Surah Naba' - Dream Student Notes [Transcribed] -
Nouman Ali Khan
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warahmatulah wabarakatuh. Tafseer of Surah Naba' - Dream Tafseer [Transcribed]
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Surah Naba' -
Dream Student Notes [Transcribed] - Nouman Ali Khan
Asalam alaikum
warahmatulah wabarakatuh.
Tafseer of Surah Naba' - Dream
Tafseer [Transcribed]
Original Talk By Nouman Ali
Khan
Download in PDF/Adobe Reader
Format.
Intro
My
intention for picking this section of the Qur’an is because this is the most
commonly memorized and most commonly recited portion of the Qur’an, so it is
probably the most beneficial to the average Muslim.
What I would recommend to anyone who is listening,
is to read at least one tafsir as you listen to this – such as Ibn Katheer’s
rahimahullah. Ibn Katheer is available in English. InshaAllah what we will
be sharing here is what complements what you have researched and
read.
One of the fundamental
purposes of these surahs is to demonstrate how every surah in the Qur’an has
a cohesive argument; it is unified and its subject matter is presented in a
cohesive fashion. This is an aspect often overlooked in tafseer. When you go
so far in depth to each little thing, such as a grammatical nuance – which
is great – you sometimes lose sight of the big picture. You must understand
that this was originally recited without any tafseer.
First and foremost, we understand that Makkan
Qur’an [Qur’an revealed during the beginning of Islam] was predominantly
being recited to a non believing audience. [And the last juz is mostly
Makkan.] We are going to try and explore some of the clarity of the Qur’an
and the organization of ideas in each and every surah.
One of the common misconceptions – in my opinion –
is translating the word surah as chapter. A chapter is
basically one fundamental lesson; one central idea.
A surah, however, can have
many, many ideas. In academic discussions, the closest thing you have to a
surah is a course of study. A surah is almost an independent study in and of
itself, even though each of the surahs in the Qur’an is
connected.
There are a few
reasons why a surah isn’t really a chapter:
- It covers more than one topic, as we mentioned.
- A chapter has a chronological or numerical
sequence. For example, if you learn something in chapter 4, you don’t have
to repeat it in 5. If there is a need to refer back, the author will just
say “refer to chapter 5.” In the Qur’an, Allah does repeat things.
- In the Qur’aan, Allah calls a surah
“kitaab” (such as in Suran An-Nur).
4. A surah is
different from a chapter for linguistic reasons. The word surah comes
from “the outer walls of a city.” If you can visualize: in the old days,
they didn’t have borders and signs saying
“Welcome to
such-and-such city.” Rather, there were outer walls that you had to go
through; it was a security measure. Inside of the city, there are a bunch of
things happening – commerce, residences, markets, etc – but it is all
connected. That is kind of what is going on in a surah – there’s a lot going
on, but it’s all connected somehow.
Two things that we are also going to try and look
at that are not documented very well in English literature:
• How the beginning of a
surah and the end of it are connected. This is a consistent feature in the
Qur’an. The beginning (mafatihisoor) and the end (khawateen)
of every surah are somehow connected.
• Also, there is cohesion between the last thing you will read
about in the previous surah and the first thing you will read about
in the next surah. So the end of a surah and the introduction
of the next are linked.
Surah
AnNaba`
[img]file:///C:/Users/A/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/img]
Section 1: the
Denial
The Connection
The surah before it is surah Mursalaat (number
77). In Mursalaat, we found two groups of people. One group is the
people of taqwa, the mutaqeena fi dhalim ‘oyoon (ayah 41).
Also, the people who are mentioned over and over are the mukadhibeen.
The oft repeated ayah of the surah is way lil yowma idhil lil
mukhadhibeen: they are those who deliberately lie against truth and
accuse those who do telltruth of wrong and try to invalidate their
character. They are those who propagate falsehood.
Surah Naba` begins with the phrase amma ya ta
sa `aloon.
ÈÓã Çááå ÇáÑÍãä ÇáÑÍíã
Ayah 1:
Úóãøó íóÊóÓóÇÁóáõæäó
'amma
yatasaa'aloon
What are they asking (one another)?
