Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:1-23 - Quran Translation Commentary

1. A variety of reports ending with `Ali ibn abi Talib convey us his opinion that the allusion is to the winds. This was also the opinion of Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid (Ibn Jarir, Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

2. This refers to the clouds that carry loads of water (Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Jarir).

3. The allusion is to ships. Another opinion is that it is planets that are meant that glide by smoothly (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi).

4. `Ali said that it is angels that are the point of reference (Ibn Jarir); they distribute provision, rains, and other things (Zamakhshari).

Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and Alusi write: Bazzar, (Dara Qutni, Ibn Marduwayh and Ibn `Asakir reported through Sa`id ibn al-Musayyib: Alusi) that a man called Sabigh (a Tamimi: Qurtubi), asked `Umar about the meaning of these four verses. He told him that if he had not heard the interpretation from the Prophet himself, he would not tell him. He explained to him, as the man kept asking one question after another, that the first ayah referred to winds, the second to clouds, third to ships and the fourth to angels. Then `Umar ordered the man whipped with a hundred lashes and placed in house arrest. When Sabigh recovered from the lashes, he got him whipped with another hundred. Then he got him sent to Abu Musa al-Ash`ariyy ordering him not to allow the man to mingle with people. (He was actually a chieftain: Qurtubi). The situation remained until the man went up to Abu Musa and swore that he felt his heart filled with true faith. So Abu Musa wrote to `Umar adding his own testimony after which `Umar allowed the man company of other Muslims. It is apparent that the man was not seeking knowledge from `Umar when he aired those questions, but rather, sarcastically questioning the credibility of the Qur’an.

Ibn Kathir remarks: The incident is well reported in hadith and historical works, although not without some weaknesses.

In view of other opinions reported about the four verses above, we might consider the weight of Asad’s following note, which is one of the several possibilities mentioned by Imam Razi. Asad writes: “These symbolical epithets, consisting of adjective principles without any mention of the nouns which they qualify, have been variously interpreted by the early commentators; but since there is consensus of opinion regarding the first of these participles – adh-dhariyat – as denoting ‘dust-scattering winds,’ we may assume that the other three relate to different phases or manifestations of the same phenomenon (Razi) – namely, to the life-giving function of the combination of winds, clouds and rain – pointing, symbolically, to the miraculous creation of life as such and, thus, to existence of a conscious, purposeful Creator.”

Yusuf Ali’s deeper insight placed at the start of the Surah is worth quoting: “Winds may blow strong, and scatter particles of dust far and wide; but they do not diminish by one jot the substance of Allah’s material creation; on the contrary they help to readjust things. They reshape the configuration of the earth; in the vegetable kingdom they carry seeds about and plant new seeds in old soils; in the region of air they produce mighty changes in temperature and pressure that affect animal and vegetable life; they carry the moisture of equatorial Africa to the parched plains of India; and so on. Yet they are just one little agency showing Allah’s working in the material world. So in the spiritual world. Revelation works mighty changes; it may be resisted, but the resistance will be swept away; it ever points to the one Great Final Event, ‘to which the whole Creation moves’."

5. “That which ye are promised: the Promise of Allah about Mercy and Forgiveness to the Penitent, and Justice and Penalty to the Rebellious, the promise of the Hereafter: the promise that all does not end here, but that there is a truer and more lasting world to come, for which this is but a preparation” (Yusuf Ali).

6. Another interpretation for the textual “hubuk” (sing. habikah) by authorities such as Ibn `Abbas, Sa`id b. Jubayr, `Ikrimah, Hasan and others is that it refers to the heaven’s decoration with stars, and its splendorous arrangement (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Dahhak was of the belief that the word “hubuk” is for pathways (Qurtubi).

Yusuf Ali again, “The study of the numerous regular orbits of the planets and irregularly regular orbits of comets, and the various motions, visible or invisible, of the fixed stars or revolving stars, form in themselves a network of knowledge or science, of a highly technical nature; the highest astronomy or mathematics can only barely reach its fringe. But these have all a fixed Plan and Purpose under Allah’s Dispensation. In them variety leads to Unity. In contrast look at the confused medley of doctrines, views, and dicta put forward by the Sceptics, as described in the next verse.”

7. That is, you hold discordant opinions about the Qur’an, some believing in it, others rejecting it. Or, some saying about the Prophet that he is a soothsayer, others that he is a poet, yet others that he is a sorcerer and so on, (or ‘whether or not there is life after death, whether God exists, whether there is any truth in divine revelation, and so forth’: Asad) - Ibn Jarir and the rest of commentators.

8. That is, he alone is turned away from the Qur’an who has been turned away (by Allah because of his wrong choices: Au.) - Ibn Jarir.

Zamakhshari states another possibility: He alone turns away from the Qur’an who has been turned away, that is abandoned by the people because of his lies.

Or, perhaps, he alone is turned away from the Qur’an who is turned away because he succumbs to the forces of evil (Au.).

9. Mawdudi comments: “Here the Qur’an is warning man of an important truth. To judge or make an estimation on the basis of conjecture and speculation in the ordinary matters of worldly life maybe useful to some extent, although it would be no substitute for knowledge, but it would be disastrous to make estimates and give judgments merely following one’s own conjectures and speculations in questions of such fundamental and important nature as, whether we are, or are not, responsible and accountable to anyone for the deeds and actions of our lifetime, and if we are, to whom are we accountable, when and what shall be the accountability, and what will be consequence of success or failure of that accountability.”

10. When “fatana” is employed in association with gold it would mean that it is being heating up on the fire to cleanse it of impurities (Qurtubi and others).

