Indexed OCR Text

514
Surah Yunus : 10 : 1 - 4
ens farther and higher from stars and planets be taken as credible (or
even reasonable). And finally, what is believed to be the 'Arsh of the
Rahman - encompassing all there is, even above what is termed as the
seventh heaven - is a reality seeking access to which through technical
ingenuity needs no comment.
So, up to this point, the third verse has told us that Allah Ta'ala
created the heavens and the earth and the whole system of the uni-
verse in six days, and 'after that He took a position on the Throne'.
(The last sentence is a word arrangement in English for the words of
the text : ◌ِثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرُش [thumma 's-tawa 'ala 'l-'arsh] which should be
understood in the light of the comments appearing below).
This is certain, and evident enough that Allah, the high and the
true, is above and beyond the human concepts of body and mass and of
all attributes and characteristics they may have. Neither does His ex-
istence relate to any direction or form, nor is His stay in a place like
the staying of the things of the world where they belong. Now then,
how are we to explain the nature, mode or manner of His staying, es-
tablishing or positioning on the 'Arsh or Throne? This can be explained
only by saying that these are from what is called 'mutash abih at'
(statements of hidden meaning) in the terminology of Qur'an, a phe-
nomena that cannot be comprehended by human reason. Therefore,
about it, says the Qur'an : ◌ٍوَمَا يَعْلَمْ تَأْوِيٌّلَةَ إِلَّ اللّهُ وَالَرْسِنُونَ فِى الْعِلْمِ يَقُوُلُوُنَ امَنَّابِه (no one
knows its interpretation except Allah. And those [who are] well-
grounded in knowledge say: "We believe therein; - 3: 7) - and just do
not bother to go digging out its reality. Therefore, there is a standard
approach in all such matters where the attribution of Allah Ta'ala has
been made to a place or form, or where words, such as hand, face and
shank, have appeared in the Qur'an for Allah Ta'ala. The 'Aqidah
(belief) of the majority of the 'Ulama of the Muslim Ummah is that one
believes these words to be true in their place, and believes what Allah
Ta'ala means by them is correct, and believes that the concern to know
about its nature and reality should be set aside as being beyond one's
ability to comprehend it.
As for the later day 'Ulama who have suggested some meanings to
these things, they have done it only in a degree of probability, even in
their own sight. They simply suggest - perhaps, it may mean this.
They never say that the meanings they have given are certain. As ob-

515
Surah Yunus : 10 : 5 - 6
vious, probabilities disclose no reality. Therefore, the only simple and
straight creed (maslak) is that of the Sahabah (Companions), the
Tabi'in (Successors to Companions) and the Salaf (the righteous and
worthy forebears and elders of the Faith). They were satisfied to live
with the approach of entrusting the reality of such matters with Di-
vine Knowledge.
This brings us to the next statement: si (He manages all mat-
ters). It means that, positioned on the Throne, He Himself manages all
universes by virtue of His power. Then, comes the succeeding sen-
tence : مَا مِنْ شَفِيُع إِلَّ مِنْ بَعْدٍ إِذْنِه translated as: 'There is no intercessor except
after His permission.' It tells us that such is the majesty of Allah
Ta'ala that even a Prophet and Messenger cannot intercede on behalf
of anyone, on their own, before Him - unless Allah Ta'ala Himself
grants them the permission to intercede, without which even they
could not do that.
The fourth verse describes the 'Agidah of 'Akhirah (Belief in the
Hereafter): tes ly dy (Towards Him is the return of you all). The an-
nouncement is asserted by saying: us die; (a real [and true] promise
from Allah). That it must be as promised has been explained through
the simple logic of: Kau ff (Surely, He originates the creation,
then He will bring it again). The sentence is telling us that there is
nothing surprising about it and that there is no sense in worrying
about as to how this entire universe would start pulsating with life af-
ter it has been eliminated. The reason is that the Sacred Power who
has the mastery to create something the first time, without any pre-
existing matter and without any prototype of form and shape, should
hardly find any difficulty in creating once again everything He had
made then unmade.
Verses 5 - 6
هُوَالَّذِى جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءٌ وَالْقَمَرَ نُؤْرًا وَقَدَّرَةً مَنَازِلَ
لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السَّنِيْنَ وَالْحِسَابَ «مَا خَلَقَ اللهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّ
بِالْحَقٌِّ يُفَصِّلُ الْأَيْتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٥﴾ إِنَّ فِى اخْتِلاَفِ الَّيْلِ
وَالتَّهَارِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ فِى السَّمُوتِ وَاْلْأَرْضِ لَأَيْتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ

516
Surah Yunus : 10 : 5 - 6
◌َتَّقُونَ ﴿٦﴾
He is the One who has made the sun a glow and the
moon a light, and determined for it stages, so that you
may know the number of the years, and the calculation
(of time). Allah has not created all this but for some-
thing right. He elaborates the signs for a people who
understand. [5]
Surely, in the alternation of night and day and in what
Allah has created in the heavens and the earth, there
are signs for a people who are God-fearing. [6]
Commentary
These two verses mention some signs openly visible in the universe
of our experience. They are evidences of the perfect power and elo-
quent wisdom of the most exalted Allah. They prove that the Lord Al-
mighty is fully capable of bringing about the end of this universe, re-
ducing it to particles, then reassembling the particles and bringing
everything back to life, all anew, making everyone account for one's
deeds and get punishment or reward as enforced. And when He does
that, it will be nothing but reasonable and wise. Thus, these two vers-
es are an extension of what was said briefly in verse 3. Mentioned
there was the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days, the po-
sitioning on the Throne and the management of matters. The later
proved that He did not, after having created the universe, abandon it
to survive on its own, instead, He manages, directs and controls every-
thing, all the time, every moment.
The opening statement of verse 5 :هُوَالَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمُسَ ضِيَاءٌ وَ الْقَمَرَ نُورًا (He is
the One who has made the sun a glow and the moon a light) is a part
of this very system and its management. Both words: > (diya') and >>
(nur) mean glow and light, therefore, many master lexicographers have
taken these as synonyms. 'Allamah al-Zamakhshari, al-Țibi, beside
some others, said: Though the sense of light is common to both words,
but nur is general. Whether strong or weak, dim or clear, every light is
referred to as nur, while . b , . (daw' and diya') refer to light that is
strong and clear. One needs both kinds of light. For the usual business
of life, the sharp and clear light of the day is required, while the com-
paratively dim light of the night is preferred for ordinary chores. If the
day had nothing but the pale light of the moon, business will be affect-

