In this post, insha’Allah we will take a whirlwind tour of the first third or so of Surah Naazi’aat, a great and powerful surah of the Qur’an. Then insha’Allah we will go back and dive into more details (particularly in the Arabic side of things).

Allah says:

وَالنَّازِعَاتِ غَرْقًا
وَالنَّاشِطَاتِ نَشْطًا
وَالسَّابِحَاتِ سَبْحًا
فَالسَّابِقَاتِ سَبْقًا
فَالْمُدَبِّرَاتِ أَمْرًا

Translation: By those [angels] who extract with violence, and [by] those who remove with ease, and [by] those who glide [as if] swimming, and those who race each other in a race, and those who arrange [each] matter, … [Surah Nazi'at, verses 1-5]

These ayaat describe attributes of angels:

• Ripping Out: Gharq (غَرْق) means to rip out, to yank out, to extract harshly. If you had a tree and you uprooted it, roots and all, that would be gharq. This refers to the angels who remove the souls of the corrupt and the evil-doers.
• Gently Pulling: Verse two contrasts verse one by mentioning nasht (نَشْط), which is like a gentle pulling. This refers to the angels that remove the souls of the righteous believers.
• Swimming: Verse three refers to angels who swim through the air; they are described as swimming.
• Racing: Verse four refers to angels who are racing; racing the souls of the righteous to Jannah.
• Al-Mudabiraat: Al-Mudabiraat are those angelswho settle the affairs of deen and dunya, in the dunya. They take care of floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, among other things. Their name, al-mudabiraat, also implies that they are thorough planners and executers of those plans.

All of these are aqsaam (oaths), which is typical in Mecci surahs. What is Allah (‘azza wa jal) swearing to?

يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الرَّاجِفَةُ
تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ
قُلُوبٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاجِفَةٌ
أَبْصَارُهَا خَاشِعَةٌ

Translation: On the Day the blast [of the Horn] will convulse [creation], there will follow it the subsequent [one]. Hearts, that Day, will tremble, their eyes humbled. [Surah An-Nazi'aat, ayahs 5-9]

Ayah six is the implied maqsoom alayhi (the thing being sworn to): that you will return to Us, and will have an exact recompense. It’s implied from this verse.

An interesting phrase is:

تَرْجُفُ الرَّاجِفَةُ

“Tarjifu raajifat” — the thing meant to rattle and shake (ar-rajifaat), shakes and rattles (tarjifu). In another verse, Allah says “tarjufu al-ardu wal-jibaalu” (the Earth and the mountains shake and rattle), so we know that’s what is being referred to.

But this profoundly points at the nature of the Earth and the mountains. Their end is to shake and rattle. And it’s an uncomfortable shaking, uncomfortable on those who are on the thing that shakes.

Verse seven says:

تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ

“Tatba’u raadifah” (ar-raadifah follows it): raadifah is the guy who’s sitting in the back of your car. Whatever happens to you, happens to him. The ‘ulama agree that ar-raajifah, the first shaking, is because of the first trumpet when everything in existence dies; and ar-raadifah is from the second trumpet, the resurrection.

Verse eight talks about hearts will tremble (waajifah) and shake on that day. But Allah says quloob, some hearts. That means some hearts will be secure on that day; the hearts of those who will not have fear on the Day of Horror. And waajifah is a fearthat makes your heart pound. Fear of what their deeds will show.

In verse nine, Allah says:

أَبْصَارُهَا خَاشِعَةٌ

Khaashiyah is a fear that shows visibly on your face. And subhanallah, those people who did not pray and show khushoo’ to Allah in the dunya, will have no choice but to show it in the akhirah.

In the next three verses, Allah (‘azza wa jal) says:

يَقُولُونَ أَإِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِي الْحَافِرَةِ
أَإِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا نَّخِرَةً
قَالُوا تِلْكَ إِذًا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةٌ

Translation: They are [presently] saying, “Will we indeed be returned to [our] former state [of life]? Even if we should be decayed bones? They say, “That, then, would be a losing return.”

This is a mocking statement of people who denied the ressurection. Marduwdoona means to walk back exactly in your steps; imagine if you walk through fresh snow, leaving tracks. Marduwdoona would mean to march back across those same exact steps.

Just like the way we were created, we will be recreated.

Verse 12 is almost a sarcastic mockery — “in that case, we’re going to be in big trouble!” It’s not a statement of sincerity, but one of ridicule.

As if in answer to them, Allah (‘azza wa jal) then says:

فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجْرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ
فَإِذَا هُم بِالسَّاهِرَةِ

Translation: Indeed, it will be but one shout, and suddenly they will be [alert] upon the earth’s surface. [Surah An-Naziat, verses 13-14]

These ayahs need no explanation. The trumpet will be blown, twice (or thrice), and then we will all find ourselves back to life, waiting for reckoning.

These are ayahs for us to think on and contemplate. The Day of Resurrection is coming. Soon. It’s as close as your own grave; don’t be like those who deny it, or procrastinate preparing for it. Prepare now. (An easy way to do so is share bits of this tafseer with someone you know — a friend, or family member.)

May Allah, Al-Aleem, give us the tawfeeq to learn and implement these ayaat in our lives, ameen!!

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.
• Tafseer of Surah At-Takwir. By Nouman Ali Khan – Bayyinah Institute.

In this post, we will insha’Allah do a word-for-word breakdown of each surah, as space permits.

In the first ayah, Allah (subhannahu wa ta’ala) says:

لَا أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ

The first two words, laa uqsimu (لَا أُقْسِمُ) literally means “I do not swear.” Uqsimu is mudaari’ mutakallim waahid, i.e. the single, gender-non-specific first person “I.” It appears to be on Baab I, but there’s a hint that it’s not–the dumma on the first letter. Check the comments insha’Allah for more clarification; the mudaari’ is yuqsimu; it’s a four-letter root (aqsama اقسم) in maadi’ (past-tense).

And–as we mentioned in the tafseer–knowing the tafseer, we know this is not literal; it’s best translated as an oath (which it is).

The latter part of the ayah, bi haadhal-balad (بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ) has a badal in it–the clue is that you see that al-balad is majroor (with kasra) without any apparent reason for it; then you notice haadhaa (ismul-ishaara bil qareeb), and the alif-lam before balad, which is the recipe for badal: one part common noun preceeded by alif-lam, and one part ismu-ishaarah (demonstrative pronoun) preceeding it.

And as you probably remember, badal means that the haadha passes on the kasra from the bi (which is a harf–jarr or preposition) onto the balad.

