Tafsir Maariful Quran
Quran Translation and Commentary by Maulana Mufti Mohammad Shafi. Translation by Prof. Muhammad Hasan Askari & Prof. Muhammad Shamim. Revised by Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi UsmaniQuran Translation
Word for Word by
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh
& Kausar Khatri
1. Al-Fatihah
2. Al-Baqarah
3. Al-Imran
4. Al-Nisa
5. Al-Maidah
6. Al-Anam
7. Al-Araf
8. Al-Anfal
9. Al-Taubah
10. Yunus
11. Hud
12. Yusuf
13. Al-Rad
14. Ibrahim
15. Al-Hijr
16. Al-Nahl
17. Bani Israil
18. Al-Kahf
19. Maryam
20. Ta-Ha
21. Al-Anbiya
22. Al-Hajj
23. Al-Muminun
24. An-Nur
25. Al-Furqan
26. Ash-Shuara
27. An-Naml
28. Al-Qasas
29. Al-Ankabut
30. Ar-Rum
31. Luqman
32. As-Sajdah
33. Al-Ahzab
34. Saba
35. Fatir
36. Yasin
37. As-Saffat
38. Saad
39. Az-Zumar
40. Al-Mumin
41. Ha-Meem-As-Sajdah
42. AShura
43. Az-Zukhruf
44. Ad-Dukhan
45. Al-Jathiyah
46. Al-Ahqaf
47. Muhammad
48. Al-Fath
49. Al-Hujurat
50. Al-Qaf
51. Adh-Dhariyat
52. At-Tur
53. An-Najm
54. Al-Qamar
55. Al-Rahman
56. Al-Waqiah
57. Al-Hadid
58. Al-Mujadalah
59. Al-Hashr
60. Al-Mumtahinah
61. As-Saff
62. Al-Jumuah
63. Al-Munafiqun
64. Al-Taghabun
65. At-Talaq
66. At-Tahrim
67. Al-Mulk
68. Al-Qalam
69. Al-Haqqah
70. Al-Maarij
71. Nuh
72. Al-Jinn
73. Al-Muzzammil
74. Al-Muddhththir
75. Al-Qiyamah
76. Ad-Dahr
77. Al-Mursalat
78. An-Naba
79. An-Naziat
80. Abas
81. At-Takwir
82. Al-Infitar
83. At-Tatfif
84. Al-Inshiqaq
85. Al-Buruj
86. At-Tariq
87. Al-Ala
88. Al-Ghashiyah
89. Al-Fajr
90. Al-Balad
91. Ash-Shams
92. Al-Lail
93. Ad-Duha
94. Al-Inshirah
95. At-Tin
96. Al-Alaq
97. Al-Qadr
98. Al-Bayyinah
99. Az-Zilzal
100. Al-Adiyat
101. Al-Qariah
102. At-Takathur
103. Al-Asr
104. Al-Humazah
105. Al-Fil
106. Al-Quraish
107. Al-Maun
108. Al-Kauthar
109. Al-Kafirun
110. An-Nasr
111. Al-Lahab
112. Al-Ikhlas
113. Al-Falaq
114. An-Nas
وَ لَقَدْ And verily اٰتَیْنَا We gave مُوْسَی Musa الْكِتٰبَ the Book فَاخْتُلِفَ but differences arose فِیْهِ ؕ therein وَ لَوْ لَا And if not كَلِمَةٌ (for) a Word سَبَقَتْ (that) preceded مِنْ from رَّبِّكَ your Lord لَقُضِیَ surely would have been judged بَیْنَهُمْ ؕ between them وَ اِنَّهُمْ And indeed they لَفِیْ surely (are) in شَكٍّ doubt مِّنْهُ concerning it مُرِیْبٍ suspicious وَ اِنَّ And indeed كُلًّا to each [when] لَّمَّا to each [when] لَیُوَفِّیَنَّهُمْ surely will pay them in full رَبُّكَ your Lord اَعْمَالَهُمْ ؕ their deeds اِنَّهٗ Indeed, He بِمَا of what یَعْمَلُوْنَ they do خَبِیْرٌ (is) All-Aware فَاسْتَقِمْ So stand firm كَمَاۤ as اُمِرْتَ you are commanded وَ مَنْ and (those) who تَابَ turn (in repentance) مَعَكَ with you وَ لَا and (do) not تَطْغَوْا ؕ transgress اِنَّهٗ Indeed He بِمَا of what تَعْمَلُوْنَ you do بَصِیْرٌ (is) All-Seer وَ لَا And (do) not تَرْكَنُوْۤا incline اِلَی to الَّذِیْنَ those who ظَلَمُوْا do wrong فَتَمَسَّكُمُ lest touches you النَّارُ ۙ the Fire وَ مَا and not لَكُمْ (is) for you مِّنْ besides Allah دُوْنِ besides Allah اللّٰهِ besides Allah مِنْ any اَوْلِیَآءَ protectors ثُمَّ then لَا not تُنْصَرُوْنَ you will be helped وَ اَقِمِ And establish الصَّلٰوةَ the prayer طَرَفَیِ (at the) two ends النَّهَارِ (of) the day وَ زُلَفًا and (at) the approach مِّنَ of الَّیْلِ ؕ the night اِنَّ Indeed الْحَسَنٰتِ the good deeds یُذْهِبْنَ remove السَّیِّاٰتِ ؕ the evil deeds ذٰلِكَ That ذِكْرٰی (is) a reminder لِلذّٰكِرِیْنَۚ for those who remember وَ اصْبِرْ And be patient فَاِنَّ for indeed اللّٰهَ Allah لَا (does) not یُضِیْعُ let go waste اَجْرَ (the) reward الْمُحْسِنِیْنَ (of) the good-doers فَلَوْ لَا So why not كَانَ had been مِنَ of الْقُرُوْنِ the generations مِنْ before you قَبْلِكُمْ before you اُولُوْا those possessing a remnant بَقِیَّةٍ those possessing a remnant یَّنْهَوْنَ forbidding عَنِ from الْفَسَادِ the corruption فِی in الْاَرْضِ the earth اِلَّا except قَلِیْلًا a few مِّمَّنْ of those اَنْجَیْنَا We saved مِنْهُمْ ۚ among them وَ اتَّبَعَ But followed الَّذِیْنَ those who ظَلَمُوْا did wrong مَاۤ what اُتْرِفُوْا luxury they were given فِیْهِ therein وَ كَانُوْا and they were مُجْرِمِیْنَ criminals وَ مَا And not كَانَ would رَبُّكَ your Lord لِیُهْلِكَ destroy الْقُرٰی the cities بِظُلْمٍ unjustly وَّ اَهْلُهَا while its people مُصْلِحُوْنَ (were) reformers 11. Hud Page 235 وَ لَوْ And if شَآءَ your Lord (had) willed رَبُّكَ your Lord (had) willed لَجَعَلَ surely He (could) have made النَّاسَ the mankind اُمَّةً one community وَّاحِدَةً one community وَّ لَا but not یَزَالُوْنَ they will cease مُخْتَلِفِیْنَۙ to differ اِلَّا Except مَنْ (on) whom رَّحِمَ your Lord has bestowed Mercy رَبُّكَ ؕ your Lord has bestowed Mercy وَ لِذٰلِكَ and for that خَلَقَهُمْ ؕ He created them وَ تَمَّتْ And will be fulfilled كَلِمَةُ (the) Word of your Lord رَبِّكَ (the) Word of your Lord لَاَمْلَـَٔنَّ Surely I will fill جَهَنَّمَ Hell مِنَ with الْجِنَّةِ the Jinn وَ النَّاسِ and the men اَجْمَعِیْنَ all together وَ كُلًّا And each نَّقُصُّ We relate عَلَیْكَ to you مِنْ of اَنْۢبَآءِ (the) news الرُّسُلِ (of) the Messengers مَا (for) that نُثَبِّتُ We may make firm بِهٖ with it فُؤَادَكَ ۚ your heart وَ جَآءَكَ And has come to you فِیْ in هٰذِهِ this الْحَقُّ the truth وَ مَوْعِظَةٌ and an admonition وَّ ذِكْرٰی and a reminder لِلْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ for the believers وَ قُلْ And say لِّلَّذِیْنَ to those who لَا (do) not یُؤْمِنُوْنَ believe اعْمَلُوْا Work عَلٰی (according) to مَكَانَتِكُمْ ؕ your position اِنَّا indeed we عٰمِلُوْنَۙ (are also) working وَ انْتَظِرُوْا ۚ And wait اِنَّا indeed we مُنْتَظِرُوْنَ (are) ones who wait وَ لِلّٰهِ And for Allah غَیْبُ (is the) unseen السَّمٰوٰتِ (of) the heavens وَ الْاَرْضِ and the earth وَ اِلَیْهِ and to Him یُرْجَعُ will be returned الْاَمْرُ the matter كُلُّهٗ all (of) it فَاعْبُدْهُ so worship Him وَ تَوَكَّلْ and put your trust عَلَیْهِ ؕ upon Him وَ مَا And your Lord is not رَبُّكَ And your Lord is not بِغَافِلٍ unaware عَمَّا of what تَعْمَلُوْنَ۠ you do
(11:110) And We gave Mūsā the Book, then it was disputed about. But for a word from your Lord that had already come to pass, the matter would have been decided between them. Surely, they are in confounding doubt about it
(11:111) And to all of them, your Lord shall pay for their deeds in full. Surely, He is aware of all that they do
(11:112) So, stand firm (on faith) as you have been commanded, as well as those who having repented (from disbelief) have joined you, and do not cross the limits. Surely, He is watchful of what you do
(11:113) And do not incline towards the wrongdoers, lest the Fire should catch you, and you have no supporters other than Allah, then you should not be helped
(11:114) Establish Salāh at both ends of the day, and in the early hours of the night. Surely, good deeds erase bad deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful
(11:115) And be patient, for Allah does not let the reward of the righteous go to waste