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 5 - 6
ed adversely, and if the sun were to keep shining also during the
night, sleep and chores that must be taken care of at that time alone
would be disturbed. Therefore, nature made arrangements to provide
both kinds of light by giving sunlight the degree of daw' and diya' and
let it manifest itself at the time when people are busy in business, vo-
cation or other avenues of livelihood. And the moonlight was made to
be gentle, pale and pleasing and the night was appointed to be the
time of its manifestation.
The Holy Qur'an has differentiated the lights of the sun and the
moon variously at several places. In Surah Nuh, it was said: 52 will je;
,And made the moon a light therein and made the sun) نُورًا وَّجَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ سِرَابًا
وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجًا وَقَمَرًا : a lamp - 71:16). Again, in Surah al-Furgan, it was said
(and placed in it [the sky] a lamp, and a shining moon - 25:61).
'Siraj' means lamp and since the light from a lamp is its own and not
borrowed from somewhere else, therefore, some commentators have
said that . > (diya') is the intrinsic light of something while __ (nur) is
extrinsic light derived from something else. This semantic approach
appears to be influenced by Greek thought, otherwise it has no lexical
basis and the Qur'an too has not given any categorical verdict about it.
Zajjaj takes diya' to be the plural of daw'. Perhaps, this may be in-
dicative of the Sun being a compendium of the seven colours of light
which show up in the post-rain rainbow. (Al-Manar)
Another manifestation of Divine power related to the system of the
sun and the moon appears in the second sentence of verse 5: J;us gff,
and determined for it stages, so that you may": لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السّنِيْنَ وَالْحِسَابَ
know the number of years and the calculation (of time).' The word ,u
('qaddara') is a derivation from yla (taqdir) which means to maintain
something at the level of a particular quantity and measure in terms
of time or place or attributes. To keep the timings of the night and the
day at a particular measure, the Holy Qur'an has said: 3650, jefi guepatys
(And Allah determines [the measure of] the night and the day - 73:20).
That spatial and travel distances have been kept at a particular meas-
ure finds mention elsewhere. In Surah Saba,' it was said about the
habitations lying in between Syria and Saba':َوَقَدَّرُّنَا فِيُهَا السَّيْر (and We de-
termined between them the [distance of] journey - 34:18). And about
quantitative measures in general, it was said: وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَىءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقُدِيرًا (and
created everything then determined a measure for it, determining pre-

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 5 - 6
cisely - Surah al-Furqan, 25:2).
The word: J;lt (manazil) in the verse under study is the plural form
of Ju (manzil) which essentially means the place one arrives at on a
journey, its stage or destination. Allah Ta'ala has appointed specific
limits for the movement of the Sun and the Moon, each of which is
called manzil or stage. Since the Moon completes its orbit of the Earth
every month, the count of its stages comes to thirty or twenty-nine.
However, since the Moon is not visible at least for a day, therefore, its
stages are usually known as twenty- eight. The orbit of the Sun is com-
plete in a year and it has 360 or 365 stages. During the Arab Jahiliy-
ah, and by astronomers and mathematicians as well, particular names
were given to these stages as borrowed from stars located in their
proximity. Being above such technical nomenclatures, the Holy Qur'an
has simply referred to the distances the Sun and the Moon cover in
specified number of days.
In the verse under discussion, the words: J; bu (and determined
for it stages) have been used with a pronoun in the singular form - al-
though, being referred to here are the stages of both the Sun and the
Moon. Therefore, some commentators say that, no doubt, what has
been mentioned here is in the singular form, but in terms of the refer-
ence to each single one, it includes both. Examples of this usage
abound in the Qur'an, and Arabic idiom.
Some other commentators have said, 'though, Allah Ta'ala has de-
termined stages for the Sun and the Moon both but, at this place, the
purpose is to describe the stages of the Moon only. Therefore, the pro-
noun in gu (qaddarahu: determined for it) refers back to the Moon. The
reason for this specification is that one cannot find out the stages of
the Sun without the help of relevant instruments and calculations.
Sunrise and sunset follow the same pattern every day throughout the
year. A simple observation cannot tell anybody in what stage the Sun
is on a given day. This is contrary to the case of the Moon. Its states
are different every day. By the end of the month, it is just not visible.
By observing such changes, even uneducated people can figure out the
dates. For example, let us say the date today is March 8. Now, by just
looking at the Sun, nobody can tell whether it is the 8th or the 21st.
The case of the Moon is different. One can find out the date even by
looking at it.

