1. When, after some initial revelations, there was a momentary cessation, a woman came to the Prophet and told him, your Lord seems to have abandoned you. (Others told him He hates you). The Prophet felt disturbed. Allah revealed these verses (Ibn Jarir).

The hadith, as in Bukhari, Muslim and others is as follows: (عن) جُنْدُبَ بْنَ سُفْيَانَ - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ اشْتَكَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم - فَلَمْ يَقُمْ لَيْلَتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا ، فَجَاءَتِ امْرَأَةٌ فَقَالَتْ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِنِّى لأَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ شَيْطَانُكَ قَدْ تَرَكَكَ ، لَمْ أَرَهُ قَرِبَكَ مُنْذُ لَيْلَتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا . فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ( وَالضُّحَى * وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَى * مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَى ) Jundub b. Sufyan reports that the Prophet fell ill and so did not rise for his night-prayer for two or three nights. Following that a woman came to him and said, “Muhammad. I hope your Shaytan has abandoned you. I do not see him near you for two or three nights.” So Allah revealed this Surah. (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

According to a few reports it was the wife of Abu Lahab who had said that (Zamakhshari).

It is not clearly established as to how long the cessation lasted. Miqrizi has said that there are statements that fix the period between 3 days (which is in Bukhari) to two and a half years (Munir Ghadban, Al-Manhaj al-Haraki).

Some biographers of the Prophet have said that most probably the break lasted 15 days, others that it lasted six months, but there is no hadith to this effect (Au.).

Sayyid observes: “Revelation, Jibril’s visit and the link with Allah were the Prophet’s whole equipment along his precarious path. They were the only solace in the face of hard rejection and his sole comfort against outright repudiation. They were the source from which he derived his strength to stand steadfast against the unbelievers who were intent on rebuff and refusal, and bent on directing a wicked, vile attack against the Prophet’s call, faith and guidance.

“So when the Revelation was withheld, the source of strength for the Prophet was cut off. His lifespring was sapped and he longed for his heart’s friend. Alone he was left in the wilderness, without sustenance, without water, without the accustomed companionship of the beloved heart. It was a situation which taxes human endurance heavily.

“Then the surah was revealed and it came as a rich flow of compassion, mercy, hope, comfort and reassurance.”

Quotation from Sayyid ends here.

What would the temporary cessation of revelation have meant to the Prophet, during those early days, when the heart and the sole would not have had their fill, can be judged from the following report in Darimi. After the death of the Prophet Abu Bakr and `Umar visited an old lady called Umm Ayman. She burst into tears. They asked her the reason. She said she that the cessation of revelation after the death of the Prophet, was agonizing her. Then, as they did not catch the full significance of what she was saying, she added that this meant that the link of this world with the heavenly world was severed for ever. At this fresh realization the three wept together (Au.).

Razi asks, was it necessary for Allah to say that He did not hate Muhammad? Then he answers: Ordinarily no. But in response to allegation of the sort that were made, it became necessary. It is like somebody informing a courtier that the king hates him. When the king wants to refute that, he will say to the courtier, “Neither I hate you nor dislike you. Rather, you shall soon know what status you enjoy with me.”

2. That is, Hereafter will be better for you than this world (Ibn Jarir).

The Prophet therefore opted for the Hereafter whenever he was given the choice. Once he slept on a mat that left marks on his body. When he woke up he began to rub the area. Ibn Mas`ud, the narrator, remarked that had he allowed they could have spread something soft for him. He replied: مَا لِي، وَلِلدُّنْيَا، إِنَّمَا مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ الدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رَاكِبٍ، قَالَ فِي ظِلِّ شَجَرَةٍ فِي يَوْمٍ صَائِفٍ ، ثُمَّ رَاحَ وَتَرَكَهَا “What do I have to do with this world? My example and that of this world is like that of a rider who took a siesta under a tree on a hot day, and then left the place and was gone.”

