdah, I have loaned this garden to my Lord." She replied: "Dahdah's father, you have made a, good bargain !' and she immediately vacated and left the garden with her effects and children." (Ibn Abi Hatim). This incident throws light on the conduct of the sincere believers of that time, and from this one can also understand the kind of the "good loan" that Allah has promised to return increasing it manifold with a rich reward in addition.
یَوْمَ تَرَى الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ وَ الْمُؤْمِنٰتِ یَسْعٰى نُوْرُهُمْ بَیْنَ اَیْدِیْهِمْ وَ بِاَیْمَانِهِمْ بُشْرٰىكُمُ الْیَوْمَ جَنّٰتٌ تَجْرِیْ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْاَنْهٰرُ خٰلِدِیْنَ فِیْهَا١ؕ ذٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِیْمُۚ Open ayah 57:12 in the Quran reader
That Day when you see the believing men and women, with their light running on before them and on their right hand, 17 (it will be said to them:) "There is good news for you today!" There will be Gardens underneath which rivers will be flowing, in which they shall live for ever, This is the supreme success.
17 This and the following verses show that the Light on the Day of Judgement will be specifically meant for the righteous believers only. As for the disbelievers and the hypocrites and the wicked people, they will be wandering about in the darkness as they had been in the world. The light there will be the light of righteous deeds. The sincerity of the faith and the piety of the character and conduct will turn into light that will lend brightness to the personality of the virtuous. The brighter the deed the more luminous will be his person, and when he will walk towards Paradise, his light will be running forward before him. The best explanation of it is Qatadah's mursal tradition in which he says; "The Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) said: "The light of some one will be so .strong and sharp that it will be running on before him equal to the distance between Madinah and `Aden, of another equal to the distance between Madinah and San'a, and of another even less than that; to much so that there will be a believer whose light will Dot extend beyond his steps." (Ibn Jarir). In other words, the intensity of the light of a person will be proportionate to the extent of the good done and spread by him in the world, and the beams of his light will be running on before him in the Hereafter extending as far as his good will have extended in the world.
Here, a question may arise in the mind of the reader "One can understand the meaning of their light running on before the believers but what does their light running on only on their right hand mean? Will there be darkness on their left side? The answer is: When a man is walking with a light on his right hand, his left side also will be bright, though the fact of the matter is that the light will be on his right hand. This has been explained by the Hadith, which Hadrat Abu Dharr and Abu Darda' have reported, saying that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace;) said: "I shall recognize the righteous people of my Ummah by their light which will be running on before them and on their right and on their left." Hakim, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Marduyah).
یَوْمَ یَقُوْلُ الْمُنٰفِقُوْنَ وَ الْمُنٰفِقٰتُ لِلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوا انْظُرُوْنَا نَقْتَبِسْ مِنْ نُّوْرِكُمْ١ۚ قِیْلَ ارْجِعُوْا وَرَآءَكُمْ فَالْتَمِسُوْا نُوْرًا١ؕ فَضُرِبَ بَیْنَهُمْ بِسُوْرٍ لَّهٗ بَابٌ١ؕ بَاطِنُهٗ فِیْهِ الرَّحْمَةُ وَ ظَاهِرُهٗ مِنْ قِبَلِهِ الْعَذَابُؕ Open ayah 57:13 in the Quran reader
On that Day the hypocrites, men and women, will say to the believers, "Look towards us awhile so that we may benefit by your light." 18 But it will be said to them, "Go away! seek your light elsewhere." Then a well shall be set up between them with a gate in it. Within the gate shall be mercy and outside of it torment. 19
18 It means that when the believers will be going towards Paradise, the light will be before them, and the hypocrites will be stumbling about in the darkness behind. At that time they will call out to the believers, who lived with than together in the same Muslim society in the world, saying: "Look back towards us awhile so that we also may get some light."
19 This means that the people of Paradise will enter it awhile this gate and the gate will then be closed. On one side of the gate there will be the blessings of Paradise and on the other the torment of Hell. For the hypocrites it will not be possible to cross the barrier that will stand between them and Paradise.
