Indexed OCR Text

861
Surah Al-‘Adiyat : 100 : 1 - 11
points: [1] man is ungrateful or he is a blamer of his Lord who remembers
misfortunes and forgets His favours; and [2] he is passionate in his love
for wealth. Both these points are evil, rationally as well as from the
Shari'ah point of view. These statements warn man against these evils.
The evil of ingratitude is quite obvious and needs no elaboration, but the
evil of man's violent love for wealth is not that obvious, and needs some
elaboration. Wealth is the axis of man's needs and necessities. Shari'ah
has not only permitted its acquisition, but it has also made its acquisition
obligatory to the degree of his needs. Therefore, what is condemned in the
verse is either the 'intense' or excessive love for wealth that makes one
neglectful to one's obligations, and oblivious of the divine injunctions, or
the sense is that earning wealth, even saving it according to one's needs is
though permissible, having its love in the heart is bad. Let us consider the
following illustration: When man feels the need to answer the call of
nature, he does it out of necessity. In fact, he makes arrangements for it,
but he does not develop love or passion for it in his heart. Likewise, when
he falls sick and takes medication, or even undergoes surgery, but he does
not develop attachment for it in his heart. He does it only out of necessity.
The believer should treat the wealth in this way: A believer should
acquire wealth, as Allah has commanded him, to the extent of his need,
save it, look after it and utilize it whenever and wherever necessary, but
his heart should not be attached to it. How elegantly Maulana Rumi ,
Jw AU has put it in one of his verses!
آب اندر زیر کشتی پُشتی است ..... آب در کشتی هلاك کشتی است
"As long as the water remains under the boat, it helps the boat
[to sail]; but if the water seeps into the boat, it sinks it."
Likewise, as long as the wealth floats around the boat of heart, it
would be useful; but when it seeps into the heart, it will destroy it.
Towards the conclusion of the Surah a warning has been sounded against
these two evil qualities of man for which he will be punished in the
Hereafter.
أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعُثِرَ مَافِى الْقُبُوْرِ وَحُصِّلَ مَافِي الصُّدُوُر. إِنَّ رَبَّهُمُ بِهِمُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَخَبِيرٌ [11-100:9] Verses
(Does he not then know [what will happen] when all that is contained in
the graves will be overturned, and all that is contained in the hearts will

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Surah Al-‘Adiyat : 100 : 1 - 11
be exposed. Surely your Lord, that day, is fully aware of them.) Divine
retribution will be meted out, in the Hereafter, to each person
commensurate with his deeds, good or bad, as Allah is well-aware of them.
Therefore, it would be wise for man to abstain from ingratitude, and he
should not have such a violently passionate love for wealth and
indulgence in worldly riches as to be unable to separate the good from the
bad.
Special Note
The current set of verses describes these evil qualities of man in
general terms, while Prophets Je, friends of Allah and many of His
righteous servants are free from these evil qualities or from any earthly
attachments. They acquire wealth through lawful means and abstain
from acquiring it through unlawful means. They are ever so grateful to
Allah for the wealth He has given them and spend it in the way of Allah.
So how these evils are attributed to man in general terms? The answer is
that most people have these evil qualities, but this does not imply that all,
without any exception, are characterized by these qualities. The upright
people are excluded from the general statement. Some of the scholars
restrict the word 'man' to 'unbelievers'. These two evil qualities are the
essential characteristics of unbelievers, and if they are found in a Muslim
[God forbid!], he needs to reflect and be careful. Allah knows best!
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Al-'Adiyat
Ends here

863
Surah Al-Qari'ah : 101 : 1 - 11
Surah Al-Qari'ah
(The Striking Event)
This Surah is Makki, and it has 11 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 11
اَلْقَارِعَةُ ﴿٢﴾ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ ﴿٢﴾ وَمَآ أَدْرِئِكَ مَالْقَارِعَةُ ﴿٣ٌ﴾ يَوْمَ يَكُوْنُ
النَّاسُ كَالْفَرَاشِ الْمَبْتُوُثِ ﴿٤﴾ وَتَكُوْنُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهُنِ الْمَنْفُوُشِ
﴿٥﴾ فَاَمَّا مَنُ ثَّقُلَتْ مَوَازِيْنُه، ﴿٢﴾ فَهُوَ فِىُ عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ ﴿٢﴾ وَأَمَّا
مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِيْنُهُ، ﴿1﴾ فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ ﴿٩﴾ وَمَآ أَدْرِىكَ مَاهِيَهُ ﴿١٠﴾ نَارٌ
حَامِيَةٌ ﴿١١﴾
The Striking Event! [1] What is the Striking Event? [2]
And what may let you know what the Striking Event is?
[3] (It will happen) on a day when people will be like
scattered moths, [4] and the mountains will be like
carded wool. [5] Then, the one whose scales (of good
deeds) are heavy [6] will be in a happy life. [7] But he
whose scales are light, [8] his abode will be Abyss. [9]
And what may let you know what that (Abyss) is? [10] A
blazing fire! [11]
Human Deeds, Good or Bad, will be Weighed
This Surah mentions the weighing of human deeds. He whose scales
are heavy will be led to Paradise, and he whose scales are light will be led
to Hell. Please see Ma'ariful Qur'an, Vol. 3/ pp 539-547, for a full and
complete analysis of the Weighing of human deeds. The analysis also