(11:116) Then, why is it that there were no people, among the generations before you, who would have enough remnants of wisdom to stop others from creating disorder in the land, except a few among them whom We saved (from Our punishment)? And the wrongdoers pursued the luxuries they were involved in, and they became sinners
(11:117) Your Lord is not such that He would destroy the towns unjustly while their people are good in their ways
(11:118) Had your Lord willed, He would have made all the people a single community. But, they will continue in their differences
(11:119) except those whom Allah has blessed with mercy, and for that He has created them. And perfect is the word of your Lord: “I will surely fill the Hell with Jinns and the human beings, all together.”
(11:120) We narrate to you all such stories from the events of the messengers as We strengthen your heart therewith. And in these (stories) there has come to you the truth, a good counsel and a reminder to those who believe
(11:121) Say to those who do not believe, “Do whatever you can. We are doing (what we can)
(11:122) And wait. We too are waiting.”
(11:123) To Allah belong the secrets of the heavens and the earth, and to Him the entire matter shall be returned. So worship Him and have trust in Him. Your Lord is not unaware of what you do
Events relating to past prophets and their peoples, from Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) to Sayyidna Musa, have been mentioned in Surah Hud in a fair enough order and detail with many wise counsels, injunctions and directives. At the end of the description of these events, it is by ad-dressing the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that his entire community has been exhorted to draw their essential lessons from them. It was said: ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْقُرَىٰ نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيْكَ ۖ مِنْهَا قَائِمٌ وَحَصِيدٌ (That is a part of the stories of the towns that We narrate to you. Some of them are standing, and (some) harvested - 100). It means that some of the habitations that were visited by Divine punishment still have their ruins standing while some others have been erased like harvested fields with no signs of what was there in the past.
After that it was said that Allah did not wrong them, rather, they had wronged themselves (101, 102) in that they abandoned their creator and sustainer and took to idols and other things as their gods. Finally, when the Divine punishment came, their self-made gods did not come to their rescue in any way. The lesson to learn was that the grip of Allah is painful and severe. When He seizes heedless wrongdoers doing what they do, this is what happens invariably.
Then, to turn them round to the concern of the Hereafter, it was said (103-105) that these events carry in them great lessons and signs for those who fear the punishment of the Hereafter, a day when all human beings will be gathered together, with everyone present there. That will be a day of such awe that no one present there shall dare utter a word without Divine permission.
Six verses later, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was addressed again by saying:
فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلَا تَطْغَوْا ۚ إِنَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
So, stand firm - as you have been commanded - you, and those who have repented [ from kufr and are ] with you, and do not cross the limits. Surely, He is watchful of what you do - 112.
