Surahs are usually named by something unique in their content. But the sun (ash-shams) is mentioned in several surahs; so why is this one called Surah Shams?

The reason is because, in it, the sun is mentioned four times..

Yes, I said four times. Count ‘em. Allah says:

وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا
وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَاهَا
وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّاهَا
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَاهَا

Translation:By the sun and its brightness, and [by] the moon when it follows it. And [by] the day when it displays it, and [by] the night when it covers it. [Surah Ash-Shams, verses 1-4]

You notice “it,” “it,” “it,” … in Arabic, the pronoun used is haa (هَا), which is feminine. And “coincidentally,” all the other nouns referred to are masculine; which only leaves Ash-Shams–the sun–which is a feminine word; that’s the “it” referred to in the first four ayaat.

What’s even more amazing is that Allah testifies by himself:

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا

Translation: And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it, … [verse 7]

Wow! Allah really wants us to pay attention here. What is He testifying to? What’s the maqsoom ‘alayh?

The answer is:

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا

Translation: And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it, and inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness. He has succeeded who purifies it, And he has failed who instills it [with corruption]. [Verses 7-10]

The phrase “qad” (قَدْ) is a form of emphasis. Notice there is testification after testification, and emphasis on top to boot! That should really make you stop and think and ponder about the meaning–that’s the maqsoom ‘ayah, verses 9-10.

He has succeeded who purifies it, And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].

And the word translated as “instills it,” dassaahaa (دَسَّاهَا) means to step on something to hide it–like someone hiding something shameful behind their back or stepping on it.

And then comes an excerpt from the story of Prophet Salih (alayhi salaam):

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَاهَا
إِذِ انبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا
فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا
وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا

Translation: Thamud denied [their prophet] by reason of their transgression, When the most wretched of them was sent forth. And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, “[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink.” But they denied him and hamstrung her. So their Lord brought down upon them destruction for their sin and made it equal [upon all of them]. And He does not fear the consequence thereof. [verses 11-15]

This was the sign of Prophet Salih (alayhi salaam)–they said, “Tell your God to make a she-camel come out of that mountain and then we’ll believe.” So he (alayhi salaam) asked.

And Allah sent a camel. But not just any camel, but a huge she-camel, like a mountain.

And Salih (alayhi salaam) said: Naaqata Allah! Allah’s she-camel! And everytime Allah links something to Himself, that shows the great honour and majesty of it. And he said: leave it alone! (verse 12)

And the camel was so huge, they would take turns drinking from the water sources. One day, Thamud drinks. The next day, the she-camel drinks. And then Thamud. And then the she-camel. And so on.

So then everybody believed, they all accepted Islam, and everybody went home happy and, eventually, to Jannah. Right?

Wrong.

Not only did they disbelieve–Allah says “kadh-dhabat” (كَذَّبَتْ), with shadda on the dhaal, a more intense form of lying than just kadhaba–but they, the person whom they sent, hamstrung it. Hamstrung means you cut down the back of the person’s (or camel’s, in this case) legs, forcing it to the ground. Because, again, it was huge, tall, and great.

And then they killed it.

And then Allah says: fa damdama. The fa indicates IMMEDIATE and SWIFT punishment, right on the heels of their killing of the she-camel. If I said “Muhammad entered, fa-Ahmed,” it means Ahmed entered right on the heels of Muhammad.

So Allah didn’t waste any time; but he sent their punishment, immediately. And he utterly obliterated and annihilated them.

And in the final verse, Allah says: he does not fear retaliation. Like the Jews in Israel–whenever they bomb a Muslim school, or a hospital, or a village, they close down their shops and houses and hide out of fear of retaliation.

Well, Allah says, He does NOT fear retaliation. Because nobody can harm Allah even an atom.

Nice story, huh? Well, it’s not just for passing time. There’s a very, very clear lesson here–above and beyond just obedience to Allah and His messengers. Think about this:

Only one person killed the she-camel. But ALL of them were wiped out.

“But wait,” you say, “I know some ‘aqeedah! Isn’t Allah Al-’Adl, the All-Just? Why would He wipe out one whole nation, for only one guy killing the she-camel?”

And the answer is, because they knew about the plans, but they didn’t stop him. “Oh he’s going to kill the she-camel. That’s nice. Let’s see what else is on TV.”

Think about it. Connect the dots! You have a responsibility to stop evil. If you don’t, you can be held accountable in the court of Allah.

Which raises the question of, in your country, what kind of sins are happening? What are people doing to disobey Allah? Are you doing your part? Are you advising the people, guiding the people, calling the people to Allah and away from evil?

Well, you might be accountable if you’re not. Just like Thamud. They were wiped out.

Think about it.

May Allah give us all the tawfeeq to live and implement these lessons in our lives (ameen). Wallahi they’re not just stories for entertainment. They’re deep, real-life lessons from history.

Action Plan:

• Hold Them Back. Think of one person in your family, near or extended, who’s doing something against Allah and His messenger. Now, come up with a plan to correct them. Do it gently; take the time to build rapport, and find the best way to correct and advise them, without humiliating or hurting them. Then play your move.

