جزء : 30

الآية رقم (19) - يَوْمَ لَا تَمْلِكُ نَفْسٌ لِّنَفْسٍ شَيْئًا وَالْأَمْرُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلَّهِ

(19) - (It is the Day when a soul will not possess for another soul [power to do] a thing; and the command, that Day, is [entirely] with Allah. (19))

The context refers to that Day which represents a fundamental case in human’s life. This Day is recognized in two matters; the first, a soul will not possess for another soul a power to do a thing, the second, the command that Day is entirely with Allah.

In this worldly life, a soul can possess a power over another soul but on the Last Day there is no place for these reasons, the souls in this life are connected to reasons and humans may help each other, while on the last Day none of that will be, and no one possesses any harm or good to do to anyone else.

You may ask: In this life is not the command is entirely with Allah (swt)? The answer is: Yes, it is entirely with Allah (swt), but there are reasons connected to causers, while on that Day you are with the Causer without reasons, so the command is entirely with Allah (swt).

 

الآية رقم (15-16) - يَصْلَوْنَهَا يَوْمَ الدِّينِ - وَمَا هُمْ عَنْهَا بِغَائِبِينَ

(15-16) - (They will [enter to] burn therein on the Day of Recompense (15) And never therefrom will they be absent. (16))

الآية رقم (14) - وَإِنَّ الْفُجَّارَ لَفِي جَحِيمٍ

(14) - (And indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire. (14))

الْفُجَّارَ (The wicked): Wickedness is stepping out of Allah’s orders and disobeying Him.

The reward of the wickedness is the Hell fire. Both words of wickedness and Hell fire are similar and homogeneous, suitable for each other.

The word (جَحِيمٍ) (Hell fire) in Arabic is derived from the word جحم)) which refers to intensive fire inflation, that is why this word is used in Arabic to describe an angry person to express that the anger inflames him. The Quranic context and style do not just state that the recompense of the wicked is Hell fire, rather, Allah (swt) confirms it by:

الآية رقم (6) - مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَ النَّاسِ

(6) - (From among the jinn and mankind." (6))

The whispering is not just from the devils but also from the humans. This is worse because the devil’s whispering is just to make things attractive, whereas the whisperer from the mankind shares what is made attractive to you and push you in many ways to get involved to earn the sins with him.

The Arabic word Jinn is derived from the verb which means to hide and conceal. The Jinn are created from smokeless flame of fire, able to shape themselves in any shape they want, they as well have children, they are male and female, they are accountable as the humans, they are called Jinn because they are hidden from the humans’ eyes, Allah (swt) says:

 ﴾ إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ ﴿

 (Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them.) (Al-A’raf: 72)

They see us and we do not see them, they are characterized by light and fast movement. They are lighter than humans according to the essence of their original creation; the humans were created from mud and the Jinn from fire. Among the Jinn there are Muslims and disbelievers, obedient and disobedient, the wicked of them are called the devils, so that everyone who rebels against Allah’s method is called a devil whether he is a Jinn or a human. The obedient Jinn are the same as the obedient of the humans and similarly, the witched Jinn are same as the witched people. Even that the witched people are worse in effects on humans, sometimes the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil.

To those who just believe in experimental and sensible matters , who argue about the existence of the Jinn, we say to them as Allah (swt) talked about them in the Holy Qur’an and said:

   ﴾ وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿

 (And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.) (Adh-Dharyat: 56)

Then, they do exist. However, what is the scientific and mental reason of their non-existence? Not every unseen does not exist, same matter with the viruses which the mankind did not know about them until later on they were able to see after discovering them. Nevertheless, we fully believe in all what the Holy Qur’an tells us about them.

The Holy Qur’an is ended with word of (mankind) as its speech is directed to them and they are the aim of the divine messages from Adam (pbuh) till the Prophet Muhammad (saws). What after this Surah?

When ending the recitation of the Holy Qur’an we do not stop here, we move immediately to the first verses of Surah Al-Baqara:

     الم (1) ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ (2) الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ (3) وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ (4) أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (5)

 (Alif, Lam, Meem. (1) This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah – (2) Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, (3) And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith]. (4) Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful. (5))

This Surah which starts with talking about the Book that is the Holy Qur’an which was send as guidance to people, then it talks about the types of people: The believer, the disbeliever and the Hypocrite.