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 5 - 6
In the cited verse, the purpose is to tell people that man's own in-
terest is also tied to these great signs of Allah Ta'ala since the count of
years, months and its dates can be kept through them. No doubt, this
calculation can be made from the Sun and the Moon both. Years and
months, both Solar and Lunar, are universally known. Then, the
Qur'an has also mentioned in Surah al-'Isra' (Bani Isra'il):
وَجَعَلُنَا الَّيْلَ وَالَّهَارَ ايَتَيْنِ فَمَحَوْنًا ايَةَ الَّيْلِ وَجَعَلُنَّاَ ايَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً
لِتَبْتَغُوْا فَضْلاً مِّنْ تَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَّمُوْا عَدَدَ السّنِيْنَ وَالْحِسَابَ.
And We made the night and the day two signs. Then made
the sign of the night disappear, and put the sign of the day
with the light to see, so that you may seek bounty from your
Lord, and that you may come to know the number of years,
and the count (of time) - (17:12).
Here, 'the sign of the night' means the Moon and 'the sign of the day,'
the Sun. It is only after having mentioned both that it was said that
you can find out the number of years and the dates of the months from
these. And in Surah Al-Rahman it was said: ◌ٍالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَان which tells
us that we can calculate the date, the month and the year through the
Sun and the Moon both.
But, the calculation of month and date through the Moon is based
on observation and experience. On the contrary, when done through
the Sun, the calculations are so complex that no one other than regu-
lar mathematicians would understand them. Therefore, after having
mentioned both the Sun and the Moon in this verse, when the Qur'an
talks about having determined their stages, it elects to say: b&
(qaddarahu: determined for it) using the pronoun in its singular form,
whereby mentioned there were the stages of the Moon only.
Since great attention is paid in the injunctions of Islam, practically
in all situations, to ensure that abiding by them is easy for everyone -
educated or uneducated, urbanized or rustic - therefore, reliance has
usually been placed on lunar year, month and dates in its laws. Thus,
it is the lunar calendar that operates in all matters of Islamic obliga-
tions and duties, such as, Şalah, Şawm, Zakah, 'Iddah etc.
This does not mean that using the Solar Calendar is impermissi-
ble. In fact, one can choose to use the Lunar Calendar in the case of Sa-
lah, Sawm, Hajj, Zakah and 'Iddah in accordance with the Shari'ah, but

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 5 - 6
use the Solar Calendar in commercial and vocational activities. How-
ever, this is subject to the condition that the Lunar Calendar must
continue to be in use among Muslims on a collective basis, so that the
occasions and timings of religious obligations such as Ramadan and
Hajj are in common knowledge at all times. This is to avoid the terri-
ble situation in which Muslims just know no other months but Janu-
ary, February etc. Muslim jurists, may the mercy of Allah be on them,
have placed the responsibility of keeping the Lunar Calendar alive
and functional on Muslims as Fard al-Kifayah (collective obligation).
And there is no doubt about it that the Calendar used in the Tradi-
tion of the blessed prophets and in the Sunnah of the Last among
them, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and in the practice of his rightly-
guided Khulafa' was no other but this very Lunar Calendar. Using it,
following in their footsteps, is certainly an effective cause of blessings
and rewards for modern day Muslims as well.
In short, the verse points out to the perfect power and wisdom of
Allah who created two inexhaustible treasure troves of light so harmo-
niously synchronized with the rest of the creation. And then, He deter-
mined ideal measures of their movement which help us find the time
frame we are in, the year, the month, the day and its hours right up to
every second. Neither does their movement vary, nor do they go ahead
or remain behind, nor do these God-made marvels of what we call ma-
chines need any workshop appointments for repairs, nor greasing, nor
replacement of worn-out parts. Someone in eternity had asked them to
move and be good. This they are doing even today.
For added warning, it was said at the end of the verse (5): auf au ch to
Allah has not created all this but for something) إِلَّ بِالْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الأيتِ لِقَوْمِ يَّعْلَهُوُنَ
right. He elaborates the signs for a people who understand). It means
that Allah did not create all these things in vain. There is great wis-
dom behind it, and certainly numerous are the benefits they bring for
human beings. These are elaborated signs. They are loud and clear.
They are telling the truth to people who are blessed with reason and
insight.
Similarly, it was said in the second verse (6) that there are signs in
the coming of the night after the day and the day after the night, and
in everything Allah has created in the heavens and the earth. These
are open proofs (of the Oneness of Allah and the inevitability of the

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 7 - 10
Hereafter) for those who fear Allah.
That they are proofs of the Oneness of Allah (Tauhid) is not diffi-
cult to see. He has the power to make things happen. He makes things
as no one can. He creates everything without the help of materials,
personnel and prototype, and has the mastery to operate them under a
system that never breaks or must be replaced.
And they are proofs of the 'Akhirah (Hereafter) because Allah is a
great creator. He created, in His infinite wisdom, objects of such pro-
portion and efficiency for the benefit of human beings. Then, He made
them follow a remarkably stable system. Now, it is not possible that
He would have created human beings, who are the served ones in this
universe, just for nothing, or just to eat and drink, or in some other
nonchalant manner without assigning any duties to them. When it
stands settled that some restrictions must apply to the served one of
this universe, it also becomes necessary that those who observe or do
not observe these restrictions should face an accounting of what they
have done, sometime, somewhere. Naturally, those who do observe
these shall be rewarded and those who do not shall be punished. Then,
it is also obvious that things do not work like this in the present world
of our experience. Here, reward and punishment do not follow that
pattern. It is quite likely that a criminal here may be living better as
compared to someone God-fearing, righteous and innocent. Therefore,
it is necessary to have a day for the accounting of deeds, rewards and
punishments. This is what Qiyamah (The Last Day) and 'Akhirah
(Hereafter) are.
Verses 7 - 10
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ لَا يَرْجُوْنَ لِقَاءَنَا وَرَضُوْا بِالْحَيُوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاطْمَاتُوْا
بِهَا وَالَّذِيْنَ هُمْ عَنُ الْتِنَا غُفِلُوْنَ ﴿٧) أُوَلِكَ مَاؤُهُمُ النَّارُ بَِا
كَانُوا يَكْسِبُوْنَ ﴿٨﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوْا وَعَمِلُوا الصُّلِحْتِ
يَهْدِيْهِمْ رَتُّهُمْ بِيْمَانِهِمْ تَجْرِىُ مِنْ تَحُتِهِمُ الْآَنْهُ فِىْ حَثْتِ
التَّعِيْمِ ﴿٩) دَعُوهُمْ فِيْهَا سُبْحْنَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَتَحِيَّئُهُمْ فِيْهَا سَلُمٌ
وَأَخِرْ دَعْؤُهُمْ آَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ رَتِّ الْعُلَمِيْنَ ﴿.
As for those who do not believe in meeting Us and are-

