النص المفهرس

376
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 13 - 32
cave devoting to worship. When he got the news that the people of the
city have rejected the teachings of these messengers, have become hostile
to them and were threatening to kill them, he came to his people
prompted by the mixed objectives of his concern for their good as well as
the safety of the messengers. He advised them to follow these messengers
and declared that he himself had become a believer: إِنّىَ امَنْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ فَاسْمَعُون (I
have believed in your Lord; so listen to me .- 25). The addressee here could
be his own people where calling Allah Ta'ala their Lord was to express a
reality - though, they did not accept it. Then, it could also be that this
address is to the messengers and the purpose of saying: du (listen to
me) may be that they should hear what he was saying and bear witness
before Allah that he was a believer.
قِيْلَ ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ يَلَيْتَ قَوْمِىُ يَعْلَمُونَ بِمَا غَفَرَلِىَ رَبِّى وَجَعَلَنِىٌ مِنَ الْمُكْرَمِينَ : Verse 26 states
(it was said to him, " Enter the Paradise". He said,"Would that my people
knew how my Lord has forgiven me and placed me among the honored
ones!" - 26, 27), that is, it was said to the person who had come from the
farthest part of the city to prompt people to believe in the messengers,
"Enter Paradise."
It is obvious that this address was communicated through some angel
who told him to go into the Paradise. In fact, the essential sense of asking
him to enter Paradise is to give him the good news that his place in
Paradise is a settled matter which would translate into reality at its
appointed time after going through the process of Resurrection. (Qurtubi)
And the possibility that he was shown his place in Paradise at that
very point of time is not so remote. In addition to that, there is the
post-death and pre-resurrection state known as barzakh. In this state of
Barzakh too, people bound to go to Paradise are treated well with
provision of comfort from Paradise. Therefore, the arrival of such people
in the state of Barzakh is, in a way, virtual entry into Paradise.
By the words, "Enter Paradise" a hint is released to suggest that this
person was martyred - because, entering Paradise or being enabled to
perceive the traces of Paradise can come about only after death.
In historical narratives, it has been reported from Sayyidna Ibn
'Abbas & and early Tafsir authorities, Muqatil and Mujahid that this
person was Habib Ibn Isma'il an-Najjar and he is among people who had

377
Surah Ya Sĩn : 36 : 13 - 32
believed in our noble Prophet & six hundred years before he actually
appeared - as it has been reported about the great tubba' (line of kings in
Yemen) that he had come to believe in him much before he was born by
reading the prophesies of his coming given in past scriptures. The third
respected elder who believed in him before he was ordained and gave his
call as prophet is Waraqah Ibn Nawfal who has been mentioned in the
Hadith of the Sahip al-Bukhari as part of the events that relate to the
initial descent of Wahy (revelation). This too is a singularity of the Holy
Prophet % that these three persons had believed in him before his birth
and ordainment. This did not come to pass in the case of any other
messenger or prophet.
According to the report of Wahb Ibn Munabbih, this person was a
leper. He lived in a house at the farthest gate of the city. For seventy
years, he kept praying to his assumed gods that he be delivered from his
ailment. By chance, these messengers entered the city of Antakiyah from
that very gate. When he met them the first time, they advised him to
shun idolatry and invited him to turn to the worship of Allah Ta'ala for all
his needs. He asked them if they had any proof for the correctness of their
assertion. When they answered in affirmative, he told them about the
disease of leprosy he suffered from and asked them if they could remove it
from him. They said, 'We shall pray to our Lord. He will make you
healthy.' He said, 'How strange of you to say that. Here I am, praying to
my gods for the past seventy years, yet nothing has happened. How can
your Lord change my condition in a single day?' They said, 'Our Lord is
powerful over everything, while those you have taken as gods have no
reality. They can neither bring benefit to anyone nor can they cause loss.'
After hearing what they said, this person believed and those blessed souls
prayed for him. Allah Ta'ala blessed him with perfect health, leaving no
traces of the disease he suffered from. Now, his faith became firm, and he
promised to himself that he would spend the half of what he will earn in a
day in the way of Allah. When he heard that people of the city were
mobbing the messengers, he came running, tried to explain that the
messengers were true, and that he himself was a believer. The result was
that his people charged at them in fury. It appears in the narration of
Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud 4ge that with their kicks and blows they
martyred them. According to some other narrations, they threw rocks at

378
Surah Ya Sẵn : 36 : 13 - 32
them. As for him, even at a time such as this, when he was being beaten
mercilessly, he kept saying: رَبّ اهُدٍ قَوْمِى (My Lord, show my people the right
way).
It is mentioned in some narrations that these people martyred the
three messengers as well. But, no authentic narration mentions
specifically as to what happened to them. Probably, they were not killed.
(Qurțubi)
Since this man of piety laid down his life valiantly in the way of Allah,
قَالَ يَلَيْتَ قَوْمِىُ يَعْلَمُونَ بِمَا :27 he was blessed with honor as said in Verses 26 and
He said, 'Would that my people knew how my") غَفَرَلِى رَبِّى وَجَعَلَنِىُ مِنَ الْمُكْرَمِيْنَ
Lord has forgiven me and placed me among the honored ones!"). He was
asked to enter Paradise. When he saw the supreme rewards and blessings
of Paradise, he remembered his people and wished that if his people could
know how generously he was rewarded and what honors were bestowed
on him in return for believing in the messengers, perhaps, they too would
have believed. This is the wish expressed in this verse.
The prophetic method of da'wah (preaching) : Significant
guidance for message bearers of Islam
The way the three messengers sent to this habitation addressed
polytheists and disbelievers, the way these blessed souls responded to
their harsh remarks and threats, and similarly, the way in which Habib
Najjar, who had believed as a result of the Da'wah of these messengers,
addressed his people is something worth repeated consideration, for it has
great lessons for everyone who is serving the cause of religious preaching
and public welfare.
In response to the honest call and advice of these messengers, the
polytheists had said three things:
1. You are human beings like us. Why should we do what you ask us
to do?
2. Allah, the Rahman has not sent any message and book to anyone.
3. You are plain liars.
Just think about it. What sort of reply would this hard talk deserve?
Particularly so, when it was in answer to words of selfless good counsel?