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Surah Al-Qari'ah : 101 : 1 - 11
allays the doubts raised against the concept of weighing of deeds.
We have also explained there that it appears from reconciliation of
conflicting narrations and Qur'anic verses that the weighing on Plain of
Resurrection will take place twice. The first weighing will be to separate
the believers from the non-believers. Anyone whose Book of Deeds is put
on the scale and contains the belief ('Iman) will be heavy, and the scale of
anyone whose Ledger of Deeds does not contain 'Iman will be light. At
this stage, the believers will be separated from the non-believers.
Weighing on the second time will be to distinguish between good and evil
deeds of the believers. The reference, in the present Surah, is probably to
the first weighing in which the scale of every believer will be heavy
regardless of his other deeds, while the scale of an unbeliever will be light,
even though he might have performed some good acts.
It is explained in Mazhari that the Holy Qur'an generally contrasts
the unbelievers and righteous believers, when speaking of retribution
[reward or punishment], because the latter are the perfect believers. As
for the believers who have performed righteous as well as unrighteous
deeds, the Qur'an is generally silent on the issue. However, the principle
may be noted that on the Day of Judgement human deeds will not be
counted, but weighed. Fewer good deeds with high degree of faith and
sincerity, and in accordance with Sunnah will be heavier than many good
deeds - prayers, fasting, charity and pilgrimage with lesser degree of faith
and sincerity, or not completely in accordance with Sunnah.
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Al-Qari'ah
Ends here

865
Surah At-Takathur : 102 : 1 - 8
Surah At-Takathur
(Competition in Amassing)
This Surah is Makki, and it has 8 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 8
اَلْهُكُمُ التَّكَاثُّرُ ﴿٢﴾ حَتَّى زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ ﴿٢ٌ﴾ كَلَّ سَوُفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
y
9
ثُمَّ كَلَّاسَوُفَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿2﴾ كلَّ لَوْتَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِيْنِ
لَتَرَوُنَّ الْجَحِيْمَ ﴿٢﴾ ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ الْيَقِيْنِ ﴿٢﴾ ثُمَّ لَتُسْئَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ
E
عَنِ النَّعِيْمِ
1
You are distracted by mutual competition in amassing
(worldly benefits), [1] until you reach the graves. [2] No!
(This is not a correct attitude.) You will soon know (the
reality). [3] Again, you will soon know. [4] No! if you
have had sure knowledge (of the Hereafter, you would
not have been so distracted) [5] You will certainly see
the Hell, [6] then you will see it with an eye of certainty.
[7] Then you will be asked about all the pleasures (you
enjoyed in the world). [8]
Special Merit of Surah At-Takathur
The Messenger of Allah
is reported to have once asked the noble
Companions: "Is there anyone from amongst you who has the strength to
recite one thousand verses a day?" The blessed Companions replied: "Who
can recite a thousand verses a day? " The Holy Prophet
said: "Can you
not recite Surah At-Takathur?" This implies that Surah At-Takathur
equals in weight and worth to a thousand verses, thus stressing its great

