Surah 57. Al-Hadid

---

Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-19 [2], 20-25 [3], 26-29 [4]

---

Quran Text of Verse 1-1057. Al-Hadidبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِسَبَّحَGlorifiesلِلّٰهِ[to] Allahمَاwhateverفِی(is) inالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ۚand the earthوَ هُوَand Heالْعَزِیْزُ(is) the All-Mightyالْحَكِیْمُ the All-Wise لَهٗFor Himمُلْكُ(is the) dominionالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ۚand the earthیُحْیٖHe gives lifeوَ یُمِیْتُ ۚand causes deathوَ هُوَand Heعَلٰی(is) overكُلِّallشَیْءٍthingsقَدِیْرٌ All-Powerful هُوَHeالْاَوَّلُ(is) the Firstوَ الْاٰخِرُand the Lastوَ الظَّاهِرُand the Apparentوَ الْبَاطِنُ ۚand the Unapparentوَ هُوَand Heبِكُلِّ(is) of everyشَیْءٍthingعَلِیْمٌ All-Knower 57. Al-Hadid Page 538هُوَHeالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoخَلَقَcreatedالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ الْاَرْضَand the earthفِیْinسِتَّةِsixاَیَّامٍperiodsثُمَّthenاسْتَوٰیHe roseعَلَیoverالْعَرْشِ ؕthe ThroneیَعْلَمُHe knowsمَاwhatیَلِجُpenetratesفِیin(to)الْاَرْضِthe earthوَ مَاand whatیَخْرُجُcomes forthمِنْهَاfrom itوَ مَاand whatیَنْزِلُdescendsمِنَfromالسَّمَآءِthe heavenوَ مَاand whatیَعْرُجُascendsفِیْهَا ؕthereinوَ هُوَand Heمَعَكُمْ(is) with youاَیْنَwhereverمَاwhereverكُنْتُمْ ؕyou areوَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahبِمَاof whatتَعْمَلُوْنَyou doبَصِیْرٌ (is) All-seer لَهٗFor Himمُلْكُ(is the) dominionالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ؕand the earthوَ اِلَیand toاللّٰهِAllahتُرْجَعُwill be returnedالْاُمُوْرُ the matters یُوْلِجُHe mergesالَّیْلَthe nightفِیintoالنَّهَارِthe dayوَ یُوْلِجُand He mergesالنَّهَارَthe dayفِیintoالَّیْلِ ؕthe nightوَ هُوَand Heعَلِیْمٌۢ(is) All-Knowerبِذَاتِof what is in the breastsالصُّدُوْرِ of what is in the breasts اٰمِنُوْاBelieveبِاللّٰهِin Allahوَ رَسُوْلِهٖand His Messengerوَ اَنْفِقُوْاand spendمِمَّاof whatجَعَلَكُمْHe has made youمُّسْتَخْلَفِیْنَtrusteesفِیْهِ ؕthereinفَالَّذِیْنَAnd thoseاٰمَنُوْاwho believeمِنْكُمْamong youوَ اَنْفَقُوْاand spendلَهُمْfor themاَجْرٌ(is) a rewardكَبِیْرٌ great وَ مَاAnd whatلَكُمْ(is) for youلَا(that) notتُؤْمِنُوْنَyou believeبِاللّٰهِ ۚin Allahوَ الرَّسُوْلُwhile the Messengerیَدْعُوْكُمْcalls youلِتُؤْمِنُوْاthat you believeبِرَبِّكُمْin your Lordوَ قَدْand indeedاَخَذَHe has takenمِیْثَاقَكُمْyour covenantاِنْifكُنْتُمْyou areمُّؤْمِنِیْنَ believers هُوَHeالَّذِیْ(is) the One Whoیُنَزِّلُsends downعَلٰیuponعَبْدِهٖۤHis slaveاٰیٰتٍۭVersesبَیِّنٰتٍclearلِّیُخْرِجَكُمْthat He may bring you outمِّنَfromالظُّلُمٰتِthe darkness[es]اِلَیintoالنُّوْرِ ؕthe lightوَ اِنَّAnd indeedاللّٰهَAllahبِكُمْto youلَرَءُوْفٌ(is the) Most Kindرَّحِیْمٌ (the) Most Merciful وَ مَاAnd whatلَكُمْ(is) for youاَلَّاthat notتُنْفِقُوْاyou spendفِیْinسَبِیْلِ(the) wayاللّٰهِ(of) Allahوَ لِلّٰهِwhile for Allahمِیْرَاثُ(is the) heritageالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ؕand the earthلَاNotیَسْتَوِیْare equalمِنْكُمْamong youمَّنْ(those) whoاَنْفَقَspentمِنْbeforeقَبْلِbeforeالْفَتْحِthe victoryوَ قٰتَلَ ؕand foughtاُولٰٓىِٕكَThoseاَعْظَمُ(are) greaterدَرَجَةً(in) degreeمِّنَthanالَّذِیْنَthose whoاَنْفَقُوْاspentمِنْۢafterwardsبَعْدُafterwardsوَ قٰتَلُوْاؕand foughtوَ كُلًّاBut to allوَّعَدَAllah has promisedاللّٰهُAllah has promisedالْحُسْنٰی ؕthe bestوَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahبِمَاof whatتَعْمَلُوْنَyou doخَبِیْرٌ۠(is) All-Aware