379
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 13 - 32
But, imagine what these messengers said. They said no more than: 1 ,
Our Lord knows that we have been sent to you). And they) إِنََّ إِلَيُكُمُ لَمُرُسَلُونَ
said : ◌ُمَا عَلَيْنَا إِلَّا الْبَلْغُ الْمُبِيْن (Our obligation is no more than to convey the
message clearly.") which amounts to saying, 'We had a duty to do. This
we have done. We have spoken plainly and clearly making the message of
Allah clear to you. From this point onwards, the choice is yours - you may
or may not accept it.' Nothing in their speech has any reflection of the
heated remarks made by their addressees. Indeed, their reply is kind and
reflecting goodwill for them.
After that, these people became more aggressive. They said, "We take
you as a bad omen for us. If you do not desist, we will certainly stone you,
and you will be subjected to a painful punishment from us. (36:18) The
answer that they deserved was: 'You yourself are the wretched ones and
this is because of the nemesis of your own deeds.' But, these messengers
said it briefly without alluding to their wretchedness openly and directly.
In fact, they said: Jes S'5 (Your bad omen is with your selves). Then,
they returned to the same soft approach and said: 55 gs ([Do you take it
as bad omen] if you are given a good counsel? which amounts to saying:
Would you just think about it? Have we done anything against you?
What we have done here is no more than give you some good counsel in
your interest. Yes, they did make the gravest of their remark when they
said: ◌َبَلُ أَنْتُمُ قَوْمٌ مُّسُرِفُون (Rather, you are a people who cross all limits.") which
amounted to saying that their remarks were out of context, not limited to
what was being said.
That was a dialogue featuring these messengers. Now, let us turn to
what a neo-believer who responded to the invitation of these messengers
has to say to his people. He started by telling his people two things, and
then invited them to listen to the messengers and accept their good
counsel. The first thing he said was: Just imagine, here are these people
coming to you from a far place only to give you some good counsel. They
are taking care of themselves while bearing by the hardships of travel to
and stay at a place that is not their home, yet they are not asking you for
anything in return. This is something unusual, and by itself invites an
honest person to think. These are selfless people. Why not listen to them?
Why not give it a little thought? The second thing is about what they are
saying. And what they are saying is reasonable, pure and simple, just

380
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 13 - 32
and right. If not this, what else could guide anyone to the true path?
After that, since the purpose was to warn his people against their error
and straying, it was said: You have forsaken your Creator who is
powerful over everything and, in His place, you have taken to gods you
have carved out yourself, assuming that they will give you what you
need. Why does it not occur to you that they, on their own, can do
nothing for you, nor do they have any access to Allah by virtue of which
they could ask Him to do what you need to be done?
It will be noticed that Habib Najjar did not attribute all these things to
them, rather, gave it the form of attributing it to his own self, something
like saying, 'If I were to do so, it would really be a grave error' and he
said : وَمَا لِىَ لَا أَعْبُدُ الَّذِىُ فَطَرَنِى (And what excuse do I have if I do not worship
the One who has created me ... ). This he said so that the adversary might
not be enraged, rather, should think about it with a cool mind. After that,
when his people remained unmoved by his soft pleas, even threatened to
kill him, even then, he uttered no word of curse against them, rather,
surrendered his life saying nothing but: رَبّ اهْدٍ قَوْمِى (My Lord, show my
people the right way). Far too strange is what happened after this
oppressed martyr saw the blessings and rewards given to him by Allah in
the Paradise. Even at that time, he remembered nobody but his own
unjust people and, still filled with goodwill for them, he wished that
somehow his people were to know how generously he was welcomed in
Paradise - may be, they would abandon their ways of disbelief and started
sharing the blessings of Paradise with him! Subhanallah, the love and
concern for the creatures of Allah run through their blood despite that
they are treated unjustly. This is one thing that has changed the destinies
of nations, taking them out of the darkness of disbelief and error, and
blessing them with a station that even angels envy them.
In our time, da wah workers have generally abandoned this prophetic
way, therefore, their call and communication have lost effectiveness.
Betraying anger and making damaging comments against the adversary
are supposed to be master strokes in lectures and sermons while, in
reality, such tactics push the adversary to more hardened stances of
doggedness and hostility. O Allah make us follow the way of prophets and
bless us with the good fortune of doing what you like and are pleased
with.