Precisely the same badal occurs in ayah #2–”anta hillun bi haadhal-balad.”

In ayah four, Allah says:

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ

I harped on this ayah quite a bit in the tafseer. Notice the linguistic emphasis–the use of lam (one emphasis), plus qad (another emphasis). This, from the words of Allah themselves (something we should pay attention to), makes us realize just how important it is to understand this ayah.

In ayah five, Allah says:

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ

A bit of more advanced grammar here — Allah says “lan yaqdira (لَّن يَقْدِرَ).” It’s not “lan yaqdiru” because lan modifies a mudaari’ (present-tense) verb to become mansoob (with fatha) instead of it’s usual marfoo’ (with damma). If you know this rule, it’s easier to remember the last vowel!

Then, in verses eight to ten, Allah (‘azza wa jal) says:

أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ
وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ
وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ

If you notice, all the final words of all these verses end with -ayn, the majroor/mansoob form of the dual (eg. kitabaani–two books–becomes kitabayni). Regardless of why, listen to these three ayaat–they actually rhyme. Aside from the miracle of how Allah (‘azza wa jal) made it rhyme and made the meaning impressively impressive, shaykh Nouman Khan mentioned that this is how you can identify one discourse (discussion on one topic) from another in the Qur’an–by the use of rhyme schemes. Subhanallah, this is just one part of the Qur’an that you cannot ever grasp purely through translation.

Skipping forward, in verse 14, Allah says:

أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ

The word dhiy (ذِي) is actually the majroor form of dhuw (ذو). Dhuw is one of those “five” weird words that change their form to show the case–dhuw (owner of), fuw (mouth), akhun (brother), abu (father), and one more, if I recall. The marfoo’ form is dhuw, the majroor is dhiy, and the mansoob is dhaa (ذا).

Here, it’s dhiy because it’s an adjective (na’at) of yawm, which is majroor.

And with that, insha’Allah we will close on the Arabic analysis. If you have any questions or comments–on this in particular, or on any part of the surah in terms of meaning and grammar–insha’Allah post it in the comments or on twitter, and we’ll try to respond with the right answer, bi idhnillah.

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.
• Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Nouman Ali Khan – Bayyinah. 2009.

Bismillah

This is a translation from the original article in Arabic.

1- It is a cause to receive the Love of Allah azza wa jal. The Most High says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves. (2:222)

2- It is a cause of success. The Most High says:

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

And all of you beg Allah to forgive you, O believers, that you may be successful. (24:31)

3- It is a cause of the acceptance of the deeds of a slave and pardoning of his sins. The Most High says:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُو عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ

And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and pardons sins. (42:25)

and The Most High says:

وَمَن تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَإِنَّهُ يَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَتَابًا

And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allah with true repentance. (25:71)

4- It is a cause of entrance into Jannah and safety from the Hell-Fire. The Most High says:

فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا

But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil. Except those who repent, believe and do righteousness; for those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged at all. (19:59-60)

5- It is a cause of forgiveness and mercy. The Most High says:

وَالَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِهَا وَآمَنُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

But those who committed evil deeds and then repented afterward and believed, verily, your Lord after (all) that is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (7:153)

6- It is a cause in the changing of evil deeds into good deeds. The Most High says:

وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

And whoever does this shall be thrown the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace; Except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (25:68-70)

7- It is a cause of [receiving] every good. The Most High says:

فَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ

So if you repent, it is better for you. (9:3)

and The Most High says:

فَإِن يَتُوبُوا يَكُ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ

If then they repent, it will be better for them. (9:74)

8- It is a cause of emaan and [receiving] a great reward. The Most High says:

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِاللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

Except those who repent, do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allah, and purify their religion for Allah, then they will be with the believers. And Allah will grant the believers a great reward. (4:146)

9- It is a cause of the sending of blessings from the sky and an increase in strength. The Most High says:

وَيَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَىٰ قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِينَ

“And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him, He will send you (from the sky) abundant rain, and add strength to your strength, so do not turn away as criminals. (11:52)

10-It is a cause of [receiving] the supplication of the Angels for those who repent. The Most High says:

الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَّحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ

Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (saying): “Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your Way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire! (40:7)

11- It is obeying the Will of Allah, azza wa jal. The Most High says:

وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ

And Allah desires that He should turn to you (in repentance). (4:27) So the one who repents is doing what Allah loves and Pleases Him.

12- Allah becomes happy with the repentance of His slave. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Truly, Allah is happier with the repentance of His slave than one of you who is on his mount, and upon his mount is his drink and food; then he loses his mount in the desert, and he searches for it until he loses hope; so he sleeps and then wakes up to find that his mount is beside him, and he says, ‘O’ Allah, you are my slave and I am your Lord’. He pronounced this mistake as a result of extreme happiness.” [Muslim]

This is post #31 in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma (click the link to see all posts in this series).

As per the poll on our twitter account, there was consensus on their being a post on grammatical analysis of Surah Qaari’ah. So here you go insha’Allah.

Standard Disclaimer: I am not an Arab (as in, fluent in Arabic) nor have I double-checked this in books of ‘ulama discussing grammar; there is sometimes difference of opinion in grammar, as well; so take it as such insha’Allah.

Let’s go word-by-word insha’Allah.