Let’s talk
about tasaa`u to understand the connection. Allah is commenting on a
discussion between three groups of disbelievers. There are three opinions
about the tafseer of the word yatasaa`alu (they are asking one
another).
- It is a depiction of believers being asked by
disbelievers.
- This is a discourse that is taking place
between the disbelievers.
- Both the disbelievers and the believers are asking
the Messenger of Allah.
The one
that is most true and is supported by the text is #2 – the disbelievers
asking one another.
In language,
if you are asking one another a question, it could be done for one of two
reasons. One could be because you are curious and don’t know, so you’re
asking someone else – the question would have and inquisitive intent.
Another intention could be to undermine or wage sarcasm at someone else. For
example, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam presents these
truths about the afterlife – the oceans boiling over, people coming back to
life, etc. As a means of undermining him or making him look insane, they
say, “Do you know what he’s talking about?”-- “No.”-- “Do you
know?”
This is a means of insulting the Prophet
sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The previous surah talked about those doing
taqleed. One of the most effective ways to do this is to undermine
others by making sarcastic comments.
The Disbelievers Mock
Understand and appreciate this:
the one responding to this is Allah. Obviously the Messenger and the
believers who are making da’wah are part of this sarcastic conversation, but
from the very beginning, Allah is the third party. What we learn in the
beginning is that Allah has taken offense to their comments. Allah has taken
offense to the way they speak about the akhirah. Allah says: “What are they
asking one another?”
They have been asking all over the
Qur’an: “Are we going to be raised again, after we have been withered away
in our graves?”
When Allah said,
“On the hell fire, nineteen guardians of the angels have been appointed.”
One of the disbelievers said, “There are only nineteen? I can handle
nineteen.” These were the kinds of criticisms and questions they had – they
were poking at the Messenger sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
A lot of the time these days youth get caught up on these
missionary sites trying to respond to these sort of things. This is not new;
these sorts of allegations have always been made.
Naba` vs.
Khabr
Ayah
2 :
Úóäö ÇáäøóÈóÅö
ÇáúÚóÙöíãö
AAani-nnaba-i al
'atheem
Concerning the Great News,
Then Allah
continues: “Are they really asking about naba` ul adheem?” An
Naba` means “news.” There are two words in Arabic for news: naba`
and khabr. What is the difference? First of all, Naba` is a
greater kind of news`. If the store closes at seven, that is khabr.
If someone won the election or a war started, that would be
naba`.
Khabr
is used twice in the Qur’an; both in the
same context. When Musa ‘alayhis salaam is with hisfamily in the dark and he
sees a light from a distance, he tells them, “Maybe I’ll get some
khabr from there.” He doesn’t know what the news will be. When Allah
speaks of nations that were destroyed in the past, Allah speaks of the
naba` - news – of those who came before.
The second difference is that naba` always has some benefit
for the person receiving it.
Naba` demands a
reaction/action. When you hear it, it demands that you change something
aboutyourself. For example, if you get the naba` of a fire in the
building, it demands that you get out and also let others know that they
should get out.
Finally, naba` has
bahool in it, as the linguists argue. What that means is that it is a
manifest event. There are abstract ideas and actual physical events.
Naba` is a tangible thing. When Allah speaks of the resurrection as
naba`, He is referring to its tangible nature. Some religions believe
that the afterlife is just spiritual. We know that the akhirah
[hereafter] is physical and real; it is not a state of mind. Jannah
and Naar are actual places; they are not figments of the
imagination.
“Are they really asking
about this enormous naba`?” Even though naba` is already
something important and big – the word adheem is still added as an
adjective. Allah is asking them, in that sarcastic nature, are they
really asking about this enormous event. And instead of preparing for
it, they are ridiculing it.
The Ayah in Ismiyya
Form:
Ayah 3 :
ÇáøóÐöí åõãú Ýöíåö
ãõÎúÊóáöÝõæäó
Allathee hum feehi
mukhtalifoon
About which they are in disagreement.
Allah then adds another rhetorical question:
“Alladhee hum feehi mukhtalifoon.” Alladhi is mowsoof,
and hum feehi mukhtalifoon is called silatul mowsoof in
grammar. So the whole of ayah #3 is actually an adjective of naba`.