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 7 - 10
happy with the life of this world and are quite satisfied
with it, and those who are heedless to Our signs, [7]
they are the ones whose abode is the Fire because of
what they used to earn for themselves. [8]
As for those who believed and did good deeds, their
Lord will guide them by virtue of their belief, rivers
flowing beneath them in the Gardens of Bliss. [9]
Their prayer therein will be, "Pure are You, O Allah"
and their greeting therein will be "Salam." And the end
of their call will be, "praise be to Allah, the Lord of the
worlds." [10]
Commentary
In the previous verses, by mentioning the heavens and the earth
and the Moon and the Sun, prominent manifestations of Allah's per-
fect power and wisdom, the belief in the Oneness of Allah and the
Hereafter was proved eloquently. The first three of the present verses
tell us that, despite such open signs and evidences spread out in this
universe, human beings split up in two groups. One of the two groups
was of those who paid just no heed to these Divine signs, failed to rec-
ognize their creator and master and failed to recognize even them-
selves. It never occurred to them that they were no animal like other
animals. They never discovered that their Almighty Lord had blessed
them with intelligence, reason and commonsense in a degree much
higher than that of the animals. Their Lord had put the entire resourc-
es of Divine creation at their doorsteps. Everything was as if commis-
sioned to serve them. This should have made them realize that there
has to be something their Lord would want them to do, some duty or
obligation or charge. If that had to be the case, they would have to ac-
count for whatever they had been asked to do. And for this it would be
necessary that there should be a day fixed for ultimate reckoning and
recompense - known as the day of Qiyamah or al-Hashr (Doomsday,
Resurrection) in the terminology of the Qur'an. But, such people did
nothing like that, instead, preferred to live their lives at the level of
common animals. In the first two verses, after giving the signs and
marks of these people, the text mentions the punishment they would
receive in the Hereafter. The first thing the text tells is that such peo-
ple did not think that they would meet their Lord. They have forgotten
all about the inevitability of their life in the Hereafter and have be-

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 7 - 10
come pleased and content with their worldly life alone.
Then, they are sitting there, so satisfied and so content, as if they
just do not have to go anywhere else from here. This, to them, was the
end of the line and this was where they have to live forever. It never
occurs to them that everyone has to bid farewell to this world. This is
so open a truth that no one can go about doubting it. And when going
away from here is certain, then, some preparation has to be made for
the place one is going to.
And then, they are continuously heedless to Allah's verses and
signs. Had they pondered over the marvel of the heavens and the
earth and what was created in between them and, for that matter,
over what was in the their own person, they would have understood
the reality behind everything and they would have thus come out of
their fatal negligence.
The punishment of people whose signs have been given above is
the fire of Jahannam that waits for them in the Hereafter - and this
punishment is nothing but the outcome of their own deeds.
How regrettable that the signs of disbelievers and deniers pin-
pointed by the Qur'an are no different as far as our own present condi-
tion as Muslims is concerned. By looking at our way of life and the pat-
tern of our activities and thoughts, no one can come to the conclusion
that we have some other concern bothering us except the concerns of
this world under our noses. Yet, despite all that, we sit comfortably be-
lieving that we are Muslims, as staunch and true as they come. The
hard reality is that the kind of staunch and true Muslims our worthy
forbears were has become unimaginable for us. They were the ones a
look at whose faces would remind one of God and transmit unmistaka-
bly that they feared someone above them and their hearts throbbed
with the concern of being accountable to Him. Not to say more about
these wonderful people, even the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, despite
being protected from sins (ma'sum), lived his blessed life in that state.
صلى الله عليه وسلم It appears in Shama'il al-Tirmidhi that the Holy Prophet
looked sad and concerned fairly often.
Mentioned in the third verse (9) are those fortunate people who
pondered over the signs of the most exalted Allah. Thereby, they rec-
ognized Him, believed in Him and, by acting in accordance with the