• Al-Qaari’ah (الْقَارِعَةُ): (verse 1) Notice that it ends with ta-marbuwta, the little funny face-like letter. This means that if you stop on that letter, it’s pronounced as a haa; and if you keep going, it’s pronounced as a taa. So you can say “Al-Qaari’ah” or “Al-Qaariatu … [continuing on].” I know in Indo-Pak lands, they always pronounce it as a ta; but that’s not correct.
• Wa Maa Adaraaka Maa Al-Qaari’ah (وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ): (verse 3) This phrase occurs often enough in the Qur’an; let’s dissect it more insha’Allah.
• Wa (وَ): And. Shortest word in the Arabic language!
• Maa (مَا): Maa can have lots of meanings. Here, it’s ismu-istifhaam, aka the interrogative particle, aka the question-mark. In English, we put a question-mark at the end of a sentence; in Arabic, we use maa, or a (أ), or hal (هَل).
• Adraaka (أَدْرَاكَ): Adraa is a verb; the maf’ool (recipient of the verb) is “ka,” which means “you” (singular, second-person, masculine). Even though it’s masculine, in Arabic, if you don’t know the person you’re speaking to, you can refer to them in the masculine gender, singular or plural. (Plural is more respectful.)
• Maa (مَا): The second maa in this phrase is also ismu-istifhaam (the question-mark); if we just chopped the phrase before this word, we would get: maa Al-Qaariah? What is Al-Qaari’ah?
• Yawma (يَوْمَ): Yawmun means “a day.” Al-Yawm, means the day. Yawma is definite (with single tanween–yawma, not yawman) but it eludes me why it’s definite and mansoob (with fatha). It looks like it might be mudaaf, but where’s the mudaaf ilayh?
• Yakuwnu (يَكُونُ): (verse 4) Yakuwnu is the third-person, singular, masculine, present-tense form of kaana. Kaana means “he was,” and yakuwnu is “he is.” What does it refer to? See the next word.
• An-Naas (النَّاسُ): An-Naas is an interesting word. It’s a singular word, but refers to a plural (humankind); some scholars say it comes from the root nasiya/yansaa, to forget–because human nature is to forget. Here, it’s marfoo’ (with dumma: an-naasu) so we know it’s the faa’il (doer) of yakuwnu. By the way, this is the norm in Arabic–to put the verb before the doer, unlike in English.
• Ka (كَ): Not “you,” but ka here is the particle of comparison–you can translate it as “is like” or “as like (the example of)” or something similar. The thing that it’s comparing to (eg. the “you” in “like you”) is always majroor (with kasra).
• Al-Faraash (الْفَرَاشِ): Faraash means moths–those butterfly-like beings; see the picture at the top of the post. We know it’s the thing that An-Naas is compared to, because it’s majroor (with kasra).
• Al-Mabthooth (الْمَبْثُوثِ): Scattered. Notice it has the same a) number, b) gender, c) case (kasra) and d) definitivity (alif-lam) as Al-Faraashi; this marks it as an adjective. Again, unlike English, in Arabic, the adjective comes after the word it describes.
• Takuwnu (تَكُونُ): (verse 5) In Arabic, the mudaari’ (present-tense verb) has the same form for “you” (masculine singular 2nd-person) and “she” (feminine singular 3rd-person). That form is–you guessed it–takuwnu. How do you know what it refers to? By the context, of course–this is why Arabs (as in, those fluent in Arabic) must constantly apply their brains when reading, writing, speaking, and listening in (Classical/Fushaa) Arabic. It’s not like English!
• Al-Jibaalu (الْجِبَالُ): That was easy. Al-Jibaal is the plural of jabal (mountain). It’s marfoo’, and it’s obviously the faa’il (because it’s marfoo’ with damma). But wait a minute–we said takuwnu is for she and you. But Al-Jibaal is neither–it’s a masculine plural! What’s going on? The answer is, Arabic treats the non-human plural as feminine singular. Read all about it at Arabic Tree (if you’re interested). It’s complicated, I know. That’s why Al-Jibaal works with takuwnu.
• Ka Al-’ahni Al-Manfooshi: Same structure as ka al-faraashi al-mabthooth.
• Fa (فَ): Fa has a couple of meanings that I know of; one is to indicate something that happens immediately after something else; the other meaning is the one used here–to section out a group into sections. Eg. if you have two people, Muhammad and Musa, you can say “fa Muhammad, he is a doctor; and fa Musa, he is a teacher.” Translated usually as “as for.” The rest of this verse gives you the section–the one who is heavy in deeds.
• Man (مَن): Who. It’s ismu-istifhaam (question-mark–eg. “who are you?”) but not here. Man, since it means “who,” can also mean “anyone” or “the person who.”
• Thaqulat (ثَقُلَتْ): Heavy. The commonly-used form is thaqeel.
• Mawaaziynu (مَوَازِينُ): Mawaaziyn is the plural of mizaan. Mizaan is like a weighing scale with two ends that you can use to compare two things; mawaaziyn is plural. Al-Mizaan refers to the scale that will weigh our good and bad deeds on the Yawm-ul-Qaari’ah. Notice also it’s definite with single tanween (mawaazeenu), which is a hint it might be mudaaf (possessed object in a possessive case construct).
• Hu (هُ): The mudaaf ilayh. Hu is the majroor/mansoob version of huwa; so together with mawaazeen, we get the translation “his scales.” And the “he” refers to “man” earlier in the verse.
• Fa (فَ): (verse 7) This is the other meaning of fa–something that happens immediately after something else. Subhanallah it’s like the one who is heavy in his mawaazeen, fa huwa fiy ‘ishaat ar-raadi’a.
• Fiy (فِي): In. Standard harf-ul-jarr, where’s the majroor?
• ‘Iyshatin (عِيشَةٍ): It’s majroor because of fiy. It means life. It’s indefinite, so it means “a life.”
• Raadiyah (رَّاضِيَةٍ): Pleasant. You can see the root verb–radiya, to be pleased with (as in: radiallahu ‘anhu, Allah is pleased with them). Notice it’s the same a) number (singular) b) gender (feminine) c) case (majroor) d) definitivity (indefinite) as ‘ishaat–making it an adjective.
• Fa amma man khaffat mawaaziynuhu (وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ): (verse 8) Exactly the same construct as verse 6; except Allah uses khaffat, light; the commonly-used word is khafeef.
• Fa ummuhu (فَأُمُّهُ): (verse 9) Fa is the same particle of immediately-following as in verse 7. Ummun means a mother; Ummu is definite (single tanween), and it is, as you might guess, mudaaf; the mudaaf ilayhi is “hu.” Ummuhu, therefore, means “his mother.”
• Haawiyah (هَاوِيَةٌ): An abyss. If you’re non-Arab like me, you might say, “what IS this haawiyah thing?”
• Wa maa adraaka maa hiya (وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَ): Precisely the question posed in our minds. What is haawiyah?
• Naarun haamiyah (نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ): Naarun means “a fire.” Haamiyatun means, intensely hot; note that these two match in the number, gender, case, and (in)definitiveness; they are na’at and man’oot, the adjective case. This is, of course, a glimpse of what is haawiyah; as we mentioned in the tafseer, we can never know fully what it is.

Wallahu ta’ala a’lam.

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.

Reason of Revelation

The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) told the companions about a man of the previous nations; a man who lived and fought jihad for over 1000 months (roughly 83 years, 4 months). (In case you didn’t know, the previous nations lived longer than us–like Prophet Nuh (alayhi salaam), who did da’wah for nearly 1000 years.)

The companions were amazed, and they said: how can we compete with him?

