Verse:42 Commentary Commentary

The time to sleep and the time to die: How is the soul exacted and what is the difference between the two

In verse 42, it was said: اللَّـهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا (Allah fully takes away the souls [ of the people ] at the time of their death, and [ of ] those who do not die, in their sleep.). The word: تَوَفَّی (tawaffa) literally means to receive, to take back, exact. In this verse, Allah Ta' ala has stated very clearly and emphatically that the spirits or souls (arwah) of living beings are under the free will and discretionary dispensation of Allah Ta' ala at all times and under all conditions. He can seize, exact and take them back at will. And there is at least one manifestation of this absolutely autonomous dispensation that every living being sees and feels everyday when, once asleep, the ruh (spirit, soul) of a person is, so to say, taken away from the body, then, returned on rising from sleep, and ultimately, one such time is bound to come when this ruh stands seized, absolutely and conclusively, following which, this will never be returned.

According to Tafsir Mazhari, the sense of 'taking the ruh away' is to sever its connection with the human body. There are occasions when it is totally severed, both outwardly and inwardly. This is what death is. Then, there are occasions when it is severed only outwardly while it remains active inwardly, the effect of which is that it is only the sense and volitional movement - being obvious signs of life - that are severed, however, the connection of ruh with the body remains active inwardly. Under this arrangement, one breathes and stays alive, however, the form it takes is that the human spirit (ruh) is made to turn its attention to a (panoramic) study of the universe of images ('Alam-ul-mithal), and whereby it is made to pass into a state of forgetfulness and suspension away from this universe, so that one can become fully at rest. And then, at times, even this inward connection is severed because of which the life of the body goes extinct, totally.

In the verse cited above, the word: يَتَوَفَّى (yatawaffa) in the sense of 'takes in full' (qabd) is used by way of ` umum-ul- majaz which covers both meanings. This difference of ruh (spirit, soul) being taken away both in death and sleep delineated earlier also finds support in a saying of Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ . He said that, at the time of sleep, the ruh of a person goes away from his body, but a beam or ray of ruh stays behind in the body due to which one remains alive - and it is through this 'beamed' connection that one sees a dream. Then this dream, in the event that it has been seen in the state the attention of the ruh was raptly turned towards the universe of images, is a true dream. But, if it was seen in a state when the ruh was returning back to the body, then, it becomes polluted with Shaitanic inputs, and that dream no more remains a true dream. And he also said that the ruh that comes out of the body of a person during the state of sleep returns to the body when one wakes up within a time that is much less than an eye would take to wink. Verse:43 Commentary - - - Verse:44 Commentary - - - Verse:45 Commentary - - - Verse:46 Commentary In verse 46, it was said: قُلِ اللَّـهُمَّ فَاطِرَ‌ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ (Say, "0 Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth...). According to a narration of Sayyidna ` Abd-ur-Rahman Ibn ` Awf ؓ appearing in Sahih Muslim, he says, "I asked Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ L as to what it was from which the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم began his nightly prayer (tahajjud)? She said, 'When he rose for the salah of tahajjud, he used to recite this prayer:

اَللَّھُمَّ رَبَّ جِبرِیلَ وَ میکَایٔیلَ وَ اِسرَافِیلَ ، فَاطِرَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الاَرضِ عالِمَ الغَیبِ وَ الشَّھَادَۃِ اَنتِ تَحکُمُ بَینَ عِبَادِکَ فِیمَا کَانُوا فِیہِ یَختَلِفُونَ ، اِھدِنِی لِما اختُلِفَ فِیہِ مِنَ لحَقَّ بِاِذنِکَ اِنَّکَ تَھدِی مَن تَشَآُء اِلٰی صِرَطِ مُّستَقِیم۔

0 Allah, Lord of Jabra'i1 and Mika'il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, you will judge between Your servants in that about which they used to differ.. Guide me, with Your will, to the truth in which people have disputes, for You are the One who guides whomsoever He wills to the straight path.

A prayer that is answered

Sayyidna Said Ibn Jubayr ؓ says that he knows a verse of the noble Qur'an after reciting which the prayer one makes is answered. Then he pointed out to this very verse that begins with the words: اللَّـهُمَّ فَاطِرَ‌ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ (0 Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth... to the end of verse 39:46) - (al-Qurtubi) Verse:47 Commentary In verse 47, it was said: وَبَدَا لَهُم مِّنَ اللَّـهِ مَا لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَحْتَسِبُونَ (And there will appear to them from Allah what they have never imagined.) The famous tabi` i, Sufyan Thawri recited this verse and said, 'Ruined are those who did good deeds only to pretend their piety before people. (He repeated this sentence twice) This verse is about them. They did good deeds in their mortal life to impress people, who took them to be good people. Even they themselves used to deceive themselves by thinking that these deeds will become a source of salvation for them in the Hereafter. But, as these were never performed with unalloyed sincerity ('ikhlas), they deserve no reward in the sight of Allah. So, once they are in the life after death, the punishment would come upon them suddenly against their expectation.' (Qurtubi)

An important instruction concerning 'mushajarat' (disagreements among Sahabah)

Someone asked Rabi' Ibn-u1_-Khaitham about the shahadah (martyrdom) of Sayyidna Husain ؓ . He sighed and recited the verse (46): قُلِ اللَّـهُمَّ فَاطِرَ‌ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ ( O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You will judge between Your servants...) and said, 'whenever you have a doubt in your heart about the mutual difference of the noble Sahabah, do recite this verse.' Tafsir Ruh-ul-Ma' ani reports this statement and then says: This teaches us the best etiquette in regard to this issue, and is something one should always bear in mind. Verse:48 Commentary - - - Verse:49 Commentary - - - Verse:50 Commentary - - - Verse:51 Commentary - - - Verse:52 Commentary - - -