381
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
وَمَآ أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى قَوُمِهِ مِنْ بَعُدهٍ مِنْ جُنُدٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَمَا :In verses 28 and 29, it was said
And We did not send down to his) كُنَّا مُنْزِلِيْنَ إِنْ كَانَتْ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَّاحِدَةً فَإِذَاهُمُ خَامِدُونَ
people any army from the heavens after him, nor were We ( in need ) to
send down. It was no more than a single Cry, and in no time they were
extinguished.)
Mentioned here is the Divine punishment that descended upon the
people who had rejected the messengers and had beaten up Habib Najjar
until he died a martyr. And regarding the sending of punishment, it was
said that Allah did not have to send an army of angels to seize these
people - nor was it the way of Allah to send such an army, because just a
single angel of Allah is enough to destroy the greatest, mightiest and the
bravest of nations. Why would he need to send an army of angels? After
that, given there was a crisp description of the punishment coming upon
them - it was just a single shrill Cry of the angel, and there they were, all
extinguished under its sonic sweep. It appears in Hadith narrations that
the archangel, Jibra'il al-'amin, holding the two sides of the city gate,
came up with a hard and horrendous Cry, the shock from which proved
unbearable for any living soul, and they all succumbed to sudden death.
The state of their dying has been expressed through the word: Sjuk
(khamidun) by the Qur'an. The words: Lub (khamada) and
(khumud) are used to mean the extinguishing or dying of fire. The life of
the living depends on energy. When this energy is not there, what
remains is death. So, 'khamidun' means extinguished, gone extinct, put
off.
Verses 33 - 44
وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمُ الْأَرْضُ الْمَيْنَةُ جَ احُيَيْنْهَا وَآَخْرَجُنَا مِنْهَا حَبَّا فَمِنْهُ
يَأْكُلُونَ ﴿٣٣﴾ وَجَعَلْنَا فِيُهَا جَنْتٍ مِّنُ نَّخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ وَفَجَّرْنَا فِيُّهَا
مِنَ الْعُيُونِ ﴿٣٤) لِيَأْكُلُوْا مِنْ ثَمَرِهِ " وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أَيْدِيُهِمُ ﴿ أَفَلَا
يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٣٥﴾ سُبُحِنَ الَّذِىُ خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ الأَرْضُ
وَمِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمُ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ ﴿٣٦﴾ وَ آيَةٌ أَّهُمُ الَّيْلُ جَ نَسُلَحُ مِنْهُ

382
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
النَّهَارَ فَإِذَاهُمُ مُظْلِمُونَ ﴿٢٧﴾ وَالشَّمُسُ تَجْرِىُ لِمُسْتَقَرِّلَّهَا ذَلِكَ
تَقْدِيْرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيْمِ ﴿٨ٌ﴾ وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرُنُهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّى عَادَ
كَالْعُرُجُوُنِ الْقَدِيْمِ ﴿٣٩) لَا الشَّمُسُ يَنْبُّغِىُ لَهَا أَنْ تُذُرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا
الَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ* وَكُلُّ فِى فَلَكِ يَسْبَحُونَ ﴿٤﴾ وَايَةٌ لَّهُمْ أَنَّا
حَمَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمُ فِى الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُوُنِ ﴿١﴾﴾ وَخَلَقْنَا لَهُمُ مِّنُ مِّثْلِهِ
مَا يَرْكَبُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾ وَإِنْ نَّشَأْ تُغْرِقُهُمُ فَلَا صَرِيْخَ لَهُمْ وَلَاهُمْ يُنْقَذُوُنَ
﴿٤٣﴾ إِلَّا رَحُمَةً مِّنَّا وَمَتَاعًا إِلَى حِيْنٍ ﴿٤٤﴾
And a sign for them is the dead land. We gave it life and
brought forth grain from it; so from it they eat. [33] And
We have placed gardens of date-palms and grapes and
caused springs to gush forth therein, [34] so that they
may eat fruits thereof, while it was not made by their
hands. Would they not then offer gratitude? [35] Pure
(from every fault) is the One who has created all the
pairs of whatever the earth grows, and of the humans
themselves, and of that which they do not know. [36]
And a sign for them is the night. We strip the (cover of)
day from it, and they are suddenly in darkness. [37] And
the sun is quickly proceeding towards its resting place.
That is the designing of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.
[38] And for the moon, We have appointed measured
phases, until it turned (pale, curved and fine) like an
old branch of date-palm. [39] Neither it is for the sun to
overtake the moon, nor can the night outpace the day.
And each one is floating in an orbit. [40] And a sign for
them is that We boarded their children at the loaded
ship, [41] and created for them things similar to it on
which they ride. [42] And if We so will, We can drown
them; then no one will respond to their cry, nor will
they be rescued, [43] unless there be mercy from Us, and
(unless) We let them enjoy for a while. [44]
Commentary
Most of the subjects taken up in Surah Ya Sin related to signs of
Divine power and the rewards and favors bestowed on human beings.
These have been harnessed to prove that there is a life hereafter and that