And subhanallah, this is a gem. Look at the companions. They prioritized and competed for the akhirah. Subhanallah to the point that, they don’t just try to do “some good deeds before I die;” not enough. They competed with each other–but even that was not enough. Rather, they competed with all of the Muslims, ever, starting from the time of Prophet Adam, until the Day of Judgment.

We need to really look at ourselves and see, how much are we like them? Or are we just vying for bigger houses, better cars–more dunya?

O son of Adam! Dunya will avail you nothing when you’re dead. You go to your cold, dark grave, alone, with only one thing: your deeds. So be like the companions, and race to do good deeds.

So they asked, how can we compete with this man? And Allah revealed Surah Qadar:

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ
لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ
سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ

Translation: Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree (Laylatul-Qadar). And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.[Surah Qadar]

Striving For Laylatul-Qadar

Mujahid (rahimahullah), one of the prominent mufassireen of the tabi’een said: the prayer and fasting on this day is like continuous prayer and fasting for 1000 years.

So if you live the average age that Rasulullahi (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said his ummah will live, 63 years, and reach puberty at 15 (which is the latest), you can get roughly 40,000 years worth of good deeds just through Laylatul-Qadar. Subhanallah, this is the mercy of Allah to our ummah.

The key of this whole surah is that we should vye for Laylatul-Qadar. If I recall correctly (someone please double-check this and post a comment), there are hadith narrating that Laylatul-Qadar is:

• One of the last ten nights
• One of the last seven nights
• One of the last odd nights (eg. 21, 23, …)
• The 23rd
• The 25th
• The 27th
• The 29th

So the point is not to know, and pray extra one night; the point is to do so for the last ten nights. And since there are always at least two groups of Muslims, one starting after the other, you never know which opinion is right–so it could be any of the last ten nights, not just the last ten odd nights.

So if you’re a student–get your assignments done early, and budget ahead so you can focus on ‘ibaadah the last ten nights. If you work, try and take vacation days in the last 10, 5, 3, nights–whatever you can manage.

Three Points From the Tafseer

The tafseer of this surah is expansive, so I’ll just touch briefly on some points insha’Allah that you may not know.

• Revealed in Laylatul-Qadar: Allah says: We revealed it in Laylatul-Qadar. It, meaning Al-Qur’an. But wait; wasn’t it revealed gradually over 23 years? So what does this verse mean? Scholars say, based on other ahadith, that it means Allah revealed the Qur’an, in totality, to Baytul-Izza, a secure place somewhere in the dunya. From there, Jibreel (alayhi salaam) would bring it down piecemeal to Rasulillah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) on-demand.
• Angels = Mercy: Angels are a sign of Allah’s mercy—mercy which He sends down this night. Rasulullahi (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The angels do not enter a house which contains a picture, a dog, or a man who is in janaabah. [Sunan Abu Dawud] [source] With pictures, some people say “well, I don’t need angels in my house.” But, realize that angels are a sign of Allah’s mercy. If angels are gone, Allah’s mercy is also gone. Who can live without that? Can you even take a breath without Allah’s mercy? So don’t be so quick to dispose of it. And besides, that only leaves one other group of unseen agents to “help” you–the shayateen.
• Peace: In the last verse, regarding the world salam–peace–there are some scholars who mention that this means that Allah does not decree anyone going into Hellfire on this day. And there are scholars who mention that this means that Allah will not cause any earthquakes, plagues, or other natural disasters on this day. What a great day!

Signs of Laylatul-Qadar

One question that might arise is, “how do I know if it’s laylatul-qadar?” You don’t!–the point is to work hard in the last ten nights. But here are is one sign to point you in the right direction:

Abu Hurayrah mentions (radiallahu ‘anhu): We mentioned laylatul-qadr to the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and he said: Which of you remembers when the moon rises and it is like half a bowl? [Saheeh Muslim] [source]

What are other signs of laylatul-qadar? Post them in the comments insha’Allah, and link back to the text of the hadith that mentions it.

Tonight’s the Night!

‘Aisha (radiallahu ‘anhaa) asked the Messenger of Allah a very smart question: “if we know that tonight is laylatul-qadar, what should we do?” How can we maximize our deeds this great day? What’s the one, best thing to say or do?

And he responded: Say: “Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun, tuhibbu al-’afwaan, fa’affuw ‘anniy.” (اللهم انك عفو تحب العفو فاعف عني) Meaning? O Allah, YOU are Al-Affuw–the one who obliterates sins and leaves not even a trace of them–and you love Al-Afwaan, the ones who ask for ‘affaw; so ‘affuw (obliterate, destroy, disintrigrate, remove, annhialate) my sins. [Bukhari] [source]

Arabic Word Analysis

It’s been a while since we did word-for-word in-depth, so we’re going to do it this time insha’Allah. Again, the focus is on grammar; and this is all my understanding–I didn’t verify in the books of Tafseer, I only compared to the Saheeh International translation (since they use groups of scholars for their translation).