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Surah At-Takathur : 102 : 1 - 8
importance. [Mazhari with reference to Hakim and Baihaqi on the authority of Ibn
Umar 40].
Warning Against Materialistic Attitude
Verse [1] ◌ُالْهُكُمُ التَّكَاثُر (You are distracted by mutual competition in
amassing [worldly benefits].) The word takathur is derived from the root
kathrah, and means 'to amass much wealth'. Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4
and Hasan Basri رحمه اللّه تعالى have assigned this interpretation to it.
Qatadah 4% says that this word is also used in the sense of 'taking pride
in the abundance of material goods'. Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas we reports that
the Messenger of Allah
recited this verse and explained its meaning,
thus: "Acquiring wealth but not paying out of it the obligatory dues."
[Qurțubi].
Verse [2] ◌َحَتّى زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِر (until you reach the graves.) Here the words
'reaching the graves' mean 'to die and be buried in the graves', as the
following Prophetic Hadith bears testimony to this interpretation.
Referring to verse [2] of this Surah, the Messenger of Allah
حَتّى :said
until death overtakes you" [Ibn Kathir, from by Ibn Abi Hatim]. The" يأتيكم الموت
verse thus implies that many people are engrossed in acquiring worldly
goods and racing each other in wealth and children etc. and remain
neglectful of the Hereafter till death comes upon them, and then they are
seized by the divine punishment. Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn Shikhkhir
reports that one day he visited the Holy Prophet
while the latter was
reciting Surah At-Takathur and was saying:
يقول ابن ادم مالى مالى وهل لك من مالك الاّ ما اكلت فافنيت اولبست فابليت
او تصدّقت فامضيت، وفى رواية لمسلم وما سوى ذلك فذاهب وتاركه للناس.
(ابن كثيرو قرطبى بروايت مسلم، ترمذى احمد)
"The Son of'Adam says: 'My wealth, my wealth.' But you do not
reap any benefit from your wealth except for that which you ate
and you finished it, or that which you clothed yourself with and
you wore it out, or that which you gave as charity and you have
spent it."
And in a narration by Muslim: "Everything else other than that will
go away, and he will leave it for other people.(i.e. inheritors)" [Ibn Kathir
and Qurțubi as transmitted by Muslim, Tirmidhi and Ahmad].
Imam Bukhari records from Sayyidna Anas 4
that the Messenger of

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Surah At-Takathur : 102 : 1 - 8
Allah
said:
لو كان لابن آدم واديًا من ذهب لاحبّ ان يكون له واديان ولن يملاء فاه اللّ التراب
و يتوب الله على من تاب.
"If the Son of 'Adam has a valley of gold, he would love to have
two valleys, and nothing but the dust of grave will fill his
mouth. And Allah accepts the repentance of him who turns to
Him in penitence."
Sayyidna 'Ubayy Ibn Ka'b 4, referring to the Tradition quoted
above, says, "We used to think that this was a part of the Qur'an until the
first verse of Surah At-Takathur was revealed." It seems that the Holy
Prophet
recited the verse and interpreted it in his own words. As a
result, some of the Companions were under the impression that the
Prophetic words were part of the Qur'an. Later on, when the Surah was
recited in its entirety, it did not contain the Prophetic words. This made
them realize that the Prophetic words were actually of explanatory
nature, and not part of the Qur'an.
Verse [102:5] ◌ِكَلَّا لَوْ تَعُلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِيْن (No! if you have had sure knowledge .. )
The word 'if requires a principal clause that seems missing here, but the
context suggests that the sense is the following: "If you had the sure
knowledge of accountability on the Day of Judgement, you would not
have engrossed yourselves in mutual competition in acquiring worldly
goods and taking pride in their abundance."
Verse [102:7] ◌ِثُمَّ لَتَرَؤُنَّهَا عَيْنَ الْيَقِيْن ( ... then you will see it with an eye of
certainty.) The phrase "ain-ul-yaqin' (translated above as'eye of
certainty') refers to the certainty attained by physical observation, and
this is the highest degree of certainty. Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4ee reports
that when Holy Prophet Musa des was on the mount of Tur, his people
started worshipping a calf. Allah informed him about this while he was
still on the mountain. This piece of information did not affect Musa Sek
so much. However, when he returned and saw the Children of Israel,
with his own eyes, worshipping the calf, he became so indignant that the
tablets of Torah involuntarily fell from his hands. [Transmitted by Ahmad
and Țabarani with an authentic chain of narrators, as quoted by Mazhari].
Verse [102:8] ◌ِثُمَّ لَتُسُئَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيم (Then you will be asked about all the
pleasures [you enjoyed in the world].) This means that, on the Day of