383
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
people need to be firm in their belief in being raised again and having to
face the Day of Judgment. In the verse cited above, the Divine signs
pointed to are, on one hand, clear proofs of His perfect power, while on
the other, they serve as mirrors of particular rewards and favors of Allah
Ta'ala bestowed on human beings and the rest of creatures. In this, lie
unusual lessons of wisdom.
In the first verse (33), the land on which we live has been cited as an
example. It is there, all the time, before everyone., It is physically seen,
when rain come down from the sky and pour water over the dry land,
that it is revived by the rain which makes it, so to say, live again. The
outcome starts showing up in the form of vegetation, trees and their
fruits. Mentioned thereafter were streams that were made to run below
the land and on its surface in order to help the trees grow and survive. It
was said : لِيَأْكُلُوا مِنْ ثَمَرِه (so that they may eat fruits thereof). In other words,
the purpose of harnessing the entire range of the natural forces of winds,
clouds and the land is that people get to eat their fruits. All these things
can be observed by seeing with one's own eyes. And everyone knows how
to do that. Onwards from here, human beings were alerted to something
for which this whole universal system was put into place.
Growth of vegetation is not an act of man
It was said: "il alas l", (wa mā 'amilathu aiydīhim: while it was not
made by their hands). The majority of commentators have taken the
letter: . (ma) in this verse for negation which means that 'it was not made
by their hands. According to this interpretation, this sentence has a ring
of warning given to heedless man: Just think about your job and the
labor you put in it. What is your true share in the great blossoming of
fruits? Of course, you put the seed in the land, water it, let the earth be
soft so that delicate buds sprout without being obstructed by something.
But, making a whole tree grow from that tiny seed, having leaves and
branches shoot out from it and then commission it to produce all sorts of
fruits is something totally different. What is your contribution in all these
things?
This is the unshared domain of the one who is absolutely powerful,
wise and knowing, and this can only be an act of God. Therefore, human
beings are duty-bound to derive benefit out of these things, yet they
should never forget the Creator and master of whatever there is. Parallel

384
Surah Ya Sẵn : 36 : 33 - 44
أَفَرَءَ يُتُمُ مَّا تَحْرُتُونَ :to this, there is a verse of Surah Waqi'ah where it was said
Well, tell Me about that (seed) which you sow: Is it) ءَآَنْتُمْ تَزْرَعُونَهُ، أَمْ نَحْنُ الزَّارِعُونَ
you who grow it, or are We the One who grows? - 56:63-64). The outcome
is: 'Even though human beings do not share in the making of these fruits
in any way, yet it was Our grace that We created them, made them the
owners of the whole range, as well as taught them the ways of eating and
deriving other benefits out of these.'
The particular difference between human and animal food
Ibn Jarir and some other commentators have not taken the letter (L.)
ma in: als w (wa ma 'amilath) for negation, rather have read it as a
relative pronoun in the sense of: Sul (al-ladhi: that which). In that case,
this part of verse 35 would come to mean that all these things have been
created, so that they eat fruits therefrom, and also eat that which human
hands make, produce or process out of these vegetations and fruits. For
example, desserts made from fruit, chutneys and pickles, and the extracts
of oil from some fruits are the outcome of human effort and processing.
This would come to mean that these fruits created by nature are firstly
made edible without any functional human input, then Allah Ta'ala has
given man the ingenuity to prepare all sorts of delicious and useful things
from each single kind of fruit.
Thus, creating fruit and giving man the expertise to compound fruit
with other ingredients and turn it into a variety of tasteful and useful
edibles is yet another blessing from Allah. After having reported this
Tafsir of Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir has said that this Tafsir is supported by the
phonetic rendering (Qira'ah) of Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud Age as
well because, the word: Lo (mimma) takes the place of: u (ma) in his
gira'ah, that is: jell ale . (mimma 'amilathu aidihim: from that which
their hands have processed).
Going into a little detail, it can be said that animals too eat vegetation
and fruits. Some eat meat. Some others eat soil. But, they all feed on
simples. The grass eater eats grass only. The meat eater eats meat only.
Preparing different kinds of food by combining a variety of ingredients
whereby the addition of salt, chilies, sugar and the sour makes food turn
into tens of kinds happens to be the singularity of human beings alone.
They alone have been given the ability to put different edibles together
and come out with a meal tasting different from the other. This is

385
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
ingenious. The preparation of meat with salt and seasonings and fruits
with sweeteners is a culinary art Allah Ta'ala has taught human beings
to use to their advantage. The text, after recounting the substance and
design of these great Divine blessings in these verses, concludes by
saying: 5;' >G (afala yashkurun: Would they not then offer gratitude?)
which means that even after having seen all these things how is it
possible from a reasonable person that he does not be grateful to Allah?
Onwards from here, after having mentioned land produce and climate,
human beings and animals have been included in the spectrum whereby
سُبُخِنَ الَّذِىُ خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ :there appears yet another sign of the absolute Power
Pure is the One who has created all) كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنُبِتُ الْأَرُضُ وَمِنُ أَنْفُسِهِمُ وَمِمَّا لاَيَعُلَمُونَ
the pairs of whatever the earth grows, and of the humans themselves,
and of that which they do not know. - 36:36). Here, the word: aj (azwaj)
is the plural form of: ' (zawj) and means pairs. A pair is two things of
the same kind and refers to a couple, or a match of the other. For
example, a married man and woman is a pair, hence, each one of them is
the zawj of the other. Similarly, males and females of animals are pairs.
In the botanical kingdom, many trees have been found as having males
and females among them. Date palms and Papaya are common examples.
Others may also be like these as is the case with all trees bearing fruits
and flowers in which, according to modern scientific information,
procreation has been identified. In the same way, it is not improbable if
the same arrangement of male and female exists in solids, minerals and
other elements of creation, though in a manner not discovered as yet -
towards which the text points out in: S'y La (mimma la ya lamun: and
from that which they do not know - 36). Generally, commentators refer to:
ziji (azwaj: pairs) as categories and kinds because the way male and
female are called pairs, similarly, two contrasting things are also referred
to as pairs, like chill and heat, land and water, sorrow and happiness,
health and sickness, then, within each of these, many further degrees,
categories and kinds come up in terms of high, low and the average.
Similarly, there are many categories and kinds in human beings and
animals in terms of color, form, language and way of life. The word: ziji
(azwaj: pairs) is inclusive of all these categories and kinds. In the present
verse (36), mentioned first is: ◌ُمِمَا تَنَبتُ الأرْض (all the pairs of whatever the
earth grows,) - These are the categories and kinds of vegetation. After
that, in: jemel is (and of the humans themselves,) mentioned there are