• Inna (إِنَّا): Inna is a particle of emphasis. Inna belongs to a group of words called “Inna and it’s sisters” (literally: inna wa akhawaatuhaa). Inna changes the mubtada to ismu-inna, and the khabar to khabru-inna; grammatically, khabru-inna is mansoob (usually with fatha); this is how you know what’s being emphasized.
• Anzalnaa hu (أَنزَلْنَاهُ): We revealed it. Anzalnaa comes from nazala, which means to descend or go down; anzalnaa is “we sent down” (the original is anzala). Hu, it, is the maf’ool, the recipient of the anzala–the “what” we sent down. We know this because it’s marfoo’; it’s not “huwa,” it’s “hu.” And what is this it? Nothing less than Al-Qur’an Al-Kaeem.
• Fiy (فِي): In. Fiy is a prepositon (hafu-jarr); the thing it modifies becomes majroor, usually with kasra. Prepositions change in meaning depending on context, but here, and generally, fiy means “in.”
• Laylatul-Qadar (لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ): Literally, the night of Al-Qadar. Scholars say it means that it means the night that Allah ordains the qadar of people for the next year. (It’s a mudaf/mudaf-ilayh combination; evidenced by the single tanween on layl, and the kasra on qadar)
• Wa maa adaraaka, maa (وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا): This phrase means, “and what will make you know, what [blank] is?” maa is ismu-istifhaam, the interrogative particle (aka a question-mark). This phrase, when it appears, means: “And you will NEVER understand what [blank] is. But here’s a taste …” so an explanation follows.
• Khayrun (خَيْرٌ): Khayr means good; or it can be ism tafdeel, the comparative/superlative; in this case, it’s the comparative–better, not best. We know this, since it’s used with “min.”
• Min (مِّنْ): Mean usually means “from.” When used with ism tafdeel, it means “than.” i.e. “x min y”, x is better than y. Also, a tip from the realm of tajweed: notice the shaddah on the meem? That’s because you use yarmaluwn when you recite khayrun–noon with double-tanween, followed by one of the letters of yarmaluwn. This is why I love the Saudi mushaf–it gives you these helpful hints.
• Alf (أَلْفِ): Alif means 1000. It’s majroor (with kasra), and it comes after min, so we know it’s the majroor of min, and the thing we’re comparing to. “Better than 1000 …” But wait. Why does it have single tanween, not double (i.e. alfi, not alfin)? The answer is … look at the next word.
• Shahr (شَهْرٍ): Sharh means month. Notice the double-tanween kasra here; combined with the single-kasra on alfi, makes us conclude that this is a mudaf/mudaf-ilayh pair (possessive case). But actually, it’s complicated–it’s how the number system works at 1000. The number digit is the possessor, and the thing we’re counting (months) is plural and the possessed (mudaf), hence the kasra.
• Tanazzalu (تَنَزَّلُ): You can see the root-word here–nazala. Nazala means “descend,” nazzala (shaddah on the za) means a more intense form of descending. The ta hints that it might be fi’l mudaari’, the present-/future-tense. The “ta” also hints that the doer is either you (second-preson) or she (third-person); let’s see who’s doing the descending.
• Al-Malaaikah (الْمَلَائِكَةُ): The angels. It means, literally, it means “the angel” (malaikah is single); but using alif-lam with a singular sometimes means the whole species of something. Like An-Naas; naas is a singular word, but An-Naas means the human species. It’s the faa’il (doer), because of the damma (it’s marfoo’). It’s the one doing the descending.
• Wa Ar-Ruh (وَالرُّوحُ): Ar-Ruh literally means, “the spirit.” Sometimes it refers to Jibreel (alayhi salaam). It’s also marfoo’, so it’s also the faa’il, and it’s descending.
• Fiyhaa (فِيهَا): Fiy, we know; haa, is the majroor/mansoob of “hiya.” It means here, “in it.” What it? Laylatul-Qadar. (Layl is also feminine; so we know it’s that.)
• Bi (بِ): Another harfu-jarr. Usually means “with.”
• Idhn (إِذْنِ): Permission.It’s majroor (with kasra) because of bi. The single tanween hints at another idaafah (possessive) case; which is right. It’s also the mudaaf.
• Rabbihim (رَبِّهِم): Rabb means, Allah; Allah is Ar-Rab, the creator/owner/sustainer of everything; and also, in this case, the owner of idhn, the permission. Also, “rabbihim” is itself an idaafah case; rabb has single tanween, and him is the mudaf. “With the permission of their lord.” Or literally, “with the permission of the lord of them.”
• Min (مِّن): From. See earlier comments.
• Kulli (كُلِّ): Every. It’s majroor because of min.
• Amr (أَمْرٍ): Command. Or, affair (as in, our matter). Root verb is amara, to command.
• Salaam (سَلَامٌ): Peace. Ikhtilaaf about what it refers to in this verse. It’s also the khabr. But then again, isn’t an indefinite khabar not allowed in Arabic grammar? Well, Allah can do whatever He wants. Don’t be too hardcore about grammar.
• Hiya (هِيَ): She. Or it. Here, “it”–laylatul-qadar.
• Hatta (حَتَّى): Until. A particle of time. So it makes the thing it’s talking about, majroor. See next word.
• Matla’ (مَطْلَعِ): A noun of some sort. I’m going to hypothesize here and say that the “ma” implies, as it sometimes does, the place of something (eg. masjid–the place of sujood). That would make the root verb would be tala’a, which means to emerge, or to rise, or something along those lines. Again, notice the single tanween–idaafah. And why is it majroor? Because of hatta.
• Al-Fajr (الْفَجْرِ): Al-Fajr refers to the time at which the darkness of night starts receeding–dawn. Salat-ul-Fajr, therefore, is the salah of the time Al-Fajr. The root word is fajara, which means to split open, break open, break though; because the dawn breaks through the darkness of night.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam. Don’t forget to post your ahadith about signs of laylatul-qadar, insha’Allah, in the comments!

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.

This is post #23 in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma (click the link to see all posts in this series).

Allah says, in Surah Tawheed, also known as Surah Ikhlas:

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

Translation: Say, “He is Allah , [who is] One, Allah , the Eternal Refuge [As-Samad], He neither begets (gives birth to) nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.” [Surah Ikhlas]

The tafseer of this great surah, Surah Ikhlas is very, very extensive; volumes of books have been written on it. One of our writers, Abdul-Ahad, may Allah bless him and increase him in his nearness to Allah, has written very extensively about this surah. Therefore, I will suggest to you some great readings about this great surah, and instead, break down the Arabic grammar word by word.

Tafseer of Surah Ikhlas

• You Are a Witness
• Who Can Recite a Third of the Qur’an Tonight? by Abdul-Ahad
• A Command Like No Other: Surah Ikhlas – Pt.1 (Salat 101)
• The Ones in Need: Surah Ikhlas – Pt. 2 (Salat 101)
• The Unborn: Surah Ikhlas – Pt. 3 (Salat 101)
• The Complete: Surah Ikhlas – Pt.4 (Salat 101)
• A Due Reward: Surah Ikhlas – Pt.5 (Salat 101)

