النص المفهرس

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Surah As-Sajdah : 32 : 1 - 3
communities and groups. That is correct in its place and certainly the
dictate of universal Divine mercy. Commentator Abu Hayyan says that
the call to tauhid and 'iman has never ceased in any time or place or
people. And wherever a long time passed after the appearance of a
prophet, it resulted in the dearth of those having the knowledge of the
legacy of prophethood. Thereupon, some new prophet or messenger was
sent. This requires that the call to tauhid should have reached the Arab
peoples definitely, and much earlier. But, for this it is not necessary that
the call should have been brought in by some prophet or messenger in
person. It is possible that it may have reached through the learned
serving as deputies to the prophetic mission. Therefore, the verses of this
Surah, Surah Ya Sin and others which prove that no nadhir (warner)
had appeared amidst the Quraish of Arabia before the Holy Prophet
must be approached with the necessary consideration that the word: y&
(nadhir) used there should mean a prophet and messenger in the
technical sense denoting that no prophet and messenger had come amidst
those people before the Holy Prophet - even though, the call to tauhid
and 'iman may have reached there too through other means.
Before the period of os fatrah, that is, before the appearance of the
Holy Prophet
it stands proved about some blessed souls who firmly
adhered to the faith of Sayyidna Ibrahim and Isma'il >JI Lande. They
believed in the Oneness of Allah and were averse to the worship of and
sacrifices for idols.
Rub-ul-Ma'ani reports from the Maghazi of Musa Ibn 'Uqbah about
one such person whose name was Zayd Ibn 'Amr Ibn Nufayl. He had also
met the Holy Prophet &g before he was ordained as a prophet. But, it was
still before his prophethood that he died in the year the Quraish had built
the edifice of the Baytullah - and this happened five years prior to his
prophethood. About him, Musa Ibn 'Uqbah says, 'He used to stop the
Quraish from indulging in the worship of idols. He opposed the offering of
sacrifices in the name of idols as an evil practice and would not eat the
meat from animals slaughtered by the Mushriks.'
Abu Dawud Țayalisi has reported from Sayyidna Said Ibn Zayd Ibn
Amr 4gb, the son of Zayd Ibn 'Amr Ibn Nufayl, one of the celebrated ten
among the noble Sahabah, that he had submitted before the (عشرة مبشرة)
Holy Prophet
saying: "You already know about my father that he

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Surah As-Sajdah : 32 : 4 - 9
adhered to pure monotheism and rejected idolatry. Can I, then, pray for
his forgiveness?" The Holy Prophet ; said, "Yes, for him the prayer of
forgiveness is permissible. He will, on the day of Qiyamah, rise as a
community of his own." (Ruh-ul-Ma'ani)
Similarly, Warqah Ibn Nawfal
e who was present during the initial
period of the prophethood and the revelation of the Qur'an was an
adherent of pure monotheism (tauhid). He had expressed his resolve to
help the Holy Prophet g but he died soon after. These examples prove
that the people of Arabia were though not totally deprived of the Divine
call to faith and monotheism, but that no prophet had appeared amidst
them as such. Allah knows best.
All three verses cited above carry an affirmation of the veracity of the
Qur'an and the Prophet of Islam.
Verses 4 - 9
اَللَّهُ الَّذِىُ خَلَقَ السَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِىُ سِنَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ
اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرُشِ * مَالَكُمْ مِّنُ دُوْنِهِ مِنْ وَّلِيٍ وَلَا شَفِيُعِ * أَفَلَا
تَتَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿٤﴾ يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ مِنَ السَّمَّآءِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِى
يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ اَلْفَ سَنَّةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ ﴿٥﴾ ذلِكَ عِلِمُ الْغَيْبِ
وَالشِّهَادَةِ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيْمُ ﴿٢﴾ الَّذِىُّ أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَهُ وَبَدَأَ
خَلْقَ الْإِنْسَانِ مِنْ طِيْنٍ ﴿﴿؛ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسُلَهُ مِنْ سُلَةٍ مِّنُ مَّآءٍ مَّهِيْنٍ
ثُمَّ سَوَّبِهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيْهِ مِنُ رُّوُحِهِ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَ الْأَبْصَارَ
وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ قَلِيلاً مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٩)
Allah is the One who created the heavens and the earth
and all that is between them in six days, then He
positioned Himself on the Throne. Other than Him,
there is neither a guardian for you, nor an intercessor.
Would you then not observe the advice? [4] He manages
(every) matter from the sky to the earth, then it (every
matter) will ascend to Him in a day the measure of
which is a thousand years according to the way you

