Surah Hud 11:110-123 - Quran Translation Commentary

(11:110) Surely, We gave Musa the Book. But it was differed with. And, were not for a word (of command) that had preceded from Your Lord, surely, (the affair) would have been settled between them. In fact, they (themselves) are in doubt concerning it, full of suspicion.¹²⁸

(11:111) Surely, to everyone will your Lord give (the wage) of their deeds in full. Surely, He is well Aware of what they do.

(11:112) Pursue, then (O Muhammad) the right course, as you have been commanded,¹²⁹ (as also) those who turned (to Allah) with you, and transgress not.¹³⁰ Surely He sees well what you do.

(11:113) And incline not¹³¹ towards those who do wrong, lest the Fire touches you, and you will not have any protectors, apart from Allah. And you will not be helped.

(11:114) And perform the Prayers (properly) at the two ends of the day¹³² and at the approach of the night.¹³³ Surely, good deeds drive away the evil deeds.¹³⁴ That is a reminder unto those who (wish to) remember.

(11:115) And observe patience. Surely, Allah does not waste away the wages of those who do good.

(11:116) So, why there were not¹³⁵ some left overs¹³⁶ of the generations (that went) before you, who would forbid corruption in the land,¹³⁷ except for a few of those among them whom We rescued. As for the wrongdoers, they only pursued those (of the) luxuries they were given. They were in fact criminals.

(11:117) And your Lord is not such as to destroy the towns unjustly, while its inhabitants are righteous.¹³⁸

(11:118) And, had your Lord willed, surely He would have made mankind one community.¹³⁹ But, they shall remain differing.¹⁴⁰

(11:119) Except for him whom your Lord showed mercy.¹⁴¹ To this end He has created them.¹⁴² And the word of your Lord shall be fulfilled (that on rejection) ‘I shall fill Jahannum with Jinn and Men all together.'¹⁴³

(11:120) And, all that We convey to you¹⁴⁴ of the tidings of the Messengers is to strengthen your heart.¹⁴⁵ And the truth has come to you in this:¹⁴⁶ an admonition, and a reminder for the believers.

(11:121) And say to those who do not believe, ‘Keep working in your place. We are also at work.

(11:122) And, wait. We are also waiting.'

(11:123) To Allah belongs what is in the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. To Him return the affairs all of them. Therefore, worship Him and have trust in Him. Your Lord is not heedless of what you do.

Commentary

128. That is, Musa (asws) was given a Scripture, but, some believed in it while others did not. Those who did not, remained in great doubt about its source and authenticity (Ibn Jarir).

129. Imam Razi says that when the Prophet said that (Surah) Hud and its sisters hastened old age on him, it was perhaps this verse that he had in mind. Then he goes on to explain through an example why it could have been so. Look at a shadow on the earth. There is a line at which the blackness of the shadow and the brightness of the light meet. Now, try to draw a line exactly at the point the two meet and you will realize how difficult it is to do so. Similar is the case with religious concepts and commandments. You have got to tread the middle of the way: without ever straying into the forbidden on either side. That's what has been ordered in the verse, “Pursue then the right course as you have been commanded”: meaning follow firmly the middle path of the religion of Islam without inclining towards the two extremes. (Hence the next verse: “And incline not towards those who do wrong”: Au.).

130. That is, do not cross the boundaries of the lawful committing excesses therein, be they Prayers, or be they pleasurable things (based on Shawkani).

Sufyan b. `Abdullah Thaqafi asked Ibn `Abbas to admonish him. He told him, “be always conscious of Allah, pursue the right course, follow (the predecessors) and do not commit innovations” (Qurtubi, Ma’arif).

131. The word “rukun” (done as “inclination” here) that has been forbidden here is to approve the transgressions of the tyrants, show consent to their ways, express approval before them or others, and to co operate with them in their affairs of wrong doing, befriending them, visiting them, and putting on appearances like them (Zamakhshari, Razi, Shawkani).

Further, to the question, who exactly is alluded to by the term Athe wrong doers” whether the non believers or the believers?, the answer by Ibn `Abbas is that the allusion is to both for, (in understanding the Qur'an) what is of consideration is the generality of the application and not the specificity of the occasion (Shawkani).

“Just think,” Zamakhshari adds: “Mere inclination is disapproved!!” He also writes that once Muwaffaq (the caliph) was praying behind an Imam who recited this verse. He swooned. When asked he said, “Allah threatened those who incline towards those who do wrong. What about the wrong doers then?”