386
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
the categories and kinds of human selves as such. And after that, in: ý
SAW (and from that which they do not know) included there are
thousands of such creations as have not yet unfolded before human
beings. Allah Ta'ala alone knows how many categories and kinds of living
forms, vegetation and minerals exist under the layers of the earth and in
rivers and in mountains.
In verse 37, it was said : ◌َوَايَةٌ لَّهُمُ الَُّلُ نَسُلَحُ مِنْهُ النَّهَار (And a sign for them is
the night. We strip the [cover of] day from it, and they are suddenly in
darkness.). After having described the signs of Divine power in what was
created on the earth, the text mentions cosmic creations. The word:
(salkh) literally means to skin. If the skin from an animal or the cover
from things is removed, the thing inside becomes obvious. Allah Ta'ala
has, in this similitude, pointed out that the real element in this world is
darkness. Light is transitory, for it spreads over the earth through planets
and stars. In a predetermined system, at a fixed time, this light that is
spread over the darkness of the world is removed from on top. What
remains is darkness. This, in common parlance, is called night.
In verse 38, it was said : ◌ِوَالشَّمُسُ تَجْرِىُ لِمُستَقَرِّ لَّهَا ذلِكَ تَقْدِيْرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيم (And the
sun is quickly proceeding towards its resting place. That is the designing
of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. 36:38). The word: s (mustagarr) is
used to denote place of rest as well as time of rest, that is, it could be
time-oriented and, space-oriented too. Then, this word is also employed in
the sense of the end or destination of a course or journey - even if another
journey begins immediately after it without any break or stillness (as
mentioned by Ibn Kathir).
Some respected commentators have taken the word: ' (mustaqarr)
at this place as a time-oriented destination, that is, when the sun reaches
the end of its movement already determined - and that time is the Day of
Doom (the Qiyamah). In the light of this Tafsir, the verse would mean
that the sun is moving on its orbit supported by such a precise and perfect
system that does never betray the difference of even a minute or second.
Thousands of years have passed over this orbit. But, all this is not
everlasting. There is a particular point in time and space for it. When that
is arrived at, this solar system and the movement will stop, end - and that
is the Day of Qiyamah. This Tafsir has been reported from Qatadaha
(Ibn Kathir).

387
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
And a verse from Surah Az-Zumar in the Holy Qur'an also supports
it, that is, the word: Aud (mustagarr) means a time-oriented destination
or abode and refers to the Day of Qiyamah. The words of the verse of
Sūrah az-Zumar are:
خَلَقَ السَّمْوَتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ يُكَوِّرُ الَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى الَّيْلِ
وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمُسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلِّ يَّجْرِىُ لِاَجَلٍ مُّسَمَّى
He created the heavens and the earth in His wisdom. He wraps
the night over the day and He wraps the day over the night,
and He has put the Sun and the Moon under His command,
each one of tham moving for an appointed term. (39:5)
The statement in this verse is nearly the same as given in the present
verse of Surah Ya Sin. Firstly, the alternation of the night and the day
has been described through a similitude in terms of common perception -
Allah Ta'ala puts the cover of night over the day and that of day over the
night. Thus, the night and the day have been likened to two covers. The
cover of the night is draped over the day and it is night, and the cover of
the day is draped over the night and it is day. After that, it was said that
the sun and the moon are both subjugated before Allah Ta'ala and are
subservient to His command. Each is moving up to an appointed term.
The words used in the text are: أَجَلٌ مُسَمِّى (ajalim-musamma) meaning
fixed term, and the verse means that the movement of both the sun and
the moon is not everlasting. When it reaches a certain fixed term, that is,
the Day of Qiyamah, this movement shall stand terminated. In the
present verse of Surah Ya Sin too, the word: ' (mustaqarr) quite
obviously means this very fixed or appointed term, that is, a time-oriented
point of arrival, destination or abode. In the light of this Tafsir, neither
does the sense of the verse present any difficulty, nor is there any
objection in terms of astronomy and mathematics.
And some respected commentators have taken it to mean a spatial
destination or abode as based on the following Hadith reported in the
Şahins of al-Bukhari and Muslim and others from several Şahabah and
chains of authority.
According to a narration of Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari cce, once
he was present in the company of the Holy Prophet 25 at the time of
sunset. Addressing him, he said, "Abu Dharr, do you know where the sun
sets?" Sayyidna Abu Dharr 4ee says that he submitted: "Allah and His

