1 Quran Tafsir Surah Al-Fussilat (Ha Meem As Sajdah) By Abdur Raheem As-Saranbi 2 Introduction All praise and glory is only for Allah (swt). The F irst and the Last. The Manifest and the Hidden. The One Who has Power over all things. The Creator and the Sustaine r of all that exists. The Manager and the Director over all affai rs. The One True Sovereign and King Whom all of creation must o bey and submit to for every second of their existence. The One True God Who has the right to be worshipped and sanctifi ed by all of the creation. Praise and thanks be to Him Who ha s favored us by giving us a mind and senses with which we can realize His Existence from the signs in the universe aroun d us. Praise and thanks be to Him again who sent to us the proph ets and the messengers with clear proofs and undeniable arg uments to guide us to Him (swt) and to teach us how to worshi p and serve Him (swt). And may peace and blessings be upo n His Final Prophet and Messenger (saw). Our guide and sa vior. This humble work is a brief explanation of some of the meanings of Surah Al-Fussilat also known as Ha Meem As Sajdah. It is by no means a comprehensive tafsir. R ather it just touches the surface of some of the meanings of this beautiful chapter of the Holiest and the Greatest of Books. B ut I still feel that it is needed. Because there is no work today a vailable in English that explores the meaning of the Master’s B ook in any kind of detail. And so many of us who have not been blessed with a deep understanding of Arabic remain ignorant to what our Master is telling us here. The translations do not do justice. And just think about it. If we truly believed this Book to be from the Divine. If we truly believe that these are His very words. Like we claim we do. Then how can we remain ignoran t of it. 3 I pray to Allah (swt) to accept this humble work an d to forgive its many shortcomings. I ask Allah (swt) to allow these books to facilitate a greater understanding of the Quran by our brothers and sisters in the Muslim Ummah. I ask All ah (swt) to allow these books to allow non-Muslims to gain insi ght into the knowledge and wisdom that the Quran contains. If Al lah (swt) guides even one person through these books then I b elieve that all of my efforts were worth. You are welcome to print out these books and use them for dawah. You can distrib ute them to anyone whom you feel will benefit from them. I p ray that these books will allow the Quran to be a source of guidance and a comfort for all who read it like just it has been for me. There is healing and mercy in this Quran just as th ere is light and guidance, we only have to look for it. I pray t hat this Quran be a light for all those who search for Him (swt) w ith it. A beacon that guides to His Pleasure and His Paradise . I beg Him to allow this work to be even the smallest of h elp for the Muslim Ummah on the great mission that He (swt) has given us on this earth. Ameen! Abdu Raheem As-Saranbi Quran-Tafsir.org September 2011 Please look for more tafsir books on my website quran-tafsir.org 4 The following abbreviations are used in this Tafsir . (swt) – Subahana Wa Ta’ala , “Perfect and Pure and the Most High” This is used whenever we mention the Name of Allah (swt), our God and Master. (saw)- Sallahu Allahi wa Salam, “Peace and Blessing s of Allah be upon him” This is used whenever we mention the Prophet (saw), our Messenger and Leader. (as) – Allahi Salam - “On him be peace” This is used whenever we mention a previous prophet or an angel. (ra) – Radi Allahu an – “May Allah be pleased with him” This is used whenever we mention a blessed companio n of the Prophet (saw). These have only been used for the sake of brevity a nd we do not intend to diminish the meaning of them in any w ay. When you read these you should try to pronounce them out loud to show your respect for your Creator and His Messenge r and those whom He (swt) is pleased with. 5 About the Author Abdu Raheem as Saranbi was born in Sri Lanka but came to the United States as a youth and was raised therein. He has been studying and teaching Islam and the Qur an now for the last 12 years. He has studied under several prominent and knowledgeable scholars from countries such as P hilistine, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Yemen. He is also well v ersed in both classical books of tafsir by scholars such as Shawkani, Razi, Qurtubi, Zamakshari, and Ibn Kathir, as well as modern tafsir books by scholars such as Mawdudi, Sayyid Qu tb and Taqi Usmani. In this work he has combined both the classical and contemporary tafsir as well as taken the knowle dge gained from his teachers. He has also included his own ref lections on the meanings of the verses and where possible he ha s linked the verses to situations happening in the world tod ay. He is currently 33 years old and he lives in New Jersey with his wife and their daughter. He continu es to be both a student and teacher of the Quran and of Isla m. When he is not writing or reviewing his works, he spends his time reading both Arabic and English books on Islam and on the Quran. He has devoted his life to learning the Qura n and to teaching it to others. Please make dua that Allah ( swt) preserves him and makes easy his task, and that He (swt) accepts his efforts and protects and has mercy on h im and his family both in this life and the next. May Allah (swt) reward you for your dua and your taking the time to read this work. If there is anyt hing good here then it is from Allah (swt) and if there is anythin g wrong then it is from the author and he begs His Forgiveness and if possible he asks for your correction ( abdrahman11@gmail ). 