The Sense of Istiqimah (Standing Firm): Some related problems and their solutions
Istiqamah means to stand straight without the least tilt one way or the other (hence expressed in English as straightforwardness, straightness, directness, rectitude etc.) As obvious, it is not something easy to do. If we were dealing with a vertical object cast in iron, rock or some other material, our expert engineers could make it stand straight at the very outset in a way that it stands on perfect right angles from all sides without the least tilt on any side. But, having a moving object stand straight at all times and under all conditions in this perfect state is certainly something extremely difficult. For discerning people, this is no secret.
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and all Muslims have been commanded in this verse that they should stand firm under all conditions in everything they do. Istiqamah is a small word but in its sense it extends to many areas of application in a very unusual manner. The very meaning of this act of standing firm is that one has to move straight-forwardly, as commanded by Allah, on the straight path identified by Him, remaining within the limits set by Him. This has to be in all matters of beliefs, acts of worship, personal and collective transactions, morals, social dealings, economic pursuits inclusive of all channels of income and expenditure. In the event, there occurs the slightest tilt, or decrease or increase, or shortcoming or excess, under any condition, and in any deed, in any of these areas of activity, Istiqamah be-comes the first casualty.
Errors in thinking and practice that show up around us are an out-come of this deviation from the command to stand firm. When people do not stand firm in beliefs (` aqa' id), they start with self-invented practices in religion (bid'at) and end up into the extremes of kufr (disbelief) and shirk (associating others with Allah). The principles of Allah's Oneness (Tauhid) and His Being (Dhat) and Attributes (Sifat) conveyed to us by the Holy Prophet u are moderate and sound. People who commit any act of excess and deficiency or addition and deletion in them - even if they may be doing so with good intentions on their part - shall be considered astray and in error. As for those who belittle and lessen the limits set for having regard and love for the blessed prophets, everyone knows that they are astray and audacious. Similarly, those who commit the excess of assigning a prophet proprietary rights in Divine attributes and powers also cross those limits and fall into an error of this nature. The Jews and the Christians lost them-selves into this error. The methods of worshipping Allah and seeking nearness to Him determined by the Glorious Qur'an, and the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم are great benchmarks. Any slicing, undercutting or shortcoming in these drags one down from the desired level of standing firm and, similarly, any addition to these from one's own side ruins one's chances of standing firm by his indulgence in self-innovated ways in established religion. Unfortunately, such a person honestly thinks that he is pleasing Allah while, in fact, it is precisely the very cause of His displeasure. Therefore, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has very emphatically prohibited his community from indulging in self-innovated ways in established religion (bid'at and muhdathat) and has declared that to be acute error and straying. Therefore, before one does something as an act of worship (` ibadah) for the pleasure of Allah and His Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم he must first investigate and ensure fully as to the nature of his action. He must find out whether or not what he is going to do stands proved from the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his noble Sahabah in the same state and form. If it does not, let him not waste his good time and energy in this pursuit.
Similarly, there are matters relating to transactions, morals and social dealings. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has followed the principles given by the Qur'an in his practical teachings through which he has marked out a moderate and sound way of conducting ourselves in our lives. It has provided the Muslims with a moderate and straight course of action in the matters of friendship, enmity, softness and strictness, anger and forbearance, miserliness and generosity, economic activity and monasticism, trust in Allah and use of possible material means, finding what is necessary and relying on the Prime Mover of all causes. These are different things, yet they have been fused into one, a straight path of moderation, and a virtual gift to Muslims not to be found elsewhere in the whole world. So, the key is to act in accordance with these teachings and become perfect human beings. When people do not stand firm and tilt one way or the other, the society goes bad inevitably.
In short, the concept of standing firm is comprehensive. It covers all parts and pillars of religion. When acted upon correctly, it becomes its eloquent demonstration.
Sufyan ibn ` Abdullah Thaqafi asked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ` please tell me something so comprehensive about Islam that I need not ask anyone anything after you.' He said, قُل اٰمَنتُ بِاللہِ ثُمَّ استقِم : Say: I believe in Allah. Then, stand firm on it.' (Reported by Muslim, as quoted by al Qurtubi)
` Uthman ibn ` Abdullah al-Azdi said that once he went to the famous Sahabi and the commentator, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ and requested him for some words of advice. He said, علیکَ بِتَقوٰی اللہِ وَ الاِستِقَامَۃِ اِتَّبِع والا تبتَدِع ' (Reported by a1-Darimi in his Musnad, as quoted by al-Qurtubi). It means that he should make the fear of Allah essential for him, and also that he should stand firm in his faith. The method of doing so was to follow the percepts of the Shari` ah in all religious matters and not to invent and introduce any bid'ah in it from his own side.