388
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
Messenger know best." Thereupon, the Holy Prophet 2 said, " The sun
keeps on moving until when it reaches beneath the 'Arsh (the Throne) it
makes sajdah (sujūd or prostration)." After that, he said, "This is what
mustaqarr' means in this verse:وَالشَّمُسُ تَجْرِى لِمُستَقَرِّ لَّهَا (And the sun is
quickly proceeding towards its resting place.).
In a narration, again from Sayyidna Abu Dharr, there appear the
additional words to the effect: "I asked the Holy Prophet at the
explanation of: وَالشَّمُسُ تَجْرِىُ لِمُستَقَرِّ لَّهَا (And the sun is quickly proceeding
towards its resting place.). He said: ◌ِمُسْتَقَرُّهَا تَحْتَ الْعَرُش (mustaqarruha that
al-'Arsh: Its resting place is under the 'Arsh). Al-Bukhari has reported
this narration at several place and, with the exception of Ibn Majah, this
narration is present in all Six Books.
And there is a Hadith bearing on the same subject reported from
Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud 4ee as well. It has some additions to the
effect that, every day, when the sun reaches beneath the 'Arsh, it
performs a Sajdah and seeks permission for the next orbit. After the
permission, it starts the next orbit - until, there will come that day when it
will not have the permission to start the next orbit. Instead, it will be
commanded to go back towards where it had come from. In other words, it
would be asked to go beneath the earth from the side of the West, then,
return from the same side of the West and rise from the West. The day it
happens, it will be the sign of the Day of Qiyamah being absolutely close
and, thereafter the doors of 'iman and taubah (repentance) will be closed.
That will be a time when the taubah (repentance) of anyone sunk in sin
or the taubah of anyone soaked in shirk and kufr will not be accepted (Ibn
Kathir with reference to 'Abd-ur- Razzaq).
The prostration of the sun: A look into the phenomenon of the
sun performing sajdah (prostration) beneath the 'Arsh
From these narrations of Hadith, we learn that mustaqarr means a
spatial destination, that is, a place where one orbit of the movement of the
sun stands completed - and they also tell us that this place is beneath the
'Arsh. Hence, the verse would mean that, every day, the sun moves
towards a particular destination, and once it has reached there, it
performs sajdah before Allah Ta'ala and seeks His permission for the next
orbit. Once the permission is given, it begins the next orbit.
But, when seen outwardly, several strong difficulties arise on the

389
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
basis of principles laid down by experiments, observations and astronomy.
1. The state of the 'Arsh of Rahman (generally referred to as the
Divine Throne) as understood from the Qur'an and Sunnah is that it
surrounds all that we know as the masses of land and expanses of the
sky. All these masses and expanses along with planets and stars, without
any exception, are enclosed within the 'Arsh - and the 'Arsh of Rahman
holds this entire cosmic universe inside itself. If seen from this angle, the
sun is, in all conditions and at all times, simply under the 'Arsh. What,
then, would be the sense of going beneath the 'Arsh after it sets?
2. It is common observation that the sun, after it sets at some place,
does rise elsewhere. Therefore, its rising and setting is an ongoing
phenomenon. What then is the meaning of going beneath the 'Arsh after
setting and doing Sajdah?
3. From the apparent sense of the Hadith mentioned above, we learn
that the sun, after having reached its destination (mustaqarr), pauses
within which it offers Sajdah before Allah and seeks the permission for
the next orbit - although, there being no break in the movement of the
sun at any time is an open observation. And since this rising and setting
of the sun keeps taking place all the time in terms of different locations,
therefore, this pause should also be there all the time as a result of which
the sun should not have any movement any time.
Such difficulties are related not only to astronomy, but also to
observations and experiences that cannot be bypassed. Technically, the
daily movement of the sun under the arrangement of the celestial sphere
and its being positioned in the fourth heaven is a theoretical assumption
of Ptolemy that was refuted by Pythagoras. Modern knowledge has
confirmed the error in the theory of Ptolemy and also brought the
soundness of the theory of Pythagoras to the level of certitude. Then there
are the space flights in our time and the spectacle of human access to the
moon that makes at least this much certain that all planets are in the
lower space of the sky, not inside. The verse of the Qur'an: Su je,
324 (And each one is floating in an orbit. - Ya Sin, 36:40) which is to
appear a little later also confirms this view. Since this view is also
suggestive of the daily rising and setting as being from the movement of
the earth and not from the movement of the sun, another technical

390
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
difficulty is added to the understanding of the aforementioned Hadith.
To understand its answer, it must be borne in mind that to the extent
the explanation of the cited verse is concerned, no difficulty out of the
doubts and difficulties mentioned above relates to the Qur'an. The sense it
carries is no more than that Allah Ta'ala has commissioned the sun to
move in such an organized and steady way that it keeps moving
continuously in a single state towards its destination (mustaqarr). If, this
destination is taken to mean a time-oriented destination - that is, the Day
of Qiyamah - as in the Tafsir of Qatadah, then, it would mean that this
movement of the sun shall continue in a single state right through the
last Day of Qiyamah - and shall terminate on that very Day. And if it
were to be taken as a spatial destination, even then, its destination can be
said as being the point in the orbit of the sun, the point from which the
sun started its movement at the time of the initial creation. When it
reaches that point, one orbit through a day and night stands completed,
for this very point is the end of its journey and, once it reaches there, the
next orbit begins. As for the precise determination of where lies that point
from which this magnificent orbit of the sun started in eternity, the noble
Qur'an does not throw human beings into unnecessary debates of this
nature, something that does not bring them any benefit, neither in this
world nor in the world-to-come. This is an inquiry of this very nature.
Therefore, the Qur'an has bypassed it and drawn attention to the
essential purpose. That purpose is to put particular aspects of the most
perfect power and wisdom of Allah Ta'ala into clear focus. It was said that
the sun is the largest and the brightest sphere of this universe. That too
did neither come into existence automatically, nor does it move on its own,
nor can it sustain. In its present movement through days and nights all
the time, it moves under the permission and will of Allah Ta'ala.
Any doubt, out of the doubts mentioned above, does not apply to what
has been said in the cited verse. However, all these doubts and difficulties
in comprehension do arise from the Hadith statement about the sun that
soon after its setting, it goes beneath the 'Arsh, performs sajdah and seeks
permission to start the next orbit. And this debate sprung up in relation to
this verse for the reason that, in some words of the Hadith, reference has
been made to this verse. Answers to these doubts given by experts of
Hadith and commentators of the Qur'an differ. From the apparent