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 7 - 10
dictates of their faith, became duty-bound to say and do what was good
and right (al-a'mal aş-salihah: good deeds).
The good return and reward made due by the Holy Qur'an for these
wonderful people has been mentioned in a particular manner. It was
said: "by i pay a, (their Lord will guide them by virtue of their be-
lief), that is, 'take them to their destination, the Jannah [Paradise],
where rivers shall be flowing in the Gardens of Bliss.'
The well known meaning of the word: alu (hidayah) used here is to
tell or show the way. Then, on occasions, it is also used in the sense of
taking someone all the way to the desired destination. At this place,
this is the meaning intended. As for the desired destination, it means
Jannah that stands clarified by the words appearing later.
It will be recalled that the punishment of the first group was the
outcome of their own misdeeds. Here, similar to that, it was said about
the reward of the second group (of believers), that they have been
blessed with this reward by virtue of their belief. And since, belief has
been bracketed with good deeds earlier, therefore, 'Iman or belief men-
tioned at this place will mean belief that is supported by good deeds
(al-a'mal aş-salihah). The return for belief and good deeds is Jannah,
the place of unimaginable and unparalleled bliss.
Some particular states in which the people of Jannah shall find
themselves after their arrival there have been spelt out in the fourth
verse (10). First of all:َدَعُوهُمُ فِيْهَا سُبُحْنَكَ اللَّهُم :(their prayer therein will be,
"Pure are you, O Allah"). Here, the word: s,es (da'wa) should not be
taken in its well known sense of claim, something a plaintiff does
against the responding party. Instead of that, da'wa has been used
here in the sense of du'a' (prayer, supplication). It means that the du'a'
of the people of Jannah, after they have reached Jannah, will be in the
form that they will be saying: 20 de2: (Pure are You, O Allah), that is,
they will be glorifying the exalted majesty of Allah (known as Tasbih
in the religious terminology of Islam).
This raises a question for du'a', as commonly recognized, is the act
of asking for something or the seeking of what one would like to have.
The words: 2 16 :: (subhanaka 'l-lahumma: Pure are You, O Allah)
have no element of asking or seeking in them. Then, what was the ba-
sis of calling it 'du'a"?

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 7 - 10
The answer is that the expression used here is there to communi-
cate something relevant to the great occasion. Is it not that the people
of Jannah will have the most comprehensive bliss which will include
everything they could wish for almost automatically as they would
have wished? So, there will be no asking or seeking. As a replacement
of the popular mode of du'a, what they would be able to say would be
nothing more than the tasbih of Allah in total submission. That too
would not be something like an obligatory act of worship they used to
do in their mortal lives (whether or not they enjoyed doing so). In fact,
they would savor the taste of saying these words of glorification and
say subhanaka 'l-lahumma on their own, gratefully delighted. In addi-
tion, reports a Qudsi Hadith that Allah Ta'ala said, 'a servant of Mine
who remains busy glorifying Me all the time, so much so that he finds
no time even to ask what was to be asked, then, I shall give him the
best of what is asked by all those who ask, that is, take care of what he
needs to be done without his having to ask for it.' If so, the expression:
subhanaka 'l-lahumma that has been translated as 'Pure are You, O
Allah' could also be called a du'a' (prayer).
It is in terms of this sense that a Hadith in the Sahih of al-Bukhari
and Muslim reports that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to make
the following du'a' when in pain or anxiety:
لَّ إِلهَ إِلَّ اللهُ الْعَظِيْمُ الْحَلِيْ، لََّ إِلهَ إِلَّ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيْمِ، لَّ إِلهَ إِلَّ
اللَّهُ رَبُّ السَّمُوتِ وَرَبُّ الْأَرْضِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيْمِ.
There is no god but Allah, the Great, the Forbearing; there is
no god but Allah, the Lord of the Great Throne; there is no
god but Allah, the Lord of the Heavens and the Lord of the
Earth and the Lord of the Generous Throne.
Imam al-Tabari said: The worthy forbears of the Muslim Communi-
ty (al-salaf al-salihun) used to call it the prayer of pain (the du'a of
karb). Whenever in intense pain, anxiety or distress, they would recite
these words and pray to Allah for relief. (Tafsir Qurtubi)
There is yet another Hadith report carried by Imam Ibn Jarir, Ibn
Mundhir and others that the people of Jannah, when they wish to
have something, will say subhanaka 'l-lahumma. Hearing this, the an-
gels will instantly present what they wished before them - as if, the
words: subhanaka 'l-lahumma will serve as a password or access code

526
Surah Yunus : 10 : 7 - 10
for the people of Jannah through which they will articulate their wish,
and the angels, doing their duty, will fulfill it every time. (Ruh al-Ma'ani
and Qurtubi) From that angle , we can also call the statement: subhana-
ka 'l-lahumma, a du'a.
Describing the second state of the life of the people of Jannah, it
was said: " un; E (and their greeting therein will be "Salam"). In
customary usage, Es (tahiyyah) is the word used to greet someone com-
ing in or met elsewhere, for example ahlan wa sahlan, as the Arabs
say, or good morning, good evening, nice to see you, hello, hi as used in
English with varying degrees of formality or informality. This verse
tells us that the people of Jannah will be greeted with the word: salam
from Allah Ta'ala or from the angels. It would mean, 'good news to you
that you now stand protected against everything painful or unpleas-
ant.' This 'salam' greeting could also be from Allah Ta'ala Himself as in
Surah Ya Sin: 25053, 5 ("Salam" [peace], a word from a merciful
Lord - 36:58). And it could also be from the angels as said elsewhere:
-and angels will come to them from eve": وَالْلِكَهُ يَدُخُلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ بَابٍ سَلِمٌ عَلَيُكُمْ
ry gate [saying] 'salamun 'alaikum' [may you be in peace and security]
- 13:23,24." By the way, there is no contradiction in the two sayings.
There could be the time when salam greeting comes directly from Allah
Ta'ala and there could be the time when it comes from the angels.
Though, the salam greeting is actually a du'a (prayer) in the mortal
world but, once in Jannah where one would have everything one needs
or wishes to have, therefore, this word will not retain its sense of
prayer there, instead, will become a complement of glad tidings. (Ruh al-
Ma'anī)
Describing the third state of the life of the people of Jannah, it was
said : ◌َاخِرُ دَعُوهُمْ أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْغُلَمِيْن (And the end of their call will be, 'praise be
to Allah, the Lord of the worlds').
The essential aim of the statement is to indicate that the people of
Jannah, once there, will start knowing Allah Ta'ala better. The spiritu-
al master Shahabuddin Suhrawardi, said, 'after having reached Jan-
nah, the people of Jannah as a whole will be blessed with a station of
knowledge and wisdom which is occupied by 'Ulama in the mortal
world. The 'Ulama would rise to the station the prophets have here.
The prophets would rise to the station occupied by Sayyidna Muham-
mad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم, the foremost among them in this world.