Hence, the Holy Qur’an ends with the word of (mankind) and starts with (The Book) and this is one of the endless miracles of the Holy Qur’an.

 

الآية رقم (5) - الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ

(5) - (Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind - (5))

Thereof, we find that the word (mankind) expresses three meanings in accordance with attributes of Allah (swt), the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. This reflects the eloquence of the Arabic language. The whisperer could be of mankind or of Jinn. Thus, there is no repetition in this Surah.

يُوَسْوِسُ (whispers): Linguistically, in Arabic language, the whisper is a voice of attractive sweet talk and it indicates, as well, the sound of the gold jewelry, accordingly, it is said “the whisper of devil” because it has tinkle that attracts the hearing and attention. It is as if Allah (swt) is warning us from the devil and his seducing. So, if you went astray from Allah’s (swt) path the devil will dare whispers to you, whereas, if you remember Allah (swt) the devil retreats and weakens. The devil does not enter into battle with Allah (swt), rather, he does with Allah’s creations who forget Allah (swt) and go far from His method.

فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ (into the breasts of mankind): meaning into their hearts, souls, wills and their minds. It is not public as the whispering of people to each other.

الآية رقم (4) - مِن شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ

(4) - (From the evil of the retreating whisperer - (4))

الْوَسْوَاسِ (whisperer): The one who adorns evil deeds in your ears.

الْخَنَّاسِ (retreating): Going back and lag behind, since he retreats and goes back when Allah (swt) is remembered.

Allah (swt) named Satan as (retreating whisperer) because he usually whispers to people but he retreats and disappears when Allah (swt) is mentioned, if not, Satan takes the chance to be entirely with the man who is far away from his Lord.

الآية رقم (3) - إِلَهِ النَّاسِ

(3) - (The God of mankind, (2))

He (swt) is the truly worshiped and He (swt) is the One who protects you from:

الآية رقم (2) - مَلِكِ النَّاسِ

(2) - (The King of mankind. (2))

Allah (swt) owns all the creations whom He (swt) gave them a free will to choose certain things and held back it for other things. In this verse Allah (swt) does not use the word مليك (Sovereign) because that would mean they are forced to believe, nothing else, but Allah (swt) gave them a free will in matters connected to assignment, whereas they are not free in other matters which are out of assignment.

Therefore, we notice the difference between the first two verses, in the first one the mankind are connected with the lordship of Allah (swt) and in the second verse they are owned by Him (swt), then comes the third one:

الآية رقم (1) - قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ

(1) - (Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, (1))

أَعُوذُ  (Seek refuge) It is to seek help, shelter, and safe keeping. You only seek help and protection from someone who is stronger than the one who is going to cause harm to you. So that, when you bring to your mind the meaning of seeking protection while you are filled with faith, then you seek refuge from the One Who created you and created the devil, thus the devil will escape from your path because he knows that you returned to The Strong and The Capable.

النَّاسِ (mankind): All the species of Adam (pbuh) till the resurrection day. Some orientalists argued about this word and wanted to involve us into a maze of doubts about the Holy Qur’an, they said: The Holy Qur’an contains unnecessary repetition, otherwise why the word of (mankind) is repeated thrice in this Surah?

Those people understood that this word carried one meaning in these verses because they are not qualified with the Arabic language.

The word of (mankind) in not the same in these positions, Allah (swt) wanted for every word in the Holy Qur’an to bring its meaning and for every meaning to bring its suitable word. Thus, the word (mankind) is general when the speech is connected to a general ruling, on the other hand, it is specific in other positions, such as when Allah (swt) says:

   ﴾ أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَىٰ مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ ﴿

 (Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty?) (An-Nisa’: 54)

(people) intended here for the Prophet (saws).

Accurate examination of this Surah indicates that its first verse represents a declaration of Allah’s Lordliness to all creatures. We seek refuge just in Him because He (swt) is the Lord, Who created and decided the characteristics of each creature, who cannot escape Him (swt) because He (swt) is:

الآية رقم (5) - وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ

(5) - (And from the evil of an envier when he envies.” (5))

Envy is to wish a blessing to be removed of the envied person.

