Surah
51, Adh-Dhaariyat (The Winnowing Winds), Verses 31-60 & Surah 52, At-Tur
(The Mount), 49 Verses & Surah 53, An-Najm (The Star), 62 Verses &
Surah 54, Al-Qamar (The Moon), 55 Verses &
Surah
55, Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent), 78 Verses & Surah 56, Al-Waaqia (The
Inevitable), 96 Verses & Surah 57, Al-Hadid (Iron), 29 Verses
Continuing with the final
section of Surah 51.
Surah 51, Adh-Dhaariyat (The
Winnowing Winds)
Section 3: Man and Jinn created
only to serve God, verses 47-60
"And all things We have created
by pairs, that haply ye may reflect. Therefor flee unto Allah; lo! I am a plain
warner unto you from him." (Verses 49-50)
"And warn, for warning profiteth
believers. I seek no livelihood from them, nor do I ask that they should feed
Me. Lo! Allah! He it is that giveth livelihood, the Lord of unbreakable
might." (Verses 56-58)
Allah created man, blessed him
with faculties of observation and contemplation to acquire knowledge with which
he can understand the power of Allah and submit to him. That is our purpose of
creation - complete submission to Allah's will. Whoever is closer to Allah will
be rewarded accordingly. Allah has no needs from us, he provides our sustenance
and it is in our interests to abide by his commands.
Next Surah is Surah 52, At-Tur
(The Mount). This Surah was revealed at Mecca and has 49 verses in 2 sections.
Surah 52, At-Tur (The Mount)
Section 1: The Day of Judgement
described, verses 1-28
"By the Mount, And a Scripture
inscribed On fine parchment unrolled, And the House frequented, And the roof
exalted, And the sea kept filled." (Verses 1-6)
"Lo! the doom of thy Lord will
surely come to pass; There is none that can ward it off." (Verses 7-8)
"Then woe that day unto the
deniers... (And it is said unto them): This is the Fire which ye were wont to
deny. Is this magic, or do ye not see? Endure the heat thereof, and whether ye
are patient of it or impatient of it is all one for you. Ye are only being paid
for what ye used to do." (Verses 11, 14-16)
"Lo! those who kept their duty
dwell in gardens and delight... (And it is said unto them): Eat and drink in
health (as a reward) for what ye used to do, Reclining on ranged couches. And
we wed them unto fair ones with wide, lovely eyes. And they who believe and
whose seed follow them in faith, We cause their seed to join them (there), and
We deprive them of nought of their (life's) work. Every man is a pledge for
that which he hath earned." (Verses 17, 19-21)
Surah 52 starts with an
adjuration by 5 things: the mount of Sanhai where Prophet Musa engaged with
Allah, the book preserved as a folded tablet ("And a Scripture inscribed
On fine parchment unrolled"), the house of worship in the
heavens("And the house frequented"), the
canopy of heaven ("And the roof exalted") and the nebular
ocean ("And the sea kept filled").
Apart from the mount, the rest are all celestial signs or things. Again the
actions of everyone shall be accounted for and blessed or punished accordingly.
What lies ahead in heaven and hell are also described once more.
Section 2: A challenge to bring
something similar to the Quran, verses 29-49
"Therefor warn (men, O Muhammad).
By the grace of Allah thou art neither soothsayer nor madman. Or say they: (he
is) a poet, (one) for whom we may expect the accident of time? Say (unto them):
Except (your fill)! Lo! I am with you among the expectant." (Verses 29-31)
"Or say they: He hath invented
it? Nay, but they will not believe! Then let them produce speech the like
thereof, if they are truthful." (Verses 33-34)
"And if they were to see a
fragment of the heaven falling, they would say: A heap of clouds. Then let them
be (O Muhammad), till they meet their day, in which they will be
thunder-stricken, A day in which their guile will naught avail them, nor will
they be helped. And verily, for those who do wrong, there is a punishment
beyond that. But most of them know not." (Verses 44-47)
"So wait patiently (O Muhammad)
for thy Lord's decree, for surely thou art in Our sight; and hymn the praise of
thy Lord when thou uprisest, And in the night-time also hymn His praise, and at
the setting of the stars." (Verses 48-49)
The 2nd section of Surah 52
admonishes the disbelievers once more. Firstly respite is allowed to the
disbelievers before the Day of Judgement. They are challenged, once more, to
bring something that will rival the quality and knowledge of the Holy Quran.
The disbelievers will inevitably be punished and it is the Holy Prophet’s job
to act as a Warner only. He must continue with his duties which include the
important acts of glorifying God by day and night (salat).