Grammatical Analysis

• Qul (قُلْ): Say. It is a command (fi’l amr), both to the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam), in response to the question of the mushrikeen “tell us the lineage of your Lord,” and to us. There are four surahs that begin with qul–surah Ikhlas, Surah Naas, Surah Falaq, Surah Kafiroon. (We completed tafseer of all these surahs already, walhamdulillah.)
• Huwa (هُوَ): He, or it. One of the most common words you’ll come across. It’s technically third-person, singular, and masculine. In this case, it refers to Allah.
• Allah (اللَّهُ): This word is called laf dhuw jalaala (the honorable name) when we refer to it. Because it’s not proper to say “Allah is mansoob (having fatha on the last letter)” or “Allah is marfoo’ (having damma on the last letter)” when we speak about grammar.
• Ahad (أَحَدٌ): Ahad means “one.” Then again, wahid also means one; the difference is that, if I said I have wahid books, it means I have one book. Or two books. Or more books–”I have one book.” On the other hand, if I said I have ahad books … that means I have one and only one book. Not two. Not three. Just one. So here, he is Allah, Al-Ahad–the one, the unique (perhaps unique is a better translation of ahad).
• As-Samad (الصَّمَدُ): This is one of the names of Allah. It means the one who everybody depends on, but the one who doesn’t depend on anyone. Like if there was a fund-raiser and there’s only one person in the community who has the money, and he pays it–he can be described as samad. Allah is AS-Samad, THE samad, who we all depend on.
• Lam (لَمْ): Lam is a particle of negation similar to laa or maa or other negations. Lam makes mudaari’ (present/future-tense) verbs majzoom (having sukoon on the last letter).
• Yalid (يَلِدْ): Yalidu is mudaari’ (present/future-tense), singular, and masculine. It’s from the verb walada, which means to give birth to. It’s majzoom (yalid and not yalidu) because of lam.
• Wa (وَ): Wa by itself, means “and.”
• Yuwlad (يُولَدْ): This is the passive form of yalid (evidenced by the damma and fatha on the first and second letters). So “yalidu” means “he gives birth to,” and yuwladu means “he was given birth to.” It’s also majzoom, with sukoon, because of lam (it’s connected by the wa, which carries over the grammatical case, too).
• Yakun (يَكُن): Yakunu is the mudaari’ of kaana (he was). It means “he is.” Again, it’s majzoom because of lam.
• Lahu (لَّهُ): Lahu is the preposition “li” (for), and hu is the majroor version of huwa. So li + huwa = lahu, roughly translated as “for him.”
• Kufuwan (كُفُوًا): If you look in the fiqh books about the chapter of orphan girls, they must be married to someone of the same “kufwan,” someone of the same level and status and rank as she is. So here, it’s saying that there’s nobody at the same level as Allah–because he is Al-Ahad.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

Action Items:

• Memorize This Surah. If you haven’t already, memorize it; it’s very short and easy (and it rhymes!). And if you feel lazy, remember–there are literally thousands of children under the age of 7 who have done this. It’s that easy.
• Share Some Tafseer. If you have links to other (authentic) tafseer of this great surah, post a comment insha’Allah and share it with the world.

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.

We’re going to digress a bit and jump back to Surah Takweer. This post is based on Shaykh Nouman Khan’s tafseer, which heavily emphasizes the Arabic language. I hope you will find, as I found it, as a glimpse of a previously-unseen world, a depth of knowledge that just drips from the Arabic language.

Allah says, in surah Takweer:

إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ

Translation: When the sun is kuwwirat … [verse 1]

There are a lot of gems that we learn even from this first ayah:

• Idhaa + Past-Tense: Idhaa is an indicator of future-tense “when (something will happen).” Yet, kuwwirat is past-tense; why? This combination means something is so certain, it’s like past-tense. So Allah is saying “when this happens,” yet it’s certain that it WILL happen; as certain as the past is past.
• Nominal Sentence: The default in Arabic is to put the verb first–”kuwwirat ash-shamsu.” To reverse this into “ash-shamsu kuwwirat,” shows emphasis, and makes it a tougher, stronger sentence. This hints at the audience–Mushrikeen in Mecca, the worst and most obstinate of them, who are listening to this revelation.
• Passive Voice: Allah could have said, “When I wrap up the sun,” but He didn’t. Why? If you’re biased against someone (say a political party), no matter what they say, even before they open their mouth, you say, “psshh.” But here, passive-voice highlights the maf’ool, the recipient of the action–the sun, the stars–instead of the doer.

As for the meaning of kuwwirat, kawwara means to wrap something around something; it’s used in the context of a turban, something long, that’s wrapped around your head.

Allah is applying the same meaning here–that the light of the sun, something that’s long, will be kuwwirat, wrapped up. Wrapped up meaning, something will cover it, and it will no longer be visible; and it will be wrapped slowly, part by part disappearing–the same way that Allah described the day as wrapping around the night and the night wrapping around the day.

This is something scary–that you see the sun wrapped up, and losing its light. But there’s more …

وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انكَدَرَتْ

Translation: And when the stars are inkadarat … [verse 2]

Inkadarat is an interesting (past-tense) verb; the masculine singular is inkadara (in case you’re wondering). Inkadara has two shades of meanings–one is to lose colour. So the way that you see the stars, they will lose their colour and fade out; and the second meaning is to fall–fall, like shooting stars. So the stars will fade away, and they will fall …

And between these two–the sun, the most prominent feature of the day, and the stars, the most prominent feature of the night–when they fade away and are blacked-out, that’s something very serious and very frightening.

But there’s more …

وَإِذَا الْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ
وَإِذَا الْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ

Translation: And when the mountains are removed (meaning, when they move, like water moves), And when full-term she-camels are neglected, … [verse 3-4]

Mountains are like pegs. They never move. Ever. Not in a million years … but one day, they will move.

And the she-camel? This is the pregnant she-camel at ten months–right before it gives birth (‘ishaarah, from ‘ashara, ten); this is the point where it gives birth, and WHAM, that’s like $3000 right there, when your investment bears fruit.

And when the pregnant she-camels, that symbol of money, are neglected and useless. Like someone leaving their jewelry store unlocked and running away.

What would make a person do that?

وَإِذَا الْوُحُوشُ حُشِرَتْ

Translation: And when the wild beasts are gathered … [verse 5]

Hushirat means gathered; just like jam’aa; but here, hushirat means herded together, gathered by force. If you’ve ever seen like a huge flood, you might see two animals who are at each other’s necks normally, scrambling together on this little piece of land. They don’t even look at each other! What would make wild animals do that?

وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ سُجِّرَتْ
وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْ
وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ
بِأَيِّ ذَنبٍ قُتِلَتْ

Translation: And when the seas are filled with flame, and when the souls are paired (good with good people and bad with bad people), and when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked, for what sin she was killed? … [verses 6-9]

Arabs at the time of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to bury their daughters alive, because she would bring shame to her family. They would either do one of two things: the woman would go out, in labour, to a pre-dug grave; and if it’s a girl, throw her in right away and bury her. Or they might wait a few years, take her out to the middle of the desert, and get her to help dig the grave, then throw her in it and throw dirt on her.

And nobody would stand up for this little girl; yet Allah is asking her, speaking on her behalf, defending her. Think about this:

• She commited no sin. Yet she will be asked. So what of the one who killed her?
• Allah is not even SPEAKING to the murderer. They are not even worth talking to. Instead, He asks the victim.
• This little girl, who had nobody to defend her, has Qur’an revealed in her favour. Until the end of time.