The first adjective was al adheem and the second adjective is the
entire third ayah. A course translation is: “that which they themselves are
in disagreement with.”
The way the ayah is structured is
in the ismiyya, or the nominal, form. The benefit of this has is that
we know this is something that they do all the time. Allah does not say
yakhtalifoon; He says mukhtalifoon. The noun usage shows us
something that is continuous, just like a noun is permanent and a verb is
temporary.
Then the word
feehi has been positioned between hum and mukhtalifoon.
Instead of Allah saying, Alladheen mukhtalifoona feehi, which is norm
in Arabic, Allah says it this way. This produces a shock, “Isit really about
that which they are disagreeing about amongst themselves?”
Ikhtilaaf
The word ikhtilaaf indicates two things: a
manifest disagreement – an actual physical disagreement. Not only did they
disagree about it, but they all had their own ideas of what is going to
happen. Some of them thought that Allah has daughters that are the angels
which would put in a good word for them. Others said, Allah has so many
things going on, how does He have time to keep track of what I am doing?
A’oothubillah. And so on and so forth.
Ikhtilaaf also means to have a friction or discord within one’s self.
This implies that not only did theydisagree with one another, but they had
uncertainty within themselves. They weren’t adamant about being saved or
there being no afterlife, but they were
uncertain.
Kalla!
Ayah 4 :
ßóáøóÇ
ÓóíóÚúáóãõæäó
Kalla saya'lamoon
Nay, they will come to
know!
Allah says: kalla
sa ya’lamoon, thumma kalla sa ya’lamoon. This has been repeated. Often
times, it is argued that this is done only for mubalagha, or in
English, hyperbole – to emphasize something. In Old English, it is commonly
translated as “nay!”
According to
many grammarians from Basra, they say it has to do with “stop.” The
disbelievers are running their mouths, and all of a sudden, Allah says
“stop!”
If you say kalla,
pause, and then continue, it means one thing. On the other hand, if you say
it together, as it is in the ayah, it means something else. Some grammarians
say that it is ok to read kalla, stop, and then continue. Meaning,
“Stop! Stop this nonsense!”
On
the other hand, if you continue and don’t stop – which is the text of the
ayah – then kalla is associated with haqqan. Which is,
truly you are going to find out. For example, like we would say,
“No,
for
real, I’m going to get in trouble.” We don’t mean the “no.” We mean that we
are really going to be in trouble – for sure! The reality is they are
going to find out.
The “sa” in
sa ya’lamoon is short for sowfa. It implies that whatever is
coming is very close. Allah makes sure that we understand it is very close
by the letter seen here and again at the end of the surah. It
is a punishment that is qareeb (close).
Repetition
Ayah
5 :
Ëõãøó ßóáøóÇ ÓóíóÚúáóãõæäó
Thumma kalla
saya'lamoon
Nay, again, they will come to know!
So
let’s talk about the repetition of the ayah now. There are two opinions
amongst the scholars as to why the ayah is repeated twice.
The first opinion is that the ayah is repeated to
stress the point or to show anger/tension/friction. For example, how we
sometimes say, “I’m going to get you man! I’m going to get you!” Or “Wait!
Wait!”
The other opinion, which a
lot of the mufassiroon favor is: there are two predominant things
that the Qur’an warns of: resurrection and hell fire. It is believed that
they will first know the truth at two separate times: first, in
qiyamah. They will realize how obnoxious they were about the
hereafter when they face qiyamah. And the second time, when they see the
fire.
“Whoever dies, his
qiyamah has already begun.” He doesn’t have to wait for the signs of
the Day of Judgment, the rising of the sun from the west, etc.
‘Ali radiyallahu
‘anhu used to say, “The people are sleeping.” When they die, they wake up.
In that sense, when a person dies, they will immediately find out the
consequences of the words they were uttering.
The first passage of the surah has just finished
(which was the first five verses).
You’ll notice a rhyming scheme in the Qur’an:
there are “paragraphs” in each surah, according to the rhyming scheme. Until
now, everything rhymed except for perhaps ayah number two. If you study the
grammar of the ayah, you’ll see that ayah is actually connected to the next
ayah; it is one sentence.