Moving on to Surah 53, An-Najm
(The Star). This Surah was revealed at Mecca, has 62 verses in 3 sections.
Surah 53, An-Najm (The Star)
Section 1: The communion of the
Prophet with God, verses 1-25
"By the Star when it setteth,
Your comrade erreth not, nor is deceived; Nor doth he speak of (his own)
desire. It is naught save an inspiration that is inspired." (Verses 1-4)
"When he was on the uppermost
horizon. Then he drew nigh and came down Till he was (distant) two bows' length
or even nearer, And He revealed unto His slave that which He revealed. The
heart lied not (in seeing) what it saw. Will ye then dispute with him
concerning what he seeth?" (Verses 7-12)
"The eye turned not aside nor yet
was overbold. Verily he saw one of the greater revelations of his Lord." (Verses 17-18)
"They are but names which ye have
named, ye and your fathers, for which Allah hath revealed no warrant. They
follow but a guess and that which (they) themselves desire. And now the
guidance from their Lord hath come unto them." (Verse 23)
This is a rather deep
and philosophical section of the Holy Quran. It goes into some detail
in describing what happened at the time when the Holy Prophet ascended up to
heaven (the miraj). It
begins by clearly stating how the Holy Prophet was free from error and only
spoke divine revelation - he was taught only by Allah.
At the miraj, the Holy Prophet held in
view the entire universe from heaven. Then he drew "nearer still" to
Allah - the human mind is unable to understand how near he was. Suffice to say
that it was as near as a finite being could be to the infinite creator and no
being has been any closer. He did not see Allah but instead saw the
manifestation of all his glory and power in the heaven. He became fully aware
of the wisdom governing the universe.
There were wonders both
spiritual and sensible but the Holy Prophet, neither dazzled nor confounded,
remained firm and self-possessed, engrossed in the unique experience of
beholding the glory of the Lord. There was no visual delusion nor any
intellectual or emotional disturbance.
Section 2: Intercession of
angels, verses 26-32
"And how many angels are in the
heavens whose intercession availeth naught save after Allah giveth leave to
whom He chooseth and accepteth." (Verse 26)
"Then withdraw (O Muhammad) from
him who fleeth from Our remembrance and desireth but the life of the world.
Such is their sum of knowledge. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth,
and He is Best Aware of him whom goeth right." (Verses 29-30)
"Those who avoid enormities of
sin and abominations, save the unwilled offences - (for them) lo! thy Lord is
of vast mercy. He is Best Aware of you (from the time) when He created you from
the earth, and when ye were hidden in the bellies of your mothers. Therefor
ascribe not purity unto yourselves. He is Best Aware of him who wardeth off
(evil)." (Verse 32)
Seeking intercession is
completely permissible in Islam and has been mentioned several times
in the Holy Quran and is mentioned once more in verse 26. Those who have
been given permission to intercede on our behalf are the Holy Prophet and the
Ahlul-Bayt.
From verse 32, as Allah knows
our inmost being, it is absurd to justify ourselves, either by pretending that
we are better than we are, or by finding excuses for our misconduct. If we try
to safeguard ourselves against evil with full awareness of the laws made by Him
He will appreciate our striving and may forgive us.
Section 3: The omnipotence of
God, verses 33-62
"That no laden one shall bear
another's load, And that man hath only that for which he maketh effort, And
that his effort will be seen. And afterward he will be repaid for it with
fullest payment; And that thy Lord, He is the goal." (Verses 38-42)
"And that He it is Who giveth
death and giveth life; And that He createth the two spouses, the male and the
female, From a drop (of seed) when it is poured forth; And that He hath
ordained the second bringing forth." (Verses 44-47)
"Concerning which then, of the
bounties of thy Lord, canst thou dispute? This is a warner of the warners of
old. The threatened Hour is nigh. None beside Allah can disclose it.
Marvel ye then at this statement, And laugh and not weep, While ye amuse
yourselves? Rather prostrate yourselves before Allah and serve Him." (Verses 55-62)
The last section of Surah 53 declares
some the blessings that make Allah omnipetent (verses 44-47). The
minutest functions in the universe are subject to Allah's sovereignty, so the
whole universe is before him in a single view at every moment.
We are beginning to move
through several Surahs now and continue on with Surah 54, al-Qamar (The Moon).
It was revealed at Mecca and has 55 verses in 3 sections.
