54. SURAH HIJR

 

 

INTRODUCTION TO SURAH HIJR

 

It is accepted that the Surah of al-Hijr was revealed in Mecca as the 54th in order. It takes its name from the word “الحجر Hijr” mentioned in verse 80. The word “Hijr,” which also means “stony ground, forbidden area,”^[1]  is also the name of the region where the tribe of Thamud lived.

In the surah, whose main focus is the Qur’an and the protection of the Qur’an, the attitudes of the polytheists toward our Prophet are presented, the relationship between Adam and Iblis is explained, and as in other surahs, the believers are given glad tidings while the infidels are threatened. Examples are given of societies that were punished because they rebelled against Allah.

 

Meaning of verses:

 

¹Alif/1, Lam/30, Ra/200. These are the Ayat of the Book and an explicit Qur’an/Qur’an that clarifies.

²Time to time the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will wish “If only We had been Muslims”.

¹²Thus We impose the Qur’an into the hearts of the criminals.

³Let them eat, enjoy and be diverted by false hope. But they will know soon.

⁴And we have not manipulated/destroyed a land without that there was a known book for it.

⁵No community can advance its end of the term nor can delay it.

^6,7And they said: “O you, upon whom the Reminder/the Qur’an has been sent down! Surely, you are supported by secret forces/are a madman. If you are among those who are truthful, you should have come to us with angels”.

⁸We send down those natural forces only with the truth. They would not be then among those who are given respite.

⁹No doubt that it is We Who have sent down that Reminder/Qur’an. And surely, We are the protectors of it.

¹⁰And surely, We had sent messengers to the ancient peoples before you.

¹¹And when a messenger came to them, they ridiculed him.

¹³They do not believe in the book that is revealed/the messenger that is sent, yet Our law/implementation about the former ones has occurred, was informed to you.

^14,15And even if We opened a door upon them from the heavens/universe and they ascended up through there, they would indeed say: “Our eyes have been dazzled/blurred. Actually, we are a people affected by magic”.

¹⁶Surely, We have formed some constellations in the heavens/universe and adorned it for those who observe.

^17,18And We have protected the space from all thinking abilities except for those who heed to Our revelations even just a bit, and those who are followed by a column of fire/those who travel into the space in rockets.

¹⁹And We have spread the earth and placed there firm stakes/mountains. And We have made grow plants from every balanced thing on the earth.

²⁰And We have made means of living on the earth for you and for those for whom you do not provide/And We have made certain means of living and the people for whom you do not provide.

²¹And the treasures of all things are only with Us. And We send it down only by a certain measure.

²²And We have sent the winds as fertilizers and sent down a water from the sky and watered you with it. It is not you who retain/keep the water in treasures.

²³And indeed, it is only We Who give life and take life! And it is We Who will be the inheritor.

²⁴And certainly, We know those of you who hasten to precede and indeed, We know those of you who wish to remain behind.

²⁵And indeed, your Rabb is the One Who will gather them all. Surely, He is the One Who is the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible, knows best.

^26,27And surely, We formed seen and known creatures from the clay that sounds, from processable mud/a substance that is capable of many forms. And We had formed unseen creatures before from fire of a burning breeze that can pass through the narrowest hole/from energy that knows no boundaries.

^28,29And your Rabb once said to the forces in the universe: “I will form a human being from dry clay, formed/processed mud. And when I have proportioned him and given him knowledge, submit to him at once”.

^30,31Then all angels/forces in the universe except Iblis/thinking ability submitted. He refused to be with those which submitted and did not do.

³²Allah said: “O Iblis! What is the matter with you that you are not with those which submit?”.

³³Iblis said as an answer: “I have not been formed to submit to a human that You have formed from a dry clay, formed/processable mud”.

^34,35Allah said: “Then get out of there! You are now indeed the one who is expelled, ruined and the curse is upon only you until the day of Religion”.

³⁶Iblis said: “My Rabb! Then let me be against You/give me respite until the day they will be resurrected!”.

^37,38Allah said: “Then you are definitely of those who will be against Me/given respite until the day of the time which is known”.

^39,40Iblis said: “My Rabb! Because of the reason that You have created me to lead the people astray, I will indeed make everything on the earth attractive to them and I will indeed lead all of them astray except for your purified servants!”.

^41-44Allah said: “This is a straight path that I have taken upon Me. You have no compelling power over my servants except for those who follow you of the ones who go astray. Surely, the promised place to all of them is Jahannah [Hell]. There are seven gates for it. For each of those gates, a part of them is assigned”.

^45,46Surely, those who enter under the guardianship of Allah will be in gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] and within springs: “Enter there in peace and safely!”.

⁴⁷And We will remove the hatred from the hearts of those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah. They will sit on sofas facing each other as brothers.

⁴⁸No fatigue will touch them in Jannah [Heaven/Paradise]. And they will not be removed from there.

^49,50Inform my servants that I am definitely the One Who is  very forgiving, very merciful, My punishment is that which is a very painful punishment!

⁵¹And inform my servants about the guests of Abraham.

⁵²When the guests of Abraham had entered the presence of Abraham and said: “Salam [health, peace, happiness…]!”. Abraham said: “Surely, we are those who are afraid of you”.

⁵³The guests of Abraham said: “Do not fear! Surely we give you the good tidings of a learned son”.

⁵⁴Abraham said: “Do you give the good tidings to me although old age has come upon me? Then, relying on what do you give me the good tidings?”.

⁵⁵The guests of Abraham said: “We give you the good tidings in truth. Do not be among those who despair!”.

⁵⁶Abraham said: “Who despairs of the mercy of my Rabb other than those who are astray?”.

⁵⁷Abraham said: “O the messengers that have been sent! What is your affair?”.

^58-60The messengers said: “Surely, we have been sent to a criminal people. Except the family of Lot”. -Surely, We will save all of them but the inharmonious and incompatible wife of Lot. We have set it up. Surely, she is among those remain behind/who look back.-

^61,62And when the messengers came to the family of Lot, Lot said: “You truly are a people who are unusual, whose identity is unknown”.

^63-65The messengers said: “Quite contrary, we have brought you that which they were doubting about. And we have brought you the truth and we surely are the truthful ones. Now, set out your family in a part of the night, and follow them. And let none of you waste time/think about those who are left behind, proceed to the place where you are commanded”.

^-66And We fulfilled the command to Lot: “Indeed, they will be eliminated by the morning”.-

⁶⁷And the people of the city came happily.

^68,69Lot said: “They are indeed my guests, then do not disgrace me and enter under the guardianship of Allah and do not humiliate me!”.

⁷⁰They said: “Have we not forbidden you from communicating around?”.

⁷¹Lot said: “Here are my daughters! If you are among those who will…”.

⁷²You have never seen in your life such disgraced ones who prepared their end in their passion for lust.-

⁷³At the sunrise that horrible shriek seized them.

⁷⁴Thus did We turn them upside down and rained upon them stones made of baked clay.

⁷⁵Surely, there are evidences/signs in this for those who discern signs; those who think and have a good understanding.

⁷⁶And surely, ruins of the city where the people of Lot used to live is on a road.

⁷⁷Surely, there is an evidence/a sign in this for those who believe.

^78,79The companions of the Thicket were the ones who did wrong; acted against their own good by associating others with Allah and We took retribution from them/established justice by seizing and recompensing them. Both of them; the people of the Thicket and Lot are on a clear road.

⁸⁰Surely, the companions of the Hijr denied the messengers as well.

⁸¹And We gave them Our Ayat/evidences/signs but they were those who kept their distance from them. ⁸²And they used to carve safe houses from the mountains.

^83,84Then a horrible shriek seized them at the morning too. So, that which they earned did not avert anything from them at all.

⁸⁵And We formed the heavens/universe, the earth and all that is between only in/with truth and certainly, that Qiyamat [Resurrection] will absolutely occur. Now, you, behave well and do not mind.

⁸⁶Surely, your Rabb is the One Who forms with the truth and knows best.

⁸⁷Surely, We have given you many blessings in abundance and the great Qur’an.

^88,89Do not covet upon that which We have given to some among them and let them enjoy with it; wealth and fortune. Do not grieve over them either… Lower your wings for the believers. And say: “Surely, I am the one who is the clear warner”.

^94-96Now, declare what you are commanded and keep your distance from those who associate others with Allah. Surely, We are sufficient for you against those who take another deity along with Allah, those who ridicule. They will know soon.

⁹⁷Surely, We know that your heart is constrained by what they say.

^98,99Then purify from all deficiencies with the praise of your Rabb, be among those who submit and worship your Rabb so “the certain knowledge” may come to you!

 

Analysis of Verses

 

Verse 1:

¹Alif/1, Lam/30, Ra/200. These are the Ayat of the Book and an explicit Qur’an/Qur’an that clarifies.

Like the Surahs of Yunus and Yusuf, this Surah also begins with the letters “ا A, ل L, ر R,” and immediately afterward, attention is again drawn to revelation. During the analysis of the Surah of Yunus, the same letters were mentioned, and some examples were given of the attributions made about these letters in the past:

– “Lord is me, I am the Lord”,

– “I am Allah, I see,”

– “I am Allah, I am the Rahman.”

Persons such as Razi and Kurtubi regarded these letters as the dispersed forms of the letters contained in the name of Allah “الرّحمن ar-Rahman.” Some others argued that they represent, respectively, the numbers 1, 30, and 200 in the Abjad Table. As we have previously stated, our opinion is that these and other “Muqatta’ Letters” may be a code belonging to the physical structure of the Qur’an or a particle used for drawing attention.

In verse 1, the pronoun “تلك tilka [these]” refers to the verses of the Surah of Hijr. However, it is noteworthy that while doing so, it is expressed that the verses of the Surah of Hijr are both the verses of the Qur’an and of the “Book.” Because the words “Qur’an” and “Book” are most often used in the same sense. Nevertheless, the fact that in this verse the word “Book” is used with the definite article “ال al,” forming “al-Kitab,” shows that something other than the Qur’an is intended by the word. In our opinion, by the word “al-Kitab,” the books before the Qur’an, especially the Torah, are meant. Indeed, when examined, it is seen that the subjects in this Surah are also found, though in a distorted form, in the Holy Bible. The fact that the word “al-Kitab” also refers to other divine books revealed before the Qur’an means that the principles put forth in the Surah of Hijr were also present in the books prior to the Qur’an.

Verses 2, 12:

²Time to time the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will wish “If only We had been Muslims”.

¹²Thus We impose the Qur’an into the hearts of the criminals.

As can be seen, the verse which, in the official arrangement, takes place as the 12th, but which causes many technical problems and remains incomprehensible in its current position, has been placed by us right after the 2nd verse. The reason why we have done so was explained earlier during the analysis of the verses Shu‘ara/200–209, where the same subject was emphasized. Due to the importance of the matter, we consider it useful to briefly recall it here:

^200,201Thus We inserted it into the hearts of those sinners. They will not believe in it until they see the painful punishment.

²⁰²And this will come to them suddenly while they do not perceive.

²⁰³Then they will say: “Are we among the ones who are given respite?”.

²⁰⁴Do they wish to hasten Our punishment?

^205-207Do you see/have you ever thought about that if We make them earn for years and when the day they have been promised comes, that which they have earned will not benefit them.

²⁰⁸And We did not manipulate/destroy any city except that it had warners.

²⁰⁹A reminder! And We are not unjust.

(Ash-Shu’ara / 200-209)

As can be seen, in the above group of verses, the thoughtless and obstinate attitudes of the infidels toward the Qur’an and their ultimate end are conveyed. Although these skeptical fools appear not to believe by demanding that the torment with which they are threatened be brought immediately, they always carry within their minds a “what if?” In other words, although they outwardly display a nonbelieving attitude, inwardly they fall into doubt and uneasiness, thinking, “What if it is true? What if it exists?”

Therefore, it is possible to interpret the expression in Shu‘ara/200, “Thus We inserted it into the hearts of those sinners” in the following manner: “By revealing the Qur’an in their own language, thereby making it very clearly understandable, We have inserted it into their hearts in such a way that…”

The only difference between Shu‘ara/200 and Hijr/12 is that in one verse the verb is in the past tense (mazi), while in the other it is in the present tense (muzari). Based on this, the thematic similarity between the two groups of verses becomes even more apparent. This situation explains why we have placed the 12th verse -which is in the official sequence- right after the 2nd verse.

¹Alif/1, Lam/30, Ra/200. These are the Ayat of the Book and an explicit Qur’an/Qur’an that clarifies.

²Time to time the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will wish “If only We had been Muslims”.

¹²Thus We impose the Qur’an into the hearts of the criminals.

In these verses, it is stated that the hardened infidels of that time will one day feel regret. This regret is not their regret at the moment of death or in the Hereafter, but their regret in this world. Because, although they have not believed, as Allah draws attention to His signs in the horizons (afaq) and within themselves (anfus), and as these miracles are, through the Qur’an, almost thrust before every eye, they sometimes express the wish, “If only I had been a Muslim!”

Indeed, as a result of the powerful message of the Qur’an penetrating into their hearts, many of the Meccan polytheists, who were constantly disturbed by it, felt remorse either before or after the Hijrah.

Apart from this worldly regret felt by the deniers, their regret at the moment of death and in the Hereafter is also mentioned in many verses.

 

^44,45And warn the people with the day when the punishment will come. Then those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah will say: “O our Rabb! Delay us for a short term so we may answer Your invitation and follow the messengers”. –Had you not sworn before that there would be no end/destruction/eradication for you? And you dwelled in the lands of those who had done wrong; acted against their own good by associating others with Allah. And it became explicit to you how We had done to them. And We presented to you examples as well.

(Ibrahim / 44,45)

These verses, which state that the infidels will feel regret, also serve as glad tidings for the believers who are struggling in distress, as they imply that they will be freed from the oppressions of the infidels and will prevail over unbelief.

Verse 3:

³Let them eat, enjoy and be diverted by false hope. But they will know soon.

In this verse, a strong message is given to the infidels that they will certainly be punished. Messages of this kind are seen in many places in the Qur’an.

³⁰And the ungrateful ones attributed equals to Allah to lead astray from His path. Say: “Enjoy, your return will definitely be to the fire”.

(Ibrahim / 30)

^1,2The competition in increase amuses and distracts you until you enter graves.

^3,4Certainly not as you think! You will know soon. Again; certainly not as you think! You will know soon.

^5,6Certainly not as you think! If you know with an absolute knowledge, you will definitely see the blazing fire. ⁷After a while, you will see it real as if you are seeing with your eyes.

⁸Then, that day, you will absolutely be asked about blessings.

(At-Takathur / 1-8)

The word “امل amal” in this verse is rendered in our religious terminology as tūl al-ʿamal. Tūl al-ʿamal describes a person’s excessive attachment to this world—forgetting the Hereafter, showing no concern for the fate that awaits, and giving in to greed, covetousness, and endless ambition as if one will never die. In other words, it is a trait Allah condemns and that believers must guard against.

Verses 4, 5:

⁴And we have not manipulated/destroyed a land without that there was a known book for it.

⁵No community can advance its end of the term nor can delay it.

The claims of the infidels that the Prophet is not a true messenger—because no punishment has yet come upon them—are refuted by these verses. These verses, which also serve as an elaboration of the “soon” expression in the threat “they will soon know” found in verse 3, can be interpreted as follows: “We do not punish any community immediately after it commits acts of infidelity. We grant every community a period of time so that they may hear and understand the message and correct their conduct. Until that period expires, We tolerate their sins and evil deeds, allow them the freedom to do as they wish, and wait. The reason We do not punish them immediately, and tolerate their mockery and infidelity, is precisely this.”

As can be seen, in these verses it is explained that every settlement has a predetermined destiny, and it is stated that the society living in that place cannot alter that destiny. No community can outstrip the appointed term determined for it. The appointed term (ajal) that exists for humans and other living beings also applies to societies.

This sociological law—the decreed lifespan and outcome of nations—is affirmed elsewhere in the Qur’an.

⁵³And they ask you to hasten the punishment. If there had not been an end of a specified/predetermined term, punishment would definitely have come to them. And that punishment will indeed come to them suddenly while they do not perceive.

(Al-Ankabut / 53)

³⁴And there is an end of the term for every community with a leader. Therefore, when their end of the term comes, they will neither postpone for a moment nor will they advance.

(Al-A’raf / 34)

⁴⁵And if Allah was to question and punish the people for that which they earn, He would not leave any living creature, small-large, on the earth. But He postpones them until a predetermined term. And when the end of their term comes, then indeed Allah is the One Who sees His servants best.

(Fatir / 45)

Regarding this subject, the following verses can also be referred to: Ali Imran/145, A‘raf/135, 185, Yunus/11, 49, Hud/104, Hijr/5, Ibrahim/10, Nahl/61, Mu’minun/43.

As can be understood from the verses above, societies, just like individuals, live a predetermined lifetime. None of them can either advance that lifetime or lag behind it. In other words, every society, every civilization, subject to the same law, is born, grows, ages, and eventually dies like a living organism. Therefore, no matter how dominant or exalted a society may be, when its term is completed, it will inevitably perish.

The disappearance of societies can occur for various reasons. Some may vanish due to moral collapse, some by losing their sovereignty, and others through geological, climatic, or biological disasters. Ultimately, perishing is the unavoidable destiny of all societies.

This absolute end, called ajal (appointed term), is a reality determined by Allah for individuals, societies, and all other beings. It is clearly stated in the Qur’an that the ajal is determined by Allah and that every ajal has a reason.

²He is the One Who formed you from a clay. Then He decreed “end of the term”. And that predetermined end of the term is with Him. Yet, you still doubt about it.

(Al-An’am / 2)

For every term there is a writing/book.

(Ar-Ra’d / 38)

اجل مسمّى AJAL-I MUSAMMA (Appointed Term)

The word “ajal [term, duration]” appears in many verses of the Qur’an [Baqara/282, An‘am/2, 60, Hud/3, Ra‘d/2, Ibrahim/10, Nahl/61, Ta Ha/129, Hajj/3, 33, Ankabut/53, Rum/8, Luqman/29, Fatir/13, 45, Zumar/5, 42, Mu’min/67, Shura/14, Ahqaf/3, Nuh/4] within the phrase “ajal-i musamma [appointed, determined duration].” By this expression, “the final moment of the duration with its year, month, day, and hour” is meant, and it is emphasized that this appointed term can in no way be altered.

The message given in verses 4 and 5 is presented in more detail in the Surah of Ibrahim:

^42,43Never think that Allah is apathetic to/unaware of what those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah! He only delays them for a day when they will run with their heads raised up and when the eyes will pop out. Their sight will not come back to them and their hearts will be empty.

(Ibrahim / 42, 43)

The expression “كتاب معلوم Kitab-i ma‘lum” mentioned in verse 4 can be understood in two ways:

• This expression can be understood as “ajal-i musamma [appointed, determined duration].” Because, as we have explained above, the fact that every society has an appointed term (ajal) has been stated in many verses.

³⁴And there is an end of the term for every community with a leader. Therefore, when their end of the term comes, they will neither postpone for a moment nor will they advance.

(Al-A’raf/34)

• The mentioned expression can also be understood as “the sent, known book.” In this case, it can be inferred from the verse that every people who were destroyed had certainly been given a book sent to them, and that our Lord never punished anyone without first sending a messenger. This matter, too, is expressed in many other verses.

¹³¹This is the because your Rabb is not the One Who  manipulates/destroys the lands unjustly while their people are careless, unaware.

(Al-An’am / 131)

¹⁵Whoever follows the path that is guided, he will follow the path that is guided for his own good. And whoever goes astray, he will go astray against his own good. And no bearer of burdens bears the burden of another. And We have never been the Ones Who would punish unless We sent a messenger.

(Al-Isra / 15)

²⁰⁸And We did not manipulate/destroy any city except that it had warners.

(Ash-Shu’ara / 208)

^163-165No doubt that We have revealed to you as We revealed to Noah and all prophets after him. We revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, their grandsons, Jesus, Job, Jonas, Aaron and Solomon, the messengers about whom We have mentioned to you, the messengers about whom We have not mentioned to you as warners and harbingers so the people might not have any evidence against Allah after the messengers. And We gave David the Psalms. And Allah spoke to Moses/hurt him, made him go through many distress. And Allah is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible.

(An-Nisa / 163-165)

^133,134And the deniers said: “Why does this person, who alleges to be the messenger, not bring us an evidence/a sign from his Rabb?”. Have the explicit evidences which were in the first scriptures not come to them? And had We manipulated/destroyed them with a punishment before this, they would certainly have said: “O our Rabb! If only you had sent us a prophet so we could have followed Your Ayat before we became humiliated and disgraced!”

(Ta Ha / 133, 134)

Verses 6 – 8:

^6,7And they said: “O you, upon whom the Reminder/the Qur’an has been sent down! Surely, you are supported by secret forces/are a madman. If you are among those who are truthful, you should have come to us with angels”.

⁸We send down those natural forces only with the truth. They would not be then among those who are given respite.

In these verses, the constant and unchanging opinions of the infidels are mentioned—namely, their claim that “a human being who does not show miracles cannot be a messenger,” along with their peculiar understanding of angels.

From the fact that the notables of Mecca called our Prophet “majnun [possessed by a jinn],” two different meanings can be inferred:

1. The polytheists, by the word “majnun,” may have meant that a jinn had entered into the Prophet and that he was someone who uttered eloquent words with the help of that jinn. For the Arabs used to believe that poets recited their poems with the assistance of jinn and that every famous poet had a particular jinn of his own.
2. The polytheists may have meant by this word that a jinn had entered into the Prophet, and therefore his normal state had been disturbed—that he had become mad or insane.

We are also of the opinion that in this verse the word expresses this second, more commonly used meaning. For the Meccan polytheists were not sincere in their mocking request for a “messenger-angel,” and since they did not believe that the dhikr had been given to the Prophet, they must have used the word “mecnun” as an insult. In a sense, they meant to say: “You who claim that the dhikr has come to you! You are nothing but a madman.”

Calling the messengers “majnun [mad, insane]” was a common style among the polytheists, and the same insult was directed toward previous prophets as well. These can be seen in various verses of the Qur’an (Qamar/9, Shu‘ara/27, Dhariyat/39, Saffat/35, 36, Dukhan/14, Furqan/21, 22, Qalam/51, Dhariyat/52, Tur/29, Qalam/2, Takwir/22).

The objections of the polytheists mentioned in these verses are in accordance with their long-standing traditional mindset and habitual reactions. Earlier communities, too, demanded from their own prophets that they show angels or miracles. Indeed, the tribe of Thamud claimed that their prophet himself ought to have been an angel, and the Children of Israel demanded that Prophet Musa show them Allah directly.

^153,154And they said: “You are definitely of those affected by magic! You are only a human like us. If you are among those who tell the truth, then bring us an evidence/a sign.

(Ash-Shu’ara / 153, 154)

²³Thamud denied those warnings too; they said: “^24,25A single man among us, will we follow him? If we do so, we will definitely be in an astray and madness. Has the Reminder; the Book been left to him from among us? No! Rather, he is a liar and arrogant”.

(Qamar / 23-25)

^51-53And Pharaoh called out among his people: “O my people! Do not the kingdom of Egypt and the rivers that flow beneath me belong to me? Do you still not see? Or am I not better than that man who is insignificant; who hardly expresses himself? And why have not bracelets of gold placed upon him or have not angels in ranks come with him?”.

(Az-Zukhruf / 53)

However, the fulfillment of such requests by the polytheists—that is, the angels taking bodily form and appearing visibly before humans—would mean “the conclusion of the matter,” that is, the end of everything:

²¹⁰Do they expect that Allah should come in the shadows of clouds, forces of the nature [rays, radiation and meteors] should come and then the matter is concluded? Yet, all matters are returned only to Allah.

(Al-Baqara / 210)

⁸And they said: “Why has an angel not been sent down to this prophet?”. Had We sent down an angel, the matter would have certainly been concluded. Then they would not have been given a respite.

(Al-An’am / 8)

²¹And those who do not expect to meet Us said: “Angels/natural forces should have been sent down upon us” or “Why do we not see our Rabb?” Indeed, they believed in their arrogance within themselves and transgressed more and more by committing a great transgression.

²²On the day on which they will see the angels; on that day, no good tidings will be for those sinners. And those who do not expect to meet Us will say: “It is forbidden, yes indeed!”.

(Furqan / 21, 22)

And Haqqah/1-18, Naba’/38- 39, Saffat/19, 20.

“THE DESCENT OF ANGELS WITH THE TRUTH”

In order to correctly understand this expression, it is necessary to determine in which sense the word “malaq [angel]” is used here. If it is accepted in the sense of “messenger,” then it must be understood that the angels descend to deliver a message or a revelation. However, if it is accepted in the sense of “power” or “force,” then it should be understood that the angels descend to bring destructive calamities such as earthquakes or storms.

The expression at the end of the verse, “…then…,” indicates that the word “melek” here carries the meaning of “power/force.” For if the angels had been “messengers,” their descent would not have nullified the period of respite; on the contrary, the community would have been granted time, and responsibility would have begun with the message brought by the angels.

Verse 9:

⁹No doubt that it is We Who have sent down that Reminder/Qur’an. And surely, We are the protectors of it.

In this verse, it is emphasized repeatedly that the Dhikr was revealed directly by Allah Himself, and that He absolutely protects and will continue to protect it. It should be noted right away that this promise of protection includes both the moment of revelation and the times that follow.

We repeat here, believing it will be beneficial, the explanations we previously made during the analysis of the Surah of Buruj regarding the “preservation of the Qur’an”:

THE PRESERVATION OF THE QUR’AN

The issue of the Qur’an being protected and preserved by Allah is a subject that has been highly debated. Especially researchers who do not belong to the religion of Islam, likely due to the fact that even the followers of those religions admit that the original forms of the Torah and the Gospel have not been preserved, make efforts to prove that the Qur’an has also undergone distortion (tahrif).

As far as is known, the most recent research in this area was conducted in England by a scholar named Prof. Mingana. This individual claimed that a woman named Dr. Agnes Lewis had found a few pages of a mushaf from the time of the third Caliph ‘Uthman, or possibly an even earlier period, and that she provided him with copies of it. He further claimed that there were differences between these copies and the existing Mushaf. However, as a result of examinations, it was established that the error was not in the existing Mushaf, but in the copies that had been given to the researcher.

Islam and the Qur’an have long been the targets of hostility, and among those who have researched the Qur’an is the prominent British orientalist Sir William Muir. After extensive investigation, compelled by the responsibility of his scholarly position, he was forced to acknowledge: “There is no other book whose text has preserved all its wealth for twelve centuries.”

In our own country as well, some have put forward claims of distortion (tahrif) based on differences in recitation (qiraat), phonetic markers, or vocal variations. However, since such differences do not affect the meaning of the sentences, these claims have not been taken seriously.

Nevertheless, it is natural—and even a duty—for every Muslim capable of reasoning to seek a logical explanation as to how the Qur’an has been protected by Allah. Because the Qur’an is not kept inside steel vaults, shielded against attempts at distortion like the attacks monotheism’s enemies directed toward the Torah and the Gospel [Hajj/52, 53; An‘am/112, 113, 121].

For this reason, the originality and preservation of the Qur’an must be substantiated rationally by Muslims themselves. Thus—as indicated in Muddaththir/31—“the faith of those who believe may increase, and those who were given the Book, as well as the believers, may not fall into doubt.”

²⁶⁰Once Abraham said: “My Rabb! Show me how You resurrect the dead!”. Allah said: “Have you not believed?”. Abraham said: “I have, but I ask it so my heart may be assured by eliminating all question marks”. Allah said: “Then take four of the birds and make them bound to you. Then, leave each of them on every mountain. Then call the birds, they will hasten to you. And know that Allah is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible”.

(Al-Baqara / 260)

In our view, the Qur’an has not been subjected to distortion (tahrif) for the following reasons:

• The Qur’an is a miracle in terms of its wording, composition, and content. Therefore, any omission, addition, or alteration would, so to speak, immediately stand out.
• Thanks to our Lord, the Muslims acted promptly in the early period and ensured the compilation of the Qur’an into a book. Thus, it can be seen that the handwritten manuscripts from ancient times and the printed versions available today are identical.
• From the very first day, many people have wished to memorize the Qur’an with great pleasure, passion, and joy, and due to the harmonic structure in its text, they have accomplished this with ease. As a result, in every era of history, there have been tens of thousands of hafiz (memorizers of the Qur’an), and therefore, the danger of distortion of the Qur’an or the loss of its copies has never arisen.
• With the beginning of the Qur’an’s revelation, the education and teaching of the Qur’an also began. Unlike in other religions where religious education is monopolized by clergy, in Islam—which has no clergy class—education and teaching have been open to everyone, both rural and urban. The Qur’an has never been in the hands of a select group or institution, nor was it ever limited to just a few copies, even in its earliest years. With its many copies, it entered the homes, workplaces, libraries, mosques, and prayer rooms of Muslims and was read and learned by everyone. Thus, widespread education was achieved, and the personal attempts of ill-intentioned individuals to distort it remained ineffective.
• The year 610 CE, when the revelation of the Qur’an began, is a bright period in human history compared to the emergence of other religions. During this period, many ancient civilizations were at their peak, and events were already being documented. In fact, while some historians dispute the existence and lives of the prophets Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus), there is no doubt regarding the existence, life, or personality of our Prophet. Therefore, his only miracle, the Qur’an, has also reached us through reliable records that leave no room for doubt.
• Islam did not emerge among oppressed, victimized, helpless, or marginalized minorities as it did in the time of the prophets Musa and Isa. Rather, it was born and grew in wealthy, dominant, and free cities, becoming the religion of powerful societies—those who governed and brought about change. Due to this characteristic of Islam, it is not logical to assume that the Qur’an would have been subjected to distortion.

The items listed above may be increased or decreased by anyone with different perspectives. However, research conducted on the mathematical structure of the Qur’an is of such nature that it would put an end to all discussions on this matter. Even though the full details have not yet been completely uncovered, the mathematical features of the Qur’an identified so far prove that it could not have been written by anyone other than Allah, and that any addition or subtraction made to it would immediately become apparent.

“THE PRONOUN IN THE EXPRESSION ‘WE ARE THE PROTECTORS OF IT’ REFERRING TO THE QUR’AN”

Many of those who have studied the Qur’an have claimed that in the expression “And surely, We are the protectors of it.” the pronoun “ه hu [it]” does not refer to the Qur’an, but to our Prophet. In that case, what Allah promises to protect, is not the Qur’an, but the messenger. Accordingly, the meaning of the expression in the verse would then be: “We do not allow him to fabricate lies against Us,” or “We protect him from any plot or assassination attempt against him.”

In fact, even this understanding is nothing other than the protection of the Dhikr. Because the “Dhikr” mentioned here is the same “Dhikr” in verse 6: “O you, upon whom the Dhikr has been sent down!”—the Dhikr revealed to the messenger. And that is, of course, the Qur’an. Therefore, the protection of the Prophet is, in reality, the protection of the Dhikr revealed to him—that is, the protection of the Qur’an.

Nevertheless, deriving the meaning “the messenger will be protected” from the expression in the verse is neither technically nor generally possible. This verse, being a nominal sentence, includes all times—meaning both the moment of the Qur’an’s revelation and the subsequent eras. For the enemies of revelation are many. Indeed, as we will learn from the following verses, our Lord has protected the Dhikr, the revelation, not only from the messenger’s own personal enemy Iblis, but also from external enemies.

^44-47If the Messenger/Muhammad had made up some words as if they were Our words, We would certainly have taken all his power from him. Then We would surely have cut his vital point from him. And none of you could have been shield to him.

(Al-Haqqah / 44-47)

This protection also applies to the revelations given to all previous prophets. The Exalted Allah protected His revelation—both in the mind of the messenger and during the stage of its conveyance—from any interference, and did not allow human words to be inserted among His own words.