یُنَادُوْنَهُمْ اَلَمْ نَكُنْ مَّعَكُمْ١ؕ قَالُوْا بَلٰى وَ لٰكِنَّكُمْ فَتَنْتُمْ اَنْفُسَكُمْ وَ تَرَبَّصْتُمْ وَ ارْتَبْتُمْ وَ غَرَّتْكُمُ الْاَمَانِیُّ حَتّٰى جَآءَ اَمْرُ اللّٰهِ وَ غَرَّكُمْ بِاللّٰهِ الْغَرُوْرُ Open ayah 57:14 in the Quran reader
They will cry out to the believers and say, "Were we not with you?" 20 The believers will reply, "Yes, but you led yourselves into temptation, 21 served the time, 22 entertained doubts, 23 and false hopes deluded you until Allah's Judgement came, 24 and the great deceiver 25 deceived you concerning Allah till the last moment.
20 That is, "Did we not live with you together in the same Muslim society? Did we not affirm the Faith? Did we not offer the Prayers along with you and observe the Fast and perform the Hajj and pay the Zakat? Did we not sit with you in your assemblies and were we not bound in marriage ties and kinship with you? Then, how is it that we have been separated from you today?"
21 That is In spite of yew claim to be Muslims, you never believed like true and ,sincere Muslims and remained suspended between belief and unbelief. You still had your interests attached to disbelief and the disbelievers and you never gave yourselves up wholly to Islam."
22 Tarabbus (from which tarabbastum of the Text is derived) means to wait and tarry for an opportunity. When a person is unable to decide which of the two alternative ways he should choose but stands and waits to consider which way should be more favorable for him to follow, he is involved in tarabbus. The hypocrites, had adopted the same attitude during the critical time of the conflict between Islam and un-Islam. Neither were they siding with disbelief openly nor were spending their energy to support and help Islam with full conviction. They were sitting on the fence, waiting to set which party in the conflict became dominant, so that if it was Islam they may join it on the basis of their affimlation of the faith, and if it was unbelief they may side -with its supporters taking advantage of their neutral position in the conflict.
23 This implies different kinds of doubts that a hypocrite suffers from, and the same also are the actual causes of his hypocrisy. He doubts the existence of God, the Prophethood of the Prophet, the Qur'an's being Allah's book, the Hereafter, its accountability, and its rewards and punishments, and he doubts whether the conflict between the Truth and falsehood is real, or a mere delusion; as for himself he considers the only truth to be that one should enjoy lift and its pleasures to the full, For unless a person is involved in such doubts he can never be a hypocrite.
24 This can have two meanings: (1) "Until death came to him, you could not shed this delusion till the last moment"; and (2) "that Islam became dominant, while you looked on unconcerned."
25 That is, Satan.
فَالْیَوْمَ لَا یُؤْخَذُ مِنْكُمْ فِدْیَةٌ وَّ لَا مِنَ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْا١ؕ مَاْوٰىكُمُ النَّارُ١ؕ هِیَ مَوْلٰىكُمْ١ؕ وَ بِئْسَ الْمَصِیْرُ Open ayah 57:15 in the Quran reader
Therefore, no ransom shall be accepted from you today nor from those who disbelieved openly 26 Your abode is Hell: that will be your patron. 27 and this is an evil end. "
26 This clearly shows that in the Hereafter the hypocrites will be doomed to the same fate as the disbelievers.
27 The words hiya maula kum (Hell is your maula) can have two meanings: (1) "That Hell is the only proper place for you"; and (2) "that you never took Allah as your maula (friend, patron) so that He may look after you; now Hell only is your maula; therefore, Hell now will look after you "
اَلَمْ یَاْنِ لِلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوْبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ وَ مَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ١ۙ وَ لَا یَكُوْنُوْا كَالَّذِیْنَ اُوْتُوا الْكِتٰبَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَیْهِمُ الْاَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوْبُهُمْ١ؕ وَ كَثِیْرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فٰسِقُوْنَ Open ayah 57:16 in the Quran reader
Has not the time yet arrived for the believers that their hearts should melt with the remembrance of Allah and should submit to the Truth sent down by Him, 28 and they should not be like those who were given the Book before them, and long ages passed over them and their hearts became hardened and today most of them are sinners? 29
28 Here again, the word "believers" is general, but it dces not apply to alI the Muslims; it refers to those particular Muslims who had professed the faith verbally and joined the followers of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) though their hearts were devoid of any concern for Islam. They were watching that the pagan forces were bent upon wiping out Islam; they had encircled the handful of Muslims from all sides, who were being made the target of persecution everywhere in Arabia, and thus oppressed the Muslims were fleeing to Madinah empty-handed for refuge; the sincere Muslims were extending to them whatever economic help they could; yet they were, at the same time, engaged in a life and-death struggle with the enemy. But, in spite of this, these people who professed the faith were not being moved at all. So, here, they are being put to shame. as if to say: "What kind of believers are you? At this critical juncture for Islam, is it not yet time that your hearts should melt at the mention of AIlah and be filled with the spirit of sacrifice for the sake of His Religion? Can the believers be such that they may 'have no feeling for Islam when it is confronted with hard times, that they may sit un-concerned when they are summoned in the name of Allah, that the hearts may neither tremble out of fear of Allah nor bow to His Command when He Himself should make an appeal for contributions in the Book sent down by Him, declaring it as a loan on Himself and plainly telling that the one who would regard his wealth as dearer than the cause of the true Faith would be a hypocrite and not a believer?"