391
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
connotation of the words there, it is generally gathered that this sajdah of
the sun takes effect only once in a day-night span after its setting.
Respected writers, who have taken the Hadith in terms of its apparent
sense, have laid down three probabilities concerning the setting: (1) That
it may refer to the setting in the main part of populated areas, that is, of a
place the setting of the sun whereat holds good for its setting for the
majority of the population of the world; (2) that it be the setting of the
Equator; or (3) the setting on the horizon of Madinah. Thus, the difficulty
that the setting and rising of the sun is a phenomenon which keeps
manifesting itself all the time, every moment, does not remain there,
because this Hadith is talking about the setting of a particular horizon.
But, the clear-cut and cloudless rejoinder seems to be that which my
teacher, 'Allamah Shabbir Ahmad Usmani has given in his treatise: 3
J&J! (Sujudu'sh-Shams: The Prostration of the Sun) which finds support
in the statements of several leading commentators.
Before one proceeds to understand the presentation, it is useful to first
understand a matter of principle about prophetic teachings and
interpretations. The noble prophets, may peace be upon them, and the
Scriptures they bring incessantly invite the entire Divine creation to
ponder over whatever has been created in the heavens and the earth,
and it is from these that they build their argument to prove the existence
of Allah Ta'ala, His Oneness, Knowledge and Power. But, deliberation in
these things is desirable, according to Shari'ah, only to the extent of its
relevance to one's worldly and social requirement or religious and other
worldly need. Beyond that, the great mass of the creation of Allah is not
thrown into the senseless concern of digging into bland philosophical hair
splitting and the ultimate reality of things. The reason is that, first of all,
the real and perfect knowledge of the ultimate reality of things is
something scientists and philosophers have themselves been unable to
find out, despite having spent their entire lives in the pursuit - not to say
much about the poor masses. Let us suppose, even if this could be
acquired somehow, yet it fulfills no religious need, nor does it help to
acquire something materially sound and worthwhile, what is the sense of
indulging in this unnecessary and wasteful debate? Obviously, nothing
but a waste of wonderful years of life and a waste of precious wealth!
It should be borne in mind that the argument of the Qur'an and the

392
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
noble Prophets through the creations in the heavens and the earth and
the major changes that occur therein is limited to the extent that could be
rationalized by every human beings by virtue of bare observation and
elementary deliberation. Technical refinements of philosophy and
mathematics that can be resolved by experts in the field alone are not the
material on which an argument of this nature is based, nor are people
invited to deliberate in these. The reason is simple. Believing in Allah
Ta'ala and acting in accordance with His message is the duty of every
human being - learned or illiterate, man or woman, urbanite or villager,
dweller of some mountain or island. Therefore, prophetic teachings are
synchronized with the level of perception, reason and understanding of
common people that need no technical expertise.
Take the example of knowing the times of Salah, fixing the
orientation to Qiblah, and knowing the months, years and dates. The
knowledge of all these things can also be acquired through mathematical
computations. But, the Shari'ah of Islam has, rather than rely on
high-tech mathematical calculations to determine any of these things,
placed reliance on common observations. Months and years and their
dates were set in accordance with the lunar calendar. The basis of
determining whether the new moon has or has not appeared was declared
to be physical observation alone, the seeing of the new moon. The days of
fasting and the Hajj were fixed on that very basis. When some people
asked the Holy Prophet ( about the secret behind the waning, waxing
and disappearing of the moon and then its rising again, the answer to it
was given by the Qur'an on his behalf: ◌ّقُلُ هِىَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَج (Say: They
are indicative of time for the people, and of the Hajj - Al-Baqarah, 2:189). In
other words, the Holy Prophet # was asked to tell people that all those
changes occurring in the life of the moon are there so that they could find
out when the month begins and ends and then find out its dates and
determine the days of the Hajj. This answer served them with a warning
against their unnecessary and ineffectual question, because no business
of theirs, in this world or in the next, hinges on finding the reality behind
it. Therefore, they were supposed to ask only about something that
related to either their worldly or other worldly need.
After these initial remarks, let us give a little thought to the essential
matter before us. Is it not that, in the cited verses, Allah Ta'ala has, after