The envy is true as the Prophet (saws) said. Some people own a materialistic weapon such as gun or sword which they can use against whom they want, however, what makes them refrain from using it oppressively is their belief in the method of Allah (swt). As such is the envier who has his weapon of jealousy which he can use. The question is: Does the envier has a free will to practice the envy or is it something out of his control? The answer lies in the divine method’ hence we say to those who are jealous of the people who enjoy blessings: This jealous is your free choice and it is not out of your control. Thus, we notice that the envier is not a real believer because if he had understood that all favours are from Allah (swt) he would not have envied or grudged.

Hence, the envier is ungrateful person, always objected to the Granter, his salvation from the envy is by returning to the mothod of Allah (swt). Allah (swt) commanded us all that when we see a blessing on us or on others to say: “In the name of Allah, What Allah willed has occurred, there is no power except in Allah’. When these words are said at any blessing, then no harm and no envier or envied will be.

If one may ask about the wisdom: Why Allah (swt) gives some people this weapon with which they harm the others with and makes them oppressor?

We answer: This is a test and a trial. Allah (swt) has made some of people as trial for others and as Allah (swt) taught us how to seek refuge from these matters, then it must have some evil and damage in it. Surely, these matters are hidden and precise, that is why Allah (swt) taught us to seek protection from them by Him (swt).

 

الآية رقم (4) - وَمِن شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ

(4) - (And from the evil of the blowers in knots (4))

النَّفَّاثَاتِ (the blowers): The Arabic word is used in the feminine form, that is why some scholars said that it refers to the women witches or the witch soul whether male or female.

Here we have to talk a little about people who denied the two matters of the magic and the envy arguing that both of them are not submitted to any scientific logical basis. Those people want to judge all the religious matters through sensible experiments, even though the doctrine cases are not subjected to experiments neither all issues are. As such we say, as long as you followed the religious instructions and you believed in One God with such so and so of attributes, in this case, do not do not let your mind to be a judgment on what your Lord has created. Not all of God’s creation you know are visible to you. The mind is convinced with this issue, since many facts were already existed but they did not go under the field of experiment so that the mind could not know them, but when Allah (swt) willed them to reveal, the mind discovered them though experiments. Such as the discovery of electricity, microbes and other matters which no one would have believed in them. So why would not the fact that there are unseen in the past which have become visible later be a proof for the believer to judge the existence or non-existence of matters.

Consequently, we say to those who deny the magic, their denial contradicts the Quranic texts and the true hadiths, whereas, there has to be no discretion when there is an obvious Quranic text, but the mind mission is to make things easy to understand. Allah (swt) says:

 وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ ۖ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَٰكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ ۚ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ ۖ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ ۚ وَمَا هُم بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ ۚ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ ۚ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ

 (And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, “We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].” And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah. And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew.) (Al-Baqara: 201)

الآية رقم (3) - وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ

(3) - (And from the evil of darkness when it settles (3))

وَقَبَ (when it settles): its darkness settles on everything. Sometimes the evils are unseen by man so he cannot avoid them such as a wild beast, an awaiting enemy or a plot or conspiracy in night. All of these become clear by day. So the word (settles) indicates that it is a must and we have no power to avoid it.

The origin of the Arabic word وَقَبَ (settles) is a hole in the mountain resulted from the heavy continuous rain.

الآية رقم (2) - مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ

(2) - (From the evil of that which He created (2))

This means that some of Allah’s (swt) creatures are evil, even though they have some goodness. As everything in this existence is nor pure good neither completely evil, for, one of its side could be good and another one could be evil. Allah (swt) is teaching us to seek refuge from evil so we could keep the good sides nd seeking refuge is in Him (swt) only because He is the Only One capable to protect us from all the evils.

الآية رقم (1) - قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ

(1) - (Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak (1))

The speech here is directed to the Prophet (saws). The One to be sought for refuge and protection is Allah (swt), the Lord of daybreak.

There are four things we seek protection from that are mentioned in the following verses of this Surah.