---

Translation of Verse 1-10In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

1. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify (recite Tasbeeh) Allah ¹ and HE is the Mighty,² the Wise. ³

2. His is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth.⁴ HE gives life and death and HE has power over all things.

3. HE is the First and the Last, the Obvious and the Hidden; ⁵ and HE has knowledge of all things.⁶

4. It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then mounted the Throne.⁷ HE knows all that goes into the earth ⁸ and comes out of it ⁹ and all that descends from heaven and all that ascends to it.¹⁰ HE is with you wherever you are ¹¹ and Allah sees whatever you do.

5. HIS is the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all things are returned to Allah.¹²

6. It is HE who causes the night to pass into the day and the day into the night ¹³ and HE knows even the secrets of hearts. ¹⁴

7. Have faith in Allah and His Messenger ¹⁵ and spend out of the wealth which HE has given in your control.¹⁶ Those from you who will have faith and will spend will get a great reward.

8. What has happened to you that you do not have faith in Allah when the Messenger is inviting you to have faith in your Lord and he has already taken your covenant if you are believers. ¹⁷

9. It is HE who send down to His slave clear ayah so that HE say take you out from darknesses and bring you in the light. Verily Allah is very Compassionate and Merciful to you.¹⁸

10. What has happened to you that you do not spend in the way of Allah when the inheritance of the heavens and the earth belongs only to Allah?¹⁹ Those who spent and fought before the victory are not on equal level. Their rank is higher than those who will spend and fight afterwards; though Allah has given a good promise to both,²⁰ and Allah is aware of what you do.

---

Commentary

1.‘Sabba-ha’ is the past tense of the verb. It means ‘he glorified’. In other Surahs it has come in the form of Muzare which denotes a common tense of the present and the future as ‘Yusabbihu’(is glorifying and will glorify). This is to bring home the truth that each and everything in the universe is busy glorifying its Lord continuously without any time limit. They describe Allah’s holiness both through mouth and through actions.

For further clarification please see Surah Bani Israil, Note: 58.

2. That is: His control and Sovereignty is over everything. Nothing is out of His power.

3. HE uses His power and authority with wisdom. Consequently this regularity of the universal system is a serious fact. It is neither devoid of aim nor there is any anarchy in His universal kingdom.

4. He is the controller of the cosmos. There is no partner in His kingdom. HE is ruling over His sultanate gracefully with a royal Grace.

5.The holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) has explained it thus:

‘‘You are the First. There is nothing prior to You. You are the Last (final). There is nothing after You. You Are obvious. Nothing is above You. You are hidden. Nothing is more concealed than You. (Muslim, Kitabuz Zikr)”

It means Allah is eternal and will remain eternal. The existence of everything is after His existence. Everything will end. The eternal existence is only for Him. Whatever remains extant remains so only at His Will. No one’s existence is more manifest then His. The entire universe shows His existence. HE is obvious everywhere. But HE is also so hidden that no one sees Him. Intellect cannot reach His origin. Therefore, we must regard enough or sufficient whatever understanding is provided by the Divine revelation about Him and His attributes. We should not indulge in questions which are totally beyond our comprehension.