6 1. Ha Meem. 2. A Sending Down from Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem. With these two wonderful ayahs this wonderful Surah begins. These two ayahs are closely connected. The first ayah is one of the huruf ul muqatat ayahs. We can roughly translate this as the broken letter ayahs. These ayahs have b een given this name because they consist of “broken letters”. Their letters are not connected together to form words. Rather th ey are just a collection of letters. If they have a particular meaning then it is a meaning known to only Allah (swt). However even though the true meaning of these letters are known only to Him, there are still some benefits we can take from them. Among these is that they remind us of the limitedness of our knowledge. They reminds us how l ittle is that we really know. If we do not even know what they me an then does this not shows us we do know. We should always remind ourselves of the prayer our Master taught us in Sur ah Baqarah. The prayer of angels “Our Master we do know anythin g except what you taught us”. This is what we have to always remind ourselves of. This is what will help us to realize our place. We are but His slaves. Utterly dependent on Him. For e verything. Even for knowledge. This is what will save us from arrogance. This is what will save us from misguidance. Because if we do not approach Quran with this humility, then we will never get the guidance from it. Because recall also from Sura h Baqarah where He told us that this Book was only a guidance for those who fear Him, those who are humbled and awed by Him . 7 Another benefit we can take from the huruf ul muqatat is that they remind us how this is an Arabic Quran. For they are Arabic letters. This point will be emphasized even more in the next verse. Where our Master will describe this Qur an as an Arabic Quran. Notice how He tells us that Arabic is an attribute of the Quran. Now of course when an attribute is re moved from a thing then that thing ceases to be that thing. So if Arabic is removed from Quran then it is no longer Quran. This is why a translation of the Quran can never be Quran. Even the words we have translated here are not Quran. They are not the words of the Divine spoken to the Prophet (saw). Rather they are a rendering of those words in another language. But t hey do not have the beauty, the power, and the depth of meanin g that the original Arabic has. So in order to fully understa nd the Quran you have to understand it through its medium, throu gh Arabic. And our Master placed Arabic letters at the beginni ng of each verse to remind us of this fact. For these letters can never be translated. Even in our work we have left them in A rabic. The lesson to take from this is that we must doubl e our efforts to learn the language of our Master’s M essage. If we do not then does this not show we really do not care for the Message? Think about it. If a slave received a mess age from his master, and if that slave truly wanted to pleas e his master and if he loved his master and feared his master, t hen would he not make every effort to understand that message ? So yes learning Arabic is difficult, and it does require m uch time and effort. But the Garden of your Master is not cheap, it can never be attained except with the utmost of striving and sacrifice. He Knows you more than you know yourself. He Knows wha t you are capable of and the pinnacle of this is what He expects from you, what He deserves from you. So realize once aga in that Arabic is the key to the Quran. How much will you g ive for it? 8 Another lesson that we can take from these letters is that they remind us of the Miracle of the Quran. Ho w can we know this Book is truly from Allah (swt)? How can w e know the Prophet (saw) is indeed His Messenger? We do not ne ed to believe based on blind faith. He has given us clear proofs, undeniable evidences. And among the strongest of th ese is this Quran. In this Book, He (swt) challenges all o f mankind. If we are in doubt concerning its Truthfulness, if we doubt that it is indeed from Him, then we only need to bring anot her like it. Can you produce a Book like this Quran? A work which has such depth of meaning, such beauty and el oquence, such guidance and morality, such perfect choice of words to express a meaning, such change to the society on wh ich it was sent down, and which brings the hearts closer to t he Divine like this Book does. Can you write such a Book? Ca n any among mankind? Even if we all came together and we pooled our efforts and intellects? Can we still do it? No, we cannot. He has told us that we cannot. So powerful is this Boo k that it has been called a mu’ajiza . This means an incapcictator. It has incapacitated us. Rendered us impotent in answering its challenge. It is so Perfect, so High, so unlike any thing that any human being has ever composed. Over 1500 years ago the challenge was made. In the Quran itself. And to thi s day no one has been able to meet it. Although many have t ried it. Think about it. Islam has had many enemies over the years. Those who do not want the Sovereignty of Allah (swt ) on the earth, those would rather rule it themselves. These have tried so many ways to destroy our Din. To keep it down. T o prevent it from achieving sovereignty in the land. To remov e it from the hearts of the people. So you would think that if th is challenge was answerable by humans, they would have answered it. They would have rushed to it. But they could not do it. 9 For the life of them they could not do it. They wer e utterly incapable. Even though at the end of the da y, the Quran was nothing but Arabic. The Arabic language they kn ew very well. And this is what Allah (swt) reminds them of with the huruf ul muqatat . He shows them how this