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Surah At-Takathur : 102 : 1 - 8
Judgment, all of you will be questioned whether you had shown gratitude
towards Allah's favors, or did you misuse them and were ungrateful to
Allah? Some of these favors and bounties are explicitly mentioned
elsewhere in the Qur'an:
إِنَّ السَّمُعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَّادَ كُلُّ أُولَئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسُئُوَلاً
( ... Surely, the ear, the eye and the heart - each one of them
shall be interrogated about.) [17:36]
These organs and their faculties comprehend millions of blessings of
Allah, and man will be questioned as to how he used them every moment
of his life.
The Messenger of Allah
199
is reported to have said that first question
that will be put by Allah to every person is: "Did I not give you good
health, and did I not give you cold water to quench your thirst?" (Tirmidhi,
and Ibn Hibban, with rating as sahih, from Abu Hurairah 45
, as quoted by Ibn Kathir)
The Messenger of Allah
is also reported to have said that no man
will be able to move from his place unless he answers five questions: [1]
How did he spend his life ?; [2] In what pursuits did he expend his
youthful energy ?; [3] How did he earn his wealth - (by lawful means or
unlawful means?); [4] Where did he spend his wealth - (in lawful ways or
unlawful ways ?; ) and [5] Did he act upon the knowledge Allah gave him?
(Bukhārī).
Mujahid, the leading authority on Tafsir, says that this question on
the Day of Judgement relates to every delight of the world that he
enjoyed - whether it is in connection with food, clothes, house, wife,
children, kingdom, government or honor. Qurtubi, having cited this,
concludes that this is absolutely true, because the question does not
specify any particular blessing.
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah At-Takathur
Ends here

869
Surah Al-‘Aşr : 103 : 1 - 3
Surah Al-'Aşr
(The Time)
This Surah is Makki, and it has 3 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 3
وَالْعَصْرِ ﴿1﴾ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِىُ خُسُرِ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا
الصَّلِحْتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ ا وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ
I swear by the Time, [1] man is in a state of loss indeed,
[2] except those who believed and did righteous deeds,
and advised each other for truth, and advised each
other for patience. [3]
Virtue of [Studying] Surah al-‘Aşr
Sayyidna 'Ubaidullah Ibn Hişn
reports that whenever two
Companions of the Holy Prophet
met, they would not part company
until one of them had recited Surah Al-'Asr in its entirety to the other.
[Transmitted by At-Tabarani]. Imam Shafii says that if people thought about
Surah Al-'Ar carefully, it would be enough for their guidance. It is a
concise but comprehensive Surah, which in three verses, outlines a
complete way of human life based on the Islamic worldview.
In this Surah, Allah swears an oath by the 'Time' and says that
mankind is in a state of loss; exception, however, is made of people who
are characterized by four qualities: [1] faith; [2] righteous deeds; [3]
advising each other for Truth; and [4] advising each other for patience.
This is the only path to salvation in this world, as well as in the next
world. The Qur'anic prescription comprises, as we have just seen, of four

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Surah Al-'Aşr : 103 : 1 - 3
elements. The first two of them relate to man's own personal betterment,
and the other two relate to other people's guidance and reform. [Ibn Kathir].
Relationship between 'Time' and 'Human Loss'
The first point we need to analyze here is the relationship between the
'oath of time' and 'its subject' because there needs to be a relationship
between an 'oath' and its 'subject' The commentators, generally, state
that all conditions of man, his growth and development, his movements,
his actions and morality - all take place within the space of "Time'. Man
will lose the capital of his existence. Hours, days, months, and years of life
pass quickly, spiritual and material potentialities decline, and abilities
fade. Man is like a person who possesses great capital and, without his
permission and will, every day, a portion of that capital is taken away.
This is the nature of life in this world; the nature of continual loss. How
well this has been put poetically:
حَيَاتُكَ أَنْفَاسٌ تُعَدُّ فَكُلَّمَا ...... مَضِى نَفَسٌ مِنْهَا انْتَقَصُتَ بِهِ جُزْءً ا
"Your life comprises a few breaths that can be counted; when
one of them is sent out, a part of your life has diminished."
Allah has granted man the invaluable capital of his life, so that he
may invest it in profitable business venture. If he invests his capital of life
sensibly in good works, there will be no limit to the profitable returns; but
if he invests it unwisely in evil works, then, let alone attracting profitable
returns, he will even lose his capital, and. In addition, he will incur the
dreadful scourge of committing numerous sins. If however a person did
not invest his life-capital in good deeds or in evil deeds, then he, at least,
loses both the profit as well as the capital. This is not merely a poetic
imagery, but is supported by a Prophetic Hadith, according to which the
Messenger of Allah
is reported to have said:
كُلٌّ يَغُدُوُ فَبَائِعٌ نَفْسَهُ، فَمُعْتِقُهَا أَوْمُوْبِقُهَا
"When a person wakes up in the morning, he invests his soul or
life in a business enterprise: some of the investors free or save
the capital from loss and others destroy it."
The Qur'an itself has used the word tijarah in relation to 'faith' and
'righteous deed', thus:
هَلْ آَدُلُّكُمْ عَلى تِجَارَةٍ تُنْجِيْكُمُ مِّنْ عَذَابٍ اَلِيْمِ