This same jahil culture exists today (to a lesser extent, from what I know) in many, many cultures–they celebrate the boy’s birth, but are disgraced, disappointed, you name it, if it’s a girl.

And this act is put on the same scale as the destruction of the Earth at the end of time. That’s how serious it is.

وَإِذَا الصُّحُفُ نُشِرَتْ
وَإِذَا السَّمَاءُ كُشِطَتْ
وَإِذَا الْجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتْ
وَإِذَا الْجَنَّةُ أُزْلِفَتْ
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا أَحْضَرَتْ

Translation: And when the pages are made public, and when the sky is stripped away, and when Hellfire is set ablaze, and when Paradise is brought near, every soul will [then] know what it has brought [with it]. [verses 10-14]

Verse 14 is the answer to the idhaa. Every soul will know what it ahdarat.

Ahdarat is an interesting word; it has connotations of:

1. Remember everything. The person will remember, in vivid, vivid detail, everything that they did. Everything. Big or small.
2. Uncomfortable? It will be a remembering by force; like a person giving a presentation in front of other students in class, or in front of managers–not the most comfortable situation, and to some degree, forced.

What they sent and what they left behind. In the next surah, Surah Intifaar, Allah does tafseer of this ayah and mentions what souls sent forth, and what they left behind; sent forth, the way you send an email–it’s sent, and it’s done; and left behind?

There are two cases of leaving-behind: either it was something good–there was a fundraiser at a masjid, you had cash in your pocket or bank account, and you didn’t donate–that’s a deed you could’ve done, but left behind.

Or, your friends called you to go to the bar with them. Or you wanted to eat that delicious, roasted pork; but you didn’t. That’s a deed you could’ve done, but left behind. And you’ll be happy you did.

This is just a glimpse of the power of the Arabic language of the Qur’an, a mere drop in the proverbial ocean of knowledge. If you want more of this, check out Bayyinah’s live tafseer of Juz ‘Amma lectures , live every Wednesday at 8pm EST; or, you can listen to the recordings, available for free.

May Allah (subhannahu wa ta’ala) give us the tawfeeq to understand this great, great message that we’re getting–ameen ya rabbal alameen.

One other note–you’ll notice that all these verses rhyme; this is a consistent theme in the Qur’an, one technique that indicates that all these verses are related–one discourse. This is something you’ll never, ever get from any translation.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

References:

• Tafseer of Surah At-Takwir. By Nouman Ali Khan – Bayyinah Institute
• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.

Most of us know Surah Lahab. It’s one of the first one Muslim children learn these days. We’re going to breeze through the tafseer, then dive into one of the miracles, and finish up with some Arabic analysis.

Allah says:

تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ
مَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ
سَيَصْلَى نَاراً ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ
وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ
فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ

Translation:
May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he.
His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained.
He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame
And his wife [as well] – the carrier of firewood.
Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber. [Surah Lahab, verses 1-5]

Reason of Revelation

This verse was one of the first revealed in Mecca. You can find the full details in Tafsir ibn Kathir. The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) was told to proclaim the message; so he went up on a mountain.

In those days, when the Arabs attacked, they attacked right at Fajr time, when the most people were sleeping. If anyone saw this, they would get up on a mountain and say “waaaaaaaaaaaah subaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaah,” like “woe to you from an evil that’s coming in the morning.”

So the Prophet got up on the mountain, and he called each of the tribes, one by one, by name. And when they had all gathered–check this out–he said “If I told you all that the enemy was going to attack you in the morning, or in the evening, would you all believe me?” and they said “we’ve never experienced a lie from you.”

So he (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Verily, I am a warner (sent) to you all before the coming of a severe torment.”

And this was it! The chance for everyone to become Muslim, Mecca becomes conquered, Islam gets an established base and spreads out of Arabia …

… and Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Prophet, said: “Have you gathered us for this? Tabba lak (may you perish).”

And Allah revealed Surah Lahab.

Points to Consider

• Syed. Abu Lahab was “syed,” (in the broad sense), that is, from the family and clan of the Prophet (not that he was a direct descendant of the Prophet). And he is doomed to Hellfire! So what does that mean for all the syeds out there? Are you still so sure you’ll be saved just for being a relative of the Messenger of Allah? Wake up! You need to pray and fast and pay zakah and make Hajj, just like anyone else.
• Tabbat is a curse. It appears twice in the first ayah–at the beginning, as if it’s a curse, and at the end, as if it’s a statement of reality–that he is cursed.
• Carrier of Firewood. There are two opinions on what this means: One is that the wife of Abu Lahab used to enflame people. “Oh did you hear what so-and-so said about you?” “Oh do you know what that other person did?” To make them hate each other; like she carries the wood to fan the fire. The other opinion is that she used to carry thorns and put them in what pathways the Messenger of Allah used to walk, so he’d be harmed.
• A Necklace of Fire. Hellfire is enough of a punishment–but on top, she’ll be given a necklace of fire. Why? Because she had a beautiful necklace, and she pawned it at a fundraiser so she could use the wealth to harm the Messenger of Allah. So glad tidings O you people who donated for the sake of Allah! Insha’Allah for sure you will get something good, if Allah rewarded giving something bad with something in Hellfire.

The Miracle in Surah Lahab

If you notice, Allah dooms Abu Lahab to Hellfire in this surah. Now, the mufassireen point out an interesting point–at any time, Abu Lahab could have accepted Islam–even as a fake-out. And he could have said “Hey guys, I’m Muslim now, how come the Qur’an is claiming I’m in Hellfire?” And that would’ve caused great fitnah.

But he never did.

And Allah knew that he wouldn’t.

And so, we see even in this small, oft-repeated surah, one of the miracles of the Qur’an.