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count. [5] That One is the All-knower of the unseen and
the seen, the All-Mighty, the Very-Merciful, [6] who
made well whatever He created and started the creation
of man from clay. [7] Then He made his progeny from a
drop of semen, from a despised water. [8] Then He gave
him a proportioned shape and breathed into him of His
spirit. And He granted you the (power of) hearing and
the eyes and the hearts. Little you give thanks. [9]
Commentary
The length of the day of Qiyamah
The text in verse 5 cited above says: ◌َفِىُ يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقُدَارُهُ، أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّون (in a
day the measure of which is a thousand years according to the way you
count - 5). And it appears in a verse of Surah Al-Ma'arij: ... (in a day the
extent of which is fifty thousand years - 70:4).
A simple explanation of this is what appears in Bayan-ul-Qur'an -
since this day will be horrendous, people would find it very long. Then,
this length will be felt in terms of one's measure of faith and deeds. Big
criminals will find the day longer while the small ones will find it
comparatively shorter, so much so that the day some would feel to be of a
thousand years, to others, it would appear as of fifty thousand years.
Tafsir Ruh-ul-Ma'ani reports several other explanations from the
'Ulama' and Sufiya'. But, all these are nothing but conjectures.
Something which can be traced back to a proved meaning of the Qur'an
or something which can be believed in is just not there. Therefore, the
most sound approach in this matter is the same as was taken by the early
elders of Islam, the Sahabah and the Tabi'in: They had left the
knowledge of this difference of one and fifty to Allah without explaining it
on the basis of human whims and, on their part, they had found it
sufficient to say, 'we do not know.'
About it, Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas de said:
هُمَا يَوْمَان ذَكَرَهُمَا اللهُ تَعَالَى فِىُ كِتَابِهِ اللَّهُ تَعَالِى أَعْلَمُ بِهِمَا وَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ أَقُوُلَ فِىُ
كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مَالَا أَعْلَمُ
They are two days mentioned by Allah Ta'ala in His Book. Allah
Ta'ala knows best about them and I dislike to say in the matter
of the Book of Allah that which I do not know.

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Everything is good in this world. Evil comes through its wrong
use.
In verse 7, it was said:"الَّذِىُ اَحُسَنَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقَه :"Who made well whatever
He created good. The reason is that Allah Ta'ala has made whatever He
has created in this world under the dictate of His wisdom, and under the
essential consideration of what is beneficial for the whole system.
Therefore, everything has a beauty of its own. And the most beautiful
لَقَدٌ خَلَقُنَا الإِنسَانَ فِى :and better than all is the making of man as it was said
.(95:4 - Surely, We did create man in the best of symmetry) أَحْسَنِ تَقُوِيُمٍ
Then there are creations other than man that may outwardly be
taken as bad. In fact, dogs, pigs, snakes, scorpions and wolfs are
commonly considered bad because they are either poisonous or beastly.
But, in terms of the expedient benefits of the world as a whole, none of
these is really bad. A proverbial poetic observation in Urdu puts it as:
كولَ بُأنييس قدرت ک كارفان سيس
نی ےچے می کونی زیافےیی.
There is nothing useless in the world
There is no one bad in the workshop of nature.
The author of Bayan ul-Qur'an has said, 'the text's sus j' (whatever)
includes all substances and accidents, that is, also things which have
corporeal substance, such as, animals, plants and minerals etc. as well as
incorporeal things which include even morals and deeds. So much so that
morals which are identified as bad - anger, greed, desire and their likes -
are not bad in themselves. The bad about them emerges when they are
used out of place. If they stay in their proper place, there is nothing bad
in them. But, the sense being driven home here relates to the objective of
their creation ( takwin )and introduction of these things - for that is
nothing but good according to divine wisdom. However, the qualities of
'good' and 'bad' are attached to them in relation to the human acts and
their effects on individuals. We can call it one's right or choice employed
in doing something. Then, in those terms, everything is not good, in fact,
it is circumscribed by a little detail, that is, whatever has not been allowed
by Allah Ta'ala is not good, but is, rather bad.' Allah knows best.
The sentence that follows next reads: ◌ٍوَبَدَاَ خَلْقَ الْإِنْسَانِ مِنْ طِين (and started
the creation of man from clay - 7). Earlier, it was said that Allah Ta'ala
has made everything 'good' in this world. Mentioned thereafter was man,

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the most beautiful of all. Then, to give expression to His most perfect
power alongside, it was also said that the making of man as the most
superior form of creation was not because the essential ingredient of his
creation was most noble, elegant and superior, which may have made it
so. In fact, as for the essential ingredient that went into his making, it
was something as mean and lowly as the semen. Thereafter, the rest was
a masterpiece of His perfect power and profound wisdom. It was this great
combination that took something so low to such a height that man was
rated as the most noble Divine creation.
Verses 10 - 22
وَقَالُوْاْ ءَ إِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِى الْأَرْضِءَ إِنَّا لَفِىُ خَلْقٍ جَدِيْدٍ ﴿ بَلُ هُمُ
بِلِقَآئِ رَبِّهِمُ كَفِرُونَ ﴿١٠) قُلْ يَتَوَقْبِكُمُ مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِىُ وُّلَ
بِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ ﴿١١﴾ وَلَوْ تَرَّى إِذِ الْمُجْرِمُوْنَ نَاكِسُوْا
رُ وُسِهِمُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمُ + رَبََّآ أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَارْجِعُنَا نَعُمَلُ صَالِحًا
إِنَّ مُوُقِنُونَ ﴿١٢﴾ وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَاتَيْنَا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُدبِهَا وَلَكِنُ حَقَّ
الْقَوْلُ مِنِّى لَمْلَئَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِيْنَ ﴿١٣﴾
فَذُوْقُوْا بِمَا نَسِيْتُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمُ هَذَا إِنَّا نَسِيُنْكُمُ وَذُوْقُوا عَذَابَ
الْخُلْدِ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٤﴾ إِنَّمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِيْتِنَا الَّذِيْنَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا
بِهَا خَرُّوْا سُجَّدًا وَسَبَّحُوْا بِحَمْدٍ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ﴿١٥﴾
تَتَجَافِى جُنُوْبُهُمُ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمُ خَوْفًا وَّطَمَعًا: وَّمِمَّا
رَزَقْنُهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ ﴿١٦﴾ فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّ أُخْفِىَ لَهُمْ مِّنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ؟
جَزَآءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٧) أَفَمَنُ كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا كَمَنُ كَانَ
فَاسِقَاءُ لَا يَسْتَوَّنَ ﴿١٨﴾ أَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصُّلِحْتِ فَلَهُمُ
جَنْتُ الْمَأْوَى ، نُزُلاً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٩﴾ وَأَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ فَسَقُوْا
فَمَأُوْنُهُمُ النَّارُ كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُوَّا أَنْ يَّخُرُجُوا مِنْهَا أُعِيُدُوْا فِيْهَا وَقِيْلَ