الْفَلَقِ (daybreak): The Arabic word means to rip open a thing and something comes out of it. It could be the morning when its light breaks or its rays tear through darkness. The light is the source of guidance by which we walk righteously and with insight. Or it could mean what rips open and new life comes out to existence from it. Such as in Allah’s (swt) saying:

  ﴾إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ﴿

 (Indeed, Allah is the cleaver of grain and date seeds.) (Al-An’aam: 95)

Hence, the Lord of daybreak is the Lord of this existence, Who has originated, created, multiplied and evolved. He (swt) is the first and the most deserving to seek refuge and protection in Him.

الآية رقم (4) - وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

(4) - (Nor is there to Him any equivalent." (4))

كُفُوًا (equivalent): Equal, compatible or similar, Allah (swt) is unique in His oneness, attributes and His deeds. He has no counterpart, there is none higher than Him:

  ﴾لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ﴿

 (There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.) (Ash-Shura: 11)

Allah (swt) is unique in His ability, strength, creating, and all His attributes, no compatible or counterpart whatsoever to Him.

 

الآية رقم (3) - لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ

(3) - (He neither begets nor is born, (3))

That is because He (swt) is not in need of any assistance, He (swt) as well does not share attributes with His creation.

Allah (swt) is not born, as He is eternal.  Allah (swt) says:

 ﴾سُبْحَانَهُ أَن يَكُونَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ﴿

 (Exalted is He above having a son.) (An-Nisaa: 171)

Allah (swt) is exalted above having a son or a wife.

 ﴾لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ﴿

 (There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.) (Ash-Shura: 11)

الآية رقم (2) - اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ

(2) - (Allah, the Eternal Refuge. (2))

الصَّمَدُ (Eternal Refuge): This Arabic adjective has two meanings: Solid with no holes or emptiness inside, and it means the one who is enough, whoever turns to Him, He (swt) fulfills and answers all his needs while He (swt) depends on no one.

الآية رقم (1) - قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

(1) - (Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One, (1))

The Prophet (saws) used to read Surah Al-Kafiroon in the first Rak’a and Surah Al-Ikhlas in the second one in the sunah prayers of dawn (Al-Fajr), Al-Dhuha, Al-Maghrib and in the morning of the travel day. That is because these two Surahs contain the pure essence of monotheism, that there is not any god but Allah (swt) the Only One. Allah’s saying in Surah Al-Kafiroon: (I do not worship what you worship.) is a negative declaration while this verse of Surah Al-Ikhlas is an affirmative declaration.

However, the monotheism phrase consists of a negative statement represented by (No God) and an affirmative one in (except Allah) which comes after according to the Islamic (shari’ah) ruling which says: “Warding off corruption takes precedence over bringing benefits”.

The monotheism phrase (There is No God except Allah) has status and secrets with the people of knowledge of Allah (swt), who used to ask Allah (swt) to keep them alive until they would finish uttering this sentence, in afraid to die while saying (No God) before completing it. That was out of their extreme awareness of it and their fear of sudden death while saying it. One of the scholars said that the worship begins with (No God except Allah), this is the general beginning.

هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (He is Allah, [who is] One): Allah (swt), The One is telling us that He (swt) has no peer and no rival to dispute over His decision. This Surah confirms that the judgment against Abo Lahab and his wife in unquestionable.

Surah Al-Ikhlas has many indicatons and it has may names as well, such as: Al-Ikhlas, Al-Iman, Al-Bara’a, Al-Tawheed, At-Tafreed, Al-Mubari’ah, Ma’refah, Al-Assass, Al-Muawazzah, Al-Jamal, An-Najat, Al-Wilayah, At-Tajreed, An-Nubuwah and Noor-Al-Qur’an. Ecah name has its significances.

Surah Al-Ikhas, this is the most famous name. When there is Ikhlas (sincerity) a Muslim directs his aims to what the religion requires, as such, Allah (swt) says in the sacred (Qudsi) hadith:

“Allah (swt) says: “Sincerity is one of my secrets, I deposit it within the heart of whom I love of my servants”[1]

As such, the sincerity, no close angel can know about it so that he may write it down, neither any prophet can.