527
Surah Yunus : 10 : 7 - 10
And he, blessings and peace on him, will occupy the highest station of
nearness to Allah in Jannah. It is possible that this may be the cele -.
brated place called 'the praised station' (al-maqam al-mahmud), a place
referred to in the du'a' to be recited after adhan where Muslims pray
that their prophet may be blessed with 'the praised station,' a prayer
he had himself taught them to make.
In short, the initial du'a of the people of Jannah will be: gul atie
(subhanaka 'l-lahumma: Pure are You, O Allah) and the last du'a will
be: ◌َالْحُمُ لِلَّهِرَبِّ الْعُلَمِيْن (alhamdu li 'l-lahi rabbi 'l-alamin: praise be to Allah,
Lord of the worlds). Pointed to here are two kinds of attributes of Al-
lah Ta'ala. One: The attributes of being the most exalted which show
that He is free from and beyond any shortcoming or evil. Two: The at-
tributes of being the noblest which show honor, greatness, magnanimi-
ty and perfection. In the last verse of Surah ar-Rahman both kinds
have been named by saying : ◌ِتَبْرَكَ اهُمْ رَبِّكَ ذِى الْجَلالِ وَالإِكْرَام (Blessed is the name
of your Lord, the Possessor-par-Excellence of Majesty and Honor -
55:78). If we were to ponder a little, we will see that absolute purity of
Allah Ta'ala forms part of His attribute of Majesty. And that He de-
serves being praised is one of His attributes of Honor. Since the attrib-
utes of Majesty and Honor follow in that order, therefore, the people of
Jannah will first recount His Majesty by saying: subhanaka 'l-
lahumma: Pure are You, O Allah. Then, they will mention the words:
suur erikdí (alhamdu li 'l-lahi rabbi 'l-'alamin: Praise be to Allah,
Lord of the worlds) being a tribute to His Honor, something they are
engaged in all the time.
And according to the natural order of these three states, when the
people of Jannah will say subhanaka 'l-lahumma, in response to which,
they will receive the greeting of salam from Allah Ta'ala, as a result of
which, they will say: ◌َالحُمْدُلِلَّهِ رَتِ الْعُلَمِيْن (praise be to Allah, the Lord of the
worlds). (Rūp al-Ma'ani)
Injunctions and Rulings
Al-Qurtubi has said in Ahkam al-Qur'an: According to this conduct
of the people of Jannah, Sunnah in eating and drinking, and in
everything else we do, is that one starts with Bismillah and ends at
Alhamdulillah. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, 'It is liked by Allah
Ta'ala that His servant, when he eats or drinks something, starts with

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 11 - 17
Bismillah (1 2) and, when he is finished with it, says Al-hamdulillah'
.(اَلُمْدُ لِلْه)
It is recommended (mustahabb) that a person making du'a also
says :َوَاخِرُدَعُونًا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعُلَمِيْن (and our prayer at the end is that praise be
to Allah, Lord of the worlds) at the end of it. Al-Qurtubi adds to that by
saying: Along with it, it is better to also recite the following last verses
of Surah Aş-Şaffat:
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ. وَسَلُمْ عَلَى الْمُؤْسَلِيْنَ. وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِرَبِّ
الْعُلَمِيْنَ .
Pure is your Lord, Lord of all might, above from what they ascribe
to Him. And salam (peace and security) be on the Messengers. And
praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds - 37:180-182.
Verses 11 - 17
وَلَوْ مُعَجِّلُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ الشَّرَّ اسْتِعْجَالَهُمْ بِالْخَيْرِ لَغُضِىَ
إِلَيْهِمْ آَجَلُهُمْ، فَنَذَهُ الَّذِيْنَ لَا يَرْجُوْنَ لِقَاءَنَا فِى ◌ُغْيَانِهِمْ
يَعْمَهُوْنَ ﴿١١﴾ وَإِذَا مَسَ الإِنْسَانَ الضُُّّ دَعَانَا ◌ِجَنْلِهَ أَوْ
قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَانِمَاً فَلَمَا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُ مَرَّكَاَنُ لَّمْ يَدُعُنَّا إِلى
ضُِّ مَّسَةُ كَذْلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْمُسْرِفِيْنَ مَاكَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٢)
وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا الْقُرُوْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَ ظَلَمُوْا" وَبِجَآءَتَهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ
بِالْبَيِّئْتِ وَمَا كَانُوا لِيُؤمِنُؤْاء كَذَلِكَ نَجُزِى الْقَوْمَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ
﴿١٣» ثُمَّ جَعَلْنُكُمْ خَلِيْفَ فِى الْأَرْضِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ لِنَنْظُرَ كَيْفَ
تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٤) وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنْتٍ؟ قَالَ الَّذِيْنَ
لَا يَرْجُوْنَ لِقَاءَنَا انْتِ بِقُزَانٍ غَيْرِ هَذَا أَوْ بَدِّلُهُ﴿ قُلْ مَا يَكُوْنُ لِّ
أَنْ أُبَدِّلَهُ مِنْ تِلْقَائِ نَفْسِمُىءٍ إِنْ اتَّبِعُ إِلَّ مَا يُؤْخَى إِلَتَّى إِنَّ
أَخَافُ إِنُ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّى عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيْمٍ ﴿١٥﴾ قُلْ لَّوْ شَاءَ
اللّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَّ ادُرُكُمُ بِهِ، فَقَدٌ لَبِئْتُ فِيْكُمُ عُمُرًّا
◌ِنُ قَبْلِهِ ﴿ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿١٦﴾ فَمَنُ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرِى عَلَى اللهِ