Visiting the Rulers

Zamakhshari gives this verse some serious attention. He reports Sufyan (Thawri) as saying, “There is a valley in Hell where none will live but the scholars who visited the rulers.” Awza’i has said, “There is nothing more hateful to Allah than a scholar visiting the rulers.” Muhammad b. Maslamah has said, “A fly sitting on the excrement is better than one knocking at the doors of these people.” Sufyan (Thawri) was once asked about a tyrant who was close to death in a desert. Could he be given water? He replied, “No.” He was told, “He might die.” He answered, “Let him die.” It is said, Zamakhshari continues, that when Zuhri began to visit the rulers, one of his well wishers wrote to him: “May Allah protect us and you, O Zuhri. You have entered a state in which it is right that those who know you should pray for Allah's mercy for you. You have grown into old age in a state that Allah has made you weighty with the knowledge of the Qur'an and Sunnah. But what you are doing now is not what Allah has taken the compact for, from the scholars. Allah has said, ‘So that you may make it plain to the people and not conceal it.' You should know that the least that you have done and the least that you have borne the burden of. is that you have lessened the uneasiness of the transgressors making it easier for them to continue in their wrongful ways. This is because your getting close to one of them was not for the sake of administering justice or giving up a wrong when he took you close to himself. They have taken you as a pole to use you as the axis of their wrongs and as a bridge to go over you to their iniquities, and a ladder to climb over you to their errors. Through you they will now place a question mark on other scholars and misguide the commoners by you. Whatever they gave you is much less than what they destroyed in you. They took away from you more of your religion than they gave you. Be not then in peace from the verse which said (19: 59), ‘Then came after them a posterity who missed the Prayers and followed their lust. So soon they will meet with destruction.' For, you are dealing with One who is not ignorant, and are making Him remember who does not forget. So, look for a cure, for, disease has entered your religion and prepare your provision, for, the long journey is about to begin ‘and not hidden from Allah is anything in the earth or the heavens' wassalam.”

Razi clarifies, and Shawkani seconds him strongly, that so far as dealing with them (the ruling class) in order to avoid a harm feared of them, or to draw a quick rightful advantage is concerned, there is no harm in that and it would not amount to the inclination that is forbidden.

Hasan al Busri has said that our religion is between the two “las” of “la tatghaw” and “la tarkanu” (Zamakhshari). That is, do not exceed the limits (of the lawful) and incline not towards the wrong and the wrong doers. It is also reported of him that a tailor asked him, “I stitch the clothes of the ruling class. Will I be counted as ‘those inclined towards them?' Hasan replied, “No. You will not be counted among those who inclined towards them. Rather, you are one of them” (Au.).

132. Among a variety of opinions, that of Dahhak, Muhammad b. Ka’b and Hasan is widely reported that it is the fajr and ‘asr Prayers that are alluded to, falling at two ends of the day. However, Ibn `Abbas believed that it is fajr and maghrib Prayers (Ibn Jarir).

Imam Razi points out that Abu Hanifa's opinion about the fajr and ‘asr Prayers was that they should be delayed to bring fajr as close to the beginning of the day as possible and the ‘asr as close to the end of it as possible – that is, when the shadow of a thing is twice its length. For, if fajr is done in complete darkness and ‘asr far earlier to the sun set, we would not have done them at the two ends of the day as the verse recommends here.

133. Most of the opinions coming from the earliest scholars home in on maghrib and ‘isha'' Prayers as having been alluded to here. In fact, we have a hadith from the Prophet declaring that the allusion is to maghrib and ‘isha'’ Prayers (Ibn Jarir).

Sa`id b. Mansur, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Marduwayh and Bayhaqi in his Sunan have preserved that following this verse, Ibn `Abbas preferred to delay the ‘isha' Prayers (Shawkani).

Commentators have pointed out however, that this chapter is Makkan of a time when five daily Prayers were not yet obligatory. It was during the Prophet's ascension, which took place later in his mission, that the five daily Prayers were promulgated (Au.).