Those who believe in ‘Wahadatul Vujood’ (a belief that - God may save us from it - the existence of God and His creation is the same) have stumbled here. They crossed the limits of human intellect and nature while pondering over Allah’s assumed personality. Consequently their belief became corrupt. They got only deviation. Man is safe only so long as he swims in water. But he invites trouble as soon as he tries to swim on land. The horse of brain does require a bridle.

6. Man cannot imagine God’s knowledge on the line of his (man’s) knowledge. Allah’s knowledge is a fathomless ocean. Compared to it, man’s knowledge is not worth even a small drop of water.

7.This has been clarified in Surah Aaraaf, Note: 82-83.

8. For example seeds of grain, water and corpses, buried beneath the earth.

9. For instance a young shoot or sprout, springs of water, metals, precious stones and oil, gas etc.

10. This point has been explained in Surah Sabaa, Note: 5.

11. Wherever you are, Allah sees you, knows you and hears you, HE has full control over you and’ HE takes away your life. The thought of HIS being Omnipresent and Omniscient, in itself, is sufficient to make a man tremble with fear.

12. As HE is the Sovereign only His rules and orders are effective in this universe and since He is the Final place of Refuge, all matters return only to HIM.

13. This point has been clarified in Surah Aale Imran, Note 39

14. HE knows even the minutest and the extremely concealed things so much so that HE is aware of even the secrets in human hearts.

15. This is addressed to the Muslims who have recited the Kalima (La Ilaha Il-lallah, Muhammadur- Rasoolullah : There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is HIS Messenger). It is being stated that only the reciting of the Kalima through lips is not enough. Believe in Allah and His Prophet from the bottom of your hearts honestly and sincerely. Only that Faith is reliable which accompanies the testimony by heart. There should not be even an iota of doubt or reluctance. There ought to be total certainty, about its being the Truth.

16. Means the wealth which HE has given to you as a trust and over which HE has granted you the power or choice of spending. By ‘spending’ is meant spending in the way of Allah, The commandment issued in this Surah is with a view to meet the needs of Jihaad so that Islam may gain victory in the struggle between disbelief and Islam.

17. This is an address to those Muslims who had accepted Islam formally but the Faith (Imaan) had not yet penetrated their hearts. They have been advised and questioned as to when the Prophet himself is inviting you personally to accept Faith why you are not responding to him honestly and sincerely? The Holy Prophet has already taken a promise from you; the promise of obeying Allah and His Messenger. When a man enters the circle of Islamic society by reciting the Kalima (La Ilaha……) he, in fact, takes an oath to obey Allah and His Messenger. Surah Maidah mentions:-

‘‘And remember Allah’s favour on you, and his covenant by which HE bound you when you said: ‘We have heard and we obeyed.” (Maaidah:7)

Therefore, if you are true in your claim, fulfill the demands of it (your Faith).

18. Allah does not wish that His slaves should wander in the darkness of ignorance and desires. Hence HE made a provision to bring them into light by revealing clear ayah, HE is very kind in favour of His slaves. Therefore, HE wants to protect them from a bad end. HE is Merciful and therefore, HE wants that they should become entitled to His Mercy.

19. The wealth granted to you is, finally to go in the possession of Allah. It is not going to be with you for ever. Then why do you not spend it with your own hands in the way of Allah so that it may fetch Divine Reward for you?

20. Victory means the conquest of Makkah. Conditions were very difficult and trying before the conquest of Makkah. It was then extremely essential to offer sacrifices of wealth and life for the victory of Islam. Only those people came forward to offer such sacrifices in those conditions who were both courageous and ambitious. Therefore, their rank too is higher in the sight of Allah compared to the people who will offer such sacrifices after the great victory of Islam the Conquest of Makkah-when the circumstances will not be so hard. Both of them cannot be equal in rank. But the sacrifices of both are appreciable and Allah has given a promise of a good reward to both of them.

These ayah provide a hint when things become very hard for Islam and it may become very dangerous to sacrifice wealth and life for its victory, those will rank higher who come forward to risk everything and that their position will be higher in the sight of Allah in comparison with those who will wage jihad and make sacrifices later in ordinary circumstances.