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 11 - 17
كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِايُتِهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْمُجْرِمُوْنَ ﴿١٧﴾
And if Allah were to hasten in sending evil to the peo-
ple, as they hasten in seeking good, their time would
have been all over. So, We leave those, who do not be-
lieve in meeting Us, wandering blindly in their rebel-
lion. [11]
And when hardship hits a person, he prays to Us lying
or sitting or standing. Later, when We remove from
him the hardship, he walks away as though he had nev-
er prayed to Us in any hardship that hit him. This is
how their deeds appear beautified to the transgressors.
[12]
And indeed We have destroyed generations before you
when they transgressed, while their Messengers came
to them with clear signs. And they were not the ones to
believe. This is how We punish the guilty people. [13]
Then We made you vice-regents on the earth, so that
we see how you would act. [14]
And when Our verses are recited to them in all their
clarity, say those who do not believe in meeting Us,
"Bring a Qur'an other than this, or make changes in it."
Say, "It is not for me to make changes in it on my own. I
follow nothing but what is revealed to me. I fear, if I
disobey my Lord, the punishment of a terrible day." [15]
Say, "Had Allah so willed, I would have not recited it to
you, nor would He have let you know it. Then, I have
lived among you for years before it. Have you, then, no
sense?" [16]
So, who is more unjust than the one who coins a lie
against Allah or belies His signs? The fact is that the
guilty do not succeed. [17]
Commentary
The first of the seven verses cited above relates to people who deny
'Akhirah (Hereafter, life to come). For this reason, when they are
warned against the punishment of 'Akhirah, they mockingly say, 'if
you are telling the truth, bring this punishment now' or say something
like, 'why would this punishment not come soon enough?' This was like
what Nadr ibn Harith had said, 'O Allah, if this thing is true, let
stones rain down upon us from the heavens, or send some other severe

530
Surah Yunus : 10 : 11 - 17
punishment.'
It has been answered in the same verse by saying that Allah Ta'ala
is, after all, powerful over everything. He can send the promised pun-
ishment instantly, right now. But, in His infinite wisdom and mercy,
He prefers not to do so. When people like these wish to have evil and
hardship sent upon them, they do not realize what they were doing.
Had Allah Ta'ala been granting their curses on themselves as soon as
they wished - similar to how He would answer their positive prayers
fairly often - all of them would have been destroyed to the last man.
From here we learn that it is the customary practice of Allah Ta'ala
that He would answer prayers for one's good fairly often and if, on one
or the other occasion, a prayer is not answered due to some wise con-
sideration, it would not be contrary to the general rule. But, the case of
a person who, because of his ignorance, or anger, or grief, falls into the
error of hurling on himself or his family a curse in the fair name of
prayer is different. Similar to this is the unfortunate one who invites
Divine punishment, due against those who reject the truth of a Here-
after, to fall on him, as if playing a game with God. Allah Ta'ala does
not accept these prayers promptly, instead, gives them respite so that
the denier gets the time to think and abstain from his denial. Or, if the
curse has been invoked because of some sudden grief, anger or desper-
ation, then one gets the lease of time to sort out his conduct, avoid
what is bad about it and try to stay away from it thereafter.
Ibn Jarir on the authority of Qatadah and al-Bukhari and Muslim
on the authority of Mujahid report that, at this place, the invoking of
curse refers to what an angry person sometimes does when he breaks
into supplicating adversely to the effect that his children, wealth or
property be destroyed. Even if the person were to blurt out words of
curse on these, it will stand included therein. Allah Ta'ala, in His infi-
nite mercy, does not hasten to answer such prayers. Imam al-Qurtubi,
on the authority of a Hadith narrative, reports that the Holy Prophet
said, 'I have prayed to Allah jalla than a'uh imploring Him صلى الله عليه وسلم
not to answer the curse invoked by a friend or relative upon another
friend or relative.' Shahr ibn Hawshab says, 'I have read that angels
appointed to take care of human needs have been instructed by Allah
Ta'ala , in His mercy, that they should not write down what His ser-
vant says in grief or anger.' (Qurtubi)