^52-54And We did not send any messenger and prophet before you except that when he desired something, satan threw something into his desire. Then, Allah removes that which Satan/Iblis throws. Then Allah,

reinforces and protects His Ayat so He may avert with that which satan has left from the religion for those in whose hearts is disease; ill-minded and stone-hearted, -indeed, those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah are in a distant opposition-,

so those who have been given knowledge may certainly know that the Qur’an is the truth coming from your Rabb so their hearts may respect it. And Allah is the One Who knows very well, the One Who is the best law maker, the One Who strengthens. And indeed, Allah is the One Who guides the ones who believe to the straight path.

(Al-Hajj / 52-54)

^1-3Beginning of the enlightment and that the conscious denial of the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb, association of others with Allah, that ignorance have covered the community is the evidence that your Rabb will not abandon you and will not take offense at you.

(Ad-Duha / 1-3)

 

⁶⁷O Messenger! Convey that which has been revealed to you from your Rabb. If you do not do this, then you have not fulfilled the duty of messenger that He assigned you. And Allah will protect you from the people. Surely, Allah will not guide infidels; those who consciously deny His divinity and the fact that He is Rabb.

(Al-Ma’idah / 67)

ALLAH AND THE PRONOUN “WE”

In many verses, our Exalted Lord uses the pronoun “Inna, Nahnu / We” in reference to Himself.
In every verse where expressions such as “We, Us, Our, From Us” are used for Allah, it is seen that they refer to mediated acts that reflect the manifestation of Allah’s attributes. This can be illustrated with hundreds of examples, but here we will suffice with just a few well-known ones:

¹Surely We have given you abundant blessing.

(Al-Kawthar / 1)

¹Did We not open your chest for you?

(Al-Inshirah / 1)

¹Indeed, We sent down the Qur’an which is within the valuable pages in the night of Qadr.

(Al-Qadr / 1)

It is clearly seen that the pronouns used in the Qur’an for Allah follow the following pattern:

1. In expressions related to Allah’s essence and divinity, the singular first-person pronoun “Ene, Inni / I” is used.
2. Again, with regard to Allah’s essence and divinity, in some verses our Lord is addressed with second-person singular pronouns such as “You, You (object), To You, Your”; while in other verses, He is referred to with third-person singular pronouns such as “He, Him, To Him, His.” Whether in the second-person or third-person singular, both groups of pronouns express “oneness.” Nowhere that discusses Allah’s essence or divinity are plural expressions such as “You (plural)” or “They” used.

   In Surah al-Fatiha as well, it is expressed in the form: “Only You we worship and only You we ask for help. ”

3. In verses where His majesty, power, and might are emphasized, the Exalted Allah refers to Himself with the pronoun “We.”

   In all languages, those in positions of authority have used the expression “We” when speaking of their power and sovereignty, whether in their decrees or speeches. This was so before the Qur’an was revealed and continues to this day.

In summary, the expression “We” used by our Lord is to emphasize His grandeur and absolute greatness. Scholars well-versed in this matter have expressed these uses of “We” by our Lord as “We Azimushshan” (We, the Possessor of Supreme Majesty), thereby conveying a correct understanding.

Verses 10, 11, 13 – 15:

¹⁰And surely, We had sent messengers to the ancient peoples before you.

¹¹And when a messenger came to them, they ridiculed him.

¹³They do not believe in the book that is revealed/the messenger that is sent, yet Our law/implementation about the former ones has occurred, was informed to you.

^14,15And even if We opened a door upon them from the heavens/universe and they ascended up through there, they would indeed say: “Our eyes have been dazzled/blurred. Actually, we are a people affected by magic”.

In these verses, it is stated that by drawing a connection with the infidels of the past, the Meccan polytheists also behaved toward their messenger with the same obstinacy and mockery as those earlier deniers had done toward their own prophets. These faithless ones—who preferred pleasure and luxury, who thought that if they chose obedience and worship they would have to forgo the delights and enjoyments they found pleasing, and who had made their social status into a kind of deity—always mocked their prophets.

Especially the idea of having to obey someone who was, in terms of wealth, property, rank, or position, below themselves must have driven them to fury. For they belonged to the upper class, and if they were to obey a prophet from a lower social class, they feared that the existing social hierarchy would collapse and that they might lose the political power they held in their hands. For these reasons, the notables of societies could never tolerate that prophethood be granted to someone from a social stratum below their own.

⁹¹People of Shu’ayb said: “O Shu’ayb! We do not understand very well much of what you say. We consider you very weak among us. If not for your relatives/followers, we would have stoned you to death. And you do not have any power against us/to prevail”.

(Hud / 91)

As we have stated above, verse 12, in our opinion, follows verse 2 of the surah both technically and for the correct understanding of the verse, and thus it should be read in that position. The explanations made in an attempt to make verse 12 understandable in its current order—by assuming that the pronoun “it” refers to the “mockery” mentioned in verse 11, or that “the Qur’an will burn the hearts of the sinners”—are not satisfactory:

“We thus insert it”—according to al-Hasan, Qatadah, and others—meaning the deviation, unbelief, mockery, and shirk, “into the hearts of the sinners of his people.” That is, just as We placed such things into the hearts of those among earlier communities, We likewise place it into the hearts of the polytheists of your people, so that just as the previous ones did not believe in the messengers sent to them, these people also will not believe in you.

Qadi reported that ‘Ikrimah said: “What is meant here is this: ‘Thus We place hardness and harshness into the hearts of those criminals,’” and Qadi continued by saying: “That hardness is brought about only by a disbelieving person, due to their persistence in unbelief and stubbornness.” ^[2]

The majority of commentators and translators hold the view that the pronoun “it” in the phrase “We insert it into their hearts” in verse 12 refers to the “mockery” mentioned in verse 11. According to them, the pronoun in the phrase “They do not believe in it” in verse 13 refers to the “Dhikr” mentioned in verse 9. In that case, verses 12 and 13 would be understood as follows: “We place that mockery into their hearts, and thus they do not believe in this Dhikr.” Although there is no grammatical error in this view, our interpretation is more appropriate even grammatically. Accordingly, the meaning of verse 12 is as follows: “When the Dhikr enters the hearts of the believers, it brings them peace. But when it enters the hearts of the sinners, it is as if it were a blazing rod that burns their hearts and minds.” ^[3]

Verses 16- 18:

¹⁶Surely, We have formed some constellations in the heavens/universe and adorned it for those who observe.

^17,18And We have protected the space from all thinking abilities except for those who heed to Our revelations even just a bit, and those who are followed by a column of fire/those who travel into the space in rockets.

 

“SATANIC EAVESDROPPING”

One of the subjects in the Qur’an that requires careful examination is the issue of “devils stealing a hearing.”
This subject is mentioned in verses 16–18 of Surah Hijr and verses 6–10 of Surah Saffat. These verses, according to the early exegetes, were classified as mutashabih, and thus were not well understood. As a result, irrational, illogical, and even un-Islamic explanations and beliefs arose on this matter. Almost all existing translations and commentaries have explained the issue in more or less the same direction.

However, modern technology has made it possible to remove some of the expressions in these verses from the category of mutashabih, and there is no longer any need to neglect or deliberately misuse certain grammatical rules in order to avoid contradicting the legends that were previously invented to explain these ambiguous expressions.

The word “شهاب  shihab” mentioned in the verse refers to the flame of wood or dry grass that we are familiar with.^[4] In Surah Hijr, this word is used as “شهلب مبين shihab-i mubin [clear, bright flame],” and in Surah Saffat, as “شهلب ثاقب  shihab-i saqib [piercing flame].” When these two usages are considered together, it is understood that the flame mentioned in the verses is “piercing and bright.”

This piercing, bright flame is, in our view, the flame at the back of a space rocket, as suggested by the verb “فأتبعه  fa-atba‘ahu [So it follows after him]” in the verse where these expressions are found.

The early exegetes explained these expressions in the verses as “shooting stars” or “meteors,” and they believed that stars or meteors were launched like cannonballs after devils whose nature they could not comprehend. However, they were unable to explain whether these devils escaped from or perished in the blast of these bright, piercing flames.

As for what “eavesdropping” means:  The verb “استرق istaraqa” in verse 18 of Surah Hijr is generally translated as “one who steals hearing,” i.e., an eavesdropper. This verb occurs only in this verse in the Qur’an. Its three-letter root “سرق saraqa” means “he stole, he committed theft.” In the five-letter form used here, it carries the meaning of “to listen secretly, to eavesdrop, to peer from under the brow, to watch surreptitiously.” ^[5] That is, “إستراق istiraq” means learning something stealthily either by ear or eye.

In the verse under discussion, this verb appears in the phrase “من استرق السّمع man istaraqa’s-sam‘a [one who steals hearing (listens in)].” Here, the word “سمع sam‘a” (hearing) is used as the object, so the verb “istaraqa” means “one who acquires a little bit of information by listening” (i.e., as much as can be learned by secretly paying attention).

On the other hand, the word “sam‘a” in this sentence refers to revelation, the Qur’an.

The verses in the passages under discussion [Hijr/18 and Saffat/10] begin with the particle of exception “illa.” Accordingly, what follows the exception particle is excluded from the preceding judgment. When we evaluate the verses together, the meaning becomes: “We have protected the heaven… from the devil; except for the one who listens to the revelation (takes a fragment from the highest assembly) — such a one is pursued by a flaming, piercing projectile (shihab).”

It must sadly be stated that in the existing translations and commentaries, this subtlety has not been observed. The particle “illa” in the verses has been ignored, and the relative pronoun “من man” has been treated as a conditional particle, resulting in a conditional sentence interpretation such as: “Whoever steals a hearing, a flaming projectile will catch him.”

However, considering that verse 18 is the continuation of verse 17, if we express the two verses as a single sentence, it would take the following form:
 “And We protected it from every Satan-i rajim — except those who listen, even a little, to the revelation, and who are pursued by a clear flame.”

That is to say, the heaven is closed to all Satan-i rajim “except those who, even slightly, listen to the revelation and are followed by a clear flame.” To such as lend an ear to the revelation, even a little, it is open and accessible — they are not protected against it.

Saffat; 6-10:

⁶Indeed, We have adorned the lowest heaven with the beauty which the stars form.

^7-10We protected it from all thinking abilities except for those which benefit from the Qur’an even just a bit,

-except for those who fly to space by a rocket- which are in constant effort, cursed by all and do not heed the Qur’an; those are useless and can not be active in space.

Since verses 7-10 are also in one sentence here, let us express them in one sentence:

^7-10We protected it from all thinking abilities except for those which benefit from the Qur’an even just a bit, -except for those who fly to the space by a rocket- which are in constant effort, cursed by all and do    not heed the Qur’an; those are useless and can not be active in the space.

If we take the summary of the verse: the heavens are closed to the rebellious devil yet open to those who glean even a scrap of knowledge from the angels and are pursued by the piercing flame.

In space the faculty of thought—our brain’s indirect response center—does not function, for it cannot see, hear, touch, smell, or taste. But if one follows the path shown by the Qur’an and travels into space aboard rockets that spew flames behind them, this faculty still operates even there.

For a better understanding of the verses, some of the words in the verses need to be explained:

Buruj:

The word “بروج buruj” in the verse is the plural of the word “برج burj”. “Burj” means a high mansion. The clusters of stars gathered in the sky are also called “burj”. Since it has been used in the plural in the verse, it is understood that there are many “burj” in the sky. Some exegetes have suggested the existence of twelve signs of the zodiac and called them the signs of Aries, Pisces, Aquarius…. Since cosmology (science of the universe) and astronomy (science of the skies) have not yet reached full perfection, we are of the opinion that it would not be correct to state the number of “burj” with certainty.

Shaytan-i Rajim and Shaytan-i Marid

Rajim:

The root of the word “رجيم Rajim” is “رجم rajm,” and the first meaning of this word is “قتل  qatl,” which means “to kill.” The reason why killing is called “rajm” is that the Arabs would kill a person by stoning, by throwing stones at the person until they died. Later, every act of killing began to be called “rajm.” Although it has no place in the Qur’an, the name of the punishment given to adulterers also comes from here. Although the word “rajm” and its derivatives appear 14 times in the Qur’an, it is not used in this meaning anywhere.

Besides the meaning of “to kill,” the word “rajm” has also come to be used in the following meanings: “to throw stones,” “to curse,” “to insult, to criticize,” “separation, grief,” “to banish, to drive away,” “to speak based on assumption and conjecture” ^[6].

Indeed, all of these meanings have been deemed appropriate for Shaytan, and Shaytan has been referred to, in the sense of ism-i mef’ul (passive participle), as “stoned Shaytan,” “cursed Shaytan,” “banished Shaytan,” “insulted Shaytan”…

Marid:

The word “مارد Marid” means “rebellious, one who goes far beyond others in stubbornness and defiance, one who opposes.” The word “مريد merid,” which is the emphatic form of this word, appears as “shaytan-i merid” in Hajj surah, verse 3, and Nisa surah, verse 117, and in the past tense form as “مردوا على النّفاق mered-u alennifaqi / they persisted in hypocrisy” in Tawbah surah, verse 101. The derivatives of the word “مرد  mard,” which is the root (verbal noun) of “marid,” have gained many different meanings in various forms, within the framework of the original meaning of the word. The most important of these meanings is “معرّى stripping – being stripped.” The Arabs call a tree that is stripped of its leaves (leafless) “شجر امرد shajerun emred,” sandy areas where no plants grow “رملة مرداء remlatin merdai,” and a person without a beard (whose beard does not grow) “امرد  amrad.” ^[7]

The word “تمرّد  tamarrud (to persist in obstinacy for a long time)” is also derived from the same root.

When the word “marid” is evaluated with the meaning of “to strip, being stripped, nakedness,” “shaytan-i marid,” in the sense of ism-i maf’ul (passive participle), means “the shaytan stripped of goodness and beauty”; and in the sense of ism-i fail (active participle), it means “the shaytan who strips away goodness and beauty.” This meaning is expressed in a different style in A’raf surah, verse 27.

The attribute of “going very far in stubbornness and rebellion,” which is ascribed to Iblis (the faculty of thought) with the word “Marid,” fully overlaps with the behaviors of Iblis (the Shaytan-i Racim) in the events described in the Qur’an. When it was said to Iblis (the faculty of thought), “Prostrate to Adam (submit to Adam),” he did not prostrate in accordance with the nature Allah created him with; he did what he was told not to do and did not do what he was told to do; he brought Adam near the tree which was forbidden to approach.

Shihab-i Mubin and Shihab-i Saqib:

The word “شهاب shihab” refers to the flame of wood or grass that we are familiar with. The word is used in Surah Hijr as “شهلب مبين shihab-i mubin (clear, bright flame),” and in Surah Saffat as “شهلب ثاقب shihab-i saqib (piercing flame).” When both usages are evaluated together, it is understood that the flame mentioned in the verses is “piercing and bright.”

In our opinion, this piercing, bright flame — with the verb “فأتبعه fa-atba’ahu (it follows him, it comes after him)” in the verses also giving a clue — is the flame behind a SPACE ROCKET.

Commentators of the past explained the expressions in these verses as “shooting stars,” “meteor falls,” and believed that stars and meteors were launched like cannonballs behind the shaytans, whose nature they could not comprehend. But regarding the outcome of this bombardment, they could not fabricate whether the shaytans escaped from the bright, piercing flames or whether they died.

Even if a little, listening to the Revelation (Eavesdropping):

In Surah Hijr, verse 18, the verb “استرق isteraka” is generally translated as “one who steals a hearing,” and it appears only in this verse in the Qur’an. The meaning of the three-letter form of the verb, “سرق saraqa,” is “he stole, he committed theft.” The meaning of the five-letter form relevant to our topic is “he pricked up his ears, he eavesdropped, he looked furtively, he watched slyly with his eyes” ^[8]. That is, “istiraq” means to slyly learn something both with the ears and with the eyes.

In the verse under discussion, this verb appears in the phrase “من استرق السّمع man istqraqa s-sam’a (one who pricks up his ears to sam’a).” Here, since the word “سمع sam’a” is used as the object, the verb “استرق istaraqa” means “one who learns a small amount of information through listening (as much as can be learned by eavesdropping).”