29 That is, "The Jews and Christians seem to have lost fervour and degenerated spiritually and morally hundreds of years after the passing away of their Prophets; but have you already become so depraved that while the Prophet is still present among you, and the Book of God is still being revealed, and not much time has passed over you since you affirmed the Faith, and you have started behaving like the Jews and Christians who have reached this state through centuries of playing and tempering with the Book of Allah and its verses?"
اِعْلَمُوْۤا اَنَّ اللّٰهَ یُحْیِ الْاَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا١ؕ قَدْ بَیَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْاٰیٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُوْنَ Open ayah 57:17 in the Quran reader
Know it well that Allah gives life to the earth after its death. We have shown you the signs clearly: may .be that you use your common sense. 30
30 The point contained here should be well understood, At several places in the Qur'an the Prophethood and the revelation of the Book have been compared to the rainfall, for the effects produced by them on humanity are precisely like those produced by rain on the soil. Just as the dead earth swells and blooms as soon -as it receives a shower of rain, so it is with the dead humanity in a country where a Prophet is raised through Allah's mercy and Revelation begins to be sent down to him. It starts revealing those virtues which lay hidden and suppressed for ages; it starts manifesting from within itself excellent morals and good deeds and virtues of every kind. Allusion has been made to this truth here so as to open the eyes of the Muslims of the weak faith and to make them ponder their state. The way humanity was being reformed by the blessed rainfall of the Prophethood and Revelation and the way it was being richly and generously blessed in every way was not a remote story for them. They were observing it themselves in the pious and righteous society of the Companions and experiencing it day and night around them. Polytheism with alI its evils was present before them while the virtues and good things emanating from Islam also were blooming and flourishing before their eyes. Therefore, they did not need to be told any details. An allusion was enough to the effect, "The signs of how Allah grants life to the dead earth through the rainfall of His mercy have been shown to you; now you should use your common sense and consider it for yourself as to what benefit you arc deriving from this blessing. "
اِنَّ الْمُصَّدِّقِیْنَ وَ الْمُصَّدِّقٰتِ وَ اَقْرَضُوا اللّٰهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا یُّضٰعَفُ لَهُمْ وَ لَهُمْ اَجْرٌ كَرِیْمٌ Open ayah 57:18 in the Quran reader
Surely those from among men and women who practice chariy 31 and who have lent to Allah a good loan, shall be repaid manifold, and for them there is a generous reward.
31 Sadagah, as an Islamic term, is the charity given sincerely and with a pure intention only with a view to seek Allah's good pleasure without making any show of it, and without the intention of doing any favour to the recipient. The donor should give it only because he has a true feeling of the service of his Lord. The word is derived from sidq; therefore, sadaqat(sincerity) is of its essence. No charity and no expending of the wealth can be a sadaqah unless it springs from a sincere and pure motive of spending only for the sake of Allah.
وَ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ وَ رُسُلِهٖۤ اُولٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الصِّدِّیْقُوْنَ١ۖۗ وَ الشُّهَدَآءُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ١ؕ لَهُمْ اَجْرُهُمْ وَ نُوْرُهُمْ١ؕ وَ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْا وَ كَذَّبُوْا بِاٰیٰتِنَاۤ اُولٰٓئِكَ اَصْحٰبُ الْجَحِیْمِ۠ Open ayah 57:19 in the Quran reader
And those who have believed in Allah and His Messengers, 32 are indeed the most truthful 33 and the true witnesses 34 in the sight of their Lord. For them is their reward and their light. 35 As for those who have disbelieved and denied Our Revelations, they are the dwellers of Hell.
32 Here, the believers imply those people of true faith whose attitude and conduct was absolutely different from that of the people of weak faith and the false claimants to Islam, and who were at that time vying with one another in making monetary sacrifices and were struggling with their lives in the cause of the true Faith.