871
Surah Al-'Aşr : 103 : 1 - 3
" ... shall I tell you about a trade that saves you from a painful
punishment? [61:10]"
Since 'Time' is man's capital of life, the man himself is the trader.
Under normal circumstances, his capital is not a frozen thing that may be
kept for a while and used up later when the need arises. The capital is
fluid or flowing all the time, every minute and every second. The man
who invests it needs to be very wise, intelligent and agile, so that he is
able to swiftly and readily reap the profit from a flowing capital. One of
the old scholars said that he had learnt the meaning of this verse from an
ice-seller whose trade required utmost diligence, and if he were neglectful
for a moment, his entire capital would melt away. That is why this verse
has sworn an oath by the 'time' to indicate that it is a melting capital, and
the only way to escape loss is to take every moment of his life as valuable,
and use it for the four acts mentioned in the Surah.
Another possible reason for swearing by "Time' may be that the 'Time'
(in the sense of history) bears testimony to the fact mentioned in the
Surah. If one thinks on the causes of the rise and decline of individuals
and nations, he would certainly believe that it is only these four acts
(mentioned in the forthcoming verses) that may ensure the real success
and betterment of mankind. Whoever has ever abandoned them has
suffered a great loss, as is evident from numerous events recorded by
history.
Let us now study the 'four principles' mentioned in the Surah. As
pointed out earlier, faith and righteous deeds are related to man's moral
and spiritual growth and development. They are not in need of
elaboration. However, the last two principles ['advising each other for
truth'] and ['advising each other for patience'] require some elaboration.
The infinitive tawaşi is derived from wasiyyah which means 'to advise
somebody strongly and effectively about the best thing to do in a
particular situation'. The term wasiyyah also refers to a 'will or testament'
where a testator advises his executor regarding the disposal of his estate
on his death.
The two parts are in fact two chapters of the same testament: [1]
advice to truth; and [2] advice to patience and fortitude. These two
concepts may be explained in different ways. One way to explain them is

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that haqq ('truth') refers to the package of 'correct faith' and 'good deeds',
and sabr ('patience') refers to abstinence from all sins and evil deeds.
Thus the first concept refers to 'enjoining good actions' and the second
concept refers to 'forbidding evil actions'. The cumulative sense of the
Surah is that believers have been enjoined not only to adopt right faith
and good deeds themselves, but to advise others strongly and effectively
to adopt them, and thus help in the creation of a healthy atmosphere
around them.
It is also possible to interpret "Truth' as referring to articles of faith,
and to interpret 'patience' as referring to all good actions and abstinence
from evil deeds. The word sabr, originally meaning 'to withhold oneself
and to bind oneself ', encompasses binding oneself down to the
performance of righteous deeds and abstaining from sins.
Hafiz Ibn Taimiyyah has stated in one of his monographs that there
are normally two factors that restrain a person from faith and righteous
deeds: The first cause is some doubts about the true faith. When such
doubts arise in the mind of people, it destroys their faith and leaves them
confused and confounded. As a result, it adversely affects their righteous
deeds. The second cause is the selfish desires that stop man from doing
good, and involve him in evil deeds. In this situation, he theoretically
believes that he should do good and abstain from sins, but his selfish
desires lead him to stray from the right path. The current verse indicates
to remove both causes of one's distraction. By stressing upon 'advice of
truth' it has catered to the first cause, and that it should be removed by
reforming others on theoretical and academic level, and by emphasizing
on 'advice of patience' it has taken care of the second cause by enjoining
upon the Muslims to advise others to give up the base desires and remain
firm against their evil demands. Put differently, 'enjoining the truth'
means 'improving the knowledge of Muslims or their intellectual
development' and 'enjoining patience' means 'improving the practical life
of Muslims'.
Need to Salvage the Entire Muslim Society
This Surah lays down the important principle of guidance for the
Muslims that inviting other Muslims to keep to the true faith and good
deeds is as much necessary as their own submission to the Holy Qur'an
and Sunnah. Without sincere efforts, to the best of one's ability, to invite