134. Although the generality of the meaning cannot be overlooked, there are reports coming from the Prophet suggesting that here the term “hasanat” refers to the five Prayers of the day. Al Harth, the freed slave of ‘Uthman reports that one day he was in an assembly of men around him when the caller called for Prayers. He asked for a little amount of water. He made his ablution with it and said, “I have seen the Prophet make his ablution in the manner I did today. After that he (the Prophet said),

وَمَنْ تَوَضَّأَ وُضُوئِي ثُمَّ قَامَ فَصَلَّى صَلَاةَ الظُّهْرِ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا كَانَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ الصُّبْحِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْعَصْرَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الظُّهْرِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْمَغْرِبَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ ثُمَّ صَلَّى الْعِشَاءَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الْمَغْرِبِ ثُمَّ لَعَلَّهُ أَنْ يَبِيتَ يَتَمَرَّغُ لَيْلَتَهُ ثُمَّ إِنْ قَامَ فَتَوَضَّأَ وَصَلَّى الصُّبْحَ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ وَهُنَّ الْحَسَنَاتُ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ

‘Whoever made ablution in my manner of making ablution, stood up and did zuhr Prayer, then what was (of the sins) between fajr and zuhr Prayers would be forgiven. Then, when he does his `asr Prayer, he will be forgiven (the sins) between zuhr and `asr Prayers. Similarly, when he does his maghrib Prayer, he is forgiven (the sins) between `asr and maghrib Prayers. Likewise, when he does his `isha'’ Prayer, (the sins) between maghrib and `isha'' are forgiven. Thereafter, he might spend his night sleeping. Then when get he gets up, makes ablution, and does the fajr Prayer, he is forgiven the sins between `isha'' and fajr Prayers. They are the ones then, that drive the sins away.'” (Ibn Jarir)

The report is in Ahmad (Ibn Kathir). It has been declared as of Hasan status by al-Arna’ut (Au.).

There is another, shorter report in the Sahihayn which says that once `Uthman made wudu and then remarked that the Prophet made a similar wudu and said,

مَنْ تَوَضَّأَ وُضُوئِي هَذَا ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ لَا يُحَدِّثُ نَفْسَهُ فِيهِمَا بِشَيْءٍ إِلَّا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

“Whoever made a wudu the way I did and then offered two rak`ah of Prayer during which he did not think of anything, but his past sins are forgiven” (Ibn Kathir).

Another report in Muslim’s collection says,

الصَّلَوَاتُ الْخَمْسُ وَالْجُمُعَةُ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ وَرَمَضَانُ إِلَى رَمَضَانَ مُكَفِّرَاتٌ لِمَا بَيْنَهُنَّ مَا اجْتُنِبَتِ الْكَبَائِرُ

“Five daily Prayers, Friday to Friday (Prayers), Ramadan to Ramadan (Prayers) expiate the sins, so long as major sins are avoided” (Ibn Kathir).

Another report comes from ‘Uthman al Nahdi. He was with Salman when he shook the branch of a tree (in autumn). Leaves fell all around. He said, “Ask me why I did that.” I said, “Why did you do that? He said,

هَكَذَا فَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، كُنْتُ مَعَهُ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ، فَأَخَذَ غُصْنًا مِنْ أَغْصَانِهَا يَابِسًا، فَهَزَّهُ حَتَّى تَحَاتَّ وَرَقُهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ:"أَلا تَسْأَلُنِي لِمَ أَفْعَلُ هَذَا يَا سَلْمَانُ؟"فَقُلْتُ: وَلِمَ تَفْعَلُهُ؟ فَقَالَ:"إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمَ إِذَا تَوَضَّأَ، فَأَحْسَنَ الْوُضُوءَ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسَ تَحَاتَّتْ خَطَايَاهُ، كَمَا تَحَاتَّ هَذَا الْوَرَقُ"، ثُمَّ تَلا هَذِهِ الآيَةَ: {أَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ

“This is how the Prophet did. I was with him under a tree when he shook a branch and the dry leaves fell. He asked me, ‘Will you not ask me why I did that?' Salman asked, ‘Why did you do that?' The Prophet said, ‘When a Muslim does his ablution well and then does his five Prayers of the day, his sins fall off him just as these leaves fell down.' Then he recited this verse, ‘Offer the Prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night'” (Ibn Kathir).

The above report is in Musnad Ahmad: H. Ibrahim).

It has been declared da`if. But the general structure, content, and form do not suggest that it is fabricated (Au.).