On the other hand, the “sam’a” mentioned in the sentence refers to revelation, that is, the Qur’an. The following verses serve as evidence for this judgment:

¹⁰And they will say: “If we had listened or reasoned, we would not be among the companions of that blazing fire”.

(Al-Mulk / 10)

⁴⁴Or do you really think that most of them will heed the Wahy [Revelation] or use their reason? They are only like animals. Truly they are more astray/confused/inferior in way.

(Al-Furqan / 44)

The following verses can also be examined in relation to this subject: A’raf/100, Yunus/67, Nahl/65-69, Rum/21-24, Sajdah/26, Anfal/21, 22, Kahf/101, Qaf/37.

In Surah Hijr, verse 18, the verb “استرق istaraqa” is explained in the other surah relevant to our topic, Surah Saffat, verse 10, as “من خطف الخطفة min hatifal hatfata (one who snatches a fragment).”

Mala-i A’la:

The word “ملأ mala,” —derived from the word “ملؤ mil,” which means “to fill,”— originally means “that which is full (storage, container).” Later, the term “mala” also came to be used for leaders, chiefs, the prominent figures of a society, the virtuous ones of a community. The reason they are called “mala” is because they are full of the knowledge, experience, and understanding needed—meaning, they are not “empty men.” With this meaning, the word is mentioned 28 times in the Qur’an.

The Arabs also call “character” (moral disposition) “mala”^[9].

The commentators of old based their interpretation on the metaphorical meaning of the word “mala,” which means “leaders, the prominent ones (council), the virtuous ones,” and interpreted the phrase “الملأ الأعلى al mala-i a’la,” in which the word is used with the adjective “أعلى a’la (exalted),” as “the exalted council.” However, since there was no solid evidence regarding what this “exalted council” was and who it consisted of, they claimed it referred to “the angels in the heavens,” “the Cherubim / the Muqarrabun (the angels closest to Allah).” Consequently, they imagined that the shaytans who attempted to steal a hearing were climbing up to the heavens in order to listen to the conversations of the angels close to Allah, and could only be driven away from there by bombarding them with stars(!).

In our view, the phrase “mala i a’la,” which has the dictionary meaning of “the exalted filled ones (the exalted container),” refers to the revelation, the verses of the Qur’an. Because the Qur’an contains everything that humanity needs and is full of the knowledge everyone will need. What is inside the Qur’an is not trivial, but the most valuable and exalted matters. (There are many verses concerning this point.)

The expression “mala i a’la” appears in the Qur’an in this verse and also in Surah Sad, verse 69. In order to properly understand this verse, it is necessary to consider the verses before and after it together:

 

^65,66Say:  “I am only a warner. And there is no deity except Allah Who is the One and the Only, the prevailing, Rabb of the heavens/universe, the earth and all that is between, very powerful, very forgiving.”

⁶⁷Say: “It; the Qur’an is great, important news. ⁶⁸And you are keeping your distance from it. ⁶⁹When they were disputing one another, I had no information concerning the Qur’an (mala i ala); which is “full of the most exalted”. ⁷⁰It is revealed to me because I, yes I, am only an explicit warner.”

(Sad / 65-70)

As can be seen, the expression “mala-i a’la” is also used in this verse in the sense of the Qur’an. For the Qur’an is, what is being discussed, and the Prophet had no knowledge of the Qur’an until revelation came to him.

In light of the information above, if the verses of both surahs are evaluated together, we can say that: to prick up one’s ear to “sam’a,” to snatch a fragment from the “mele-i a’la,” is to benefit, even slightly, from the Qur’an.

As for what is obtained by snatching a piece from the “mala-i a’la,” that is, by pricking up one’s ear to revelation: there are many verses in the Qur’an related to cosmology and astronomy. In our time, these are understood thousands of times better compared to ancient times, and each of these verses has become a fresh miracle in our age.

³³O communities of jinn and ins! If you are able to pass beyond some of the boundaries of the heavens/universe and the earth, then do it, but you will not be able to do that without a supreme power.

(Ar-Rahman / 33)

The “sultan (superior power)” mentioned in the verse is science and technology. The “shihab-i saqib, mubin / piercing bright flame (rocket flame)” is the sign, the indicator of the sultan (a superior power). This verse is an exceptional sentence, and in the following verse, people are asked, “Which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?” implying, “Go and see—after seeing those things, which of your Lord’s favors will you be able to deny?” That is, this expression in the verse is not a challenge reminding people of their helplessness, but guidance saying,“If you possess such superior power, you may journey beyond the bounds of the heavens and the earth; if not, you will remain forever grounded.”

The “illa” exception particle

The verses in the passages relevant to our topic (Hijr; verse 18 and Saffat; verse 10) begin with the exception particle “illa.” Consequently, the part after the exception particle is excluded from the previous judgment. If we evaluate the verses together, their meaning becomes: “We protected the heaven… from the shaytan, but we did not protect those who listen to revelation (who take a piece from the ‘mala-i a’la’) and who are followed by the shihab.”

If you pay attention, unfortunately this rendering, which ought to be present in the available translations and exegeses, is not there. It has been acted as if the “إلا illa” particle in the verses did not exist, and the relative pronoun “من man” has been treated as if it were a conditional particle, and thus the sentence has been translated with the meaning of a conditional clause as “whoever steals a hearing, the fireball will immediately catch him.” In short, the old exegetes could not fit the meaning of the exception clause into their minds. In fact, in those times it was not possible for a person, from a verse he would hear from the Qur’an, to learn that he could ascend to the sky, but that to achieve this he would need a machine with a bright and piercing flame behind it. Because the knowledge and technology of that day did not allow it.

As a result, our view is this: A raw idea cannot produce anything about space. But if a person, by snatching something from the Qur’an, elevates the raw idea to the level of contemplation (tafakkur), he can build a fireball, that is, a ROCKET, which will take him to space, and with it he can go to the sky. For him, the sky is now open.

Since we have presented our view on the subject in detail while analyzing the verses 8–10 of Jinn surah, we will be content here with only this brief reminder and recommend that the details of the subject be read from the relevant section.

 

Verses 19 – 21:

¹⁹And We have spread the earth and placed there firm stakes/mountains. And We have made grow plants from every balanced thing on the earth.

²⁰And We have made means of living on the earth for you and for those for whom you do not provide/And We have made certain means of living and the people for whom you do not provide.

²¹And the treasures of all things are only with Us. And We send it down only by a certain measure.

After the explanations regarding the heavens (sama), these verses draw attention to the earth and its importance for humankind.

The expression “and We have spread out the earth” in verse 19 also appears in Nazi‘at/30 as “And then He spread the earth,” and in Dhariyat/48 as “And the earth; it is We Who have spread it out. How excellent We prepare the conditions in which everything may form and grow!”

There are those who interpret these expressions to mean that the earth is flat like a tray and insist on this belief. However, the subject of the verse is not the flatness of the earth but that it has been spread out in a way suitable and spacious for habitation. The earth, compared to the living beings upon it, is such a vast sphere that it appears widespread and level for everything resting on its surface.

The “placed there firm stakes” mentioned in the same verse refer to the mountains. Indeed, in Naba’/7 our Lord says, “Have We not made the earth a cradle and the mountains as stakes?” thus describing the mountains as stakes [or pillars]. The placement of mountains like stakes on the earth is so that the earth may not tremble:

¹⁰Allah formed the heavens/universe without pillars, you see that. And He built mountains on the earth so that it might prepare a table for you/it may be suitable for agriculture and dispersed all kinds of creatures, small and large, therein. And We sent down water from the sky, thus We made grow there plant from every precious pair.

(Luqman / 10)

^15,16And Allah set in the earth mountains standing firm and rivers so they might be table for you and paths and many other evidences for you so you might find the righteous path you are guided. And they find their path with stars/with the divisions of the Ayat of the Qur’an.

(An-Nahl / 15)

³¹And We made firm stakes within the earth so it may be a table for you/it may be suitable for agriculture. And We made many paths there so they may find the paths they are guided.

(Al-Anbiya / 31)

The subject of mountains being likened to stakes is available in detail in science and technical books. We recommend that you read the details of the subject there.

PLANTING PLANTS FROM EVERYTHING MEASURED

In verse 19, the pronoun “فيها fiha [there]” can technically refer either to the “earth” or to the “firm mountains.” However, we find it more accurate to consider it referring to the “earth,” because the earth is more fittingly associated with the bringing forth of every kind of plant for benefit, as expressed in the phrase “انبتنا anbatna [We caused to grow plants]” in the verse, compared to the mountains.

The adjective “measured” in the verse indicates that all plants on the earth have been created according to a principle of “measure” and “balance,” and that this principle of measure and balance has been established as a foundational law in creation.

⁸Allah knows “what every female carries and what wombs lose and exceed”. And everything is by measure with Him.

(Ar-Ra’d / 8)

⁴⁹Indeed, We formed everything; yes everything in a measure and a proportion.

(Al-Qamar / 49)

²⁷And if Allah had extended/spread provision for His servants [in abundance], they would surely have transgressed on the earth. But Allah sends down whatever He wills in a certain measure. Indeed, He is the One Who is all aware of His servants, the One Who sees best.

(Ash-Shura / 27)

The principle of “measure” and “balance” here means that each plant is destined to grow only within its proper bounds, rather than overrunning the entire earth. Were every species left unchecked, a single fast-growing plant could dominate all others. Yet the All-Wise, All-Powerful Creator has ordained precise limits on growth and reproduction, ensuring that every plant reaches just the right height, thickness, and form. This divine regulation is evident in the distinctive structure, stature, and shape of each species.

If, however, in verse 19 the pronoun فيها (fiha, “there”) were taken to refer to the “fixed mountains,” then the “measured” things would be the earth’s mineral treasures—gold, silver, copper, lead, tin, and so forth—all of which are mined and weighed according to strict measures. In fact, every created thing—animate or inanimate—obeys its own chemical, physical, or biological formula, functioning within precisely calibrated parameters. Nothing in the universe is accidental; all reflects intelligent design. ^[10]

In verse 20, our Lord emphasizes that He has made the earth an inexhaustible table of blessings for mankind, from which humans directly benefit or profit through trade. This fact had also been mentioned earlier in the Surah Abasa:

²⁴Then, let man look at his own food!

²⁵We poured water in abundance. ²⁶Then We broke open the earth, splitting.

^27,32Thus We made grow on the earth grains/cereals, grapes, cloves, olives, dates, gardens with dense grass and trees, fruits and meadows as a livelihood for you and your livestock.

(‘Abasa / 24-32)

The expression at the end of verse 20, “those for whom you do not provide” refers to all living beings of plant or animal kind that are not cared for or fed by humans, yet still continue to exist. The expression in question, in its broadest sense, means “that all living beings, including humans, are sustained solely and exclusively by Allah.” Indeed, the Almighty Allah has very clearly declared that the sustenance of all living beings belongs to Him:

⁶There is no creature on the earth, small-large, whose provision is not upon Allah. Allah knows its permanent dwelling and temporary settlement. All is in an explicit book.

(Hud / 6)

Verses 22 – 25:

²²And We have sent the winds as fertilizers and sent down a water from the sky and watered you with it. It is not you who retain/keep the water in treasures.

²³And indeed, it is only We Who give life and take life! And it is We Who will be the inheritor.

²⁴And certainly, We know those of you who hasten to precede and indeed, We know those of you who wish to remain behind.

²⁵And indeed, your Rabb is the One Who will gather them all. Surely, He is the One Who is the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible, knows best.

In these verses, the infinite power of Allah continues to be revealed. We are reminded that the winds are the instillers—that is, they gather and transport the clouds to bring rain, and they fertilize the earth by carrying pollen and dust—and then we are told that only Allah can give life and cause death, that He alone knows the innermost realities of every soul, and that He alone will hold everyone to account in the end.

The expression “the winds as fertilizing agents” in verse 22 means that the winds, by fulfilling their own function, fertilize the clouds so that rain may fall, and also carry pollen to fertilize plants. Detailed and satisfying information about this subject is also found in books on science and technology.

In verse 23, our Lord has informed that the act of resurrecting [giving life, creating, bringing into the realm of existence] belongs solely to Him without any partner. This act is not merely a matter of “giving life” but also includes other blessings of our Lord to humankind:

^78-82He is the One Who formed me. And it is He Who guides me to the righteous path. And He is the One Who makes me eat and drink. He is the One Who cures me when I am ill. And it is He Who will take my life and resurrect me. And He is the One Who, I hope, will forgive me for my sin on the day of religion.

(Ash-Shu’ara / 78-82)

⁴⁴No doubt that He is the One Who takes life and gives life…

(An-Najm / 44)

The word “inheritor/varis” mentioned in verse 23 means “the one who ultimately becomes the owner of property or wealth.” Therefore, the expression in the verse, “And it is We Who will be the inheritor.” means “No one else will remain except Us. The property and possessions that people own today will ultimately belong to their true owner, that is, to Us. For the ownership claims of servants over anything will end with death.” This matter has been emphasized in many verses (Maryam/40, Mumin/16, Ali Imran/180, Hadid/10, Rahman/26, 27, Hadid/3) with different expressions.

The expression “those of you who hasten to precede” in verse 24 refers to “those who want to advance in servitude to the Almighty Allah,” “those who compete” in this matter; and the expression “ those of you who wish to remain behind” points to “those who avoid servitude.”

The expression “to precede” evokes a race. Indeed, our Lord has invited us in the Qur’an to act collectively in many matters and to compete with each other in good deeds. Those who compete with each other in doing righteous deeds and get ahead in this world will also be ahead in entering Paradise and reaching its blessings in the hereafter.

Since a detailed explanation about “those who compete” has been made in the Surah Waqi’ah, we will content ourselves with this much on the subject and recommend reading the details from there.

In conclusion, starting from verse 16, our Lord, who speaks of His existence, oneness, and power, while expressing this, has given people demonstrable lessons about the creation of the heavens, the formation of the earth, the function of mountains, the nourishment of humans and all beings in the world adorned with all kinds of plants, the management of natural events such as the winds fertilizing plants and clouds to enable the reproduction of plants and the falling of rain, and has warned that in the end, only He will remain.

Verses 26, 27:

^26,27And surely, We formed seen and known creatures from the clay that sounds, from processable mud/a substance that is capable of many forms. And We had formed unseen creatures before from fire of a burning breeze that can pass through the narrowest hole/from energy that knows no boundaries.

In these verses, our Lord draws attention to the nature of man and informs us how He created his tangible, visible structure in stages. According to these stages, the material structure of man was created from baked clay—by the old expression, from water, air, and soil—while his intangible, invisible structure was created from fire [energy].

The message our Lord gives here is that the “living” human was created from inanimate matter; this refers to the first creation. To interpret the expression “salsalin min hamein masnun” ( صلصال من حمإ مسنون ) in the original text as “sperm,” that is, to interpret the terms “soil,” “clay” used by Almighty Allah as liquid sperm, is, in our view, not appropriate. Undoubtedly, there are many verses (Al-Qiyamat/37) (An-Nahl/4) (Al-Insan/2, 3) (As-Sajdah/8) that state that man was created from sperm:

However, these verses do not express the first creation of man but rather the reproduction stages following the first creation. Indeed, this matter has been clearly stated in other verses:

⁵O people! If you doubt that you will be resurrected after you die, know that We formed you from dust, and then from a drop of semen, and then from an embryo, and then a disfigured piece of flesh so We may make clear to you what you are. And We keep whom We will in the wombs for a specified term. Then We bring you out as a child so that then you may reach time of maturity. And some of you are reminded that which you did in the past and failed to do while being obliged to/lives of some of you are taken. And some of you are made to reach to miserable time of his life to have no knowledge after his previous knowledge. And then you see the earth barren; then it quivers, swells and grows plants of every beautiful kind when We send down water on it.

(Al-Hajj / 5)

^12-16And indeed, We formed human from a chosen clay/elements. Then We made him a drop of semen in a very firm lodging. Then We formed an embryo from that drop of semen. Then We formed a piece of flesh from that embryo. Then We formed bones from that piece of flesh. And at the end, We clothed those bones with flesh. Then We assembled him in another formation. How generous is Allah Who is the best of those who form! Then indeed, you will die after these. Then you will definitely be resurrected on the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection].