References:

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

Note: This is post #10 in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma.

In Surah Layl, Allah says:

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى
وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى
وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَى
إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّى

Translation: By the night when it covers, and [by] the day when it appears, and [by] He who created the male and female: Indeed, your paths are diverse. [Surah Layl, verses 1-4]

In Arabic (and in English), people talk. And when you want to really draw attention to something, you make an oath. Compare:

Child 1: I didn’t break the cookie jar.
Child 2: I swear by my mother’s grave, that I didn’t break the cookie jar.

Which would you pay more attention to? Obviously, the second child (by the way, don’t swear by other than Allah, it’s shirk).

Now imagine two people talking–your brother or sister, who you’ve known forever, and the President of America. Who would you pay more attention to?

Lillahi mathalu al-’alaa. This is Allah talking to you. And He’s making an oath–not just one, but three things! We should really pay attention here!

And what does He testify to?

Verse 4–that your paths are different.

The struggle between good and evil will always exist. People say “Why can’t we all just get along and have one world religion, one deen?” Because Allah swears by it–that our paths will be different.

Then Allah proceeds to tell us about these two paths.

In verse 5, Allah says:

أَمَّا مَن أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى

Translation: As for he who gives and fears Allah …

We learn from this verse two things–that, again, the theme of wealth, which runs so strongly in Juz ‘Amma. And the requirement of giving–that he fears Allah. He can’t just give for humanitarian reasons, or for Jesus, or any other cause; to be accepted, it must be given for Allah alone.

Allah continues,

وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى

Translation: … and believes in the best [reward], We will ease him toward ease. [Surah Layl, verses 6-7]

Anyone who’s attended fund-raisers and donated, they can testify to this–that when you give for the sake of Allah, the sweetness of it enters your heart, and you want to give more. They might give $20 this year, and $200 the next year, and $2000 the following year.

One scholar said: I struggled with Qiyam Al-Layl for one year (like every day it was a hard test to leave his soft, warm bed and pray in the cold night). After that, I tasted the sweetness for 20 years.

Because Allah eases the easy path.

Then Allah starts talking about other path:

وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى
وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى
فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى
وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى

Translation: But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need, and denies the best [reward], We will ease him toward difficulty. And what will his wealth avail him when he falls? [Surah Layl, verses 8-11]

Allah talks about the other path. What about the one who thinks he’s self-sufficient from Allah? The hard path, the path of Hellfire, becomes easy for him.

We see today Muslims who commit zina, or they steal (corporate embezzlement, anyone?), or drink alcohol, or take drugs. How did they come to be that way? If you trace back into their past, there were some salaahs they skipped, and some fundraisers they walked out of.

So Allah made the difficult path, easy for them. And we seek Allah’s refuge from being on this path.

Even if you steal one billion dollars, and get away with it, what will happen? On the Day of Judgment, do you think you can (as some of the Quraysh thought) bribe the guardkeepers of Hell to let you off free? “Here’s $50 guys … I’m going to Paradise!” Think again!

Allah could’ve just said this … and left us. To burn. But He didn’t; in the next ayah, He says:

إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَى

Translation: Indeed, [wajib] upon Us is guidance.

And that is a promise from Allah. That’s why He sent the messengers with the books. To guide us, and not just leave us in misguidance and ignorance.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

There’es an interesting incident related to the last four verses? Allah says:

ذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّى
وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُ مِن نِّعْمَةٍ تُجْزَى
إِلَّا ابْتِغَاء وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الْأَعْلَى
وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَى

Translation: [He] who gives [from] his wealth to purify himself, and not [giving] for anyone who has [done him] a favor to be rewarded, but only seeking the countenance of his Lord, Most High. And he is going to be satisfied. [Surah Layl, verses 18-22]

The mufassireen mention an interesting point–in those days, people freed slaves, and if they ever were under attack, or needed help, those slaves would come to support them. Abu Bakr (radiallahu ‘anhu) freed Bilal (radiallahu ‘anhu) and paid quite a lot of money.

So people started to talk–that maybe Abu Bakr did this because Bilal did him some favour in the past.

But Allah denies this–and says he did it, seeking the face of his Lord.

And then Allah says: And he is going to be pleased.

Imagine if this ayah was revealed about you while you’re alive. That you are going to be pleased with what Allah will give you. That you will enter Jannah. Subhanallah, it would be worth more to you than anything in the dunya.

And that is the tafseer of Surah Layl.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

Action Items:

• Pick up a new good deed. Allah makes the path of ease, easy; so pick something up. Start praying one sunnah you didn’t pray; or learn a new dhikr (such as the one for mornings or evenings). It may be tough in the beginning, but it pays off in the long-term.
• Post the deed. Insha’Allah let’s work together to collect a list of small, easy, but profitable (in an akhirah sense) deeds we can all do.

References:

• Kitab At-Tawheed, by Imam Abdul-Wahhab; explanation by Yasir Qadhi. 2006.
• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.