However, the meaning and application remain general. This is supported by several reports. One of them says that once a man came to the Prophet and said,

إِنِّى عَالَجْتُ امْرَأَةً فِى أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ وَإِنِّى أَصَبْتُ مِنْهَا مَا دُونَ أَنْ أَمَسَّهَا فَأَنَا هَذَا فَاقْضِ فِىَّ مَا شِئْتَ. فَقَالَ لَهُ عُمَرُ لَقَدْ سَتَرَكَ اللَّهُ لَوْ سَتَرْتَ نَفْسَكَ - قَالَ - فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ النَّبِىُّ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- شَيْئًا فَقَامَ الرَّجُلُ فَانْطَلَقَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ النَّبِىُّ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- رَجُلاً دَعَاهُ وَتَلاَ عَلَيْهِ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ (أَقِمِ الصَّلاَةَ طَرَفَىِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ذَلِكَ ذِكْرَى لِلذَّاكِرِينَ ) فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ يَا نَبِىَّ اللَّهِ هَذَا لَهُ خَاصَّةً قَالَ: بَلْ لِلنَّاسِ كَافَّةً

AI met a woman outside the town. I did to her everything except intercourse. So, here I am, punish me how you will.” `Umar said, “Allah concealed you and only if you had concealed yourself.” But the Prophet did not say anything. As the man began to leave he recalled him and recited this verse, “And establish the Prayers at the two ends of the day .. until the end of the verse. A man asked (according to some reports it was `Umar), “Is it for him alone O Messenger of Allah, or is it for everyone?” He replied, “It is for everyone.”

The above version is from Muslim (Au.).

Other reports say that the man had first gone to `Umar who had advised him not to expose himself but the man did not feel comfortable until he went to Abu Bakr. But Abu Bakr also advised him in the manner `Umar had. Still uncomfortable about it, he finally went to the Prophet (Ibn Jarir).

Ibn Kathir adds: The above report is in Musnad Ahmad and, in varied and shorter forms, in Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Nasa'i also.

Sahih collections have yet another report. It says,

أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ أَنَّ نَهَرًا بِبَابِ أَحَدِكُمْ يَغْتَسِلُ فِيهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ خَمْسًا مَا تَقُولُ ذَلِكَ يُبْقِي مِنْ دَرَنِهِ قَالُوا لَا يُبْقِي مِنْ دَرَنِهِ شَيْئًا قَالَ فَذَلِكَ مِثْلُ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بِهِ الْخَطَايَا

“Do you think if there was a spring at the door of one of you and he bathed himself therein every day five times? What is your opinion, will any dirt be left on him?” They answered, “No dirt will be left on him.” He said, “Such is the effect of the five daily Prayers. Allah erases the sins thereby.”

The above is Bukhari’s version (Au.).

Scholars have cautioned however that it is the minor sins that the verse is alluding to, and not major, which require proper repentance, atonement and retribution. The hadith of Muslim quoted above makes it clear: “Five daily Prayers .. are atonement for what is between them if major sins are avoided” (Au.).

With reference to the words of the Qur’an: Surely, good deeds drive away evil deeds, the following report of Ahmad may be noted,

إِن الله قسم بينكم أخلاقكم كما قسم بينكم أرزاقكم وإِن الله يعطي الدنيا من يحب ومن لا يحب ولا يعطي الدين إِلا من أحب فمن أعطاه الله الدين فقد أحبه والذي نفسي بيده لا يسلم عبد حتى يسلم قلبه ولسانه ولا يؤمن حتى يأمن جاره بوائقه" قال: قلنا: وما بوائقه يا نبي الله ؟ قال: "غشه وظلمه ولا يكسب عبد مالاً حراماً فينفق منه فيبارك له فيه ولا يتصدق فيقبل منه ولا يتركه خلف ظهره إِلا كان زاده إِلى النار إِن الله لا يمحو السيء بالسيء ولكن يمحو السيء بالحسن إِن الخبيث لا يمحو الخبيث

“Allah has divided between you good qualities as He has divided between you provision. Indeed, Allah gives the (wealth of) this world to him He loves as well as to him He does not. But, He does not bestow the religion save on him whom He loves. So, whoever He gave religion, loved him. And, by Him in whom is my soul a man does not become a Muslim until his heart and tongue also become Muslims. And one of you is not a believer until his neighbor is in peace from his bawa'iq.” We asked, “Messenger of Allah, what are his bawa'iq?” He replied, “His deceit and aggression. And a man earns unlawful wealth, to spend out of it, but he is not blessed thereby; and he gives in charity but is not accepted of him; and he does not leave it behind him but is a provision for him to the Fire. Surely, Allah does not erase evil with evil. Rather, He erases sin with good deeds. Filth does not erase filth.”