The hadith, of hasan sahih status, is in Tirmidhi (Ibn Kathir).

The verse could also imply that the latter days shall be better for you than the present (Yusuf `Ali).

3. According to Ibn `Abbas (in a sahih report: Ibn Kathir), the Prophet was presented with all the treasures that would be opened for his followers after him. That filled him with joy. Allah then revealed this verse and built for him a thousand palaces in Paradise, each with spouses and servants that befit them (Ibn Jarir).

The Prophet’s Love of the Ummah

Other reports suggest that it is the intercession on behalf of his Ummah that is referred to as what will please him the most. This is the interpretation of `Ali, and this is in the light of a hadith in Muslim narrated by `Abdullah ibn `Umar. It says that, عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ أَنَّ النَّبِىَّ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- تَلاَ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِى إِبْرَاهِيمَ ( رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِى فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّى) الآيَةَ. وَقَالَ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ( إِنْ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ وَإِنْ تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ) فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ وَقَالَ « اللَّهُمَّ أُمَّتِى أُمَّتِى ». وَبَكَى فَقَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَا جِبْرِيلُ اذْهَبْ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَرَبُّكَ أَعْلَمُ فَسَلْهُ مَا يُبْكِيكَ فَأَتَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ - عَلَيْهِ الصَّلاَةُ وَالسَّلاَمُ - فَسَأَلَهُ فَأَخْبَرَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- بِمَا قَالَ. وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ. فَقَالَ اللَّهُ يَا جِبْرِيلُ اذْهَبْ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ فَقُلْ إِنَّا سَنُرْضِيكَ فِى أُمَّتِكَ وَلاَ نَسُوءُكَ. - صحيح مسلم Once the Prophet recited Ibrahim’s words in the Qur’an, 'My Lord. Surely these (deities) have misguided many a people. But he who followed me, is of me,’ to the end of the ayah; and the words of `Isa ibn Maryam in the Qur’an, 'If You punish them (O Lord), then they are your slaves. But if You forgive them, then, surely you are the Most Mighty, the Most Wise.’ Then the Prophet raised his hands and said, 'O Allah. My Ummah, my Ummah,’ and wept. Allah said, 'Jibril. Go to Muhammad and ask him - and He knows - what makes him cry.’ The Prophet told him what made him cry and he informed Allah, while He knows. Allah said, 'Jibril. Go to Muhammad and tell him We shall surely please you in the affair of your Ummah. We shall not displease you.’

Accordingly, `Ali used to say to the Iraqis, 'People, you consider the verse bearing greatest hope as (that of surah Al-Zumar, verse 53), 'O those of My slaves who have wronged their souls, do not despair of Allah’s mercy.’ The people said, 'Yes, we do believe that.’ `Ali said, 'But we, the kinsfolk of the Prophet, believe that the verse bearing most hope is, 'Your Lord shall give you and you shall be satisfied’ (Qurtubi, Shawkani).

4. The allusion is to the death of his father before the Prophet’s birth, the death of his mother when he was six, and the death of his guardian grandfather when he was eight. Then Allah provided him his uncle Abu Talib as his guardian. When he died, the Makkans began to stretch their ugly hands at him, but Allah provided him shelter in Madinah and helped him with his followers (Ibn Kathir).

Asad adds: "... however, every human being is an 'orphan' in one sense or another, inasmuch as everyone is 'created in a lonely state' (cf. 6: 94), and 'will appear before Him on Resurrection Day in a lonely state (19: 95).’"

5. Dallan: There are several interpretations to the verse of which the simplest one is as follows: Allah found the Prophet groping in the dark, and guided him as He said in another verse of the Qur’an (42: 52):  “And that is how We have revealed unto you a Spirit of Our Command. You knew not (before that) what the Book is, nor what is iman. But We have made it a Light with which We guide whomsoever we will” (Ibn Kathir).