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لَهُمْ ذُوْقُوا عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّذِىُ كُنْتُمُ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ ﴿٢٠﴾ وَلَنُذِيْقَنَّهُمُ
مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدُنِى دُوْنَ الْعَذَابِ الْآَكُبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمُ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴿٢١﴾
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنُ ذُكِّرَ بِإِيْتِ رَبِّهِ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَاءُ إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِيْنَ
مُنْتَقِمُونَ ﴿٢٢)
And they said, "Is it that when we disappear in the
earth, shall we really come into a new creation?"
Rather they are ones who deny the meeting with their
Lord. [10] Say, "The angel of death who has been
assigned for you will take you in full, then you will be
brought back to your Lord." [11] And (you will wonder)
if you see the sinners hanging their heads before their
Lord (and saying,) "Our Lord, we have now seen and
heard, so send us back, and we will do righteous deeds.
Surely, (now) we are believers." [12] And if We had so
willed, We would have given everybody his right way
(by force), but the word from Me had come to pass: "I
will certainly fill the Jahannam with jinn and human
beings together .: [13]
So, have a taste, because you had forgotten the meeting
of this day of yours. We have forgotten you. And taste
the eternal punishment for what you used to do. [14]
Only those people believe in Our verses who, when they
are reminded of them, fall in prostration and
pronounce the purity with praise of their Lord, and
they do not wax proud. [15] Their sides remain apart
from their beds. They call their Lord with fear and hope,
and spend from what We have given to them. [16] So no
one knows what delight of eyes has been reserved for
them in secret, as a reward of what they used to do. [17]
So, can one who is a believer become like one who is a
sinner? They cannot become equal. [18] As for those who
believe and do righteous deeds, for them there are
gardens to dwell, an honorable hospitality, for what
they used to do. [19] And the ones who disobeyed, their
abode is the Fire. Whenever they wish to come out from
it, they will be turned back to it, and it will be said to
them, "Taste the punishment of fire that you used to
deny." [20] And We will certainly make them taste the
nearer punishment before the greater punishment, so
that they may return. [21] And who is more unjust than

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the one who was reminded of the verses of his Lord,
then he turned away from them. Surely, We have to
take vengeance upon the sinners. [22]
Commentary
In verse 11, it was said: ◌ْقُلُ يَتَوَقْبِكُمُ مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِىُ وُّلَ بِكُم (Say, "The ange]
of death who has been assigned for you will take you in full" - 11). In the
verse previous to it, the deniers of the Qiyamah were warned and an
answer was given to their wondering as to how would they be brought
back to life once again after they had died and become dust. In the verse
cited above, such people are being reminded, 'Think of your death which
is, in itself, a great manifestation of the perfect power of Allah Ta'ala.
Your heedlessness and ignorance make you think that one's death comes
all by itself, just like that. This is not how it is. In fact, fixed for your
death there is a time with Allah and for this there is a standing system
run through angels. Sayyidna 'Izra'il & is the foremost among them,
the one who is the master-manager of death throughout the world.
Whenever and wherever a person is destined to die, it is precisely at that
time that he draws out his soul from his body.' This is what has been
stated in the cited verse. It should be noted that ◌ِمٌلَكُ الْمَوْت (malakul-
maut: angel of death) has been mentioned in the singular form. It means
Sayyidna 'Izra'il Sell. Please compare it with another verse where it is
said : ◌ُالَّذِينَ تَتَوَفْهُمُ الْمَلَئِكَة (the ones to whom the angels brought death - 16:28).
Here, the word: Ku (mala'ikah: angels) has been used in the plural
form. This releases the hint that Sayyidna 'Izra'll al does not do this
alone. Many angels under him take part in accomplishing this duty.
Some details about the Exacting of Soul and the Angel of Death
Tafsir authority, Mujahid has said, 'before the angel of death, the
whole world is very much like an open tray before a human being
sprinkled in which there are grains and he picks up whichever he wants.'
The same subject has also appeared in a marfu' hadith, that is, traceable
to the Holy Prophet . (As mentioned by al-Qurtubi in At-tadhkirah)
According to a hadith, once the Holy Prophet g saw the angel of
death standing behind the head of an Ansari sahabl on his death bed. He
said, 'make it easy on my sahabi.' The angel of death said, 'Rest assured. I
make it easy on every believer,' then, he added, just imagine the number
of people living in towns or villages and in forests, mountains or waters, I