Out of the many tough jobs handled in this world, the toughest is nothing but to stand firm. Therefore, Sufi authorities have said that standing firm is a station much superior to the working of miracles (karamah). It means that a person who is holding on firmly to the assignments of his religion is a saint in his own right - even though, no miracle has issued forth from him throughout his life.
Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، said that no verse revealed to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in the entire Qur'an was harder and more trying than this (112). And he said that once the Companions noticing some gray strands of hair in his blessed beard sorrowfully re-marked, ` old age is approaching you much earlier.' Thereupon, he said, ` Surah Hud has made me old.' The events of severe punishments that came upon past communities as described in Surah Hud could also be the reason for it, but Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ said that this verse alone is its reason.
Tafsir al-Qurtubi reports from Abu ` Ali Sirriy that he, on seeing the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in a dream asked him, ` have you said some-thing like "Surah Hud has made me old"?' He said, ` yes.' Abu ` Ali asked again, ` had the subject of punishments that came upon the peoples of the past prophets made you old?' He said, ` no, in fact, this saying of Allah Ta` ala did: فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ (So, stand firm - as you have been commanded - 112) '.
As for the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم it is obvious that he had graced this world as the blessed substantiation of the perfect universal man. Standing firm was his natural habit. But then, why was it that he felt its weight to be so conspicuous and telling upon him? Perhaps, it was because the verse did not ask him to stand firm in an absolute sense, instead, asked him that this act of standing firm should be as commanded by Allah. How overwhelming is the fear and awe prophets have of their creator and master is well recognized. It must have been the effect of this fear and awe that, despite having his perfect stance of firmness, he was still concerned whether or not he had been able to come up with the kind of firmness and rectitude expected by his master, the most exalted Allah.
And it is also possible that he was not that concerned about his personal stance of firmness, because he, by the grace of Allah, had it in him. But, there was something else to it. In this verse, the command given to him was also given to the entire Muslim Ummah. So, it was his realization that his Ummah may find it difficult to stand firm as commanded that made him sad.
After the command to stand firm, it was said: وَلَا تَطْغَوْا is (and do not cross the limits). This word is a derivation from the verbal noun: طغیان (tughy an) which means to cross limits, and which is the opposite of standing firm. It will be noticed that the positive statement to stand firm in the verse has not been considered sufficient, rather, its negative aspect, that of its prohibition, was clarified expressly. This establishes the sense of the verse: ` do not cross the limits set by Allah and His Rasul - in beliefs, acts of worship, transactions, morals etc. - for it was the outlet of all disorder and corruption in material and religious life.
What is the meaning of this ` tilt' and ` inclination'? There are some statements of Sahabah (Companions) and Tabi` in (Successors) about it in which there is no contradiction or difference. They are all correct in their respective places.
Sayyidna Qatadah (رح) said, it means, ` do not have friendship with the unjust and do not follow what they say.' Ibn Jurayj said, ` do not nurse a leaning of any kind towards the unjust.' Abu al-'Aliyah said, ` do not like everything they do.' (Qurtubi) Al-Suddiyy said, ` do not court the favor of the unjust through servile flattery (mudahanah), that is, do not observe silence or show your approval at their evil deeds.' ` Ikrimah said, ` do not sit in the company of the unjust.' Qadi al-Baidawi said, ` following them in personal looks, fashion, and ways of living are all included under this very prohibition.'
Qadi al-Baidawi also said that this verse exudes the highest imaginable degree of severity in the matter of prohibition and unlawfulness of injustice and oppression. The reason is that it not only prohibits friendship, and all other cordial relationships, with the unjust but, going farther ahead, it also prohibits the least possible inclination to-wards them, or even sitting with them.