Qurtubi has said, however, that when the Arabs found a solitary tree in a tract of land, without a companion tree, they named it “dallan,” and used it as a landmark. Allah referred to Prophet Muhammad “dallan” in that sense. He found him a solitary figure, without anyone with him in his search for truth, and chose him for the humankind to be guided to Him through him (and a landmark in history: Au.).

Allah has also used the term “dallan” in this revelation in the sense of “lost,” as in surah Al-Sajdah, verse 10, in which the unbelievers are reported saying: “What, when we are lost in the earth, shall we be recreated?”

Another example (47: 1): {الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَضَلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ} [محمد: 1] “Those who disbelieved and prevented people from Allah’s path, their deeds were lost.”

Dallan could also mean “unaware,” as in verse 52 of Taha: “My Lord is neither unaware (dallan) nor does He forget.”

It could also mean mere deviation as in the following ayah of al-Furqan (25: 29): {لَقَدْ أَضَلَّنِي عَنِ الذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَنِي وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِلْإِنْسَانِ خَذُولًا} [الفرقان: 29] “He (my evil companion)) deviated me from the Reminder after it had come to me” (Au.).

Jawhari defines “dalaal” in a variety of ways; one of which is as follows:

يقال أضل الميت، إذا دفن. (الصحاح للجوهري)

“It is said, ‘adallah’ the dead, when a man is buried” (Au.). Ibn `Aashur points out that “dalaal” is that state in which a man feels lost, unguided, and perplexed as to which path he should take. It is not necessary that he should have taken a wrong path. If he stands puzzled, he is dallan.

Indeed, there is room for accepting the word dallan in the sense of love, and understanding the present verse as: “And we found you in love of guidance, and, therefore, guided you.” Such a usage is not uncommon among the poets. Shawkani then quotes an example from a poet.

Thus, the reader may keep all the meanings of “dallan” before his eyes and then read the verse again and again (Au.).

Zamakhshari remarks: It has been said that the Prophet (saws) was on the ways of his people until forty. If what is meant when that is said is that he did not have anything of the revealed knowledge of old, then the statement is correct. But if it is meant that the Prophet followed the religion of his people, then it is wrong, because Allah (swt) guarded all Prophets from the worship of idols before they were commissioned.

Qurtubi adds: He (the Prophet) was with his people in the sense that he did not show his dissent, (finding it of no practical use: Au.).

Majid writes: “That the character of the Prophet was even in his youth exemplary and exceptional in the most tempting environment of Makkah is borne out by hostile biographers, `It is quite in keeping with the character of Muhammad that he should have shrunk from the coarse and licentious practices of his youthful friends. Endowed with a refined mind and delicate taste, reserved and meditative, he lived much within himself, and the ponderings of his heart no doubt supplied occupation for leisure hours spent by others of a lower stamp in rude sports and profligacy. The fair character and honorable bearing of the unobtrusive youth won the approbation of his fellow-citizens; and he received the title, by common consent, of Al-Amin, the Faithful’ (Muir, The Life of Muhammad).”

6. The Prophet has said: إِنَّمَا الْغِنَى غِنَى الْقَلْبِ ، وَالْفَقْرُ فَقْرُ الْقَلْبِ - صحيح ابن حبان “Richness is richness of the heart, and poverty is the poverty of the heart” (Au.).

Ibn Kathir cites another hadith which says, “A rich man is not someone who has lots of material wealth. Rich is he who has a contented heart.”

Ibn Hisham the writer of the Seerah notes that the word `Aa’il has the connotation of a “difficult, or heavy affair” also (Au.).

7. According to a report a man complained to the Prophet of his own hard-heartedness. The Prophet told him: إِنْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ يَلِينَ قَلْبُكَ ، فَأَطْعِمِ الْمِسْكِينَ ، وَامْسَحْ رَأْسَ الْيَتِيمِ “If you want to soften soften your heart, feed the poor and pat the orphan on his head” (Qurtubi, Shanqiti).