Surah 54, Al-Qamar (The Moon)
Section 1: The moon, rent
asunder, verses 1-22
"The hour drew nigh and the moon
was rent in twain. And if they behold a portent they turn away and say:
Prolonged illusion. They denied (the Truth) and followed their own lusts. Yet
everything will come to a decision." (Verses 1-4)
"And surely there hath come unto
them news whereof the purport should deter, Effective wisdom; but warnings
avail not. So withdraw from them (O Muhammad) on the day when the Summoner
summoneth unto a painful thing." (Verses 4-6)
"And in truth We have made the
Qur'an easy to remember; but is there any that remembereth?" (Verses 17 & 22)
Verses 1-4 narrate the time when the Holy Prophet
performed a miracle of splitting the moon in half after persistent requests
from the Jews to prove his status with a miracle of some sore. Despite that,
there remained several who disbelieved and put it down to an elaborate magic
trick.
Verses 4-6 call on the Holy Prophet to recall the
fate of those who disbelieved the Prophets before him and goes on to describe
the disbelievers at the time of Prophet Nuh and the people of Aad. Both parts
end with the message that the Quran is here to act as a reminder of these
events so that we can learn and remember (verse 17 & 22).
Section 2: Thamood & Lot's
people punished, verses 23-40
This section narrates about the
fate of the people of Thamud and disbelievers at the time of Prophet Lot as
mentioned in previous chapters. After each narration, once again verse 17 is repeated (verse 32 & 40)
Section 3: Pharaoh warned,
verses 41-55
"Lo! the guilty are in error and
madness. On the day when they are dragged into the Fire upon their faces (it is
said unto them): Feel the touch of hell. Lo! We have created every thing by
measure. And Our commandment is but one (commandment), as the twinkling of an
eye. And verily We have destroyed your fellows; but is there any that
remembereth?" (Verses 47-51)
"And every thing they did is in
the scriptures, And every small and great thing is recorded. Lo! the righteous
will dwell among gardens and rivers, Firmly established in the favour of a
Mighty King." (Verses 52-55)
The final section re-iterates
the warning given to the Pharaoh and still, he continued to reject the true
message. The Surah ends with a summation of what will happen those who
disbelieve whilst asking whether anyone remembers (verse 51).
Following on from Surah 54
comes Surah 55, Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent). This was revealed at Mecca and has
78 verses in 3 sections.
Surah 55, Ar-Rahman (The
Beneficent)
Section 1: The bounties of God,
verses 1-25
"The Beneficent Hath made known
the Qur'an. He hath created man. He hath taught him utterance." (Verses 1-4)
"The sun and the moon are made
punctual. The stars and the trees prostrate. And the sky He hath uplifted; and
He hath set the measure, That ye exceed not the measure, But observe the
measure strictly, nor fall short thereof." (Verses 5-9)
"He created man of clay like the
potter's, And the jinn did He create of smokeless fire. Which is it, of the
favours of your Lord, that ye deny?" (Verses 14-16)
Allah taught the Holy Quran to
the Holy Prophet. The first man created was Prophet Adam, free from sin. He was
blessed with knowledge of the names and the angels were commanded by Allah to
bow down to him because of this knowledge. Shaitan refused due to his arrogance
and lack of understanding. The names were the Holy Prophet and the Ahlul-Bayt
whose light had already been created before anything else had been created. The
Holy Prophet has said, ""I
was the prophet of Allah when Adam was yet in the (womb) of water and clay. It
was my light (nur) which Allah created before all creation. I and Ali are from
one and the same light." Those who desire to attain success have
to attach themselves to the thoroughly purified Ahlul-Bayt and follow their
teachings and life pattern. The rest of the first section describes some
of the bounties of God and each time ends with verse 16.
Section 2: Everything shall
perish, verses 26-45
"Everyone that is thereon will
pass away; There remaineth but the Countenance of thy Lord of Might and Glory.
Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that ye deny?" (Verses 26-28)
"O company of jinn and men, if ye
have power to penetrate (all) regions of the heavens and the earth, then
penetrate (them)! Ye will never penetrate them save with (Our) sanction." (Verse 31)
Everything in the universe
shall perish except for Allah. Verses 29-45 describe the fate of those who deny God's
existence, each sentence ending with "which is
it, of the favours of your Lord, that ye deny?"
Section 3: The rewards for the
righteous, verses 46-78
"But for him who feareth the
standing before his Lord there are two gardens. Which is it, of the favours of
your Lord, that ye deny?" (Verses 46-47)
"Reclining upon couches lined
with silk brocade, the fruit of both the gardens near to hand. Which is it, of
the favours of your Lord, that ye deny? Therein are those of modest gaze, whom
neither man nor jinni will have touched before them. Which is it, of the
favours of your Lord, that ye deny?" (Verses 54-57)
These verses describe the state
of bliss the God-fearing will enjoy in a number of allegories. Each ending with
the same sentence once more (for example, verses 54-57). Whatever
a dweller of paradise desires it will be made available to him or her-blessings
and blessings, more and more, with no limitations.