393
Surah Ya Sẵn : 36 : 33 - 44
having mentioned some manifestations of His perfect power and infinite
wisdom, invited human beings to believe? Of these, mentioned first was
the land that is before us all the time: yay, (And a sign for them is
the land .- 33). Then, mention was made of how rains made it come alive
and the growth of trees and other produce became possible - something
everyone sees and knows: اَحُيَيْنَاهَا وَآَخْرَجُنَا مِنْهَا حَبًّا (We gave it life and brought
forth grain from it .- 33). Mentioned first after that was the daily
alternation of the night and day: ◌ُوَايَةٌ لَّهُمُ الَّيْل (And a sign for them is the
night) Mentioned thereafter were planets and stars. Out of these, about
the sun it was said : ◌ِوَالشَّمُسُ تَجْرِىُ لِمُستَقَرِّ لَّهَا ذلِكَ تَقْدِيْرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيم (And the sun is
quickly proceeding towards its resting place. That is the designing of the
All-Mighty, the All-Knowing .- 38). Think about it. The purpose here is to
tell that the sun is not moving on its own, not of its volition or power.
Instead, it is moving in subservience to the One who is Mighty and
Knowing, and moving under the predetermined system originated by an
entity with great power and knowledge. The Holy Prophet , close to the
time of one sunset, had alerted Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghiffari due to the
reality behind it during a question answer interlude with him. He has
told him that the sun, at the time of its setting, performs a Sajdah before
Allah Ta'ala beneath the 'Arsh and seeks the permission to start the next
orbit. When it has the permission, it moves as usual and rises from the
east in the morning. Its outcome is no more than that the atmosphere of
the world goes through a new transformation at the time of the setting
and rising of the sun, something that depends on the sun. The Holy
Prophet , took this moment as suitable to teach human beings their
essential lesson that they should not take the sun to be an independent
entity moving of its own volition and power. It moves only under the
permission and will of Allah Ta'ala. Every time it rises and every time it
sets has to be with His permission, for it is subservient to His permission.
This very act of moving under the command of Allah Ta'ala has been
declared to be its sajdah, the act of prostration before its creator. The
reason is that a Sajdah made by anything happens to be appropriate to
كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلوتَهُ وَتَسُبِيحَه؛ :its state of being as the Qur'an has itself clearly said
: "Everything [in the creation of Allah] already knows its Salah [mode of
worship] and its tasbih [mode of Divine glorification" - An-Nur, 24:41]. It
means that the entire creation of Allah is engaged in worshipping and
glorifying Allah, but each has its own separate way of doing it that has

394
Surah Ya Sin : 36 : 33 - 44
already been taught to it just like human beings who have been told how
to do their Salah and Tasbih. Therefore, taking the sajdah of the sun to
mean that it can take effect only when it places its forehead on some floor
like a human being would not be correct.
And when it stands clarified from the statements of the Qur'an and
Sunnah that the Divine Throne, the 'Arsh of the Rahman, surrounds all
heavens and stars and surfaces, it is already obvious that the sun is
nowhere but under the 'Arsh, at all times and at every place. And when
experience bears out that the time the sun is setting at one place, it is also
rising at another. Therefore, no moment of the sun is free of either rising
or setting. Thus, the being of the sun under the 'Arsh is also perennial
under all states and so is its setting and rising. Therefore, the outcome of
the subject mentioned in the Hadith is that the sun, in its entire orbit,
remains in the state of prostration (Sajdah) before Allah under the 'Arsh,
that is, it moves under His permission and command. And this cycle will
stay activated right through the proximity of the last day of the Qiyamah
until comes the time for the emergence of the sign that the Qiyamah is
very close. When this happens, the sun will, rather than start its next
orbit, be commanded to turn back - and then, it will rise from the west. At
that time, the door of taubah (repentance) will be closed and no
declaration of faith ('Iman) or repentance (Taubah) from anyone shall
remain acceptable at that hour.
In short, this particularity of the setting of the sun, its passing under
the 'Arsh, the making of prostration there and the incidence of seeking
permission for the next orbit mentioned in the narration being studied is
simply a similitude in consonance with the mores of effective prophetic
teaching and in terms of common perception. Neither does it make it
necessary that it performs Sajdah on some land surface like a human
being, nor does it make it necessary that there be some pause in the
movement of the sun at the time of making a sajdah, nor does it mean
that it goes to some particular place doing only one sajdah during a day
and night, and nor that it goes beneath the 'Arsh after setting only. But,
at this time of great alternation, when people are seeing that the sun is
receding away from them, what has been done is that they have been
appraised of the truth of what is happening in the manner of a similitude
while the reality is that this whole thing is happening because of the sun

395
Surah Ya Sẵn : 36 : 33 - 44
moving beneath the 'Arsh in subservience to the Divine command - the
sun does not have any capability or power of its own. So, the way, at this
time, the people of Madinah were convinced that the sun would now
make its sajdah and seek permission for the next orbit, similarly, the
message was relayed onwards to every place where the sun would be
setting and everyone there would stand advised of the lesson thereof.
Thus, the truth of the matter turns out to be that the sun at every
moment while moving on its orbit keeps offering sajdah before Allah
Ta'ala and keeps seeking permission to move ahead - and it needs no
pause or break to make Sajdah or seek permission.
Following this submission, there remains no doubt concerning the
Hadith quoted, neither in terms of observations, nor in terms of the rules
of astronomy, nor in the light of the position taken by Ptolemy or
Pythagoras - though, the latter has found support in newer investigation.
In either case, there remains no doubt or difficulty in the comprehension
of the said Hadith.
As for the question about the sun making Sajdah and seeking
permission to start the next orbit as mentioned in the Hadith, where it is
stressed that doing all this required life, awareness and reason. The sun
and the moon are devoid of life and consciousness. How could these
actions issue forth from them? An answer to this has already appeared
under the verse of the Qur'an: وَإِنٌ مِّنُ شَىْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمُده (And there is not a
single thing that does not extol His purity and praise - Al-'Isra', 17:44). (For
commentary, please see Ma'ariful Qur'an, English, Vol. V, pp. 506-510). There it was
said that things we take to be devoid of life, sense and consciousness do
have a special share of spirit, life, sense and consciousness. However,
their life, sense and consciousness are insignificant as compared with
humans and animals, so insignificant that these cannot be perceived
commonly. But, there is no proof for its absence either, neither in the
revealed law, nor in reason while the noble Qur'an, in the verse cited
above, has proved their being possessors of the elements of life, reason
and consciousness, something also recognized in new investigations: QUI,
.And Allah who is pure and High knows best سبحانه وتعالى اعلم
Special Note
From these clarifications of the Qur'an and Hadith, it is established
that both the sun and the moon are in motion, moving for a fixed term.