531
Surah Yunus : 10 : 11 - 17
Despite what has been said here, there are occasions when comes
that moment of Divine approval in which what one is saying on the
spot gets to be accepted instantly. Therefore, the Holy Prophet Jul
duy tue said, 'never pray that evil may fall on your children or things
you own - lest, that time be the time the prayer is to be accepted - and
the curse so invoked may stand answered (and activated) all of a sud-
den (causing you remorse afterwards).' This Hadith on the authority of
Sayyidna Jabir as Ul », appears in the Sahih of Muslim under the
event of the battle of Buwat.
The outcome of all these Hadith reports is as follows. As obvious,
the main address in the verse under reference concerns the deniers of
'Akhirah who demanded an instant punishment. But, in view of its
universality, it includes Muslims as well, who may also break into in-
voking a curse on themselves or on their belongings and children un-
der some fit of grief or anger. Such is the customary practice of Allah
Ta'ala, because of His grace and compassion, that he deals with both of
them in the same manner. He does not allow such invocations for curs-
es to be actualized and implemented instantly so that the erring per-
son gets the opportunity to think it out and rescind.
An eloquent approach has been made in the second verse (12) to
convince those who denied that Allah was One (Tauhid) and that there
was a life to come ('Akhirah). It was said: When conditions are normal,
people would find time to engage in debating the nature and existence
of God and the Hereafter. They would feel free to ascribe all sorts of
partners and associates to His pristine divinity and look forward to
them in the hope that they would respond at their hour of need. But,
as soon as some major distress overtakes them, even these very peo-
ple, disappointed by the entire range of their false gods they pinned
their hopes on, do nothing but call Allah for help, not simply once but
repeatedly, lying, sitting, standing. They have no choice. They must in-
voke Him for help. However, along with this attitude, certainly terri-
ble is their ingratitude. When Allah Ta'ala removes their distress, they
forget all about Him becoming so disconnected and indifferent to Him
as if they had never called Him and never sought His help in their
hour of need. This tells us that those who associate anyone or anything
else with Allah Ta'ala in His exclusive domain as the Dispenser of all
that is needed by His creation do themselves get to experience the

532
Surah Yunus : 10 : 11 - 17
demolition of this belief of theirs. But, because of their hostility and
obstinacy, they keep glued to their false notion.
The subject of verse 12 has been emphasized from a different angle
in verse 13. It has been said: Let no one miscalculate that punishment
cannot come in this world just because Allah Ta'ala gives respite to
those who deny and disbelieve. The history of past peoples shows that
different kinds of punishments have visited them because of their con-
tumacy and disobedience right here in this world. It is a different mat-
ter that Allah Ta'ala has promised that no mass punishment will come
upon the Muslim ummah in consideration of the honor of Sayyidna
Muhammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم, the foremost among prophets.
But, it is in the face of this very merciful indulgence of Almighty Allah
that people have become audacious enough to come forward and invite,
even demand, Divine punishment. On the contrary, it is necessary to
remember that indifference to Divine punishment is not proper under
any condition even for them (Muslims). The reason is that the promise of
not sending mass punishment upon the Muslim ummah, or the world
as a whole, certainly stands there, but the coming of such punishment
on particular individuals and nations is possible even now.
In verse 14, it was said: ◌َثُمَّ جَعَلُنْكُمْ خَلِفَ فِى الْأَرْضِ مِنْ بَعُدِهِمْ لِتَنْظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُون (Then
We made you vice-regents on the earth, in order to see how you would
act), that is, 'after the destruction of past peoples, We made you suc-
cessors to them giving you the vice-regency of the earth. But, let this
not give you any false idea that this vice-regency of the earth has been
given to you so that you could have a good time. In fact, this honor has
been bestowed on you to test you and to see how you would act - would
you learn your lesson from the history of past peoples or would you
lose your head drunk with power and wealth?'
This tells us that worldly power is not something to be proud of or
arrogant about. This is responsibility at its toughest, a charge very
heavy and very fragile to handle.
In the last three verses (15-17), there is the refutation of a false no-
tion entertained by the deniers of 'Akhirah and also the rejection of an
inappropriate request made by them. They were a people who did not
know much about God or Revelation or Prophets sent by Him. They
took them to be like common human beings having nothing special
about them. Think of the Holy Qur'an, which reached the world

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Surah Yunus : 10 : 11 - 17
through the Prophet of Islam. Even this, they thought, was spoken
and written by him. It was under this frame of mind that they told the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, 'as for this Qur'an, it is against our beliefs
and ideas.' These idols our forefathers have been worshipping since
ever as providers of their needs are, according to the Qur'an, totally
false and ineffectual. There are things we have been using and trans-
actions we have been making all along. The Qur'an says that they are
all unlawful. And then, the Qur'an tells us that we have to live again
after we are dead and that we have to account for everything we have
done. All these things make no sense to us. We are not ready to accept
them. Therefore, you do one of the two things we are asking you to do.
Either you replace this one with another Qur'an which does not have
these things, or at the least, amend this very Qur'an and expunge
those (undesirable) things from there.'
Rejecting their false notion first, the Qur'an instructs the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to tell those people that the Qur'an was not his
Word, nor could he change it on his own. He only followed what was
revealed to him by Allah. If he were to make the least change in it on
his own and by his choice, he would be committing a grave sin, and
that he feared the punishment that falls upon those who disobey Al-
lah, therefore, he could not do that.
Then he was asked to tell them that he did everything under Di-
vine orders. Had it been the will of Allah Ta'ala that this Word should
not be recited to them, neither would he have recited that to them, nor
would He have let them know about that. Now that it was the very
will of Allah Ta'ala that they should be made to listen to precisely that
Word, who can dare make any addition or deletion therein?
After that, the fact that the Qur'an was from Allah and that it was
His Word was driven home with an open argument by saying: 221 3
NES (Then I have lived among you for years before it). In effect,
he was saying, 'just think for a moment. Is it not that, much before the
revelation of the Qur'an, I have spent a long period of forty years of my
life among you? During this period, you have never heard me compos-
ing and reciting poetry or writing essays in prose. Had I been profi-
cient in saying something like this Word of Allah, I would have natu-
rally said at least some of it during this period of forty years. In
addition to that, you have a direct experience of my character and con-