33 Siddiq (most truthful) is the superlative from sidq; however, one should clearly understand that sidq Is not merely a statement conforming to the truth, but a statement which is not only true in itself but its Bayer also upholds it as a truth sincerely. For instance, if a person says that Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) is Allah's Messenger, this is by itself precisely according to 'the truth for the Holy Prophet is truly Allah's Messenger, but the person would be true in his statement only if he also believed and upheld him as Allah's Messenger. Therefore, a thing would be sidq if what was said was in conformity with the truth as well as with the Bayer's own conscience. Likewise, sidq also contains the sense of faithfulness, sincerity and practical righteousness. Sadiq-ul-wa d would be the person who kept his promise practically, who never broke it. Sadiq (true friend) would be he who did full justice to friendship in the time of need, and who never proved faithless to any, body in any way. In war, sadiq fil-qital (true soldier) would be the one who fought with all his heart and body and established his valour practically. Thus, sidq in essence implies that one's deed should fully conform to one's word. The one who acts contrary to his word cannot be Sadiq. On that very basis, the one who preaches one thing and acts contrary to it, is regarded as a false preacher. With this meaning of sidq and sadiq in view one can fully appreciate the meaning of the superlative sadiq. It would inevitably imply a righteous person who is free from every impurity, who has never swerved from the truth and piety, who could never be expected to say anything against his conscience. who believed in whatever he believed with full sincerity and remained faithful to it under all circumstances, and who has practically proved that he is a true believer in the full sense of the word. (For further explanation, see E.N. 99 of An-Nisa).
34 The early commentators have differed about the explanation of this verse. Ibn 'Abbas, Masruq, Dahhak, Muqatil bin Hayyan and others say that the previous sentence ended with humsssiddiqun; and wash-shuhada'-u `inda Rabbihim la-hum ajru-hum wa nuru-hum is a separate and independent sentence According to this explanation, the translation of the sentence would be: "Those who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, are indeed the most truthful (as siddiqun); as for the true witnesses (ash-shuhada), they will have their reward and their light from their Lord. " Contrary to this, Mujahid and several other commentators regard this whole expression as one sentence. According to them the translation would be that which we have given in the text above. The two commentaries differ because the first group has taken the word Shahid in the meaning of the martyr in the way of Allah. and seeing that every believer is not a shahid in this sense, has taken wash-shuhada'-u `inda Rabbi-him as a separate sentence. But the other group takes shahid in the meaning of the witness of the Truth, and not in the sense of the martyr, and in this sense every believer is a shahid. We are of the opinion that this second commentary is preferable and this is
"Thus have We made you a community of the 'Golden Mean' so that you may be witnesses in regard to mankind and the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you." (AI-Baqarah; 143).
"AIIah had called you "Muslims" before this ant has called you (by the same name) in this (Qur'an) also so that the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you and you may be witnesses in regard to the rest of mankind." (Al-Hajj: 78)
In a Hadith, Hadrat Bara' bin 'Azib has related that he heard the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) say: °The believers of my Ummah are shahid (the witnesses); then he recited this very verse of Surah AI-Hadid. " (Ibn Jarir). Ibn Marduyah has related on the authority of Hadrat Abu ad-Darda' the tradition that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace) said: "The one who emigrates from a land in order to save his life and his faith from temptation, is recorded as a Siddiq (most truthful), and when he dies, AIIah takes his soul as a shahid (true witness). Then aftar this, the Holy Prophet recited this very verse. " (For 'the explanation of this meaning of shahadat, see E:N. 144 of AI-Baqarah, E.N 99 of An-Nisa', E.N. 82 of Al-Ahzab).