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Surah Al-‘Aşr : 103 : 1 - 3
others to the right path, one's own good deeds are not enough to one's
salvation. Especially, if a person does not take care of the spiritual and
moral welfare of his wife, children and family and turns a blind eye to
their unrighteous deeds, he is blocking his way to salvation - no matter
how pious he himself might be. Therefore, the Qur'an and the Sunnah
make it obligatory upon every Muslim to do his best to invite others to the
good deeds, and warn them against the evil acts. Unfortunately, let alone
the general public, many learned people are lax in this matter. They
think it is sufficient for them to be concerned about their own moral and
spiritual well-being. They are not concerned about the well-being of their
family and children. May Allah grant us the ability to act upon this verse.
!
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Al-'Aşr
Ends here

874
Surah Al-Humazah : 104 : 1 - 9
Surah Al-Humazah
(The Backbiter)
This Surah is Makki, and it has 9 verses
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 9
وَيْلٌ لِكُلّ هُمَزَةٍ ثُمَزَةٍ ﴿(١) الَّذِىُ جَمَعَ مَلًّا وَعَدَّدَهُ ﴿ٌ﴾ يَحْسَبُ
أَنَّ مَالَهُ اَخْلَدَهُ ﴿٣َ﴾ كَلَّا لَيُنْبَذَنَّ فِى الْحُطَمَةِ ﴿٤﴾ وَمَآ أَدْرِكَ مَا
الْحُطَمَةُ ﴿هُ﴾ نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُؤْقَدَةُ ﴿٢﴾ الَّتِى تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَةِ ﴿٢﴾ إِنَّهَا
عَلَيْهِمُ مُّؤْصَدَةٌ ﴿٨﴾ فِىُ عَمَدٍ مُّمَدَّدَةٍ
Woe to every backbiter, derider [1] who accumulates
wealth and counts it. [2] He thinks that his wealth has
made him eternal. [3] Never! He will certainly be
thrown into the Crusher. [4] And what may let you
know what the Crusher is? [5] It is Allah's kindled fire,
[6] that will peep into the hearts. [7] It will be closed on
them, [8] in outstretched columns. [9]
Warning against dreadful end of those committing three
obnoxious sins
This Surah warns of the severe punishment on three grave sins, and
then highlights the nature of that severe punishment. The three sins are
backbiting, deriding and selfish hoarding of wealth. The words hamz and
lamz are used in several senses. Most commentators agree that the word
hamz, from which is derived the word humazah, means to 'backbite', that
is, to speak ill of a person behind his back. The word lamz, from which is

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Surah Al-Humazah : 104 : 1 - 9
derived the word lumazah, means to 'slander' or 'to deride', that is, to
speak ill of a person to his face. Both these sins are morally and socially
obnoxious and deadly. The Qur'an and the Sunnah have sounded a stern
warning against these sins. However, 'backbiting' is, from one
perspective, worse than 'slander'. 'Backbiting' is worse because the ill of a
person is spoken behind his back; the victim is not present to defend
himself and put an end to it; thus the sin continues to be committed to a
greater and increasing degree. 'Slander', on the other hand, though an
obnoxious sin in itself, is relatively less in degree than backbiting, because
the victim is present to defend himself and put an end to face-to-face
insulting or fault-finding with him. From another perspective 'slander' is
worse than 'backbiting', because to speak ill of a person to his face is
tantamount to insulting him and denigrating him. This is morally and
socially more harmful and hurting, and therefore its punishment is more
dreadful. According to a Hadith, the Holy Prophet g has said,
شِرَارُ عِبَادِ اللهِ تَعَالِى الْمَشَّاءُ وُنَ بِالنَّمِيْمَةِ الْمُفَرِّقُوْنَ بَيْنَ الْآَحِبَّةِ الْبَاعُونَ الْبُرَآءَ العنت
"The worst servants of Allah are those who speak ill of
someone, creating enmity between friends and finding fault
with innocent people."
The third evil quality denounced severely in this Surah is greed, that
is, the selfish hoarding of wealth, against which is the stern warning of
the dreadful end of those who have passion for worldly riches. This verse,
however, refers to the love of, and passion for, wealth which is
accumulated and counted over and over again. Other verses and Ahadith
bear testimony to the fact that amassing of wealth in principle is not
prohibited or sinful. Therefore, verse [2] must be interpreted in the light
of those verses and traditions. This verse purports to say that anyone who
accumulates wealth and does not pay his obligatory dues or has greed for
wealth that leads him to pride and arrogance, or has love of wealth that
engrosses him in the hoarding of wealth so profoundly that he forgets his
religious obligations, his practice is condemned in the strongest terms, and
a person attaching such profound love, greed and passion for material
`riches will suffer eternal perdition as described in the verses that follow.
Verse [104:7] ◌ِتَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَة (that will peep into the hearts). In other
words, the fire of Hell will reach their hearts. The basic property of fire is
to burn every particle of the things that fall into it. When people are put