Imam ` Abdur-Rahman ibn ` Amr Al-Awza` i said, ` with Allah Ta` ala no one is as detested as the ` Alim (religious scholar) who, for the sake of his worldly interest, goes to meet someone unjust. (Mazhari)
According to Tafsir al-Qurtubi, this verse tells us that it is obligatory (wajib) to abstain from the company of those who disbelieve (kafirs), those who disobey (sinners) and those who innovate in the established religion (practitioners of bid'ah) - unless they have to be met under some compulsion. The truth of the matter is that company and social setting play a major role in one's betterment or corruption. Therefore, the famous Hasan al-Basri said about the two words of these two verses that Allah Ta` ala has compressed the entire religion within the two letters: لَا (la: do not). The first one appears in the first verse: لَا تَطغَوا (la tatghaw: do not cross the limits - 112) and the second one appears in the second verse: لَا تَرکَنُوا (la tarkanu: And do not incline towards the wrongdoers - 113). The first ` la' or ` do not' prohibits the crossing of the limits set by the Shari' ah of Islam while the other prohibits the company of wrongdoing people - and this is the essence of the whole religion.
The diction of the Qur'an points out to the great station the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم occupies
It would be recalled that following the description of awe-inspiring events relating to past prophets and their peoples in Surah Hud, some instructions have been given to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his community that begin from the previous verse (112): فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ (So, stand firm - as you have been commanded). In these instructions, the beauty and eloquence of the Holy Qur'an stands out as highly educative. It will be noticed that a positive command to do something has been addressed to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with his community included therein as a corollary. Examples are as follows: فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ (So, stand firm - as you have been commanded - you and those who have repented with you - 112) and وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ (And establish salah - 114) and then: وَاصْبِرْ(And be patient - 115). But, when something was prohibited and instruction was given to abstain from it, the address was beamed at the Muslim community directly, for instance: وَلَا تَطْغَوْا (and do not cross the limits - 112) and: وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا (And do not incline towards the wrongdoers - 113).
If we were to look at this in depth, it will be realized that it hap-pens to be the general form used throughout the Qur'an whereby a positive imperative has been addressed to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم while the negative imperative of prohibition to the Muslim community. This is an indication towards his high station. It tells us that things worth leaving off are things the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself abstained from. Allah Ta'ala had made his elemental nature tuned so right that he would simply not incline towards any desire or thing that was evil. The limit was that things that were permissible and halal (lawful) during the early period of Islam - but, their becoming haram (unlawful) later was already settled in the ultimate knowledge of Allah Ta'ala - were things he never went near, even when they were halal, such as, liquor, interest, gambling etc.
In this verse (114), addressing the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his entire Ummah has been commanded to establish salah. Scholars of Tafsir among the Sahabah and Tabi` in concur that صلَوۃ salah' at this place means obligatory prayers (al-Bahr al-Muhit, al-Qurtubi) and the ` iqamah of salah' means establishing and implementing it fully and faithfully and being constantly regular with it. Some have said that it means performing Salah with due consideration of all its inherent rules of etiquette. Some others have said that it means performing Salah at its most preferred time. These reflect the three positions taken in the Tafsir of the verse: أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ (aqimi's-salah: establish the prayer). The truth of the matter is that there is not much of a difference in there. Everything said here is included in the sense of ` establishing the prayer'.
Following the command to establish Salah, the statement about its timings appears briefly as: ` and establish Salah at both ends of the day [ at the beginning and at the end ], and in the early hours [ parts ] of the night.' Here, " زُلفا " (zulafan) is the plural of زُلفَۃ (zulfah) which means a part or unit. As for the prayer ` at both ends of the day,' there is a consensus of revered early commentators that the prayer at the first end is the Salah of Fajr. However, the prayer at the last end has been taken by some of them as the Salah of Maghrib for it is almost at the end of the day. But, some others have taken the Salah of ` Asr as the prayer at the last end because that is the last prayer of the day. The time of Maghrib is not a part of the day, rather, comes after the passage of the day. Then, the text's: زُلَفًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ that is, 'prayers during parts of the night,' have been declared as referring to the Salah of Maghrib and ` Isha' by the majority of early commentators Hasan al-Basri, Mujahid, Muhammad ibn Ka'b, Qatadah, Dahhak and others. And a Hadith which says that زُلَفًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ ; (prayers during parts of the night) are Maghrib and ` Isha' confirms it. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
When the text's: طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ (at both ends of the day) means the Salah of Fajr and ` Asr, and زُلَفًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ (in the early hours or parts of the night) the Salah of Maghrib and ` Isha,' the timings of four prayers find mention in the verse. What remains to be mentioned is the Salah of Zuhr which appears in another verse: أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ (Establish salah at the decline of the sun - 17:78).