Rapidly moving on to Surah 56,
Al-Waaqia (The Inevitable). The Surah was revealed at Mecca and contains 96
verses in 3 sections.
Surah 56, Al-Waaqia (The
Inevitable)
Sections 1 & 2: The three
kinds of groups of men, verses 1-74
"When the event befalleth - There
is no denying that it will befall - Abasing (some), exalting (others); When the
earth is shaken with a shock And the hills are ground to powder So that they
become a scattered dust." (Verses 1-6)
"And ye will be three kinds:
(First) those on the right hand; what of those on the right hand? And (then)
those on the left hand; what of those on the left hand? And the foremost in the
race, the foremost in the race." (Verses 7-10)
"We created you. Will ye then
admit the truth? Have ye seen that which ye emit? Do ye create it or are We the
Creator? We mete out death among you, and We are not to be outrun," (Verses 57-60)
"And verily ye know the first
creation. Why, then, do ye not reflect? Have ye seen that which ye cultivate?
Is it ye who foster it, or are We the Fosterer?" (Verses 62-64)
"Have ye observed the water which
ye drink? Is it ye who shed it from the raincloud, or are We the Shedder? If We
willed We verily could make it bitter. Why then, give ye not thanks?" (Verses 68-70)
There are three kinds of people
on the Day of Judgement as described above. 1) The people of the right hand are
those who made mistakes but turned in repentance to Allah within reasonable time
and thereafter lived a pious life. Their rewards are described in verses 27-40.
2) The people of the left hand
are those who did not believe in Allah, His book and His last Prophet lived in
sin and died in disbelief. Their agony and torment is described in verses 41-56.
3) "The foremost in the race" are those who were always the quickest and
readiest to accept Allah's message and to give life, property and position in
the service of Allah. They reached the highest degree in submission to Allah's
will and spiritual understanding, such as the messengers and Prophets of Allah
and their divinely chosen successors. Their rewards are described in verses
10-26.
Verses 57-74 then describes some of the various
bounties of Allah and asks how they can be ignored by some. We should be giving
thanks to Allah at all times.
Section 3: None touch the Quran
but the purified ones, verses 75-96
"Nay, I swear by the places of
the stars - And lo! that verily is a tremendous oath, if ye but knew - That
(this) is indeed a noble Qur'an In a Book kept hidden Which none toucheth save
the purified, A revelation from the Lord of the Worlds." (Verses 75-80)
"Why, then, when (the soul)
cometh up to the throat (of the dying) And ye are at that moment looking - And
We are nearer unto him than ye are, but ye see not - Why then, if ye are not in
bondage (unto Us), Do ye not force it back, if ye are truthful?" (Verses 83-87)
An oath when pronounced by
Allah means His calling to witness some of the great and special objects of His
creation to make an extraordinary announcement-the Quran is noble, well guarded
in a hidden book, and only the thoroughly purified can achieve real contact
with its true meaning. Verse 78 says that the Quran is treasured and
preserved in a well guarded book implying that it is the recitation which is in
our hands, not the actual book. Therefore the well-guarded book was known to
the Holy Prophet, and from the heart of the Holy Prophet this heavenly treasure
was transferred to the twelve Imams of the Ahlul-Bayt, the thoroughly purified.
Verses 83-87 challenge the disbelievers to try and
placate death and turn away from it if what they say is true. Of course this is
not possible by anyone apart from Allah. No one else has the authority. The end
of the Surah repeats once more how the virtuous will be rewarded and the wicked
shall be punished.
Onto Surah 57, Al-Hadid (The
Iron). It was revealed at Madina and has 29 verses in 4 sections.
Surah 57, Al-Hadid (The Iron)
Sections 1 & 2: The Kingdom
of God & Charity, a goodly loan to God, verses 1-19
"All that is in the heavens and
the earth glorifieth Allah; and He is the Mighty, the Wise. His is the
Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth; He quickeneth and He giveth death;
and He is Able to do all things." (Verses 1-2)
"Believe in Allah and His
messenger, and spend of that whereof He hath made you trustees; and such of you
as believe and spend (aright), theirs will be a great reward. What aileth you
that ye believe not in Allah, when the messenger calleth you to believe in your
Lord, and He hath already made a covenant with you, if ye are believers?" (Verses 7-8)
"And what aileth you that ye
spend not in the way of Allah when unto Allah belongeth the inheritance of the
heavens and the earth? Those who spent and fought before the victory are not
upon a level (with the rest of you). Such are greater in rank than those who
spent and fought afterwards. Unto each hath Allah promised good. And Allah is
Informed of what ye do. Who is he that will lend unto Allah a goodly loan, that
He may double it for him and his may be a rich reward?" (Verse 10-11)
"On the day when thou (Muhammad)
wilt see the believers, men and women, their light shining forth before them
and on their right hands, (and wilt hear it said unto them): Glad news for you
this day: Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein ye are immortal. That
is the supreme triumph.