Surah Al-Humazah : 104 : 1 - 9
876
into the Hell-fire, it will devour every limb and organ of the body until it
reaches their heart, but the person will not die. This characteristic of the
Hell-fire is especially highlighted in the verse because the fire of this
world kills the person even before reaching the heart. The fire of the Hell,
on the other hand, will reach the heart in the state of life, and man will
experience the torture of the burning of the heart while alive.
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Al-Humazah
Ends here

877
Surah Al-Fil : 105 : 1 - 5
Surah Al-Fil
(The Elephant)
This Surah is Makki, and it has 5 verses
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 5
اَلَمْ تَرَكَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصُخبِ الْفِيْلِ ﴿٢﴾ اَلَمْ يَجْعَلُ كَيْدَهُمُ فِىٌ
تَضْلِيْلٍ ﴿٢﴾ وَاَرُسَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ طَيْرًا آبَابِيْلَ ﴿٣٠﴾ تَرْمِيُهِمُ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِّنُ
سِجِّيْلٍ ﴿٤﴾ فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصُفٍ مَُّكُوْلٍ
Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the People
of the Elephant? [1] Has He not turned their plan into
nullity? [2] And He sent upon them flying birds in
flocks, [3] throwing upon them stones of baked clay, [4]
and thus He turned them into an eaten-up chaff. [5]
Commentary
The subject-matter of the Surah
This Surah refers to the story of the People of the Elephants who
came with an army of elephants for the purpose of destroying the House
of Allah in (The Holy Ka'bah) in Makkah. But their plan backfired and
the Divine scourge overtook them. Allah destroyed the army with a flock
of ordinary birds. Thus their plans were foiled and thwarted.
When did the event take place?
This event took place in the very year in which the Holy Prophet
was born at Makkah, according to some traditions and the popular view
among the historians. [Ibn Kathir]. The scholars of hadith have taken this

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event as a special type of mu'jizah (miracle) of the Holy Prophet 5, but
the term mu'jizah, in its real sense, refers to an abnormal event shown by
Allah to prove the claim of a prophet to having been sent by Him.
Therefore, a mu'jizah is shown after a prophet's Divine commission.
However, sometimes it happens that a miraculous event takes place
before a prophet's claim to prophet-hood. This, in the parlance of the
scholars of hadith, is called irhas which means 'prologue or introduction'.
The word rahs means a 'foundation stone' [Qamus]. As the miraculous
events taking place before the advent of prophets or before their claim to
prophet-hood are meant to introduce and affirm that soon a particular
prophet will be Divinely commissioned, they are referred to as irhas.
Many miraculous incidents of this nature [irhasat] occurred before the
birth and the advent of the Holy Prophet
, and one of them was the
incident of the 'People of the Elephants' who were miraculously prevented
by the Heavenly scourge from destroying the House of Allah.
Story of the People of the Elephants
Ibn Kathir, the leading authority on Prophetic Tradition and history,
recounts the story as follows: Yemen was under the control of the rulers of
Himyar. They were idolaters. Their last king was Dhu Nuwas, an idolater
himself, was the enemy of the righteous Christians of his time, who
believed in and worshipped One Allah. He persecuted the believers, who
were opposed to idol-worship, by burning them alive. Most scholars agree
that he killed, in cold blood, by throwing about 20 000 sincere and
righteous Christians in his city into a large fire pit, burning them alive in
an effort to get them to give up their sincere religion. This is the story of
the 'People of Fire-Pit' referred to in [85:4-7]. Two men somehow managed
to escape from him. They fled to Syria and took refuge with Caesar, who
was himself a Christian and the emperor of Syria. They requested the
emperor to avenge this cruel act of Dhu Nuwas. Caesar wrote to Najashi
(Negus), the king of Abyssinia [now Ethiopia], who was closer to the home
of the man. Najashi sent two governors with him: Arbat and Abrahah,
along with a huge army.
The army invaded Yemen and freed the whole country from the
possession of Himyar. Dhu Nuwas tried to escape, but was drowned in
the sea and died. Yemen thus became part of the Abyssinian dominion
and Abrahah was appointed its viceroy. However, he and Arbat fought