This Surah is called Al-Assass (The foundation) because it contains the fundamental that the heavens and the earth are founded upon. But how? The scholars said that this refers to Allah’s (swt) saying:

  ﴾لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا ﴿

 (Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah, they both would have been ruined.) (Al-Anbiyaa: 22)

Because both the heavens and the earth had not been ruined, this is a proof that there is no god but Allah (swt), had this specific principle of doctrine not exist, the heavens and earth could not have been founded. Allah (swt) says:

﴾إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُمْسِكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ أَن تَزُولَا ۚ وَلَئِن زَالَتَا إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُمَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِهِ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا ﴿

(Indeed, Allah holds the heavens and the earth, lest they cease. And if they should cease, no one could hold them [in place] after Him. Indeed, He is Forbearing and Forgiving..) (Fatir: 41)

This Surah is called also Surah Al-Bara’ah (The freedom) because it grants its reciter the freedom from idolatry in life and it grants him the freedom from the hell fire in the hereafter as well. Abu Hurayrah has narrated that:

“I passed with the Prophet (saws) by a man reciting: (Say, “He is Allah, [who is] One), so the Prophet (saws) said: “It has become certain” I asked him (saws) what is it O’ Rassullalah? He (saws) said: “The Paradise””

The one to whom the Paradise has become certain is surely free from the Hell fire, and the one who is free from the Hell fire is certainly free from polytheism. A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:

Messenger of Allah, (saws) appointed a man in charge of an army unit who led them in Salat (prayer); he always concluded his recitation with Surat Al-Ikhlas: “Say (O Muhammad (ﷺ)): ‘He is Allah, (the) One. Allah-us-Samad (Allah – the Self-Sufficient). He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none equal or comparable to Him.”‘. Upon their return to Al-Madinah, they mentioned this to Messenger of Allah (saws), who said, “Ask him why he does so?” He was asked and he said, “This Surah contains the Attributes of Allah, the Gracious, and I love to recite it. Messenger of Allah (saws) then told them, “Tell him that Allah loves him”.”[2]

And in other narration, the Prohet (saws) said to him: “Your love for this surah will make you enter paradise”[3]

Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

“A man heard another reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas repeatedly. The next morning he came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and informed him about it as if he considered it to be of little reward. On that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, this Surah is equal to one-third of the Qur’an.”[4]

Uqbah bin ‘Amir (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

“I met the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and he said to me, “O Uqbah ibn Amr, maintain relations with those who cut you off, give to those who deprive you, and pardon those who wrong you.” Later, I met the Messenger of Allah and he said to me, “O Uqbah ibn Amr, control your tongue, weep for your sins, and keep to your house.” Later, I met the Messenger of Allah and he said to me, “O Uqbah ibn Amr, shall I teach you some chapters the like of which have not been revealed in the Torah, nor the Psalms, nor the Gospel, nor the Furqan? Do not let a night go by without reciting them: He is Allah the One (112:1), and: I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak (113:1), and: I seek refuge in the Lord of the people.” (114:1)[5]

Another name of this Surah is Surah At-Tawhid (Pure Islamic Monotheism), Surah At-Tajrid (On its own, free from anything else) and Surah At-Tafrid (The Unique). These three names lead to same meaning, that is to deny the existence of something from the essence of a thing.

It is called as well Surah Al-Jamal (The beauty). Beauty is relative; people differ in identifying it and we may say: It is the harmony in the formation of something in a way that satisfies the healthy mood. The beauty also is when the results come in coincidence with the introductions. For example, the beauty of silk lies in its smoothness whereas the beauty of the racket lies in its roughness, similarly, the beauty of the eye lies in its wideness whereas the beauty of mouth lies in its small size.

The beauty in this Surah lies in the fact that Allah (swt) is The Only One God for all; God of the rich and the poor, God of the strong and the weak, His judgements are applied justly on His creation, His scale is according to His wisdom. When man believes in this fact he lives with satisfaction and acceptance.

This Surah is called as well Al-Mu’awwidhah (The Refuge) because it is associated with the two Mu’awathat (Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak0 and (Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind). Seeking refuge requires something that you are afraid of and a power that gives you protection. As if this Surah precedes the two Mu’awathat to clarify Whom you should ask refuge in, He is the Only One God.