35 That is, "Each one of them will receive the reward and the light of the measure and degree he deserves. They will all get their own respective rewards and lights, and their shares have already been reserved for them,"
اِعْلَمُوْۤا اَنَّمَا الْحَیٰوةُ الدُّنْیَا لَعِبٌ وَّ لَهْوٌ وَّ زِیْنَةٌ وَّ تَفَاخُرٌۢ بَیْنَكُمْ وَ تَكَاثُرٌ فِی الْاَمْوَالِ وَ الْاَوْلَادِ١ؕ كَمَثَلِ غَیْثٍ اَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهٗ ثُمَّ یَهِیْجُ فَتَرٰىهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ یَكُوْنُ حُطَامًا١ؕ وَ فِی الْاٰخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِیْدٌ١ۙ وَّ مَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَ رِضْوَانٌ١ؕ وَ مَا الْحَیٰوةُ الدُّنْیَاۤ اِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُوْرِ Open ayah 57:20 in the Quran reader
Know it well that the life of this world is nothing but a sport and pastime, and a show and boasting among yourselves and a rivalry in wealth and children. Its example is of vegetation after a shower of rain, which delighted the tillers, then the same ripens and you see it turn yellow, then it becomes straw. Contrary to this, in the life to come there is severe torment and forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure. The life of this world is nothing but illusion 36
36 To understand this theme fully one should keep the following verses of the Qur'an in mind: Imran; 14- 15, Yunus: 24-25, ibrahim: 18, AI-Kahf: 45-46, An-Nur: 39. In aII those verses the truth that has been impressed on the mind is: The life of this world is a temporary life: its spring as well as its autumn is temporary, Them is much here to allure man. but this, in fact, consists of base and insignificant things which man because of his shallowness of mind regards as great and splendid and is deluded into thinking that in attaining them lies supreme success, The truth however is that the highest benefits and means of pleasure and enjoyment that one can possibly attain in the world, arc indeed bast and insignificant and confined to a few years of temporary life, and can be destroyed by just one turn of fate. Contrary to this, the lift hereafter is a splendid and eternal life: its benefits are great and permanent and its losses too are great and permanent. The one who attains Allah's forgiveness and His goodwill there, will indeed have attained the everlasting bliss beside which the whole wealth of the world and its kingdom become pale and insignificant. And the one who is seized in God's torment there, will come to know that he had made a bad bargain even if he had attained aII that he regarded as great and splendid in the world.
سَابِقُوْۤا اِلٰى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْ وَ جَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ السَّمَآءِ وَ الْاَرْضِ١ۙ اُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ وَ رُسُلِهٖ١ؕ ذٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللّٰهِ یُؤْتِیْهِ مَنْ یَّشَآءُ١ؕ وَ اللّٰهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِیْمِ Open ayah 57:21 in the Quran reader
Therefore, strive in rivalry with one another 37 in hastening towards the Paradise the vastness of which is like the vastness of the heavens and earth, 38 prepared for those who have believed in Allah and His Messengers. This is Allah's bounty which He bestows on whomever He wills, and Allah's bounty is immense!
37 Musabagat (from which sabiqu of the original is derived) means to compete and vie with each other in order to excel. The meaning is: "Give up your rivalries with one another for amassing wealth, and pleasures and benefits, of the world and instead make the forgiveness of your Lord and Paradise the object of your struggle and rivalries.'
38 Some commentators have taken the word ard in 'arduha ka- 'ard-is- sama '-I wal-ard in the sense of breadth, but actually this word has been used here in the meaning of spaciousness and extensiveness. In Arabic the word ard is not only used for breadth, as a counterpart of length, but also for spaciousness, as it has been used in Ha Mim As-Sajdah: 51: fa-dhu du'a in 'arid: "Then he is full of wordy supplications." Besides, one should also understand that the object here is not to foretell the area or extent of Paradise, but to give an idea of its vastness and extensiveness. Here its vastness has been described as the vastness of the heaven and earth, and in Surah . AI-'Imran it has been said: "Hasten to follow the path that leads to your Lord's forgiveness and to Paradise whose vastness is that of the universe, which has been prepared for the righteous "' (v. 133) When both these verses are read together, one gets the idea that the; gardens and palaces man will receive in Paradise will only serve as his dwelling-place t but the entire universe will be his home He will not be restricted to one place as be is in this world, where just for reaching the Moon, his nearest neighbour in space, he has had to struggle hard for years and expend excessive resources only to overcome the difficulties of a short journeny. There the whole universe will be accessible to him: he will be able to see whatever he would desire from his station and be able to visit whichever place he would like easily.
مَاۤ اَصَابَ مِنْ مُّصِیْبَةٍ فِی الْاَرْضِ وَ لَا فِیْۤ اَنْفُسِكُمْ اِلَّا فِیْ كِتٰبٍ مِّنْ قَبْلِ اَنْ نَّبْرَاَهَا١ؕ اِنَّ ذٰلِكَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ یَسِیْرٌۚۖ Open ayah 57:22 in the Quran reader
No affliction befalls in the earth or in your own selves, which We have not recorded in a Book 39 before bringing it into being. 40 This is an easy thing for Allah, 41
39 "A Book": the Writ of destiny,
40 Here, "it" may be referring to the affliction as well as to the earth, or the self of man, or in view of the context, to all the creatures.
41 That is, it is not at all difficult for Allah to pre-ordain the destiny of each and every one of His creatures.