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see every one of them five times a day, therefore, I am directly acquainted
with everyone of them, young or old.' Then, he concluded by saying, 'O
Muhammad g, all this I am telling you about is nothing but what
happens with the will and command of Allah. Otherwise, if I wanted to
take the life of even a mosquito, I do not have the power to do so - unless
there comes the very command of Allah Ta'ala that I have to do it.'
The soul of animals: Does the angel of death exact that too?
From the hadith report mentioned above, it seems that it is the angel
of death who, subject to Divine permission, exacts the soul of a mosquito
too. Imam Malik Ww wUl da>, has also said this while answering a question.
But, some other reports show that this exacting of the soul is particular to
human beings - because of their nobility and distinction. As for the
animals, they will die under Divine will without the medium of the angel.
(Mentioned by Ibn 'Atiyyah from al-Qurtubi)
The same subject has been reported by Abu ash-Shaikh, 'Uqaili,
Dailami and others on the authority of Sayyidna Anas 4% narrating it
from the Holy Prophet . According to this report, the Holy Prophet
said, "All animals and insects keep glorifying Allah (for this is their life).
When this glorification stops, Allah Ta'ala takes their soul. The death of
animals has not been entrusted with the angel of death". Another related
hadith has been reported from Sayyidna Ibn 'Umar 4ee. (Mazhari)
It appears in yet another hadith, 'when Allah Ta'ala handed over to
Sayyidna 'Izra'il Saall the charge of managing the death of everyone in
the world, he pleaded, "O my Lord, You have put such a service in my
charge that the entire race of the children of 'Adam living in the world is
going to give me a bad name to the extent that every time I am
remembered, I shall be dubbed as evil." Allah Ta'ala would say, "We have
taken care of that by placing some obvious diseases and causes of death in
the world due to which everyone will attribute death to these diseases and
causes and you will remain safe from their adverse comments." (Al-Qurtubi
in his Tafsir and Al-tadhkirah)
And Imam al-Baghawi reports on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn
'Abbas de that the Holy Prophet
said, "All diseases, and things like
pain and wound, are the universal message-bearers of death. They
remind every human being of his or her death. After that, when comes

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the time of death, the angel of death turns towards the dying person and
says, 'O servant of God, how many notices have I served on you and how
many message-bearers have I sent to you one after the other! All these
diseases and accidents delivered at your doors were simply to warn you
that you should get ready for death. Now, here I am after whom no
bearer of some message will come to you any more. Now you have got to
say yes to the order of your Lord necessarily, whether willingly or
unwillingly." (Mazhari)
Ruling:
The angel of death does not know the time of anyone's death in
advance - until he is ordered to exact the soul of a certain person. (Deduced
by Ahmad and Ibn Abi ad-Dunya from Ma'mar, Mazhari)
تَتَجَافى جُنُوبُهُمُ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمُ خَوْفًا وَّطَمَعًا:16 Before approaching verse
(Their sides remain apart from their beds. They call their Lord with fear
and hope - 16), it should be borne in mind that disbelievers, Mushriks and
the deniers of the day of Qiyamah were warned in the verses previous to
it. After that, starting from: إِنَّمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِآيتِنَا (Only those people believe in Our
verses - 15) mentioned there are special attributes of sincere believers and
the high ranks reserved for them. Pointed to in the cited verse is one such
attribute of these believers: They leave the comfort of their beds, rise and
get busy with the remembrance of Allah in submission and supplication -
because, they are apprehensive of His displeasure and punishment while
remaining hopeful of His mercy and reward. This very combination of
fear and hope keeps them returning to Dhikr and Du'a' repeatedly,
anxiously and animated at the same time.
The Salah of Tahajjud
The majority of commentators takes the expression denoting the
leaving of beds and getting busy with Dhikr and Du'a' to mean the Salah
of Tahajjud and Nawafil that are offered after rising from sleep (which is
the saying of al-Hasan, Mujahid, Malik and al-Awza'i). And it is supported by
narrations of Hadith as well.
According to a report in the Musnad of Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i
and others, Sayyidna Mu'adh Ibn Jabal dee narrates: 'Once I was in the
company of the Holy Prophet on a journey. One morning during the
course of the journey when I was near him, I requested: "Ya Rasulallah,

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Sūrah As-Sajdah : 32 : 10 - 22
tell me to do something which helps me enter Paradise and keeps me
away from Hell." He said, "You asked for something very difficult. But, for
whomsoever Allah Ta'ala makes it easy, for him it becomes easy." Then
he said, "This is what you should do: Worship Allah and associate no one
with Him, and establish Salah, and pay Zakah, and keep the fasts of
Ramadan, and perform the Hajj of Baytullah." And then he said, "Here,
now let me tell you about the gateways of righteousness: Fasting is a
shield (that saves you from punishment). Sadaqah puts off the fire of
one's sins - so does one's Salah in the middle of the night." And after
having said that, he recited the cited verse of the Holy Qur'an:
تتجافى
.(16 - Their sides remain apart from their beds) جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ
رضى الله عنهم أجمعين Sayyidna Abu ad-Darda', Qatadah and Dahhak
have said that this attribute of sides remaining apart from beds also
applies to those who make their Salah of 'Isha' with Jama'ah and then go
on to make their Salah of Fajr with Jama'ah. And according to a
narration of Sayyidna Anas 4ee appearing in Tirmidhi with sound chains
of authority, this verse: ◌ُتَتَجَافى جُنُوبُهُم (Their sides remain apart) was
revealed about people who do not sleep before the Salah of 'Isha' and
keep waiting for the Jama'ah of 'Isha'.
And according to some other reports, this verse is about people who
offer nawafil between Maghrib and 'Isha' (reported by Muhammad Ibn Nasr).
And about this verse, Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas dee said: People who would, on
waking up, remember Allah - lying, sitting and on sides - are also
included therein.
Ibn Kathir and other Tafsir authorities have said that there is no
contradiction in all these sayings. It is correct to say that this verse is
inclusive of all - while the late night Salah remains the superior most.
Bayan ul-Qur'an has also opted for this approach.
And Sayyidah Asma' bint Yazid Que du , narrates: The Holy
Prophet said, 'when Allah Ta'ala will gather everyone from the first to
the last, a proclaimer whose call will be heard by the entire creation will
call: "This day everyone on the plains of Resurrection will find out as to
who is really deserving of honor and compliment.' Then, the proclaiming
angel will proclaim: 'O people assembled on the plains of Resurrection, let
تَتَجَافى جُنُوبُهُمُ عَنٍ :those rise from among you, those whose attribute was