Quran is nothing but a collection of Arabic letters. It is not in some ali en or unknown language. It is not in a medium that they do not co mprehend. Why then can they not produce words like it? Words equal to it in power, beauty, meaning and expression. They cann ot do it because they are unable to. They are too weak, too feeble. Their intellects, their ability, is simply not at t hat level. And this is the miracle, this is the mu’ajiza . This is how we know that it cannot be from a human and so it must be from the D ivine. Now the second of these ayahs is linked closely to the first. Because the second is about the Quran itself . It tells us how this Quran is nothing less than a “ Sending Down from Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem ”. The Arabic word nazala means for a thing to come down from a high place to a low place . But the word tanzil which He uses here means for a thing to come down from a very high place to an extremely low pla ce. And is such not this Quran? Did it not come down from the highest of heavens onto our lowly earth? We know that the Sour ce of the Quran is a sacred tablet known as Al lahw ul Mafhuz . This is a tablet in the highest of heavens upon which the sac red words of the Quran are inscribed. It is from this tablet that the angel Gibreel (as) brought the Quran down onto the heart of our Prophet (saw). This is why our Master refers to it as what has been sent down. Now even though Gibreel is the one who actually brought the Quran down, Allah (swt) still refers to it here as what He sent down because He (swt) is the O ne Who ordered it. Remember that the angels are only His s laves. They only do what He commands them to. 10 There is another reason why Allah (swt) refers to t his Quran as what He has sent down. It is to show us it s status, to show us its greatness, to show us its loftiness ove r the things of this world. In classical Arabic for a certain th ing to be high does not only mean physical height, rather it is al so a sign of greatness. So our Master wants us to realize what t his Book is. It is His Book. His very words. Can you even begin to realize what that means? The very words of this Quran are t he very words of the Divine Himself. The superiority of His words over ours are like His Superiority over each of us. So t hink how Great and how Tremendous Allah (swt) IS. The same s tatus needs to be given to His Book. It is far, far highe r than anything of this world. Its ideas and concepts are far truer . Its laws and its systems are far more valid. It is not of this w orld. It is pure and it is vast. Like the sky above us. So see how in the very first verse, Allah (swt) establishes for us the relationship we need to have with His Book. He reminds us that we need to approach His Bo ok with the respect and humility that it deserves. This is not a Book like the books of men, it does not have any errors or mi stakes in it. It does not have any contradictions or falsehoods i n it. It does not call to evil or injustice. No, such can only be find in the thoughts of men. In the ideologies and systems of m en. But this Quran is far, far above that. Rather it is the Light, it is the Mercy and the Healing for all mankind. We only need to take it as such. We only need to let it be a complete guida nce for our lives. Like it was for the Prophet (saw) and his Co mpanions. For them the Quran was their life. They spent their days and nights learning this Book and spreading its Light t o all mankind. This was because they knew what it truly was. They knew it was nothing less than what the Creator and Master o f all had sent down. Do we today perceive it as such? 11 Notice also how Allah (swt) refers to Himself in th is ayah. This ayah specifically where He (swt) is tel ling us how He has sent down the Quran. He does not refer to Himself as God or Master. Even though He is both of these for all creation rather He refers to Himself as Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem . Of all His infinite Names He chose these two. In this vers e where He tells us about His Book. So there is a special conn ection between these two Names of His and this Quran. But before we can realize that connection we have to remind ou rselves of the meaning of these Names. These Names describe Hi m. They allow us to know Him, and thus to journey to H im. These two Names are both derived from the same root. Rahma . Although this is usually translated in English as mercy it really means much more. This same word has also been used for the womb of the mother. So can you im agine what kind of a mercy it must be? An all-encompassin g mercy, a mercy that surrounds and envelops you completely, a mercy that is not only in one aspect or area but in every portion of life. Does the fetus not get everything it needs from the womb that envelops it? Not only its sustenance but even secur ity. Does not the womb protect the fetus from all that could harm it? Is it not so tender and soft, so warm and nurturing? And does the fetus need to do anything to deserve this mercy? Do es it need to work for it? Of course not, the mercy just comes to it and it keeps on coming. Such is the kind of mercy this wor d Rahma conveys. There really is no proper translation for it in English. There is no language on the earth today as rich or expressive as classical Arabic, so there is no language which can fully convey the meaning of this word. There is no way I can express to you just how much mercy this word means. And how much are we all in need of mercy? Is there anyt hing we need at every moment more than mercy? 