One of the remarkable
features of the Qur’an is that the rhyming scheme tells where the paragraph
begins or ends.
If you
listen to the next few ayaat, you’ll notice a new rhyme scheme.
Section 2: Human Inability and the Power of
Allah
So Blessed Be Allah, the Best of Creators
Sometimes the transitions in the Qur’an seem
unrelated to each other. But SubhaanaAllah the transitions are all related
to one another, and we should understand and appreciate
them.
There is a transition to
another subject: “Did we not make the earth a smooth plain [mihaad]
for you?”
Ayah 6 :
Ãóáóãú äóÌúÚóáö ÇáúÃóÑúÖó ãöåóÇÏðÇ
Alam naj'alil-arda mihada
Have We not made the earth as a
wide expanse?
Another word related to mihaad is
mahd. The word mahd is the cradle, or even the womb of the
mother, or the cradle in which the child is comfortable. Allah says, “Didn’t
We make the earth a place in which you would be comfortable?” In classical
Arabic, mihaad is used for bed. This is a place where you find peace
and tranquility.
Next, Allah
talks about His favor. What does this have to do with resurrection and their
criticism? A lot of their criticism has to do with the earth cracking open,
and all of these things that are talked about in the Resurrection seem too
monumental to them. What sort of God is capable of all of these
things?
Human beings are
aware of what they themselves are capable of: making a bed or a place of
comfort for ourselves. Allah’s however, made the earth.
Compare what we can do to just some of Allah’s creation
and Allah’s ability.
No
comparison.
Ayah 7 :
æóÇáúÌöÈóÇáó ÃóæúÊóÇÏðÇ
Waljibala
awtada
And the mountains as pegs?
Allah uses analogies and references in the Qur’an that the
reader can relate to. In the old days, they would pitch tents; it was very
common. Allah says He made the mountains as pegs. The tent is known by the
most important element – the peg. Things are known by their most important
element. For example, a soldier could be called a sword. What kind of
pegs/tents does Allah put up? Mountains! Compare that to what we
erect of tents.
These were all big things that we mentioned thus far, but
now we’re going to look at the creation of human beings themselves.
Ayah 8 :
æóÎóáóÞúäóÇßõãú ÃóÒúæóÇÌðÇ
Wakhalaqnakum
azwaja
And We have created you in pairs (male and
female, tall and short, good and bad, etc.).
Allah says: “We created
all of you in pairs.” We didn’t create ourselves in pairs. Man didn’t create
woman; women didn’t create man. We’re not even capable over our creation –
our own gender!
Ayah 9 :
æóÌóÚóáúäóÇ äóæúãóßõãú
ÓõÈóÇÊðÇ
Waja'alna nawmakum subata
And We made your sleep to be
rest (to you),
Allah
then says: “And made your sleep [a means for] rest…” Nowm is deep
sleep. Allah says He made your sleep subaata. Sabatas sayra
would be to cut a string. Literally, this subaat is that which cuts
off. So Allah speaks of the night as something that cuts you off. What does
it cut you off from? First of all, it cuts you off from your body – your
soul departs from your body. It also cuts you off from daily affairs,
business, tasks, family, etc. You’re dead to the world. This foreshadows
what Allah will talk about later – the resurrection. One essential feature
of resurrection day: all human beings will be cut off from each other that
day. A man will run from his family. The kind of cutting off that will be
permanent, we will see later. But we experience a little something of that
every single day.
Sleep will overcome a man eventually; the power of Allah
overcomes humans, even those who deny Him.
You are so adamant about disbelieving in Allah.
Here are the powers Allah has over you and the powers of Allah over
creation. You think that the One Who created all of this cannot
create life again?
Ayah 10 :
æóÌóÚóáúäóÇ Çááøóíúáó áöÈóÇÓðÇ
Waja'alna al
layla libasa
And have made the night as a covering (through
its darkness),
“And We
made the night as a garment.” Why is the night a garment? Because is covers
you up and takes over you as a blanket. A garment is something you hide
underneath. Crimes take place at night. Secret,
ambush and robbery are all associated with night.