(Al-Mu’min/12-16)

The meanings of the words in the original expression are as follows:

• The word “Salsal” (صلصال) means “clay that makes a sound like pottery, dried without being baked.” ^[11]
• The word “Hame” (حمإ) means “decayed, black, putrid mud, to the extent that it can be said to be fermented.”
• The word “Masnun” (مسنون) has two meanings: “putrid mud that has turned greasy” and “formed, shaped mud.”

In light of this information, according to the original text, man—since he represents all visible and known beings—was first created in form [appearance] from decayed earth. This stage is the beginning phase of creation:

⁷He is the One Who made everything that He formed the best and began the formation of human from a clay/elements. ⁸Then He made his posterity from a semen, a simple water/liquid. ⁹Then He formed, shaped him and informed him. And He created ears, eyes and hearts for you. Yet how little you repay for the blessings you have been given!

(As-Sajdah / 7, 8)

 

 

INS, INSAN

The word “insan,” whose literal meaning is “that which can be perceived with the five senses, known, visible, familiar, capable of establishing a relationship, not disappearing, constantly present,” is in the morphological form “fi’liyan” ( فعليان) and is derived from the word “ans” (انس). The original form of the word “insan” is “insiyan” (إنسيان).^[12]

Although the word, in terms of meaning, encompasses all visible [corporeal] beings in the universe, it has been assigned only to human beings as a name. The reason is that, by creation, the human is in need of companionship, that is, a social being.

The verses state that the human was created from “baked clay, dry mud, sounding clay, workable mud.” These expressions evoke the transformation of “matter” from one state to another and point to the fact that the human was created from matter in a general sense.

Verses 28 – 44:

^28,29And your Rabb once said to the forces in the universe: “I will form a human being from dry clay, formed/processed mud. And when I have proportioned him and given him knowledge, submit to him at once”.

^30,31Then all angels/forces in the universe except Iblis/thinking ability submitted. He refused to be with those which submitted and did not do.

³²Allah said: “O Iblis! What is the matter with you that you are not with those which submit?”.

³³Iblis said as an answer: “I have not been formed to submit to a human that You have formed from a dry clay, formed/processable mud”.

^34,35Allah said: “Then get out of there! You are now indeed the one who is expelled, ruined and the curse is upon only you until the day of Religion”.

³⁶Iblis said: “My Rabb! Then let me be against You/give me respite until the day they will be resurrected!”.

^37,38Allah said: “Then you are definitely of those who will be against Me/given respite until the day of the time which is known”.

^39,40Iblis said: “My Rabb! Because of the reason that You have created me to lead the people astray, I will indeed make everything on the earth attractive to them and I will indeed lead all of them astray except for your purified servants!”.

^41-44Allah said: “This is a straight path that I have taken upon Me. You have no compelling power over my servants except for those who follow you of the ones who go astray. Surely, the promised place to all of them is Jahannah [Hell]. There are seven gates for it. For each of those gates, a part of them is assigned”.

In this group of verses, our Lord presents, through a symbolic narration, the human’s structure made up of matter and energy.

Information about the initial stages of the creation of humankind was first given in the verses 71-85 of the Surah Sad:

^71,72When your Rabb once said to the forces in the universe, ”Indeed, I am going to form a human from clay. Submit to him right away when I have proportioned him and given him knowledge”.

^73,74“Hereupon, all the forces in the universe submitted all together except Iblis/thinking ability. Iblis acted arrogantly and he was of the ignorant.”

⁷⁵Allah said: “O Iblis! What did prevent you from submitting to what I formed with my two hands/potency? Have you been arrogant? Or have you been among the haughty?

⁷⁶And Iblis said: “I am better than him. You formed me of energy but You formed him of substance.”

^77,78Allah said: “Then, get out of there, now you are expelled/you are the one who is killer, who produces untrue word and thought, who throws stones into darkness. Indeed, it is upon you that I will keep away from the good till the day of recompense”.

⁷⁹Iblis said: “My Rabb! Then, give me respite until the day they will be resurrected”.

^80,81Allah said: “Then, you are of those who are given respite until a certain time”.

^82,83Iblis said: “Then I swear by that You are the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible; the subduer that, I will make all of them transgress – except for Your purified servants among them –“.

⁸⁴Allah said: “This is the truth. And the truth I say: “⁸⁵I will definitely fill Jahannah [Hell] of you and those of them who follow you; all of you”.

(Sad / 71-85)

Whether in Surah Sad or in the passage which is our subject, the expressions regarding the creation of man are symbolic. The depiction of the event as if it were being staged in a theater scene is intended to help those who do not have knowledge about the stages of the existence of the universe, the world, and living beings, to better understand the subject. The fact that the matter is narrated through dialogues between Allah, the angels, Adam, and Iblis shows that the event is completely symbolic. Because, according to what Almighty Allah Himself has informed in the Qur’an, it is not possible for Him to speak in such a manner with a human being or for something He created to rebel against Him.

The “creation from clay,” “tasviya (shaping),” “the blowing of the spirit,” and “the prostration of the angels” mentioned in the verse are not events that happened all at once. According to the details given in the Qur’an, these events occurred over a process spanning billions of years. So, from these descriptions, one should not deduce a result that gives the impression that everything happened in a very short time, such as: “Allah, in a meeting where He summoned the angels and Iblis, said that He would immediately create Adam within 2-3 minutes, and then He created him. Then He told the angels to prostrate, and they immediately prostrated. But Iblis…”

Since a detailed explanation on the subject is given in the analysis of Surah Sad, we recommend reading the details there.

In the 44th verse, which is our subject, it is mentioned that Hell has seven gates. Many explanations have been made about what these seven gates of Hell are. Most of the explanations indicate that these gates correspond to the types of sins committed by the sinners who will enter Hell. For example, it has been said that the infidels, hypocrites, polytheists, or those who worship their ego, wealth, property, status, or lust will all enter Hell through different gates specific to them. The proponents of this view have argued, based on the fact that the Hell into which the infidels will be thrown to suffer the consequences of their deeds like infidelity, denial, polytheism, hypocrisy is given different names and attributes in the Qur’an, that these names and attributes represent the gates of Hell. The names and attributes mentioned in the Qur’an are:

1- Nar [“fire”; a general term],

2- Laza [“fierce flame/erupting flame”],

3- Sa’ir [“blazing flame”],

4- Saqar [“scorching fire”],

5- Jahim [“intense fire”],

6- Haviya [“blazing pit”],

7- Hutama [“crushing, marrow-penetrating torment”].

Many have accepted that these attributes are separate sections belonging to Hell and have foreseen that each section would have its own gate.

Two views found in classical sources are as follows:

At the highest level of the fire will be those from the community of Muhammad, in the second will be the Christians, in the third the Jews, in the fourth the Sabeans, in the fifth the Magians, in the sixth the Arab polytheists, and in the seventh the hypocrites, the household of Pharaoh, and those who requested that a table be sent down to Jesus and then denied it after it was sent down. Indeed, Almighty Allah says: “Surely the hypocrites are in the lowest level of the Fire” (An-Nisa/145). And again, Almighty Allah says elsewhere: “Expose the family of Pharaoh to the most severe torment!” (Al-Mu’min/46). And regarding those among them who became infidels after witnessing the descent of the table, He says: “But whoever among you becomes an infidel after this, then I will punish him with a torment with which I will not punish any of the beings in the worlds” (Al-Ma’idah/115).^[13]

1- Hell is seven layers, one on top of the other. Each layer is called a “dereka.” Evidence for this is the verse: “Surely the hypocrites are in the lowest dereke of the Fire” (An-Nisa/145).

2- The headquarters of Hell is divided into seven parts, and each part has a gate. It has been narrated that Ibn Jurayj said: “The first of these is Jahannam, then Leza, then Hutama, then Sa’ir, then Saqar, then Jahim, then Haviya.” Dahhak said: “In the first layer [dereka], the believers are punished according to the extent of their sins and then taken out. The second belongs to the Jews, the third to the Christians, the fourth to the Sabeans, the fifth to the Magians, the sixth to the polytheists, and the seventh to the hypocrites.” ^[14]

However, Hell is a whole, and the above-mentioned names and attributes reflect the characteristics of the torment in Hell. The depictions of Paradise and Hell in the Qur’an are symbolic representations. These symbols are especially drawn from the geography of Arabia, symbols related to that region. This is because Paradise and Hell are both matters of the unseen (ghayb), and the places themselves exist in a dimension different from the one we are currently in. Therefore, fully understanding or visualizing the nature of anything that exists in a dimension different from where humans live can only be possible through symbols. For this reason, our Lord narrates Paradise and Hell to us in a symbolic manner:

³⁵Example of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] that is promised to those who entered under the guardianship of Allah is as follows: Underneath of it rivers flow, its blessings; fruits, colors, tastes and shadows are eternal. This is the end of those who entered under the guardianship of Allah. End of the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb is the Fire.

(Ar-Rad / 35)

^14,15So, is the one who is upon an explicit evidence from his Rabb like those whose evil of their affairs are made attractive to them and who follow their vain, transitory desires; like those who will abide in the Fire eternally and who will be made to drink scalding water and that will tear their intestines into pieces? Example of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] that is promised to those who entered under the guardianship of Allah: There will be rivers of unspoiled water, rivers of milk taste of which does not change, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink and rivers of filtered honey. For them will be therein all kinds of fruits and forgiveness from their Rabb.

(Muhammad / 15)

The number “seven” given in relation to the gates of Hell is, in our opinion, an allusion to multiplicity. By this, the multiplicity of the paths that lead people to Hell is meant. For, as we have explained many times before, the number “seven” is also used to express the meaning of “multiplicity, change”.

Verses 45 – 48:

^45,46Surely, those who enter under the guardianship of Allah will be in gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] and within springs: “Enter there in peace and safely!”.

⁴⁷And We will remove the hatred from the hearts of those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah. They will sit on sofas facing each other as brothers.

⁴⁸No fatigue will touch them in Jannah [Heaven/Paradise]. And they will not be removed from there.

In these verses, the condition of the muttaqin (those who are heedful of Allah) who do not follow Iblis, is described. The righteous servants will be hosted in gardens and by springs on the Day of the Judgment; they will attain various forms of hospitality. They will sit together in pavilions as friends, purified from worldly filth such as malice and envy, and they will continue their lives in this manner eternally. There are many similar verses in the Qur’an:

^42,43As to those who believe and do amendatory deeds; – then We do not burden any one more than its capacity -, they are the companions of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] and they will abide there eternally. And We will tear and dispose of all grudge, hatred, jealousy, deception, treachery and malice from their chests. Underneath them rivers flow. They will say: “All praise is to Allah Who has guided us for this. Had Allah not guided us, we could not have reached the righteous path to which we were guided. Indeed, the prophets of our Rabb came to us with the truth”. And they will be called: “Here is Jannah [Heaven]! You have inherited this/become last owners of this with what you did”.

(Al-A’raf / 42, 43)

^107,108Indeed, those who have believed and done amendatory deeds, gardens of Firdevs will be presented for them wherein they will abide eternally. They will never desire to leave there.

(Al-Kahf / 107, 108)

^14,15So, is the one who is upon an explicit evidence from his Rabb like those whose evil of their affairs are made attractive to them and who follow their vain, transitory desires; like those who will abide in the Fire eternally and who will be made to drink scalding water and that will tear their intestines into pieces? Example of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] that is promised to those who entered under the guardianship of Allah: There will be rivers of unspoiled water, rivers of milk taste of which does not change, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink and rivers of filtered honey. For them will be therein all kinds of fruits and forgiveness from their Rabb.

(Muhammad / 14,15)

⁵³This is what you are promised for the day of account. –⁵⁴Indeed, this is Our provision; there is no depletion for it.-

(Sad / 53,54)

The detailed explanation regarding the words muttaqi, ittiqa, and taqwa was given in the analysis of Surah Al-A’raf. We recommend re-reading the relevant section, as we believe it would be beneficial.

Regarding the number of gardens (paradises), our Lord has given the following information in the Qur’an:

⁴⁶And there are two gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] for those who fear the position of your Rabb.

(Ar-Rahman / 46)

⁶²And there are two other gardens of Jannah [Heaven/Paradise] which are inferior to them.

(Ar-Rahman / 62)

Verses 49, 50:

^49,50Inform my servants that I am definitely the One Who is  very forgiving, very merciful, My punishment is that which is a very painful punishment!

 

In these verses, our Lord, out of His mercy, commands the Prophet to proclaim that He is exceedingly forgiving and compassionate, yet His punishment is severe.

By reminding us of His forgiveness, He instills hope; by warning us of His punishment, He arouses healthy fear. In this way, our Lord cautions us neither to despair of His mercy nor to become complacent through expectation alone. Rather, we should strike a balanced path—much as one feels both concern when ill and gratitude when well—and live with both hope and vigilance.

Verses 51 – 60:

⁵¹And inform my servants about the guests of Abraham.

⁵²When the guests of Abraham had entered the presence of Abraham and said: “Salam [health, peace, happiness…]!”. Abraham said: “Surely, we are those who are afraid of you”.

⁵³The guests of Abraham said: “Do not fear! Surely we give you the good tidings of a learned son”.

⁵⁴Abraham said: “Do you give the good tidings to me although old age has come upon me? Then, relying on what do you give me the good tidings?”.

⁵⁵The guests of Abraham said: “We give you the good tidings in truth. Do not be among those who despair!”.

⁵⁶Abraham said: “Who despairs of the mercy of my Rabb other than those who are astray?”.

⁵⁷Abraham said: “O the messengers that have been sent! What is your affair?”.

^58-60The messengers said: “Surely, we have been sent to a criminal people. Except the family of Lot”. -Surely, We will save all of them but the inharmonious and incompatible wife of Lot. We have set it up. Surely, she is among those remain behind/who look back.-

In verses 49 and 50, our Lord, who draws attention to His mercy and His punishment, in these verses exemplifies them through historical events.

The events given as examples of those who deserved Allah’s mercy and were saved from punishment, and those who acted wrongly and were punished, are the glad tidings given to Prophet Ibrahim, the salvation of the family of Prophet Lut—except for his wife—and the destruction of the people of Lut.

These events were also mentioned earlier in Surah Hud:

⁶⁹And indeed, our messengers came to Abraham with good tidings; they said: “Salam [health, peace, happiness…]!”. And he said: “Salam [health, peace, happiness…]!” and he did not delay in giving gold.

⁷⁰And when he saw them not reaching for it, he found it strange and he felt an apprehension from them. They said: “Do not fear, we have definitely been sent to the people of Lot”

⁷¹And the difficult and incompatible wife of Abraham was upraising against and she laughed.

Then We gave her the good tidings of Isaac and Jacob after him.

⁷²The the difficult and incompatible wife of Abraham said: “O woe to me! Will I give birth? I am a poor, unlucky and unhappy woman whose husband goes for nothing. And this, my husband, he is an old man! Indeed, this is a strange thing!”.

⁷³Messengers said: “Are you amazed at the decree of Allah? Mercy and blessings of Allah are upon you. O people of the house! Indeed, He is the One Who is praiseworthy and very beneficent”.

⁷⁴When Abraham overcame his fear and received the good tidings, he started to dispute with Us about the people of Lot.

⁷⁵Surely, Abraham was very forbearing, very  grieving/tenderhearted/turning person.

-“⁷⁶O Abraham! Stay away from this. Indeed, the command of your Rabb has come and indeed, they; an irreversible punishment will come to them.-

(Hud / 69-76)

DO NOT DESPAIR OF MERCY; ONLY THE DEVIANTS DESPAIR OF MERCY

In verse 57, it is stated through the words of Prophet Ibrahim that only the deviators despair of Allah’s mercy. The necessity of not losing hope in Allah’s mercy was also expressed through the words of Prophet Yaqub in Surah Yusuf, where it was declared that only the infidels are those who despair of mercy.