(The report has been termed weak by Shu`ayb al-Arna’ut: Au.).

Accordingly, whenever `Abdullah ibn `Umar encountered an orphan, he would pat him on his head kindly, and give him something (Qurtubi).

8. The sa’il of the original can also be translated as the seeker, and hence it would mean, do not repulse the seeker of knowledge (Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir).

Beggars:

The Prophet has said: رُدُّوا السَّائِلَ وَلَوْ بِظِلْفٍ مُحْتَرِقٍ أَوْ مُحْرَقٍ - مسند أحمد “Return the beggar with something, even if it is a burnt paw.”

The report is in Ahmad declared Hasan (Au.).

And Ibrahim Al-Nakha`i used to say, “Beggars are the postmen of the Hereafter. He comes to your door and cries out, 'Would there be anything you would want to send to the Hereafter?’” (Qurtubi)

But the true beggar is not, as a hadith explains, who goes door to door seeking pennies and morsels; but it is the truly destitute, unable to earn, unable to ask (Au.).

9. The allusion is to prophethood (Ibn Jarir).

10. The Prophet has said in a sahih hadith of Tirmidhi: مَنْ لَمْ يَشْكُرِ النَّاسَ لَمْ يَشْكُرِ اللَّهَ “He who did not thank the people will not thank Allah.”

(There is a similar version in Ahmad, declared Sahih: Au.).

According to another narration: عَنْ أَنَسٍ أَنَّ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ذَهَبَتِ الأَنْصَارُ بِالأَجْرِ كُلِّهِ. قَالَ « لاَ مَا دَعَوْتُمُ اللَّهَ لَهُمْ وَأَثْنَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ ». The Prophet (saws) was told by the immigrants that great rewards were bagged by the Ansar (because they spent in charity but the Muhajirun could not because of poverty). The Prophet assured them: “No. So long as you keep Praying to Allah for them, and praise them” (Ibn Kathir).

The hadith is in Abu Da’ud, Ahmad and others, declared Sahih (Au.).

According to a hadith in Nasa’i, (declared Sahih), عَنْ أَبِي الْأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ: كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَرَآنِي رَثَّ الثِّيَابِ فَقَالَ: «أَلَكَ مَالٌ» قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مِنْ كُلِّ الْمَالِ، قَالَ: «فَإِذَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ مَالًا فَلْيُرَ أَثَرُهُ عَلَيْكَ» Abu al-Ahwas reported his father: “I was sitting with the Prophet (saws). He saw me is in a shabby state and asked, 'Do you have any money?’ I said, ‘Plenty – of all kinds.’ He said, 'When Allah bestows upon you something, let its effects be seen on you.’” (Qurtubi)

Abu Nadirah has said: “From the earliest times we have heard from the Muslims that a way to thank for blessings of Allah is to declare them” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Finally, Abu Firas `Abdullah b. Ghalib used to say to his friends, “Today I Prayed so much, recited the Qur’an so much.” And so on. His friends would say, 'Does a man of your sort say that?’ (That is, publicize your good acts?) He would say, 'Sure. Allah has said, “As for the blessing of your Lord, declare it.” And what better blessing is there than these?’ The same is reported of Ayyub As-Sakhtiyani and Abu `Ata’ al-`Utaridi (Qurtubi).

Allahu Akbar at the End of Recitation

Abu ‘l Hasan, one of the great recitation experts of the Qur’an, used to teach his students that they say “Allahu Akbar” at the end of every chapter after this one. But Abu Hatim and Ja`far al-`Uqayli, both have distrusted the narrator. Nonetheless, when someone recited this chapter in a Salah and said “Allahu Akbar” at its end, Imam Shafe`i approved of it, which goes to prove that it is Sunnah to do it (Qurtubi).

Ibn Kathir adds: Some have said that one may say: “Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illa Allahu, Allahu Akbar.”