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Surah As-Sajdah : 32 : 10 - 22
lisa (Their sides remain apart from their beds - 16)'. At this call, these
people will stand up, though their number will be small. (Ibn Kathir) And
some words of the same narration say that these people will be sent to
Paradise without reckoning. After that, all others will stand and face
reckoning. (Mazhari)
In verse 21:
وَلَنُذِيُقَنَّهُمُ مِّنُ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنِى دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمُ يَرْجِعُونَ
(And We will certainly make them taste the nearer punishment
before the greater punishment, so that they may return),
العذاب الادنى adna) has been used in the sense of 'nearer' and) أَدُنى :the word
(al-'adhab-ul-adna) denotes diseases, sufferings and calamities of the
world that are made to befall a lot of people by Allah Ta'ala in order to
warn them against their sins. The purpose is to chasten and alert them
enough so that they leave off their sins and thus earn their deliverance
from the Great Punishment of the Hereafter.
Hence, this verse seems to tell us that all these sufferings, accidents,
diseases and pains that inflict sinners in the world are nothing but a sort
of mercy for them in as much as they help them get out of their
heedlessness and save themselves from the punishment of the 'Akhirah.
However, for people who take no lesson even from such unwelcome
happenings and fail to turn to Allah, for them, this punishment becomes
twofold - first, the cash punishment right here in this world and then, the
other being the Great Punishment of the Hereafter. As for the hardships
of many kinds that come upon prophets and men of Allah, that is a
separate matter. These hardships are a trial for them and trials are the
source through which their ranks are raised. What is the hallmark of this
trial? How do you recognize the quality of their response? If one were to
observe such people even under the stress of calamities and hardships, it
will be noticed that they have a kind of peace and tranquility emanating
from their trust in Allah Ta'ala. And it is Allah who knows best.
There are some crimes the punishment of which comes even
within the mortal world much before the Hereafter.
إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ :The last sentence of the set of verses cited above reads
Ska (We have to take vengeance upon the sinners - 22). Obviously, the
word: ' (al-mujrimin: the criminals) includes all kinds of criminals.

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Surah As-Sajdah : 32 : 23 - 30
Then, the word: le! (intigam: revenge, retribution, return) is also
general. It may be in the mortal world or in the Hereafter or in both. But,
from some Hadith accounts it appears that there are three sins the
punishment of which is experienced - before the Hereafter - right here in
this world too. They are: (1) To strive against what is Right and True
publicly with flags and slogans; (2) To disobey parents; (3) To help
someone unjust or oppressive. (Reported by Ibn Jarir from Sayyidna Mu'adh Ibn
(رضى الله عنه Jabal
Verses 23 - 30
وَلَقَدُ أَتَيْنَا مُوْسَى الْكِتْبَ فَلَا تَكُنُ فِىُ مِرُيَةٍ مِّنُ لِّقَائِهِ وَ جَعَلْنُهُ
هُدًى لِبَنِىَّ إِسْرَآءٍ يُلَ ﴿٢٣﴾ وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُمُ أَئِمَّةً يَّهُدُوْنَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا
صَبَرُوا نٌّوَ كَانُوا بِابْتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ ﴿٢٤﴾ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمُ يَوْمَ
الْقِيْمَةِ فِيُمَا كَانُوا فِيْهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ ﴿٢٥﴾ أَوَلَمُ يَهْدِ لَهُمُ كَمْ أَهْلَكُنَا
مِنْ قَبْلِهِمُ مِّنَ الْقُرُوُن يَمُشُوُنَ فِىُ مَسْكِنِهِمُ + إِنَّ فِىُ ذلِكَ لَائِتٍٍ
أَفَلَا يَسْمَعُونَ ﴿٢٦) أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا نَسُوْقُ الْمَآءَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الْجُرُزِ
فَتُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا تَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ أَنْعَامُهُمُ وَانْفُسُهُمُ ءُ أَفَلَا يُبْصِرُونَ ﴿٢٧﴾
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتِى هُذَا الْفَتُحُ إِنْ كُنْتُمُ صدِقِيْنَ ﴿٢٨﴾ قُلُ يَوْمَ الْفَتْحِ
لَ يَنْفَعُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوًا إِيْمَانُهُمْ وَلَاهُمْ يُنْظُرُوْنَ ﴿٢٩﴾ فَأَعْرِضُ عَنْهُمُ
وَانْتَظِرُ إِنَّهُمْ مُّنْتَظِرُونَ ﴿.﴾﴾
And We did give the Book to Musa, so do not be in doubt
about receiving it, and We made it a guidance for the
children of Isra'il. [23] And We appointed leaders from
among them who guided (people) under Our command,
when they observed patience, and kept firm belief in
Our verses. [24] Surely, your Lord will judge between
them on the Day of Judgment in what they used to
differ. [25] Has it not been a source of guidance for them
as to how many generations We have destroyed before
them who used to walk in their dwellings? Surely in
this there are signs. So, do they not listen? [26] Have