^86,87Jacob said: “I complain of my excessive longing, my grief to Allah. And I know from Allah that which you do not know. O my sons! Go search for Joseph and his brother. Do not despair of the relief Allah gives you, surely no one but those infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will despair of the relief from Allah”.

(Yusuf / 86, 87)

The deviation of despairing from Allah’s mercy especially stems from not knowing or misjudging Allah. Those who know that Almighty Allah is Rahim (Most Merciful), Ghafur (Most Forgiving), Rauf (Most Kind), Tawwab (Acceptor of repentance), All-Powerful over everything, the One who responds to prayers, Forgiving and Generous, never lose hope in His mercy.

THE PROTECTION OF THE FAMILY OF PROPHET LUT FROM PUNISHMENT

In the verse, the statement that only the family of Prophet Lut—except for his wife—was saved from among the people of Lut shows the small number of those who believed in Prophet Lut. This situation is explained in another verse as follows:

³⁵So We brought out whoever was in there of the believers. ³⁶But We did not find there other than a single house of Muslims. ³⁷And We left therein an evidence/a sign for those who fear a painful punishment.

(Adh-Dhariyat / 35-37)

In verses 59 and 60, the expression “Surely, We will save all of them but the inharmonious and incompatible wife of Lot. We have set it up. Surely, she is among those remain behind/who look back.” is a sentence of istisna-i munkati (disconnected exception) and is not the statement of the messengers, but a parenthetical declaration of our Lord. Because it is not possible for the messengers to have the power or authority to save or to decree.

As understood from this statement of our Lord, in His sight everyone is held accountable for the crimes and unjust acts they have committed, regardless of their social status. Almighty Allah does not exempt anyone from responsibility or spare anyone from punishment because of their status. Because responsibility is according to deeds, not according to status.

Verses 61 – 65:

^61,62And when the messengers came to the family of Lot, Lot said: “You truly are a people who are unusual, whose identity is unknown”.

^63-65The messengers said: “Quite contrary, we have brought you that which they were doubting about. And we have brought you the truth and we surely are the truthful ones. Now, set out your family in a part of the night, and follow them. And let none of you waste time/think about those who are left behind, proceed to the place where you are commanded”.

In these verses, the messengers sent to the people of Lot—whose punishment had been decreed—speak directly through him. These envoys were not “angels” but human messengers, as we explained in our commentary on Sūrah Hūd.

The term we translate as “You truly are a people who are unusual, whose identity is unknown” in verses 61–62 is munkarun. Since nakirah is the opposite of ma‘rifah, munkarun literally means “I do not recognize you, I have no knowledge of who you are or why you have come.”

The phrase in verse 65, “And let none of you waste time/think about” is often mistranslated as “Do not look back.” In fact it means, “Do not concern yourselves with my property, wealth, business, friends, or acquaintances remaining here.”

Recall that in Al-A‘raf /82 and An-Naml/56 we read how the people of Lot tried to expel their prophet. Here, however, Prophet Lot is commanded by the messengers to depart his land—not because the people forced him out, but because Allah spared him. Those who stayed behind were destroyed.

Verse 66:

⁶⁶And We fulfilled the command to Lot: “Indeed, they will be eliminated by the morning”.-

This parenthetical verse contains the revelation of our Lord to Prophet Lot. Prophet Lot was informed by Allah that his people would meet their end before dawn.

⁴²And surely, We sent messengers before you to those peoples with a leader and We seized them with unbearable hardship; poverty and adversities so they might humble themselves.

⁴³And when Our harsh punishment came to them, should not have they humbled themselves? But their hearts hardened and satan made that which they were doing attractive to them.

⁴⁴And when they abandoned what they were reminded, We opened the doors of everything upon them. Then We suddenly seized them when they ‘rejoiced and became spoiled’ in that which they had been given. Then they became the ones whose hopes were lost.

⁴⁵Thus eradicated were the people who did wrong; acted against their own good by associating others with Allah, by disbelieving. –And all praise is to Allah, Rabb of all universes; no one else may be praised.-

(Al-An’am / 42- 45)

Verse 67 – 77:

⁶⁷And the people of the city came happily.

^68,69Lot said: “They are indeed my guests, then do not disgrace me and enter under the guardianship of Allah and do not humiliate me!”.

⁷⁰They said: “Have we not forbidden you from communicating around?”.

⁷¹Lot said: “Here are my daughters! If you are among those who will…”.

⁷²You have never seen in your life such disgraced ones who prepared their end in their passion for lust.-

⁷³At the sunrise that horrible shriek seized them.

⁷⁴Thus did We turn them upside down and rained upon them stones made of baked clay.

⁷⁵Surely, there are evidences/signs in this for those who discern signs; those who think and have a good understanding.

⁷⁶And surely, ruins of the city where the people of Lot used to live is on a road.

⁷⁷Surely, there is an evidence/a sign in this for those who believe.

In this group of verses, the evil thought of the men of the tribe of Lot against the guests of Lot (pbuh), the quarrel between Lot and his people over it, and the disastrous end of the matter are narrated.

This part of the story was also mentioned in Surah Hud:

⁷⁷And when Our messengers came to Lot, he was distressed for these, he felt great discomfort about these and said, “this is indeed an extraordinary day!”.

⁷⁸And his people came hastening to him. They had been doing evil before this. Lot said: “O my people! Here are my daughters. They are purer for you. Then enter under the guardianship of Allah, do not disgrace me concerning my guests. Is there not a man of reason among you?”.

⁷⁹They said: “Indeed, you have known that there is no right for us concerning your daughters. And surely, you certainly know what we want”.

⁸⁰Lot said: “If only I had a power against you or I could take refuge in an unreachable place/a powerful people!”.

⁸¹The guests, messengers said: “O Lot! Indeed, we are the messengers of your Rabb. They will never touch you. Set out with your family in a part of the night. And do not let anyone among you look back [let not anyone think about what happened here], except your inharmonious and incompatible wife. Surely, what hits them will hit her. Indeed, time of what is promised is the morning. Is morning not close?”.

^82,83And when Our command came, We turned there upside down. And We rained upon them stones of layered baked clay which were marked from your Rabb. And these are not far from those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah.

(Hud / 77-83)

It is noteworthy that the phrase “the people of the city” in Hijr/67, which is our subject, is translated as “his people” in Hud/78. The city in question is known in history as “Sodom” and its inhabitants as “Sodomites”. The way in which the people of the city [Sodomites] came to Prophet Lot as soon as they saw the foreigners coming to their town is also mentioned in Hijr/ 67 as ” يستبشرون yastabshirun [celebrating each other, rejoicing]” and in Hud/ 78 as ” يهرعون yuhrieun [running]”.

The statement in verse 76, “And surely, ruins of the city where the people of Lot used to live is on a road.” means that the ruins of that city stand clearly in view and still retain their distinctness for those who investigate. Indeed, the signs of these ruins can be seen in the southeast of the Dead Sea [Lut Lake], located on the route between Hijaz [Arabia], Egypt, and Syria.

During the period when the Qur’an was revealed, the remains of the people of Lut were very well known among the Arabs. So much so that the story of this destroyed people had become legendary and was on everyone’s lips. This matter is stated as follows in Surah As-Saffat:

¹³³Surely, Lot was among the messengers that were sent as well.

^134-136When We saved him and all his family, except for unfortunate woman who remained within those remained behind and are destroyed. Then We manipulated/destroyed the others.

^137,138And surely, you pass by them in the morning and at night. Do you still not reason?

(As-Saffat / 133-138)

In order to give an idea about the extent of the moral corruption in which the people of Lut were involved, we find it useful to convey an explanation compiled by Mawdudi from the Talmud:

This shows that that community had fallen into the most extreme degree of immorality. As soon as they heard that handsome strangers had come to the city, they joyfully gathered at the house of Lut (a.s) and demanded from him to hand over his guests to them in order to satisfy their desires. Unfortunately, among them there was not a single person who opposed this immoral act and this great sin. This shows that, as a society, they had lost all sense of honor and felt no shame in openly expressing such an immoral demand. The fact that they could shamelessly make such an indecent proposal to Lut (a.s), a man who feared Allah and was pious, shows that this great sin had become so widespread among them that no one was distinguished from another in this corruption.

The Talmud mentions many examples regarding the moral decay of the people of Lut. Once, when a foreigner passed through their city and was forced to stay overnight in Sodom because night had fallen, he lay down under a tree to spend the night, since he had the necessary provisions with him and needed no one’s help. But a man from Sodom invited him to his house. During the night, that man stole the foreigner’s donkey and belongings and fled. In the morning, when the foreigner asked for help, the townspeople gathered there — not to help him, but to steal the rest of his belongings.

On another occasion, Lady Sarah sent her servant to Sodom to obtain news about the family of Lut (a.s). When the servant entered the city, he saw a man of Sodom beating another foreigner. Naturally, the servant of Lady Sarah tried to awaken the Sodomite’s moral sense, saying: “Why are you mistreating such a poor stranger?” But in response to this question, his head was split open among the crowd.

Another time, a poor man visited Sodom, but no one gave him any food. As he was about to die of hunger, he fell to the ground. One of the daughters of Lut (a.s) saw him and sent him some food. Upon this, the Sodomites threatened Lut (a.s) and his daughter that if they did not stop such “behavior,” they would expel them from the city.

After narrating many such incidents, the Talmud states that this community was extremely savage, merciless, and dishonorable, and that no traveler could pass through their cities in safety, nor could any poor person hope for help or food from them. In such a state, they would strip the clothes off a dead person and bury him naked. If a foreigner made the mistake of passing through their city, they would strip him in public, and if he demanded justice, they would mock him. In the gardens they cultivated, they would shamelessly commit sins openly, and apart from Lut (a.s), there was no one to warn them against these sins.

The Qur’an has summarized their entire sinful life in two meaningful statements:

1- “… They had been committing very great sins before.” (Hud/78)

2- “You approach men, you rob travelers, and you commit great sins in your gatherings.” ^[15]

In verse 71, the words of Prophet Lut directed toward the aggressors — “Here are my daughters” — are a remarkable expression.

Considering the fact that the daughters of Prophet Lut could not possibly have been numerous enough to satisfy the lustful desires of the entire city’s population, we arrive at the conclusion that by this expression, Prophet Lut did not refer to his own daughters, but rather to all the women of his community.

From this perspective, it is understood from this statement that in that society the institution of marriage had completely collapsed, and homosexual relations had taken the place of the family structure.

Another point that supports the interpretation that the expression “my daughters” was used for all the women of that community is that the prophets are regarded as the spiritual fathers of the communities to which they were sent, and their wives as the spiritual mothers.

⁶Prophet is closer to the believers than themselves and wives of Prophet are mothers of the believers. And as for relatives; they are all same in the decree of Allah, -except for treating your protectors in a manner that is acceptable for all- they are more privileged than the believers and the emigrants. This is written in the Book.

(Al-Ahzab / 6)

In verse 72: “You have never seen in your life such disgraced ones who prepared their end in their passion for lust.-” This means that the prophet had never witnessed such disgrace in his lifetime and that that society acted like a drunkard who had lost his mind and will. This means that in this society homosexuality was no longer a marginal perversion, but had become a social phenomenon.

 

 

Verses 78, 79:

^78,79The companions of the Thicket were the ones who did wrong; acted against their own good by associating others with Allah and We took retribution from them/established justice by seizing and recompensing them. Both of them; the people of the Thicket and Lot are on a clear road.

In these verses, reference is made to the story of Prophet Shuayb, which is given in detail in Surah Ash-Shu’ara.

It has been asserted that the word “Ayka” refers to the name of the city where Prophet Shuayb and his people lived; it has also been said that it was the name of a region. “Al-Ayka” means “dense forest.” It has also been read as “Leyke.” This is similar to saying “Becca” instead of “Mecca.” ^[16]

In verse 79, by using the expression “both of them,” attention is drawn to the fact that the ruins of Ayka, like the ruins of Sodom, were located along the routes frequented by the Arabs.

The details of the injustices committed by the People of Ayka(Thicket), who are described here as “wrongdoers,” are explained in other verses:

^85-87Surely We sent to Midian their brother Shu’ayb as a messenger. He said: “O my people! Worship Allah, no deity is for you but Allah. There came a clear evidence from your Rabb: Do the weighing and measuring accurately, do not deprive people from their due rights, do not cause corruption on the earth after being corrected; if you are those who believe, this is better for you! Do not sit on every path, threatening, averting the believers from the path of Allah and seeking the deviation of that path. Remember you were few but He made you many. And see how was the end of the corrupters! And if a group among you has believed in that which was sent with me and a group has not believed, then be patient until Allah judges between us. And He is the best of those who judge”.

^88,89And the chiefs among his people who were arrogant said: “O Shu’ayb! Either we definitely drive you and those who have believed with you out of this city or you will return to our religion/lifestyle!” And Shu’ayb said: “Even if we are unwilling? If we returned to your religion/lifestyle after Allah saved us from it, we would certainly invent lie against Allah. It is not for us to return to it except that Allah, our Rabb should will. Our Rabb encompasses everything with His knowledge. So we trust and rely only on Allah”. – O our Rabb! Judge justly between us and our people. Because You are the best of those who judge! –

(Al-A’raf / 85-90)

^185-187And they said: “You are definitely one of those affected by magic! You are nothing but a human like us. Indeed, we are sure that you are one of the liars. If you should be of the truthful, then make a piece fall upon us from the sky!”.

(Ash-Shu’ara / 185-187)

⁹¹People of Shu’ayb said: “O Shu’ayb! We do not understand very well much of what you say. We consider you very weak among us. If not for your relatives/followers, we would have stoned you to death. And you do not have any power against us/to prevail”

(Hud/91)

Verse 80 – 84:

⁸⁰Surely, the companions of the Hijr denied the messengers as well.

⁸¹And We gave them Our Ayat/evidences/signs but they were those who kept their distance from them. ⁸²And they used to carve safe houses from the mountains.

^83,84Then a horrible shriek seized them at the morning too. So, that which they earned did not avert anything from them at all.

The People of Hijr are the Thamud tribe, to whom Prophet Salih was sent. The place where this tribe lived is also on one of the routes frequently traveled by the Arabs — the Hijaz–Damascus road — and as the Arabs pass through that region, they see the remains of this civilization. This subject is mentioned in Mawdudi’s explanations as follows:

Al-Hijr was the capital city of the Thamud tribe. The ruins of the city are located near the town of al-Ula, northwest of Medina, on the road from Medina to Tabuk. Caravans forbidden to encamp there during their journeys.

Ibn Battuta, when he passed through there on his way to Mecca in the eighth century of the Hijri calendar, said: “I saw the houses of Thamud carved into the red mountains. The paintings were so bright that it seemed as if they had been painted only a short while ago. … Inside them, even today, there are still decayed human bones.” ^[17]

The remains in the valley of Hijr, where the Thamud tribe once lived, are called “the cities of Salih.” These ruins can still be seen today by those who wish to visit them. If it is observed carefully, it becomes apparent that the Arabs were always warned through the fates of civilizations well known to them.

Although at first glance the term “messengers” mentioned in verse 80 might suggest that more than one prophet was sent to the Thamud tribe, the actual meaning is that this tribe did not accept Allah’s principle (sunnah) of sending messengers. In that case, the People of Hijr have in fact denied all prophets.

According to the expression in verse 82, “And they used to carve safe houses from the mountains.” the act of the People of Hijr carving homes from mountains was not due to a geographical necessity of their region, but rather for use in their transgression, excessiveness, and wickedness. “Carving houses in the mountains” is described in the Surahs Hud, Ash-Shu’ara, and Al-A’raf as a characteristic of the tribe of Thamud, the people of Prophet Salih.

Further explanations regarding the transgressions of Thamud are also found in other verses:

⁶⁵Then they killed it by depleting its life resources. Thereafter, Salih said: “Enjoy three more days in your land. This is a promise not be denied”.

(Hud / 65)

¹⁷And as for Thamud; We guided them to the righteous path. But they liked and preferred blindness over righteous path. Therefore, terrifying fear of the humiliating punishment seized them for that which they earned.