On the day when the hypocritical men
and the hypocritical women will say unto those who believe: Look on us that we
may borrow from your light! it will be said: Go back and seek for light! Then
there will separate them a wall wherein is a gate, the inner side whereof
containeth mercy, while the outer side thereof is toward the doom." (Verses 12-13)
"Is not the time ripe for the
hearts of those who believe to submit to Allah's reminder and to the truth
which is revealed, that they become not as those who received the scripture of
old but the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened, and
many of them are evil-livers." (Verse 16)
"And those who believe in Allah
and His messengers, they are the loyal, and the martyrs are with their Lord;
they have their reward and their light; while as for those who disbelieve and
deny Our revelations, they are owners of hell-fire." (Verse 19)
Verses 1-6 reflect on the Kingdom of God, all
knowledge, power and authority belongs only to Allah. By obeying Allah, we
surrender voluntarily to his command. This voluntary course of action brings
him into the fold of the accepted religion of Allah preached by the Holy
Prophet. To Allah belongs the kingdom of the whole universe. It is His will
which operates the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them and
controls their functions through the laws made by Him.
Verse 10 highly recommends the act of charity
and spending in Allah's way. Imam Ali (as) has said ""Allah told the Holy
Prophet: "Wealth is Mine. The possessor of it is a trustee. The poor and
the have-nots of this world are My family. Woe unto those possessors of wealth
who do not discharge their duty concerning My trust." Verse 11 commends the act of charity as a
goodly loan to God which will receive great reward.
From verses 12-13 onwards, on the Day of Judgement the
light of their faith and their good deeds will guide the righteous to their
destination. The light in the right hand mentioned is the light of their good
deeds. The hypocrites will seek to have some of the light as they realise what
they have done in this world but it will be to no avail.
Section 3: The present life is
only a sport and a play, verses 20-25
"Know that the life of the world
is only play, and idle talk, and pageantry, and boasting among you, and rivalry
in respect of wealth and children; as the likeness of vegetation after rain,
whereof the growth is pleasing to the husbandman, but afterward it drieth up
and thou seest it turning yellow, then it becometh straw. And in the Hereafter
there is grievous punishment, and (also) forgiveness from Allah and His good
pleasure, whereas the life of the world is but matter of illusion." (Verse 20)
"Race one with another for
forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whereof the breadth is as the breadth
of the heavens and the earth, which is in store for those who believe in Allah
and His messengers. Such is the bounty of Allah, which He bestoweth upon whom
He will, and Allah is of Infinite Bounty." (Verse 21)
"We verily sent Our messengers
with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance, that
mankind may observe right measure; and He revealed iron, wherein is mighty
power and (many) uses for mankind, and that Allah may know him who helpeth Him
and His messengers, though unseen. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty." (Verse 25)
Verse 20 highlights how the life in this world
is mere sport and play. Any idle talk, boasting, displaying of riches will
inevitably come to an end and wither away eventually. Blessings from Allah is
available to all that turn to him and take the spiritual harvest to store for
the hereafter which is why seeking forgiveness at every turn is strongly
advised in verse 21.
Section 4: Mockery not
prescribed by God, verses 26-29
"Then We caused Our messengers to
follow in their footsteps; and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow, and
gave him the Gospel, and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who
followed him. But monasticism they invented - We ordained it not for them -
only seeking Allah's pleasure, and they observed it not with right observance.
So We give those of them who believe their reward, but many of them are
evil-livers." (Verse 27)
"O ye who believe! Be mindful of
your duty to Allah and put faith in His messenger. He will give you twofold of
His mercy and will appoint for you a light wherein ye shall walk, and will
forgive you. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful; That the People of the Scripture may
know that they control naught of the bounty of Allah, but that the bounty is in
Allah's hand to give to whom He will. And Allah is of Infinite Bounty." (Verses 28-29)
The mockery of God by the
Christians who created the idea of the son of God has been criticised and
condemned in verse 27, their
punishment shall be great. However, those who follow God and his Prophet - for
them lies great reward as all grace is in Allah's hands and He bestows it upon
whomsoever he pleases.
That concludes Chapter 27,
apologies for the delay in completion of the post. Inshallah I shall return
later today with Chapter 28 which covers Surahs 58-66.
Thank you for reading.
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