Another name of this surah is Al-Muqashqashah   (It removes disease of polytheism and hypocrisy).

It is as well Surah An-Najah (The Salvation) because it saves from disbelieving in life and from the Hell in the hereafter.

Its name An-Nisbah (The Connection with Allah) is connected to the question of Quraysh. It is narrated by Ubay bin Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) that the polytheists asked the Prophet (saws) to describe his God, so that this Surah was revealed. Thus, Allah (swt) denied the two connections that they know, the father and the son.

It is Surah An-Nur (The Light of the Qur’an) because it establishes the doctrine from which the method is taken from it.

It is also Surah Al-Wilayah (The Ally) since the one who believes in Allah’s oneness becomes His believer ally who does not ally except with Allah (swt).

After that, five attributes to Allah (swt): The One, The Eternal Refuge, Neither begets nor is born and to Him there is no equivalent. All will be explained.

The speech in this Surah is directed to the Prophet (saws) and his is the messenger. Here we see the honesty in conveying the message of Allah (swt), the Prophet (saws) did not omit the word (Say).

هُوَ (He): it is in the third person pronoun form, that is He is absent from you. As known the subject pronouns have three forms: first, second and third person pronouns. When the 1st person pronoun is used, for example when the speaker says: I did so and so, no one ask: Who are you because he is in front of you. However, for the 2nd person pronoun is used there has to be proceeded by any reference that indicates him. So that, we may ask here: Where is the reference? The reference is the faith and certainty of the servant that it is only applied to Allah (swt). So that, (Say, He is) the pronoun refers to the sublimity name of Allah (swt). For us Allah (swt) is unseen, but we witness Him by His creations.

اللَّهُ  (Allah): The sublimity name of His Al-Mighty.

أَحَدٌ (The One): The Arabic nickname of Ahad means that He is unique in His oneness, He is a sole unique entity. No one is described by it except Allah (swt)

Allah (swt) is unseen light and cannot be percepted. Hence the pronoun (He) indicates that Allah (swt) is The One who cannot be seen in the way the creation can be seen. He is the One from whom nothing is hidden and who surrounds all things. He knows even the inner states, yet He is veiled from the creation’s perception.

[1] Jami’ Al-Ahadith Al-Qudsyah, hadith No. 42.

[2] Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book of Oneness, hadith No. 6940.

[3] Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book of the prayer, hadith No. 741

[4] Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book of virtues of Qur’an, hadith No. 4726

[5] Musnad Imam ahmad, hadith no. 17372.

الآية رقم (5) - فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ

(5) - (Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber. (5))

The old Arabs used to talk about the neck to describe its beauty and characteristics whereas here this neck is ornamented with a rope of fibre which is naturally rough, so can you imagine how it will be when twisted as rope around the neck!

As such, let us contemplate this Surah and how its images carry insult and humiliation after being in a high and noble status, as the recompense will be of the same type of the deed.

The rope that Um Jamil used to tie the pile of wood to harm the Prophet (saws) became a collar around her neck. Additionally, Abu Lahab who had a reddish skin will be entered to burn in a fire of blazing flame.

So, the phrases and the words are uniformly homogeneous with the performance of the meanings desired in a miraculous coincidence and a wonderful description.

 

الآية رقم (4) - وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ

(4) - (And his wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood. (4))

His wife, Um Jamil, had very high status and a noble lineage. Her name is Arwa Bint Harb Bint Umayyah, sister of Abu Sufyan.

She has not sufficed with her husbands’ animus acts towards the Prophet (saws) and his message, rather, she played a very big role in confronting and harming the Prophet (saws) and his message depending on her husband’s wealth and on her brother’s high rank in Quraysh. So, she did not refrain from her hatred and animosity against the Prophet (saws).

Some scholars said that she was in reality a carrier of wood; Abu Lahab was the neighbour of Prophet’s (saws). Um Jamil used to carry firewood and throw them in the path of the Prophet (saws) to harm him.

Other scholars interpreted that (carrying of firewood) is a metaphor of tattling as she was indeed practicing it, hence, as if she was carrying the wood to burn herself and people around her, as she was known of being envious, malevolent, and backbiter, which are of the most serious reasons to cause animosity between people.