The Prophet also advised Abu Dharr in a report preserved by Imam Ahmad in words:

اتق الله حيث كنت وأَتْبِعِ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا، وَخَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ

“Fear Allah wherever you are. And follow up an evil deed with a good one. It will obliterate it. And, deal with the people following the best rules of conduct” (Ibn Kathir).

Hakim said about the above report that it meets with the conditions set by the Shaykhayn; and Dhahabi agreed with him (Au.).

135. We have come across a similar usage of “law la” in Surah Yunus, verse 98. See note 138 there for explanation.

136. (“Left overs” is the literal rendering of “ulu baqiyyatin”). The expression has another meaning: that of the best of a people. For instance, when you say, so and so is “ulu al qawm” it means he is the best of them (Zamakhshari, Razi).

137. The Prophet has said in a sahih hadith of Tirmidhi,

إِنَّ النَّاسَ إِذَا رَأَوْا الْمُنْكَرَ فَلَمْ يُنْكِرُوهُ أَوْشَكَ أَنْ يَعُمَّهُمْ اللَّهُ بِعِقَابِهِ

“When the people see a censurable thing but do not prevent it, then it is feared that a common punishment will seize them” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

138. The verse also implies that Allah does not destroy a people, even if they associate in His divinity so long as their dealings between themselves are carried out in justice. It is only when they begin to wrong each other on a large scale that they meet with their destruction. Hence it is said that a dominion lasts despite disbelief but not despite injustice (Zamakhshari, Shawkani).

Razi's commentary is better paraphrased by Asad: “‘God's chastisement does not afflict any people merely on account of their holding beliefs amounting to shirk or kufr, but afflicts them only if they persistently commit evil in their mutual dealings, and deliberately hurt [other human beings] and act tyrannically [towards them]. Hence those who are learned in Islamic Law (al fuqaha') hold that men's obligations towards God rest on the principle of [His] forgiveness and liberality, whereas the rights of man are of a stringent nature and must always be strictly observed' the obvious reason being (Asad adds), that God is almighty and needs no defender, whereas man is weak and needs protection.”

Of course, excluded is the situation where a Prophet is raised among a people. When that happens, then they are destroyed for rejection, even if they are just among themselves (Au.).

139. That is, they would have all become Muslims.

Mawdudi elaborates this point: “.. God's will with regard to human beings does not consist of binding them to follow an inalterable course of conduct in the manner of plants, animals and other similar living beings who, as we know, have no choice except to follow the course determined for them either by the laws of nature or their instincts. Had such been the case, there would be no point in inviting human beings to believe, raise Prophets, to reveal the Scriptures. All human beings would have been born as ones who would believe and submit to God's command. However, it was God's will regarding man that he should be granted free will and be vested with the power to follow the ways of his choice. Thus, whatever one is able to acquire is the fruit of his own labour.

“Now, the very scheme of man's creation consists of granting him free will and providing the opportunity to choose between belief and unbelief. In such a case it is simply inconceivable that a nation would willfully decide to go astray and God compel it to righteousness.”

The notion expressed in the last sentence above is obviously true, but its opposite is not “always” true. Therefore, to the paragraph above we might offer a slight correction by re paraphrasing it in the following manner: “Now, the very scheme of man's creation consists of granting him free will and providing the opportunity to choose between belief and unbelief. In such a case it is simply inconceivable that a nation would willfully decide to go aright and God compel it to unrighteousness.” Further, the modification takes care of the Salaf's understanding that “man has been created so that Allah may show him mercy” (Au.).

Asad however speaks from a higher intellectual plane in explaining this verse, which is partly based on the stance of Rashid Rida: “Thus, the Qur'an stresses once again that the unceasing differentiation in men's views and ideas is not incidental but represents a God willed basic factor of human existence. If God had willed that all human beings should be of one persuasion, all intellectual progress would have been ruled out, and ‘they would have been similar in their social life to the bees and the ants, while in their spiritual life they would have been like the angels, constrained by their nature always to believe in what is true and always to obey God” (Manar XII, 193) that is to say, devoid of that relative free will which enables man to choose between right and wrong and thus endows life its distinction from all other sentient beings with a moral meaning and a unique spiritual potential.”

140. That is, divided into sects and following various false beliefs (Au).

141. That is, those who uphold the truth: the Muslims.

142. Ibn `Abbas has said, “Allah created them as two groups. A group to whom He showed mercy. So they do not differ. And a group that He did not show mercy. So they differ. Others, such as Hasan, have said that (the humans have been created) in order that they might differ among themselves. (Apparently meaning that to differ is a quality that is embedded in their nature: Au.).