Some Arabic Analysis

• Tabba/Tabbat (تَبَّتْ) is a curse. It means “may you lose everything and perish.”
• Abi Lahab? Just like we discussed in the second post about rabbuka and rabbika, whether you say “Abu Lahab” or “Abi Lahab” or “Aba Lahab,” it’s the same name. Just different grammatical tense.
• Triple Possessive Case: Yahd is mudaaf; abi is mudaf ilayh (hence it’s majroor), and also mudaaf to lahab (which is mudaf ilayh and majroor). If you didn’t understand that, don’t worry.
• Kasaba (كَسَبَ) means “what he accumulated.” Ibn Abbas (radiallahu ‘anhu) says that he accumulated is wealth, and children, and honour, and status; but none of those will help him in the Hereafter.
• Sayaslaa (سَيَصْلَى) is future-tense; it means he (Abu Lahab) will be thrown into.
• Naaran thaata lahab: This construct is difficult to explain, so forgive me if it’s not the easiest thing to understand. If I said “I saw a man dhuw lihyatin,” it means I saw a man who has a beard; or literally, “the owner of a beard.” If I said “I saw a man dhaa lihyatin,” i.e. an adjective construct, it means “I saw a bearded man.” Here, Allah says: naaran thaala lahab, meaning “the fire possessing flame,” or “the flaming fire.” It’s a description of the qualities of that fire. Tafseer ibn Katheer mentions a fire of blazing flames, painful and severe.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam, that’s Surah Lahab in a nutshell. If there are any questions, comments, or corrections, please post them in the comments.

Also, I cannot think of any action items related to this surah; so it’s up to you! Whatever you think of, post it in the comments! Insha’Allah you will get a copy of the ajar of anyone else who performs that action.

Action Items Contributed

Try and do at least one of the following:

• Donate something small for the sake of Allah. Buying gifts for family members is sadaqah too; so why not buy something nice–a watch, a necklace, etc. for your family member. Insha’Allah you’ll get one, too, in Jannah! (Even more motivation to buy what you’d love for yourself!)

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.

The first five ayaat of Surah Iqraa are:

اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ
الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ

Word-for-word translations are pretty common these days (like this one, which has Surah Iqraa), so I’m going to touch lightly on that, and do a bit more grammar. Ready? Here goes!

• Iqraa (اقْرَأْ): Arabic has three types of verbs: past tense (he recited), present tense (he recites), and commands (recite!) Iqraa is a command to recite. (For all you nerds, it’s in baab one.) So Allah is COMMANDING us to read and recite.
• Rabbuka or rabbika? In verse 1, Allah says “rabbika”; and in verse 3, Allah says “rabbuka.” What’s the difference between these two, in meaning? Nothing! Rabbuka, rabbika, and rabbaka all mean the exact same thing. (They’re just different cases of grammar.)
• Rabbika (رَبِّكَ): Rabb in Arabic means the one who created you, who sustains you, who provides for you; the definition of this word takes pages! The “ka” hear means you (single person, male); so rabbuka means “your Rabb,” kitaabuka means “your book,” masjiduka means “your masjid,” etc.
• Khalaqa (خَلَقَ): Khalaqa means “he created;” In fact, khalaqa means created from nothing. Only Allah can create out of nothing–humans just take existing “stuff” and recompose it. That’s not khalaqa; only ALLAH can create from nothing.
• Wa (وَ): Wa means and. Occasionally, you may see am (أم), which is the same as wa, except am is used in questions.
• ‘Allama (عَلَّمَ): ‘Allama means “he taught.” It appears in quite a few places in the Qur’an, so it’s a good word to know. The words ‘ilm (knowledge), mu’allim (teacher), ‘aalim (scholar), ‘ulamaa (scholars) all come from the same root–the letters ‘ayn, laam, and meem.

That should shed some light, insha’Allah, on the meaning of this verse.

Action Steps:

• Memorize these five ayaat! With this word-for-word translation, and some of the material above, you have no excuse left! Just memorize by meaning.
• Comment when you’ve memorized these five. When you’ve completed memorizing the ayaat, walhamdulillah, post a comment and share it with the community! Together, insha’Allah, we’ll build up our knowledge + understanding + action + memorization of these surahs.

Aqsaam (oaths) in the Qur’an are a very fascinating subject that we should study and focus on more. There are a few components needed for a qasm (oath) to occur. One of them is the harf qasm, a letter that shows there is an oath being taken.

There are a few letters in the Qur’an that are used as harf qasm, for example, Allah ta’ala says “wal ‘aadiyaati dhabhaa”. The harf qasm in this oath is the letter wow (و).

Another harf qasm which does not appear very much in the Qur’an is the letter ‘taa’ (ت). The unique aspect of this letter is that it is only used for Ismul Jalaalah. You will never see the letter ‘taa’ being used to swear by other than Allah azza wa jal.

What is the difference between the harf wow and taa?

The harf taa is only used in very unusual circumstances, while harf wow is the standard harf qasm–the one that appears most in the Qur’an, and harf wow is used to swear by things other than Allah ta’ala.

The harf taa is used in a state of strong and overwhelming emotion, such as astonishment, anger, frustration and amazement.

Harf taa appears a total of nine times in the Qur’an: twice used by Allah azza wa jal (to swear by Himself), once in the speech of Ibrahim alayhi salaam, four times used by the brothers of Yusuf alayhi salaam, and twice in the speech of people in the hereafter.

Here are some examples:

When Ibrahim alayhi salaam was so angered and upset by his people worshipping the idols, he said:

تَاللَّهِ لَأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَامَكُم بَعْدَ أَن تُوَلُّوا مُدْبِرِينَ

“by Allah! I will definitely plot a plan (to destroy) your idols after you have gone away and turned your backs.” (21:57)

When the brothers of Yusuf alayhi salaam were just shocked that their father alayhi salaam would not forget and “get over” the alleged death of their brother–in their amazement they said:

تَاللَّهِ تَفْتَأُ تَذْكُرُ يُوسُفَ حَتَّى تَكُونَ حَرَضًا أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَالِكِينَ

“By Allah! You will never cease remembering Yusuf until you become weak with old age, or until you die!” (12:85)

The people of hell-fire, in their complete regret and anger with themselves say:

تَاللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ  إِذْ نُسَوِّيكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

“By Allah! We were truly in a manifest error, when we held you (false gods) as equals with the Rabb of all that exists!” (26:97-98)

The Qur’an tells us of a future event, when a companion of Jannah begins to reminisce about a friend he had in the dunya that did not believe in the resurrection. Then a voice calls out and says:

هَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُطَّلِعُونَ

‘Will you look down? ‘ (37:54)

فَاطَّلَعَ فَرَآهُ فِي سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ

“So he looked down and saw him in the midst of the fire,” (37:55)

In his gratefulness to Allah, his happiness and relief he says:

تَاللَّهِ إِنْ كِدتَّ لَتُرْدِينِ وَلَوْلَا نِعْمَةُ رَبِّي لَكُنْتُ مِنَ الْمُحْضَرِينَ

“By Allah! You have nearly ruined me! Had it not been for the Blessing of my Rabb, I would certainly have been among those brought forth (to Hell).” (37:56-57)

SubhanAllah.