12 So these Names both mean the most Merciful but they mean it in different ways. The first Name Ar-Rahman means the One Whose mercy envelops and consumes. A full and complete mercy. A mercy that is never depleted. A mercy that flows to everyone and everything. Whereas Ar-Raheem means the constantly merciful. The One Who keeps sh owing mercy. The One Who does the act of showing mercy. So Ar- Rahman describes to us how much mercy He has and Ar- Raheem how He keeps showing mercy. The former tells us of His Being, His Essence, and the latter His actions. Now let us think about these two Names in relation to us. First the Name Ar-Rahman . This Name tells us the mercy that He has shown for all creation. There is not a single thing in all of existence except that at every single moment it is tasting of His Mercy. Even its existence is from His Mercy. For He is the Creator of every single thing. He is the One Wh o brought it into being. Now think about yourself. You exist at this moment only because of Him. You think, you feel, you exper ience only because of Him. Not only did He create you, but He brought you up, He raised you. Not just from childhood, but even when you were just a drop in your mother’s womb. He is t he One Who took that drop and made it into the full human being you see today. With eyes that see, and ears that hear a nd two working hands and two walking legs. Can you imagine living even one day without these? Then on top of that He sustains you. Every breath of air you take, every morsel of food you eat, every drop of water you drink, it is all from Him. Even your very strength is from Him. He is the One Who allows you to move your hands and your feet. He is the One Who enables you to do anything that you do. Realize then the extent of His Mercy on you. Now realize that He also does this for all creation. This is why He is Ar-Rahman . The One of such overflowing mercy. 13 Now because He is Ar-Rahman , He has a mercy that flows to all creation. Such mercy, even though it i s so much, He only gives because it is His Nature to give. It is a part of His Essence. A part of Who He is. But there is another tremendous mercy He gives which is in addition to this mercy. And this mercy is not for everyone. It is not for the disbel ievers, those who turn away from Him and live heedless of Him. Ra ther it is only for the true believers. Only for those who bel ieve in Him with utmost certainty and conviction. For those who se belief is manifested in their actions. Those who submit to H im and who strive to please Him. This is the mercy which is de scribed by His Name Ar-Raheem . A mercy that He gives not because He has to but because He chooses to. Because He wants to. Allah (swt) gives this special mercy only to those whom He loves. And He (swt) loves them because the y love Him. So if you want to be the recipient of this spe cial mercy, then you have to love Him. And your love for Him ca nnot just be words on your tongue. It must be manifested in y our striving and your submission. You must always be trying to d o the acts pleasing to Him and you must try to be pleased with whatever He gives you in life. For His sake. This is how you r belief in Him becomes true, this is how your love for Him bec omes real, this is how you can be the recipient of that specia l mercy. There are several manifestations to this mercy. Ou r belief in Him, Iman, is a portion of this mercy. He is the One Who creates Iman in our hearts, He is the One Who m akes it to grow. Even though we make the choice to believe, He is the One Who facilitates this choice. The same can be s aid for all the good we do. It is all from Him, He is the One W ho allows us to do the deeds pleasing to Him. Even though the ch oice is from us, the enabling grace is from Him. So He allo ws us to journey to Him, to be near Him, and this is the gre atest mercy. 14 When we are near to Him, that is when we reach a station of peace and tranquility. A station of true contentment and satisfaction. As He has told us in other verses , it is only in His Remembrance that hearts truly find solace. This is the very special mercy He gives only to the believers. His N earness and the felicity that comes from it. And His giving of this special mercy is described by His Name Ar-Raheem . How wonderful would your life if He could be the bo th of these to you? If you could know Him both as Ar-Rahman and as Ar-Raheem . First if you know Him as Ar-Rahman then you would know the true source of all the blessings which most mankind take for granted. How many are the souls wh ich are dead? They are all in their graves. How many are th e souls who are ill? How many are the souls hungry and in n eed? Yet He has saved you from all these trials. He has give n you life, and health, and sustenance. He has given you a soun d body and a sound mind. Can you even begin to comprehend how tremendous are these bounties? Only if you were to lose them would you realize. There are many souls today who h ave been denied even these. There are so many of your brothe rs and sisters in the world who are dying just from hunger . Right at this moment. Even though Allah (swt) is Ar-Rahman , in His Wisdom, He has chosen to withhold some portion of t his mercy from them. But He has not from you. How much of the mercy of Ar-Rahman are you receiving right at this moment? He is choosing to give all this to you. Only because of H is love for you. How much then do you need to love Him? Since H e is much more deserving of your love. And how much of H is mercy as Ar-Raheem is He sending down on you right at this moment? Of all the souls today are you not one of t he believers. Are you not reading this to please Him a t this moment? If you are then know that He is with you.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 11:30:28 +0000
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