However, according to Mujahid, Qatadah, `Ikrimah, Ta'us and Dahhak, the meaning of “To this end He has created them” is: it is to show mercy that He has created them. This in fact is a second opinion of Ibn `Abbas also who added that Allah did not create them for the purpose of chastising them (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Asad quotes: “According to Zamakhshari, it refers to the freedom of moral choice which characterizes man and is spoken of in the preceding passage: and since it is this freedom which constitutes God's special gift to man and raises him above all other created beings.”

143. We have a relevant hadith in the Sahihayn. The Prophet said,

اخْتَصَمَتْ الْجَنَّةُ وَالنَّارُ فَقَالَتْ الْجَنَّةُ أَيْ رَبِّ مَا لَهَا يَدْخُلُهَا ضُعَفَاءُ النَّاسِ وَسَقَطُهُمْ وَقَالَتْ النَّارُ يَا رَبِّ مَا لَهَا يَدْخُلُهَا الْجَبَّارُونَ وَالْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ قَالَ لِلْجَنَّةِ أَنْتِ رَحْمَتِي أُصِيبُ بِكِ مَنْ أَشَاءُ وَقَالَ لِلنَّارِ أَنْتِ عَذَابِي أُصِيبُ مِنْكِ مَنْ أَشَاءُ وَلِكُلِّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْكُنَّ مِلْؤُهَا قَالَ فَأَمَّا الْجَنَّةُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَا يَظْلِمُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ أَحَدًا وَإِنَّهَا يُنْشَأُ لَهَا مِنْ خَلْقِهِ مَا شَاءَ وَأَمَّا النَّارُ فَيُلْقَوْنَ فِيهَا وَتَقُولُ { هَلْ مِنْ مَزِيدٍ } وَيُلْقَوْنَ فِيهَا وَتَقُولُ { هَلْ مِنْ مَزِيدٍ } حَتَّى يَضَعَ رَبُّنَا عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِيهَا قَدَمَهُ فَهُنَالِكَ تَمْتَلِئُ وَيَنْزَوِي بَعْضُهَا إِلَى بَعْضٍ وَتَقُولُ قَطْ قَطْ

“Heaven and Hell argued between themselves. The Heaven said, ‘What's the matter that none but the weak and lowly ones enter it?' The Fire said, ‘What’s the matter that the tyrants and the proud enter it.' Allah the Most High said to Paradise, ‘You are a manifestation of My mercy wherewith I show mercy unto whom I will.' And He said to the Fire, ‘You are My chastisement striking whomsoever I will. And each of you shall have your fill.' So, as for Paradise, Allah does not wrong any of His creation by the least. He will create a creation for it. As for the Fire, it will not cease asking after every entry (of people in it), ‘Is there some more?' until your Lord places His foot into it. It is then that it will gets filled up, and some of it spirals over other parts of it, and it will say, ‘Enough, enough’” (Ibn Kathir).

The above is Ahmad’s version (Au.).

144. The difference between “qalb” and “fu’ad” is that the latter (which is used here) is for the depth of the heart. The Prophet used both the words together. He said,

أَتاكُم أَهلُ اليَمَنِ هم أَرَقُّ قُلوباً ، وأَلْيَنُ أَفْئِدَةً

The people of Yemen are arriving. They are tender of qulub (sing. qalb) and gentle of af’idah (sing. fu’ad) (Au.).

145. AThe stories of the Prophets in the Qur'an are not mere narratives or histories; they involve three things:

(1) they teach the highest Spiritual Truth;

(2) they give advice, direction, warning, as to how we should govern our lives, and

(3) they awaken our conscience and recall to us the working of Allah's Law in human affairs” (Yusuf Ali).

146. The article “hadhihi” being in feminine, the explanation by Ibn `Abbas, Abu Musa, Mujahid and others is that it refers to this Surah. That is, the truth has been made manifest to you, O Muhammad, in this Surah (which has many stories of the previous Prophets and their denying nations) Ibn Jarir.

End note:

Imam Razi once again interrupts the work to say that he finished the commentary on this chapter before fajr of a Monday, Rajab, 601 A.H. He did it while his heart was on fire from the pain of losing his son, a righteous young man, who died in the prime of his youth. Allah be praised in all circumstances.