After the command to establish Salah points out to the great good these bring. It was said:إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ (Surely, good deeds erase bad deeds). Early commentators have said that ` al-hasanat' means all good deeds. These include Salah, Sawm, Zakah, Sadaqat, good morals, good dealings etc., but Salah takes precedence over all of them. Similarly, ` as-saiyyi'at' covers all bad deeds, kabirah (major sins) or saghirah (minor sins). But, there is another verse of the Qur'an, as well as, several sayings of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم where it has been particularized with saghirah sins, according to which, it would mean that good deeds - Salah being the superior most - become the kaffarah (expiation) of saghirah sins which stand erased. This verse of the Qur'an says: إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ (If abstain from the major [ sins ] out of what you have been forbidden from, We shall write off your minor sins - Al-Nisa' 4:31) (See Ma` ariful-Qur'an, Volume II, pages 405-410 under 4:31 for a detailed discussion of the nature of kabirah and saghirah)
It appears in a Hadith of Sahih Muslim that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that five prayers and a Jumu'ah until the next Jumu'ah, and a Ramadan until the next Ramadan, become the kaffarah (expiation) of all sins committed in between them. This is subject to the condition that the person concerned has remained safe from major sins (kaba'ir). It means that major sins are such that they are not for-given without Taubah (repentance). But, minor sins do get to be forgiven automatically when one keeps doing other good deeds such as Salah, Sawm, Sadaqah etc. However, Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit has reported the saying of authentic scholars of the Principles of the Shari` ah of Islam that even minor sins are forgiven by doing good deeds only when one feels ashamed of having done these and makes a solemn re-solve of not doing these in the future. It is important that one does not insist on them. There are many events mentioned in Hadith reports to the effects that sins were so erased. They too state clearly that this happens on condition that the sinner is ashamed of his doing, repents and resolves not to do it in future. It was on this basis that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has given the good news of forgiveness of a sin to
a sinner. Allah knows best.
The following have been declared as kaba'ir or major sins in well known Hadith reports:
(1) Ascribing anyone as partner or equal in the Being or Attributes of Allah Ta'ala.
(2) Intentionally skipping an obligatory (fard) Salah.
(3) Killing someone unjustly.
(4) Committing fornication or adultery.
(5) Stealing.
(6) Drinking.
(7) Disobedience to parents.
(8) Taking false oaths.
(9) Giving false witness.
(10) Practicing magic.
(11) Transacting interest.
(12) Usurping the property of the orphan by unfair means.
(13) Deserting the battlefield in Jihad.
(14) Accusing chaste women falsely.
(15) The taking of someone's property or wealth by unfair means.
(16) Breaking a pledge.
(17) Committing a breach of trust.
(18) Using foul language against anyone.
(19) Accusing someone as a criminal unjustly, etc.
Details about major and minor sins appear in standard books written by Muslim scholars. It can also be seen in ` Sin sans Taste' (Gunahi-bay-Ladhdhat) a treatise written by this humble writer.
In short, this verse proves that sins are also forgiven by doing good deeds. Therefore, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ` after a bad deed gets to be committed by you, do a good one and it will erase its evil;' and he said, ` deal with people pleasantly.' (Ibn Kathir with reference to the Musnad of Ahmad)
Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari said, ` I requested the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to order me to do something. He said, ` if you fall into some sin, do some good deed after that, so that it erases the sin.'
In fact, these Ahadith tell us about the preferred method of repenting from a sin. This is as it has been reported in the Musnad of Ahmad from Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ` if a Muslim unfortunately falls into some sin, he should make wudu and offer two raka` at of nafl prayer - that sin will be forgiven. (All riwayat have been taken from Ibn Kathir) This prayer is known by the very name of Salatut-Taubah (the prayer of repentance).
In the last sentence of the verse (114): ذَٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّاكِرِينَ (That is a reminder for the mindful), the word: ذَٰلِكَ (dhalik) could be referring to the Holy Qur'an, and to the do's and don'ts both, which have been mentioned earlier. The sense is that this Qur'an, or its injunctions referred to above, are guidance and good counsel for those who listen to and are used to obeying it. The hint embedded here is that a person, who is so compulsively obstinate that he would just not think about anything reasonable, remains deprived of every guidance.