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Sūrah As-Sajdah : 32 : 23 - 30
they not seen that We drive water to the dry land, then
We bring forth crops thereby from which their cattle
and they themselves have food? So, do they not
observe? [27] And they say, "When will this decision take
place?" [28] Say, "On the day of decision their belief will
not be of any use to disbelievers, nor shall they be given
any respite." [29] So, turn away from them and wait.
They (too) are waiting. [30]
Commentary
فَلَا تَكُنُ فِىُ مِرُيَةٍ مِّنُ :liqa') in the first verse (23) cited above) لقاء : The word
«La (so do not be in doubt about receiving it) means meeting. Whose
meeting with whom? In determining it precisely in the verse, the sayings
of commentators differ. According to one of these, the pronoun in: ale!
(liqa'ih) has been taken to be reverting to: Ji (al-kitab: the Book),
that is, the Qur'an, which releases the sense that 'the way Allah Ta'ala
gave the Book to Sayyidna Musa &Cal, you too should entertain no doubt
about receiving your Book.' This is supported by similar words used about
the Qur'an in another verse: ◌َوَإِنَّكَ لَتُلَقَّى الْقُرْآن (And indeed you [0
Muhammad] do receive the Qur'an - An-Naml, 27:6) (Bayan ul-Qur'an,
Khulaşah Tafsir)
On the other hand, its tafsir from Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas and Qatadah
لِقَائِه :has been reported as follows: The pronoun in رضى الله عنهم أجمعين
(liqa'ihl: read as 'meeting him') reverts to Sayyidna Musa Mall and given
in this verse is the news that the Holy Prophet &g will be meeting
Sayyidna Musa Mel and it has been said that he should have no doubt in
the eventuality of his meeting with Sayyidna Musa SCell. Accordingly, a
meeting in the night of al-Mi'raj (the ascent to the heavens) stands
proved on the authority of Sahih Ahadith. Then, also proved is the
meeting on the day of Qiyamah.
And Hasan al-Başri J All das, explains it by saying: The way
Sayyidna Musa Meal was given a Book, then people belied and harassed
him, the prophet of Islam too should anticipate that he will have to face
similar treatment at the hands of his people. Therefore, he should not
grieve over the pains inflicted by disbelievers. In fact, he should take that
as the blessed practice of prophets, and endure.
Two conditions for the leader of any people
In the next verse (24), it was said:

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Surah As-Sajdah : 32 : 23 - 30
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَّهُدُوْنَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُوُا ◌ٌَّوَ كَانُوا بِالِنَا يُؤْقِنُوْنَ
(And We appointed leaders from among them who guided
(people) under Our command, when they observed patience, and
kept firm belief in Our verses).
In this verse, two reasons have been given as to why religious
leadership was bestowed on some of the sages of Bani Isra'il: (1)
Observance of patience and (2) the certitude of Divine words. In terms of
the Arabic usage, the sense of doing sabr or patience is very wide and
general. Literally, it means to tie or to be firm. At this place, sabr means to
stay firm on the implementation of Divine injunctions and to hold one's
desiring self in check against the infringement of what Allah Ta'ala has
declared to be haram (unlawful) or makruh (reprehensible). This covers
one's obedience to all injunctions of the Shari'ah which is pragmatic
perfection at its best. The second reason lies in their certitude - they are
certain of the Divine words. This includes the initial understanding of the
sense of the verses as well as the resulting certitude which emerges from
such comprehension - both. This is intellectual perfection at its best.
In short, in the sight of Allah Ta'ala, only those who are perfect both
in 'ilm (knowledge) and 'amal (practice) are worthy of religious
leadership. It is interesting here that perfection in practice has been made
to precede perfection in knowledge while, usually 'ilm (knowledge)
precedes 'amal (practice). This arrangement releases a strong hint, that is,
a knowledge which has no corresponding practice with it is just not
credible in the sight of Allah.
Ibn Kathir has reported the following saying of some 'Ulama' in his
tafsir of this verse:
بِالصَّبْرِ وَالْيَقِيْنِ تُنَالُ الْإِمَامَةُ فِى الدِّيْنِ
One can arrive at the station of leadership in religion only
through sabr (patience) and yaqin (certitude).
اَوَلَمُ يَرَوْ أَنَّا نَسُوُقُ الْمَآءَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الْجُرُزِ فَتُخُرِجُ:27 al-juruz) in verse) جُرُزٌ :The word
Wjj , (Have they not seen that We drive water to the dry land, then We
bring forth crops thereby - 27) means barren land where trees do not grow.
A wise system of irrigation
Usually the Qur'an mentions the irrigating of dry lands and the