(Fussilat / 17)

Verses 85, 86:

⁸⁵And We formed the heavens/universe, the earth and all that is between only in/with truth and certainly, that Qiyamat [Resurrection] will absolutely occur. Now, you, behave well and do not mind.

⁸⁶Surely, your Rabb is the One Who forms with the truth and knows best.

These verses, in which the purpose of the stories and admonitions mentioned in the previous verses is conveyed, also serve as a warning for the infidels and as a consolation for our Prophet.

The message of our Lord — that the heavens and the earth were created with truth [not aimlessly or in vain], that the Day of Judgment will certainly take place, and that the wrongdoers will be held accountable — has also been expressed in other verses:

^31,32Whatever is in heavens/universe and whatever is on the earth belongs to Allah so that He may recompense those who do evil with what they have done, He may reward those who do good; – except for some minor glitches – those who avoid majority of wasting their time/delaying the good/being reluctant for the good/harming and immoralities with “the best”. Indeed, your Rabb is the One Whose forgiveness is vast. He is the One Who knows you best when He formed you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the womb of your mothers. Then, do not claim yourselves to be pure. He knows better who has entered under the guardianship of Allah.

(An-Najm / 31,32)

²⁷And We did not form the heavens/universe, the earth and that is between them without a purpose. That is the assumption of the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb. Woe to those infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb because of the fire of Jahannah [Hell]!

(Sad / 27)

¹¹⁵And did you think that We formed you only uselessly and you would not be returned only to Us?

¹¹⁶Allah, the true owner, the ruler, is the most sublime. There is no deity except Him. He is Rabb of the most prestigious, the greatest throne.

¹¹⁷Whoever invokes another deity along with Allah with having no proof, let him know that his account is surely only with his Rabb. Indeed, the infidels; those who consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will not maintain their status, will not succeed.

(Al-Mu’minun / 115-117)

After giving His warning, our Lord commanded His prophet to treat the polytheists kindly and with goodness, despite all the torment they inflicted upon him and their denial of what he had brought.

⁸⁹Then turn away from them and say: “Salam [health, peace, happiness…]”. Soon they will know.

(Az-Zukhruf / 89)

Verses 87 – 89:

⁸⁷Surely, We have given you many blessings in abundance and the great Qur’an.

^88,89Do not covet upon that which We have given to some among them and let them enjoy with it; wealth and fortune. Do not grieve over them either… Lower your wings for the believers. And say: “Surely, I am the one who is the clear warner”.

These verses, which support and console our Prophet, are primarily directed toward his instruction and training. Our Lord commands His messenger not to envy the wealth, property, rank, or position possessed by others, because the blessings granted to him are far superior. He is ordered to treat the believers with compassion and to declare that he is only a warner.

A similar message given to our Prophet is also found in Surah Ta Ha:

¹³¹And do not extend your eyes/covet for the wealth, properties and children that We have            given for enjoyment to some couples among them as ornaments of the simple worldly life to test them. And the provision of your Rabb is better and more enduring.

(Ta Ha / 131)

 

SAB’EAN MIN ALMATHANI  ( سبعا من المثاني )

This expression, consisting of three Arabic words, functions grammatically in Arabic as maf’ulü bih (the object) within the sentence. That is, when the whole verse is taken as a single sentence, this phrase serves as the object of the sentence.

The first word of the phrase, “sab’a” ( سبع), has never been understood or debated differently up to this day. In Arabic, it is one of the number nouns called esma-i aded, and it means “seven.”

The second word, “min” (من), is a preposition in Arabic known as harf-i jar, which gives nouns the meaning of “from…” As unanimously accepted by all linguists and scholars of religion, this word adds to the sentence the meanings of “beginning, explanation, and division from a whole(tab’iz).” In Turkish, this is called the “separation suffix.”

The third word of the phrase, “mathani” ( مثانى), is a word that could possibly derive from different roots. However, since it is used together with the number “sab’a” [seven] here, it must be accepted as derived from the root “isna” (اثنا) [two], which expresses a number. Because among the possible roots of the word, there is no other one that semantically aligns with the numerical word “sab’a.” Accordingly, the word “mathani” is the plural form of “masna”, which is a distributive numeral meaning “in pairs, by twos.” Its meaning, therefore, is “pairs” or “twos.”

Although there is no disagreement that “mathani” means “pairs, twos,” there has been no clarity about what kind of pairs or twos are being referred to in the verse.

Even though the meaning of the word might evoke the “binary system” in mathematics—that is, the system based on “two,” used today in all information-processing and computing systems—we think that, based on the fact that Qur’anic expressions are always presented together with their opposites, it refers to dualities formed by contrasts. Because everything exists by its opposite, and everything is better expressed, clarified, and understood through its opposite.

That is, just as any number on a number axis has both a negative [−] and a positive [+] sign, so in life every concept has its opposite. In our view, the word “mathani” mentioned in the verse points to such pairs formed by opposites, such as truth–falsehood, faith–infidelity, reward–punishment, good–evil, night–day, Paradise–Hell, and the like.

After determining the meanings of the three words in the expression “sab’ean min almathani” ( سبعا من المثاني ) in this way, we can proceed to our analysis regarding what this expression means.

Various narrations have been put forward about this expression, and many opinions based on these narrations have been proposed. Some, relying on certain narrations, have said that what is meant by this expression is Surah Al-Fatiha, because it is recited in every unit (rakah) of prayer and because Allah is praised in it; others have argued, based on different narrations, that it refers to the seven longest surahs of the Qur’an.

However, it should be immediately noted that Surah Al-Hijr was revealed long before the seven long surahs revealed in Medina, which renders this second claim inconsistent.

As a result, it can be said that in all existing translations and commentaries, it is written that this expression refers either to Surah Al-Fatiha or to the seven longest surahs of the Qur’an. What is interesting is that all of these claims are attributed to one of the famous personalities. It is even observed that in some commentaries published in Arabic and Turkish, in an attempt to understand the expression, the pattern “sab’ean min almathani” has been altered incorrectly into “es-sab’ul-mathani.”

We are of the opinion that the “seven things from the pairs/twos” given to our Prophet, as stated in verse 87, refer to the transformation of seven negative aspects in the life of the Prophet into seven positive ones. That is, in our view, the expression indicates that the seven “minuses” of the Prophet were turned into “pluses.” To determine what these were, the thing to do—as always—should be to consult the Qur’an itself.

When we look at the Qur’an, three surahs that mention what was granted to our Prophet guide us. These are the Surahs Ad-Duha, Al-Inshirah, and Al-Kawthar. When Surah Al-Kawthar, which gathers all that was given to the Prophet under the word “kawthar”, is set aside, two surahs remain:

^1-3Beginning of the enlightment and that the conscious denial of the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb, association of others with Allah, that ignorance have covered the community is the evidence that your Rabb will not abandon you and will not take offense at you.

^4,5And indeed, the future will be better for you than the past. And your Rabb will give you and you will be satisfied.

^6-8Did He not find you an orphan and make you have refuge? Did He not find you as a person who was astray from the straight path and guide you to the straight path? Did He not find you in difficulty in supporting family and make you wealthy?

^9,10Therefore, do not oppress the orphan/do not make him worse! Do not repel the one who wants/asks.

¹¹And put forth the favor of your Rabb with your words and deeds!

^{Al-Inshirah 1-4}Did We not open your chest for you? Did We not remove your heavy burden from you? – that your burden broke your back – Did We not raise your reputation high for you?

^5,6So, there is definitely ease with hardship. Indeed, there is an ease with hardship.

⁷Therefore, start that which is new as soon as you have finished. ⁸And direct your desires only to your Rabb.

(Duha/1-11) (Inshirah/1-8)

When the favors granted to the Prophet, as mentioned in both surahs, are listed one beneath the other, the following table appears, which we have presented in our analysis of Surah Al-Kawthar:

Negatives	Positives
1- He was an ordinary person.	He was chosen and made a Prophet.
2- He was an orphan.	He was given shelter.
3- He was confused.	He was guided to the right path.
4- He was of limited means.	He was enriched.
5- He was distressed.	His breast was opened and relieved.
6- His burden was heavy.	His heavy load was lightened.
7- His name would be forgotten.	His name, fame, and honor were exalted.

As seen in the table, Almighty Allah turned the seven negative aspects in the life of the Prophet into positive ones; in other words, by transforming his seven “minuses” into “pluses,” He granted him “sab’ean min almathani” ( سبعا من المثاني )

Accordingly, the interpretation of verses 87 and 88 can be made as follows:
“We have granted you these seven blessings [those we have listed above]; We have also given you the Glorious Qur’an as your guide. What more could you desire, what else do you expect? Do not covet what We have given to some of them for their enjoyment, do not grieve over them, and spread your wings in mercy for the believers!”

It is also possible that the word “seven” here is used as a figure of speech indicating abundance. However, in that case, the word “mathani” would not mean “in pairs, twos,” but rather “multiplied” or “layered.”

One might also understand “seven” here as signaling abundance or multiplicity. Yet in that case “mathani” would not mean “pairs” but rather “multiplied” blessings. Moreover, since the phrase “seven of the mathani and the Qur’an” distinguishes the seven favors from the Qur’an itself, “mathani” can not refer to the Qur’an’s own characteristic of recitation “in pairs” (mentioned in Zumar /23).

 

²³Allah has sent down the best of the word as a book with synonyms and reiterations.²⁴⁷ Those who respect their Rabb get the shivers of it. Then their skins and hearts soften at the remembrance of Allah. This is the guidance of Allah. Allah guides whomever He wills with it. And whomever Allah leads astray, then there is no one that will guide him to the righteous path.

(Az-Zumar / 23)

In the reports of “asbab al-nuzul” (occasions of revelation), the reason for the revelation of verse 88 is said to be that the Muslims envied the wealth of the rich Jews:

It is said that in one of the towns, seven caravans belonging to the Jews of Qurayza and Nadir arrived, loaded with various garments, perfumes, jewelry, and other goods. Upon this, the Muslims said: “If only these goods were ours, we would gain strength and power with them and spend them in the way of Allah.” Thereupon, Allah the Exalted said to them, as if saying, “Indeed, I have given you seven verses, which are most certainly and absolutely better than those seven caravans.”

Second Opinion: Ibn Abbas said that the meaning of this expression is: “Do not desire the worldly goods with which We have made some people superior to others.” Explaining this meaning, Wahidi says: “When a person continues to direct his gaze and other senses toward something attentively and fixedly, it means that he has extended and fixed his two eyes upon that thing. To fix one’s eyes on something and look at it intensely indicates that the person desires, admires, and wishes for it. However, the Prophet did not look in such a manner at the worldly goods that could have pleased him.”
It is reported that once, he looked at the sheep belonging to Banu Mustaliq, which had dried after being smeared with their urine and filth, and upon that, he immediately pulled his garment over his face and head and recited this verse.
The reason why the urine and dung of those camels, cattle, and sheep dried on their thighs and haunches was because they were being fattened in the springtime, so that their meat and fat would increase — and this was considered the best form of fattening.

Third Opinion: Some have said that the meaning of this expression is: “Do not envy anyone to whom worldly possessions have been given.” Qadi stated that this meaning is far-fetched, because envy (hasad) is ugly and evil for everyone. Envy is to wish for the disappearance of another person’s blessing; this would be like objecting to Allah and not being content with His decree and decision. Therefore, since envy is detestable for everyone, restricting this prohibition only to the Prophet would not be appropriate.^[18]

Some have also claimed that verse 88 was revealed when the Prophet asked the Jews in Medina for a loan:

Ibn Abi Hatim says: According to what Waki’ Ibn Jarrah narrated, Abu Rafi’, the companion of the Prophet, said the following:
A guest had come to the Prophet. The Prophet had nothing with him from which he could benefit [with which he could host the guest]. He sent a message to one of the Jews saying: “The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, says to you: Lend me some flour until the new moon of Rajab [the beginning of the month of Rajab].”
The Jew replied: “Not without collateral.”
I went back to the Prophet and informed him of this. He said: “By Allah, I am the most trustworthy of those in the heavens and the most trustworthy of those on earth. If he lends to me or sells to me, I will surely repay him.”
When I left his presence, the verse up to its end was revealed: “Do not covet what We have given to some among them as enjoyment.”
It was as if Allah the Exalted, by this verse, encouraged him to be patient in regard to the worldly life.
According to the narration of Awfi, Ibn Abbas said about the verse “Do not covet with your eyes”: “He forbade a person from wishing for what belongs to his companion.”
Mujahid also said that in the verse “Do not covet what We have given to some among them as enjoyment,” those who are rich are meant.^[19]

Mawdudi, on the other hand, explained the reason for the revelation of these verses with a realistic approach, in connection with the conditions in which the Muslims found themselves at that time:

The mention that the Qur’an was given as a great blessing is to remind the Prophet and those who follow him that they should not envy the worldly possessions of the infidels, for in the presence of such a great blessing as the Qur’an, the wealth of the infidels is of no value.
To fully grasp the importance of this, it is necessary to consider that at that time the Prophet and his followers were suffering from poverty. When the Prophet began his mission, his commercial activities had almost completely ceased. In addition, Lady Khadijah had spent all her wealth. Most of the Companions were young people who had left their homes and fallen into poverty. The economic boycott had negatively affected the work of those engaged in trade. Besides them, there were believers who were slaves or mawlas of the Quraysh and had no economic position whatsoever.

Alongside these economic troubles, all the Muslims, together with the Prophet, were subjected to torture by the people of Mecca and its surroundings. In short, they had suffered so much persecution, mockery, and humiliation that almost none of them had been spared either physical or spiritual torment.
On the other hand, their enemies, the Quraysh—who persecuted them—were enjoying all the good things of this world and living a life of luxury.

This, then, is the background of the consolation given to the believers:
“Why do you lose courage over this matter? We have given you a ‘wealth’ that surpasses all kinds of riches. Therefore, it is your enemies who should envy your knowledge and your noble character; you should not envy their ill-gotten wealth and sinful pleasures. For when they reach their Lord, they will see that they have gained no wealth that holds any value there.”

An illustration was given in Surah al-Qasas:

⁷⁹Then Korah came out before his people in ornaments and glory. Those who desired the worldly life said: “If only we had like what was given to Korah! Surely, Korah is the owner of a great fortune”.

⁸⁰And those who were given knowledge said: “Woe to you! For those who believe and do righteous deeds, the reward that Allah will give is better. And only those who have patience will be granted it”.

⁸¹And then We caused the earth to swallow him and his house. There was no company for him to help from among those that are inferior to Allah and he was not of those who were able to defend and save themselves.

⁸²And those who wished to be in his position yesterday overnighted and said: “O, so Allah extends provision for whomever He wills of His servants and restricts it. Had Allah not given us a bounty, He would have caused the earth to swallow us as well. So, the infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb will not save themselves”.

⁸³That home of Akhirat [Afterlife]! We will prepare it for those who do not seek corruption and arrogance on the earth. And the outcome is for those who have entered under the guardianship of Allah.

⁸⁴Whoever brings a good, there will be a better one for him/there will be a good for him because of it. And whoever brings an evil; those who commit evil will be recompensed only with that which they did.

(Al-Qasas / 79-84)

 

In verse 89, the command “Lower your wings for the believers” was mentioned earlier in Al-Isra/24, and we made the following explanation in our analysis of the verse.

In the expression “And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy,” there is the figure of speech called isti’ara (metaphor). With this artistic expression, our Lord commands that mercy be shown to parents. This instruction, given in a figurative and artistic form, creates a much greater impact than it would have if expressed as an ordinary command sentence.

Moreover, since the address here is to the Prophet and, at that time, the Prophet no longer had living parents, those referred to as “them” are his ummah (community).

²¹⁵And lower your wings for those believers who follow you.

(Ash-Shu’ara / 215)

In verse 89, the Prophet is also commanded to declare that he is “a clear warner,” thereby emphasizing one of his duties as a messenger — that of warning.

The purpose of warning is to teach people the evil consequences to which wrong behavior, sin, and wrongdoing will lead, and to inform them of the fate that awaits them.

The word “clear” (mubin) here can also be expressed with the meaning of “bare” or “plain.”