Literally, صَبر (sabr) means to tie. Therefore, in usage, Sabr is also used to carry the sense of keeping one's naughty self in control. Also included within its sense is the effort made to keep one's self firm and unflinching when it comes to doing what is good and right, as well as the effort to check and hold it back from getting involved with bad deeds. At this place, asking the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to be patient could also mean that the injunctions given to him in the cited verses - for example, ` stand firm,"establish salah,' etc. - are things he should hold fast to. And it is also possible that the purpose may be to exhort him to be patient in the face of the hostility of enemies and the pains caused by them. As for what was said after that - ` Allah lets not the reward of the good-doers be lost' - it obviously suggests that 'almuhsinin' (good-doers) are people who faithfully observe the injunctions of do's and don'ts as given in the cited verses. In other words, they are firm in their religion, adhere to the limits set by the Shari'ah, maintain no friendly relations with the unjust unnecessarily, are punctual with their Salah, offering it as its etiquette demands, at the most preferred timings, and that they stand firm on all religious injunctions.
The essence of what has been said above is what the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has himself said while defining ` Ihsan' - "obey and worship Allah Ta` ala as if you are seeing Him or, at the least, that Allah Ta` ala is seeing yowl When one achieves this station of the certitude of the Being and Attributes of Allah Ta` ala, all words and deeds that is-sue forth from him become automatically correct. Worth remembering are the three truisms that were so popularly recognized among the revered scholars of the early centuries of Islam (as-salaf). These they used to exchange in writing to each other (as if they were souvenirs worth saving). They said:
(1) Anyone who gets busy working for the 'Akhirah (life-to-come), Allah Ta` ala takes it upon Himself to put his worldly chores in order and sees to it that they come out right for him.
(2) Anyone who corrects his inward state of being, (so much so that he moves the orientation of his heart away from everything and turns it towards Allah Ta` ala) He sees to it that his outward state of being stands corrected all by itself.
(3) Anyone who puts his matter with Allah Ta` ala sound and correct, Allah Ta` ala Himself corrects all matters pertaining to him and to those he relates with. The original wording of these three truisms is being given below:
و کان اھل الخبر یکتب بعحجم الی بعض بثلاث کمت، من عمل لاخرتۃ کفاہ اللہ امر دنیاۃ، ومن اصلح سریرتۃ اصلح اللہ علانیتۃ و من اصلح فیما بینہ، اللہ اصلح اللہ ما بینہ و بین الناس (Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan, p. 131, v. 2)
In this verse, people of discernment, balance and foresight have been identified through the expression: أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ ` remnants [ of wisdom ].' The word: بَقِيَّةٍ (bagiyyah) means that which remains. It is human habit that one lets what is most dear to him remain with him under all conditions, preserved and retrievable. When some need would arise, he would give away everything but not that. Therefore, reason and in-sight are called 'baqiyyah' or remnants, because that is the dearest one has.
When it was said in the fifth verse (118) - ` had your Lord willed, He would have made all the people a single community' - the sense is that had it been the will of Allah, He would have made all human beings accept Islam by force. All of them would have then become nothing but Muslims without any difference remaining between them. But, such are the dictates of His wisdom that, in this world, Allah Ta` ala does not compel anyone to do something. Instead, He has entrusted man with a kind of choice under which he could do whatever good or bad he wishes to do. Then, human temperaments differ, ways differ and deeds differ. The outcome is that there always will be some people who would keep at loggerheads against the true faith - of course, with the exception of those whom Allah Ta` ala has blessed with His mercy, that is, those who have been following the noble prophets.
This tells us that ` difference' at this place means hostility and op-position to the true faith and the teachings of prophets. The difference based on Ijtihad, which is inevitable among religious authorities and jurists of Islam, an ongoing process since the period of the Sahabah, is not included under this purview, nor is it contrary to Divine mercy. In fact, it is the very dictate of Allah's wisdom and mercy. Those who have declared the differences among Mujtahid Imams to be counter to Mercy in terms of this verse, have done something which is itself counter to the context of this verse as well as counter to the consistent practice of the Sahabah and Tabi` in.
واللہُ سُبحَانہ و تعالیٰ اَعلم
And Allah is Pure and High and He knows everything best.