11. Ibn `Abbas explained that they were those who received the commandments of their Lord (in glad obedience) - Ibn Jarir. But Ibn Kathir finds fault with the chain of narration and prefers to think that the ayah is speaking of the great blessings that believers will receive from their Lord in Paradise.

Zamakhshari thinks that the reference is to the grateful attitude of the believers in this world. They took whatever came their way of the world, little or more, gallantly, with perseverance, uncomplainingly and thankfully.

12. Ahnaf b. Qays used to say, “They (the Salaf) slept not in their nights except a little, and I am not one of their kind” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Herewith a hadith on the importance of Prayer deep in the night. It is from Tirmidhi who declared it Sahih:

`Abdullah b. Salam said, “When the Prophet arrived at Madinah, the people crowded around him. I too went to see him. When his face became visible to me I knew that it was not the face of a liar. The first thing that he said was, ‘People. Spread Salam, feed the food, and Pray while the people are asleep and enter Paradise in peace.’”

13. Ibn Zayd defined “sahr” as the last sixth part of the night (Ibn Jarir).

After having spent a good part of the night in devotions, by dawn these oft-turning slaves of Allah turn to seeking His forgiveness, well-aware that whatever their quantity or quality of devotions, they can never meet with the stringent requirements of a spiritual order as meticulously designed and directed by inflexible rules as the physical world that accepts no flaw; meaning, there was every chance that the devotions were short of requirements, and, therefore, unacceptable, requiring Allah’s forgiveness and His grace, after the night session was over (Au.).

14. “.. this applies to all living creatures, whether human beings or mute animals (Razi), irrespective of whether the need is of a physical or an emotional nature” (Asad)

The Prophet (saws) has spoken about the rights of he who asks. He said, as in a report preserved by Ahmad and Abu Da’ud through Hussain b. `Ali,

“The beggar has a right, even if he came on a horse.”

However, Haythami declared the above report weak (Au.).

Yusuf Ali adds: “True charity remembers not only those in need who ask, but also those who are prevented by some reason from asking. The man of true charity seeks out the latter. There may be various reasons which prevent a man from asking for help:(1) he may be ashamed to ask, or his sense of honour may prevent him from asking; (2) he may be so engrossed in some great ideal that he may not think of asking; (3) he may even not know that he is in need, (4) he may not know that you possess the things that can supply his needs; and (5) he may be a dumb and helpless creature, whether a human being or a dumb animal, or any creature within your ken or power. Charity in the higher sense includes all help,

From one better endowed to one less well endowed.”

15. It is remarkable to note that what Ibn Zayd wrote as mysteries of existence, have still remained so after a millennium and a half, but have in fact, deepened. He said, “Think about it. These faculties of sight, sound and hearing; the heart and the thinking mind, what are they? How can they be defined and understood? What is the nature of intellect?”

The mystery has deepened in our times. For example, modern science tells us that the mind neither sees anything nor hears. It merely receives electronic signals and impulses. The eye for example, receives no more than photons (particles of light). These photons are then transformed into signals. These signals pass through various apparatuses of the head, and then are finally processed in a dark chamber of the mind, where no light ever reaches. It is there that the mind identifies and defines the objects of which it receives signals, but no light. So, what is it that sees? Certainly, it is not the eye which sees it either. With more and more research going on, the ever-deepening mystery deepens further.

But it is not merely the sight, or the hearing. It is not possible that we place the finger on any part of the body but it turns out that it is a mystery that humans might never be able to unravel. The organs work, and this is how they work, is all that we know. But why should they work, and why do they stop functioning when they do, are details that no one knows (Au.).

16. Most commentators write that the allusion is to rain which in turn accounts for all vegetative growth on earth and provision for all life forms. Yusuf Ali, however, expresses other shades of meaning: “‘Sustenance, here as elsewhere, includes physical sustenance, as well as spiritual sustenance. Similarly heaven or sky has both the physical and the spiritual meaning.

The physical sustenance grows from rain from the sky; the spiritual sustenance comes from divine aid, grace, and mercy, and includes the Good News and the Warning which come from Revelation about the Hereafter.”

17. That is, what we are promised of good or bad: all come down by Allah’s command (Au.).

Another opinion is that the allusion is to Paradise (Kashshaf, Ibn Kathir).

18. That is, this message is as true, as a matter of fact, as the words you speak out, which again, i.e., the ability to speak, is a sign of Allah (Au.).

Zamakhshari, Qurtubi and Alusi report the following story. Asma`i (the grammarian) reported: “I had just come out of Basrah mosque when I encountered a coarse Bedouin on his camel, with a drawn sword and a bow in his hand. He asked me, ‘Whom do you belong to?’ I said, ‘Banu Asma`.’ He asked, ‘Where are you coming from?’ I replied, ‘From a place where the Qur’an is recited.’ He asked, ‘Can you recite for me?’

So I started reciting chapter Al-Dhariyyat. When I reached the verse, ‘And in the heavens is your provision…’ he said, ‘Enough.’ He went up to his camel, hamstrung it, cut it to pieces and started to distribute its meat to the passers by. Then he broke his sword and bow and left. (A few months later), when I did my Hajj with Harun al-Rashid, and was in the tawaf, when I heard myself called by a weak voice. As I turned, it was the same Bedouin. He had run down and had turned pale. He greeted me and then asked me to recite the same verses to him. When I reached the same verse as last time, he cried out, ‘We have found that what our Lord promised, is true.’ Then he asked me to continue if there was more to it. So I recited, ‘Then by the Lord of the heaven and earth, it is true.’ He cried out, ‘Glory to Allah. Who angered the Exalted that He should swear? Surely, they did not believe in what He said and so He resorted to swearing.’ He said that three times and died on the spot.”

19. Or, “even as you are able to speak” (Asad).