Verses 90, 91, and 92–93 have not been included here because they are arranged together with the verses 3–6 of Surah Ash-Shuara.

Although their translations (meals) are presented among verses 3–6 of Surah Ash-Shuara, the reason why their analysis has been carried out here is to express the rationale behind our opinion regarding the actual placement of these verses. Due to the problems listed below, these verses have led us to the opinion — both technically and contextually — that they do not belong to their current place.

1- The problem arising from the simile particle (tashbih):

Verse 90 begins with the letter kaf ( ك ), which is a particle of comparison (tashbih). Therefore, the word “like” that this particle expresses must necessarily appear in the translation.
Accordingly, it is required that the entity to which the revelation was sent — in a phrase such as “as We have sent down to …” — should have been mentioned prior to this verse. Because the presence of the kaf particle makes verse 90 grammatically a dependent element of another verse (the main clause).
However, in this section of Surah Al-Hijr, there is no preceding verse suitable to function as the main clause for verse 90.

Unfortunately, this matter has been overlooked by those who have written translations and commentaries, and the verse has been passed over with a number of forced interpretations. Nevertheless, we believe that this issue must have disturbed their conscience.

In classical sources, this problem has been attempted to be resolved either by considering the kaf particle in the verse as zait ( زائد — redundant) or by assuming mahzuf ( محذوف — omitted) words within the verse.

In this expression, there are omitted words (hazf edilmiş sözler). That is to say, it means “I am indeed a clear warner of a punishment,” with the word “punishment” (azab) being omitted, because the act of “warning” itself already implies this meaning. Indeed, elsewhere it is stated as follows: “I warn you with a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt that struck the people of ‘Ad and Thamud.” (Fussilat/13) ^[20]

It has also been said that the kaf ( ك ), which carries the meaning of “just as” (nitekîm), is superfluous (fazladan). In that case, the meaning would be: “I am a clear warner to you with what We sent down upon those who divided.”

This is similar to the statement of Almighty Allah: “There is nothing like unto Him.” (Ash-Shura/11) ^[21]

2- The problem arising from verse 91 being a continuation of verse 90:

Since verse 91 is a continuation and expansion of verse 90 in the current order, the noun “al-allazine [those people]” in verse 91 is interpreted with the word “muqtesimîn [the divisionists]” in verse 90. In other words, it is understood that the [“those who divide / the oath-takers”]  mentioned in verse 90 are the “those who tear the Qur’an to pieces / those who slander the Qur’an with magic, poetry, myths and falsehood, and those who speak evil words” mentioned in verse 91. As a matter of fact, the classical narrations are always in this direction:

There are seven different opinions regarding the meaning of “those who divided” (al-muqtasimin):

1- Muqatil and al-Farra said: These were eleven men whom Walid ibn al-Mughira sent during the time of Hajj. They divided among themselves the narrow paths, the wide roads, and the mountain passes of Mecca, and they were telling those who passed by, “Do not be deceived by the man who has appeared among us claiming prophethood! Sometimes they said, ‘He is a madman,’ sometimes, ‘He is a magician,’ sometimes, ‘He is a poet,’ and sometimes, ‘He is a soothsayer.’”
They were called “those who divided” because they had divided these routes among themselves. Allah took the lives of all of them in the worst manner. They had also appointed Walid ibn al-Mughira as an arbitrator at the gate of the mosque, and when people asked him questions about the Prophet, he would answer, “Those men have spoken the truth.”

2- Qatadah said: These were a group among the Quraysh infidels who divided the Book of Allah, calling one part poetry, one part magic, one part soothsaying, and one part tales of the ancients.

3- Ibn Abbas said: These were those who believed in one part of the Book but denied another part of it.

4- Ikrimah said: These were the People of the Book (ahl al-kitab). They were called “those who divided” because they were mockers — some of them would say, “This surah is mine, and that surah is yours.” Thus, this is the fourth view.

5- Qatadah said: These were people who divided their scriptures, scattering and fragmenting them, and they distorted them.

6- Zayd ibn Aslam said: Those referred to here are the people of Prophet Salih. They were called al-muqtasimîn [those who swore an oath] because they swore among themselves an oath to kill him. Indeed, Almighty Allah alludes to this in His statement: “They swore among themselves by Allah, saying: Let us attack him and his family by night.” (An-Naml/49)

7- Al-Akhfash said: These were a group who, by mutual oaths, divided certain matters among themselves. It is said that they were: As ibn Wa’il, Utbah and Shaybah the two sons of Rabi‘ah, Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, Abu’l-Bukhtari ibn Hisham, al-Nadr ibn al-Harith, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and Munabbih ibn Hajjaj. This narration is also reported by al-Mawardi.^[22]

Razi has also quoted on this issue in line with Qurtubi’s solutions.

As seen in the reports above, the issue of who is meant by the word “muqtesimin” ( مقتسمين ) [“those who divide / the oath-takers”] mentioned in verse 90 has been attempted to be explained in two ways:

• These muqtesimin are the people of Mecca.
• These [dividers] are the People of the Book (ahl al-kitab).

However, neither of these explanations aligns with the facts.
Because if it is assumed that the word “muqtesimin” refers to the Meccans, then the fact that no punishment had yet been sent upon the Meccans makes this interpretation invalid.
And if it is assumed that the People of the Book are meant, then their having no relation whatsoever with the Qur’an — that is, the fact that they did not divide or fragment the Qur’an — renders this interpretation also invalid.

Mawdudi, on the other hand, attempted to find a solution to the question of who is meant by the word “muqtesimin” by interpreting the Qur’an in the verse as referring to the Torah.

The dividers were the Jews who divided their religion into many sections and made divisions within it. They believed in one part of the religion while rejecting another, added some things to the religion, and removed some things from it. In this way, they were divided into many groups, each hostile to the others. By “the Qur’an” in this context, what is meant by them is the Torah. The Torah was revealed to them, just as the Qur’an was revealed to the community of Prophet Muhammad. “They divided their Scripture into various sections.” “They believe in one part of the Book and disbelieve in another part.” The same matter is addressed in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 85: “Do you then believe in part of the Book and deny part of it?” “This is the same warning that We sent to the dividers [the Jews].” Here, the believers are being warned so that they may learn a lesson from the condition of the Jews, who ignored the warning given by Allah and persisted in their sins:  “You are witnessing the disgrace into which the Jews have fallen. Do you wish to face the same end by disregarding this warning?” ^[23]

 

What does “المقتسمينMUKTESIMîN” mean?

 

According to the rules of the “science of Sarf,” there is nothing preventing this word from being derived from the words “part” or “oath”. However, since the word comes with the determiner “المقتسمين al-muktesimîn”, these people must be someone who has already been reported. Therefore, in order to understand the meaning of the word here, the task is to find the “swearers” or the “distributors” who are reported to have been afflicted in the verses preceding this verse in the Qur’an.

 

To this end, a search of the Qur’an reveals two groups that have been punished. These are the “plotters against the prophet Salih” mentioned in Surah al-Naml and the “owners of the garden of paradise” mentioned in Surah al-Qalam:

 

⁴⁸And in that city was a group of Nine people who caused corruption on the earth, who did not amend. ⁴⁹Swearing to each other by Allah, they said: “We will raid him and his family by the night, and then say to his close people who will defend his rights that ‘we have not witnessed the destruction of that family/we were not there during that event and we surely are truthful’”. ⁵⁰And they set such a trap and indeed We recompensed them with such a recompense that they did not perceive.

(An-Naml/48- 50)

 

^17-24Indeed, We will test them as We tested the companions of the farm: When they swore that they would definitely harvest the crops of the farm in the morning. And they made no exception. Then, there came a wind from your Rabb over the farm while they were asleep. And by the morning, the farm became as reaped/harvested. They called one another in the morning: “Go early in the morning if you should harvest!”. Then, they set out, they were whispering among themselves: Do not let any poor come among you!

^25-29They went early with a prohibitive/aggressive attitude. But when they saw the farm, they said: “We have indeed lost/come to a wrong place; no, no, we have been deprived; Allah has punished us!” The best of them said: “Did I not tell you “Do you not purify Allah from deficiencies?”.¹³ They said: “Our Rabb, we purify You; truly, we were the ones who do wrong; act against their own good, treat themselves unjustly!”.

^30-32Then they turned, reproaching each other: “Woe to us! We were indeed transgressors who see themselves like Pharaoh; we hope our Rabb will give us better than it; truly, we turn our all hope to our Rabb.”

³³Such is the punishment in the world! Indeed, the punishment of Akhirat [Afterlife] is greater; if only they were among those who know!

(Qalam/17-33)

 

At first glance, one might assume that “al‑muqtaṣimīn” refers to both groups described in Sūrah al‑Qalam and Sūrah an‑Naml, since both were revealed before Sūrah al‑Ḥijr. Our preference, however, is to see it as referring specifically to the “swearers” in Sūrah al‑Qalam. As noted above, both grammatically and semantically, verses 90–93 do not belong in their present position in Sūrah al‑Ḥijr. Our extensive research indicates that these verses properly belong in Sūrah ash‑Shu‘arā’. Therefore, the term “al‑muqtaṣimīn,” which ought to appear in Sūrah ash‑Shu‘arā’, cannot logically denote those who plotted against Prophet Ṣāliḥ in Sūrah an‑Naml—revealed afterward—and must instead refer to the “baiters” of Sūrah al‑Qalam.

 

 

THE WORD “عضينIDIYN”

 

Some different views have been put forward about the meaning of the word “Idiyn”, which occurs only in verse 91 of the Qur’an, and hence about the root of the word:

 

* If it is accepted that the word comes from the root “عضوّ ّuduw”, then the plural word means “limbs [parts]”, as in Turkish.

* If it is accepted that the word comes from the root “عضهadah”, it means “bad words” such as “lies, slander, gossip”.

* Ferra said that the word means “magic”.

It appears that all of the above senses converge in the verse at hand. In other words, those who “rend the Qur’ān into fragments,” as described in al‑Baqarah 85, include  those who accept what suits them and reject what does not; those who slander the Book as mere magic, poetry, myths, or falsehood; and those who utter vile speech against it.

In verses 92–93, our Lord makes clear that every soul will stand before Him in judgment, and that He alone will preside over their questioning and punishment. Once this is affirmed, the messenger’s role is confined to warning.This principle—that the Prophet is only to warn, while Allah is the ultimate Reckoner—is reiterated throughout the Qur’ān.

⁵⁹Keys to the unseen, the unheard, the past and the future are only with Him. No one knows them except Him. He also knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not even a leaf falls but that He knows it. No grain is there within the darkness of the earth and no moist or dry thing except that it is within an explicit book.

(Al-An’am/59)

 

⁵³Then people divided their affairs among themselves. And every group rejoices and brags about what it has.

⁵⁴Now, leave them alone with their astray until a time!

(Al-Mu’minun/53, 54)

 

 

            Verse 94 – 99:

 

^94-96Now, declare what you are commanded and keep your distance from those who associate others with Allah. Surely, We are sufficient for you against those who take another deity along with Allah, those who ridicule. They will know soon.

⁹⁷Surely, We know that your heart is constrained by what they say.

^98,99Then purify from all deficiencies with the praise of your Rabb, be among those who submit and worship your Rabb so “the certain knowledge” may come to you!

In these last verses of the Sūra, the Prophet is addressed directly, with guidance on how he should respond to the hostility he faced in carrying out his prophetic mission—and he is reminded not to expect support from those who oppose the Qur’ān. For Allah is sufficient for His Messenger, and those who show enmity toward him will soon learn the consequences of their hostility.

In verses 98 and 99, the Prophet receives fresh commands concerning his mission: to glorify his Lord, to join those who prostrate, and to serve Allah alone. By obeying these injunctions, he not only completes his role as Messenger but also attains “certain knowledge,” freeing his heart from constriction. Indeed, the Prophet experienced deep anguish over the skepticism and false conjecture he encountered—distress alluded to in Sūrah al‑Kahf/6 and elsewhere. The commands thus show that doubt and idle suspicions breed anxiety, whereas those grounded in yaqīn (certain knowledge) enjoy peace of heart.

One of the essential practices prescribed for cultivating that certain knowledge is tasbīḥ—the act of declaring Allah free from every imperfection, from partners, and from any unfounded attributes. In this sense, glorifying Allah is, in fact, the foremost duty of every Messenger.

“TO BE AMONG THOSE WHO PROSTRATE”

 

As we explained earlier in our analysis of the verse “Prostrate yourselves to Allah and serve Him” (Najm/62), “prostration” means “to submit to authority” and “servitude” means “to fulfill the duties assigned by authority after submission”. This is what is required of the Prophet in the verse in question.

 

TRANSLATION PROBLEMS ARISING FROM THE PREPOSITION “حتّىHATTA” IN THE VERSE

The preposition ḥattā (“even”)—typically used as a conjunction—carries the sense of “even that,” i.e. “the very limit or goal.” Because of this, ḥattā ya’tīka al‑yaqīn in verse 98 has almost universally been rendered “until certainty comes to you,” and most translations read: “Worship your Lord until you attain certainty.”

This reading has led to the mistaken notion that worship should cease once certain knowledge is achieved. Indeed, some philosophical sects have taken this to heart, declaring, “I have attained certainty, I have matured,” and then abandoning servitude—some even arrogantly proclaiming, “I have become al‑Ḥaqq.”

Faced with these distortions, theologians felt compelled to redefine “certain knowledge” so as to preserve continuous worship. They proposed that “certain knowledge” refers to death itself—rendering the verse “Serve your Lord until death comes to you!” Although death is indeed the ultimate certainty, this interpretation stretches the grammar. Proponents point to Maryam/31, where Jesus says, “He enjoined upon me prayer and zakāt as long as I remain alive,” to support the idea that worship must continue throughout life.

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER

The preposition ḥattā is not only used as a conjunction but also as a subordinating particle at the beginning of sentences and, in causal constructions, can replace li- (“for”). Examples of this appear in Tawbah/31, Ḥujurāt/9, Baqarah 217, and Munāfiqūn/7. When ḥattā substitutes for li- in a ta’līl (causal) sense, it should be translated “for.” Because ḥattā opens the sentence in the verse at hand, our rendering is: “So glorify your Lord with praise, be among those who prostrate themselves, and serve your Lord, for certainty to come to you!”

 

Allah knows best what is true.

^[1] (Lisanu’l-Arab; v: 2, p: 331, hjr item)

^[2] (Razi; el-Mefatihu’l-Gayb)

^[3] (Mevdudi; Tefhimu’l-Kur’an)

^[4] (Lisanu’l-Arab; v:5, p:213,214)

^[5] (Lisanu’l-Arab v:4. p:565).

^[6] (Lisan ul Arab v. 4 p. 90)

^[7] (Lisan al Arab v. 8, p. 247–250)

^[8] (Lisan al-Arab vol. 4, p. 565)

^[9] (Lisan al-Arab, vol. 8, pp. 344–346)

^[10] (Regarding the issue of “Measurement”, we recommend re-reading Sayyid Qutb’s explanations regarding the Qamar/49, which we gave at the end of Surah Al-Qamar.)

^[11] (Lisanu’l-Arab; v.5, p. 382)

^[12] (Lisanu’l-Arab; v.1, p.241. ans item)

^[13] (Kurtubi; el-Camiu li Ahkami’l-Kur’an)

^[14] (Razi; el-Mefatihu’l-Gayb)

^[15] (Mevdudi; Tefhimu’l-Kur’an)

^[16] (Lisanu’l-Arab; v. 1, p. 298, 299 “ayk” item)

^[17] (Mevdudi; Tefhimu’l-Kur’an)

^[18] (Razi, el-Mefatihu’l-Gayb; Kurtubi, el-Camiu li Ahkami’l-Kur’an)

^[19] (Ibn Kesir)

^[20] (Kurtubi; el-Camiu li Ahkami’l-Kur’an)

^[21] (Kurtubi; el-Camiu li Ahkami’l-Kur’an)

^[22] (Kurtubi; el-Camiu li Ahkami’l-Kur’an)

^[23] (Mevdudi; Tefhimu’l-Kur’an)