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Surah Al-Fil : 105 : 1 - 5
each other until Arbat was eventually killed and Abrahah emerged
victorious. The latter was appointed the commander of the Abyssinian
army in Yemen, and the governor of that region. Having captured
Yemen, he built a superbly luxurious cathedral in his area. The purpose
was to attract the people of Yemen to make pilgrimage to this cathedral
instead of Ka'bah in Makkah. It was huge and tall so that a person
standing at the bottom was not able to see the top. He decorated the
structure with gold, silver and other precious gems. In short, he meant it
to be an architectural masterpiece, second to none or unsurpassed in the
world, to be revered by all and sundry and divert pilgrims from the
Sacred Mosque in Makkah to his cathedral in Yemen. He did this after he
had witnessed the love and enthusiasm of the Yemeni Arabs - which
were the same as those felt all over the Arabia - for the Ka'bah, with the
aim of making them forsake their attachment to the Mosque of Makkah
and turn instead to his new luxurious cathedral. Thus he proclaimed
throughout his kingdom that no one should ever visit the Ka'bah in
Makkah, and that the pilgrimage should from now on take place to his
so-called 'Ka'bah' in Yemen.
Although the Arabs were idol-worshippers, the love and reverence for
the religion of Prophet Ibrahim &
and the Ka'bah had permeated their
hearts. As a result, the 'Andan, Qahtan and Quraish tribes were enraged
and infuriated by this proclamation. One night, someone entered the
church and defecated in it. According to other narratives, a nomadic tribe
halted near the church and started a fire for their own needs. The wind
on that day was blowing violently and the cathedral caught on fire and
sustained much loss. When Abrahah came to know about it, and learnt
that a Quraishi had done this, he swore to march to the House of Makkah
and destroy it stone by stone. Thus he prepared himself and set out with a
huge and powerful army, so that none might prevent him from carrying
out his mission. He asked for Najashi's permission. He permitted him and
sent for him, particularly for this expedition, a special elephant whose
name was Mahmud. It was unusually huge in size and powerful in
strength the like of which had never been seen before. The king of
Abyssinia sent in eight more elephants as reinforcements for the army.
Their intention was to use this extraordinary elephant to demolish the
Ka'bah. They planned to do this by fastening chains to the pillars of the

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Surah Al-Fil : 105 : 1 - 5
Ka'bah and placing the other ends around the neck of the elephant. Then
they would make the elephant pull on them in order to tear down the
walls of the Ka'bah [God forbid!] all at once. When the Arabs heard of
Abrahah's expedition, they considered it their moral obligation to defend
the Sacred House and thwart the evil plans of the conspirators. Thus, the
Arabs raised a large army under the command of Dhu Nafr, a Yamenite
Arab. He called the Arabs to go to war against Abrahah and fight in
defense of the Sacred House, so that the enemy is unable to tear it down.
The people responded to him readily and entered into battle with the
enemy, but he defeated them. This was due to Allah's will that no
humans should protect His House and His intent to expose the enemy to
embarrassment and venerate the Sacred Sanctuary to the highest degree.
Dhu Nafr was captured and taken prisoner.
The army continued on its way until it came to the settlement of the
Banu Khath'am tribe. Their leader, Nufail Ibn Habib, led his entire tribe
against the army, but they too were defeated and Nufail was taken
prisoner. Abrahah at first decided to kill him, but at second thought he
forgave him and took him as his guide to show him the way to Hijaz.
When the army approached Ta'if, the people of Thaqif went out to
Abrahah. They wanted to pacify him, because they had heard about the
fate of those who had resisted him previously. Also, they were afraid that
he would demolish their temple consecrated in the name of their idol
Al-Lat. Therefore, they did not resist him on the understanding that he
would not touch the idol of Lat. He was compassionate to them, and they
sent a guide with him by the name of Abu Righal. When they arrived in a
place called Al-Maghmas, near Makkah, they settled there. This was the
pasture where the camels of the Quraish grazed. Abrahah sent his troops
on a foray to capture the camels and other grazing animals of the
Makkans. They accomplished their mission. They also drove away about
two hundred camels of 'Abdul-Muttalib, grandfather of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad
and the leader of the Quraish. Abrahah then sent an
emissary named Hanatah Al-Himyari to enter Makkah and bring to him
the leader of the Quraish. He mandated him to convey to the leader of the
Quraish his message that the king did not come to fight with the
Makkans unless they stood in his way of destroying their Sacred
Sanctuary. Arriving in the city, Hanatah was directed to 'Abdul-Muttalib