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Surah As-Sajdah : 32 : 23 - 30
growing of crops therein by saying that the land receives rain, and
becomes moist and growth-worthy. But, there is no mention of rain in this
verse. Instead of that, it has been said that water itself is directed to move
aground towards the dry land and thereby bring forth the growth of
trees. In other words, the rain is made to fall on some other land and it is
from there that water is directed to move in the form of carrier channels
on the ground all the way to the dry land that receives no rain.
There is a hint embedded here. Some lands are so soft that they
cannot withstand rains. If regular rains were made to fall there, buildings
may collapse or trees may be uprooted. Therefore, nature has made its
own arrangements for such lands. As for the rain itself, it is sent on a
land which is capable of holding it. After that, water is made to flow from
here all the way to such lands which cannot withstand rains - like the
land of Egypt. And there are commentators who have pointed out to some
lands of Yaman and Syria as being referred to in this verse. (as reported
from Ibn 'Abbas and Al-Hasan)
And as for the correct position, this subject includes all such lands,
with the inclusion of the land of Egypt known for scanty rains
particularly. But, water from the rains in the Abyssinian territory of
Africa comes into Egypt through the Nile bringing with it particles of the
indigenous red soil which is good for the growth of crops. Therefore, the
people of Egypt, despite that they have no rains in their country, do
: فَتَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِين .benefit by a supply of new water and soil every year
(So, glorious is Allah, the Best of creators - 23:14).
Verse 28 carries a question posed by disbelievers: ◌ُوَيَقُولُوْنَ مَتَى هذَا الْفَتْح (And
they say, "When will this decision take place?)Here, they are referring to
the victory of believers against disbelievers as promised by the Holy
Prophet g and are wondering about it since they see no traces of this
likelihood anywhere around. Instead, they see Muslims as a group of
people, scared, hiding,
To answer that, Allah Tarala said:ْقُلُ يَوْمَ الْفَتْحِ لَا يَنْفَعُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا إِيمَانُهُم (Say),
'On the day of decision their belief will not be of any use to disbelievers,'-
29) This amounts to saying: Why are you asking us about the day of our
victory while that day is going to be a day of trouble for you? When
victory comes to us, you would have already been overtaken by

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Surah As-Sajdah : 32 : 23 - 30
punishment. May be, right here in this world - as it happened in the
battle of Badr - or, in the Hereafter. And when the punishment of Allah
seizes someone, then, no profession of faith at that time, no declaration of
'Iman at that stage is accepted. (as mentioned by Ibn Kathir)
There are some others who have interpreted the 'day' in: dru ~
("When will this decision take place?") as the day of Qiyamah. The
summarized explanation of this verse in Bayan-ul-Qur'an appearing in
the original edition of Ma'ariful-Qur'an is based on this tafsir. ( The
translation of al-fath as 'decision' as given in the text admits both
probablities)
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah As-Sajdah
Ends here.

85
Surah al-Aḥzab : 33 : 1 - 3
Surah Al-Ahzab
Surah Al-Ahzab is Madani and has 73 verses and 9 sections.
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 3
يَأَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ اتَّقِ اللّهَ وَلَا تُطِعِ الْكُفِرِيْنَ وَالْمُنْفِقِيْنَ ، إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ
عَلِيمًا حَكِيْمًا ﴿٢﴾ وَاتَّبِعُ مَايُوْحِىّ ◌ِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ ﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا
تَعُمَلُونَ خَبِيْرًا ﴿٢﴾ وَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَى اللهِ ، وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَكِيْلاً ﴿٣﴾
O Prophet, fear Allah and do not obey the disbelievers
and the hypocrites. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, Wise. [1]
And follow what is revealed to you from your Lord.
Surely Allah is All-Aware of what you do. [2]
And place your trust in Allah, and Allah is enough as a
guardian. [3]
Commentary
This is a Madani Surah. Most of its subjects feature is the loveable
persona of the Holy Prophet
and his special place with Allah. There it
has been variously emphasized that showing reverence for him is
obligatory and that causing any pain to him is haram (forbidden). Then
the rest of the subjects taken up in the Surah also serve as complements
to the ultimate perfection of his station.
The background of revelation
Some narrations have been reported outlining the cause of the
revelation of this Surah:
1. When the Holy Prophet
came to live in Madinah after his

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Surah al-Aņzab : 33 : 1 - 3
hijrah, the environs of the city were inhabited by Jewish tribes, some of
whom being Quraizah, Nadir and Banu Qainuqa'. Being the prophet of
mercy for all, he wished and tried that they somehow embrace Islam. It so
happened that a few men from among these Jews started visiting him
and posing as Muslims hypocritically. There was no faith in their heart.
The Holy Prophet took this as sufficient to begin with in the hope that
the incidence of some people becoming Muslims would make it easier for
him to invite others. Therefore, he used to welcome everyone from among
these people particularly and warmly, so much so that even if they
happened to do something bad, he would ignore it as a measure of
religious expediency. It was because of this event that the initial verses of
Surah al-Ahzab were revealed. (al-Qurțubī)
According to another event reported by Ibn Jarir from Sayyidna Ibn
'Abbas de, it was after hijrah that Walid Ibn Mughirah and Shaibah Ibn
Rabi'ah from among the kuffar of Makkah came to Madinah. They made
an offer before the Holy Prophet & that they would let him have half of
the entire wealth of the Quraish of Makkah, if he were to withdraw his
claim of prophethood. And the hypocrites and Jews of Madinah gave him
a threat that they would kill him, if he did not withdraw from his claim
and call. Thereupon, these verses were revealed. (Ruh al-Ma'ani)
The third event has been reported by Tha'alibi and Wahidi with no
ascription of authority. This event, according to them, goes back to the
time when a no war pact was signed between the pagans of Makkah and
the Holy Prophet g at Hudaibiyah. It was at that time that Abu Sufyan,
'Ikrimah, Ibn Abi Jahl and Abu al-A'war Sulami came to Madinah. There
they said to the Holy Prophet 5, 'You stop speaking ill of our objects of
worship - or simply say that they will also intercede on our behalf and
bring benefits to us. If you do just that much, then we, on our part, will
forget about you and your Lord - and the dispute will be all over.'
What they said was very unpleasant for the Holy Prophet and for
all Muslims who wanted to kill them. The Holy Prophet 2 said, 'I have
made a peace pact with them, therefore, this cannot be done.' Thereupon,
these verses were revealed. (Ruh al-Ma'ani) Though, these reports are
different but, in reality, there is no contradiction therein. These events
could also be the cause of the revelation of the cited verses.

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Sūrah al-Aķzab : 33 : 1 - 3
In these verses, the Holy Prophet
has been asked to do two things:
,(la tuti'll-kafirin) لَا تُطِعِ الْكَفِرِينَ (2) '.ittaqillah), that is, 'fear Allah) إِتَّقِ اللهَ (1)
that is, 'do not obey the disbelievers.' The order to fear Allah was given
for the reason that killing them was a breach of trust which is haram
(forbidden). As for the order of not obeying the disbelievers, it was given
for the reason that the demands made by the infidels in all these events
were unacceptable. Relevant details follow.
Explanation of Verses
In the opening verse of the Surah: يَأَيُّهَا النَّبِىُّ اتَّقِ الله (O Prophet, fear Allah
- 1), the wording of the address to the Holy Prophet &5 is significant. This
is a singular honor given and the high regard shown to the Holy Prophet
. Nowhere in the entire Qur'an, has he ever been addressed directly by
his name - as has been the case in addressing other prophets. They have
يَا ,(O Ibrahim) يَا إِبْرِهِيُمُ, (O Nuh) يَا نُوحُ ,(O 'Adam) يَا أدم been addressed as
" (O Musa) and likewise, repeatedly. Contrary to this, wherever
throughout the Qur'an an address was made to the last among the
prophets, may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him, he was
addressed by some title, like nabiyy (prophet) or rasul (messenger of
Allah) etc. The only exception is that of four occasions [3:144; 33;40; 47:2;
48:29] where the very purpose was to declare that he is the rasul of Allah.
It is there only that his blessed name has been mentioned - which was
functionally necessary.
In this address, two orders were given to the Holy Prophet g: (1)
That of fearing Allah in the sense that the peace pact entered into with
the Mushriks of Makkah should not be contravened. (2) That of not
yielding to what is said by the disbelievers, hypocrites and the Jews. At
this point, a question may arise. Is it not that the Holy Prophet g is, after
all, protected from all sins? Now, a breach of solemn pledge is obviously a
major sin, and similarly, it is also a great sin to accept the offer of
disbelievers and polytheists, quoted under the background of revelation.
Since the Holy Prophet
was already protected from all kinds of sins,
what was the need for such an order? According to Ruh al-Ma'ani, these
orders have the sense of instruction to abide by this conduct in future as
well - as he did in the event concerned. And the order of: Il ! (ittaqillah:
fear Allah) was made to come earlier for the reason that Muslims wanted
to kill the Mushriks of Makkah with whom a treaty of peace was already

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Surah al-Aķzab : 33 : 1 - 3
in effect. Therefore, the instruction to avoid a breach of pledge was made
to precede through the expression: JI Ji (ittaqillah: fear Allah). As for the
instruction of not yielding to the kuffar and mushrikin, since no one had
even wanted to do that, it was mentioned later.
And some respected commentators have said that, in this verse,
though the address is to the Holy Prophet 2g, but the purpose is to warn
the Muslim community at large. As for him, he was ma'sum, that is,
protected in the sense that there was just no probability of the
contravention of Divine injunctions from him. But, the law is for the
whole community. So, a corresponding mode was employed to make the
community hear it and become alerted, and the address was made to the
Holy Prophet
' which enhanced the importance of the order significantly
by suggesting: When, even the rasul of Allah is the addressee of the
order, how can any individual of the Muslim community remain exempted
from it?
And Ibn Kathir has said: In this verse, the real purpose of prohibiting
the obedience of the disbelievers is that the Holy Prophet @ should not
consult with them or let them have the opportunity of sitting with him
frequently, because such consultation or mutual interaction generally
becomes the cause of ending up in a disposition favouring the acceptance
of what they proposed. Though, there was no probability that the Holy
Prophet &g would do what they asked him to do, still, he was stopped
from maintaining such liaison with them and from having them
participate in his consultations. It is this idea that has been expressed
through the word: aclb! (ita'ah: obedience, submission or listening to and
doing the bidding of someone), because such consultations and mutual
interaction usually become the cause of ultimate acceptance. So, what has
really been done here is that he has been prohibited from adopting the
ways that could lead to such 'itaa'ah or obedience. As for obedience itself,
there was no probability that he would ever do that.
Now the second question that may arise here is that according to this
verse, the disbelievers and the hypocrites were expected to propose things
counter to the true Islamic position. To the extent of open disbelievers,
such proposals coming from them were not improbable, and warning
against yielding to them is understandable. But, if the hypocrites said
anything counter to Islam, they would no longer remain hypocrites,