This is a libaas (cloth) that you are not capable of getting rid of
or taking off. The night overcomes everyone just as the day does.
Ayah
11 :
æóÌóÚóáúäóÇ ÇáäøóåóÇÑó
ãóÚóÇÔðÇ
Waja'alna an-nahara ma'aasha
And We made the day for seeking
livelihood.
“We made the
daytime a means of livelihood and a time of livelihood.”
This is particularly true in the
desert because there are few places in the desert where there is farmland.
That food is critical to feed everyone else; it will not grow until it has
sunlight. Daytime is a means because you need the sun for agriculture. Also,
the average work time is day time. Most people work during the
day.
Ayah 12
:
æóÈóäóíúäóÇ ÝóæúÞóßõãú ÓóÈúÚðÇ
ÔöÏóÇÏðÇ
Wabanayna fawqakum sab'an
shidada
And constructed above you seven strong
[heavens]
Then Allah speaks finally: “We
constructed/built above you….” If you look at the other ayaat that just
came, there was some implication (if indirect) of the human being.
Everything comes back to us and our powerlessness even over the
creation of Allah. Again, here Allah says “We made above you
these seven heavens.” Human beings construct things to. Compare that to what
Allah creates. SubhaanAllah It puts us in our place. We need to know how
weak and powerless we are.
Ayah 13 :
æóÌóÚóáúäóÇ ÓöÑóÇÌðÇ
æóåøóÇÌðÇ
Waja'alna sirajan wahhaja
And We made a shining
lamp,
And then, on top
of this – “then We installed siraaj.”
Siraaj in
Arabic refers to anything that emits light. In the Qur’an, it consistently
refers to the sun. Wahhaaja means brilliant and blazing. Of all the
fires we can kindle on the earth, or the chandeliers we create, what can
compare to this creation of Allah? It is an illustration of the
powerlessness of the human being.
Ayah 14 :
æóÃóäÒóáúäóÇ ãöäó ÇáúãõÚúÕöÑóÇÊö
ãóÇÁð ËóÌøóÇÌðÇ
Wa anzalna minalmu'sirati maa'an
thajjaja
And have sent down from the rainy clouds abundant water.
“Minal
mu’siraat” A’saara or I’saar is to squeeze. One opinion is
that it is referring to the wind squeezing the clouds, then the clouds drip
rain. It is also used for the clouds full of so much water that they drip
rain.
“Maa ‘an thajaaja”:
Thajaaja means overflow of heavy rain, or profuse rain. The water
overpowers humans by being too much or too less. If Allah doesn’t send it,
it can create death and famine. If it comes too much, then there can
also be death and destruction. Allah is again illustrating His power over
the human being. SubhaanAllah
The Mercy of My Lord
Now, you will find a change in tone to the mercy
of Allah and the favors He has given us.
Ayah
15 :
áøöäõÎúÑöÌó Èöåö ÍóÈøðÇ
æóäóÈóÇÊðÇ
Linukhrija bihi habban
wanabata
That We may bring out thereby grain and
growth,
“By means of water, all kinds of grain and
vegetation…”
The word habban is used for all kinds
of grain, wheat and crop. Nabaat is used for all kinds of grass or
vegetation. Basically, it is all the sustenance of the earth. Without
vegetation, there is no life on earth. Whatever we consume of animals and
food consumes plant life.
Ayah 16 :
æóÌóäøóÇÊò ÃóáúÝóÇÝðÇ
Wajannaatin
alfafa
And gardens of luxurious growth
Beyond that – lush gardens. Alfaaf is the
plural of lafeef (though there are other opinions), which
means that which wraps around. So the idea is that the plants are
intricately tangled. The plants are so lush and abundant that you can’t tell
where one begins or ends. That is the imagery being presented.
Section 3 – That Which You
Denied
Al Fasl
So,
to look back, the first section was about the denial of the hereafter. The
second section was about human inability and the power of Allah. The third
section, now that Allah has put everyone in their place, is about that which
you denied.
Ayah 17 :
Åöäøó íóæúãó ÇáúÝóÕúáö ßóÇäó
ãöíÞóÇÊðÇ
Inna yawma alfasli kaana
meeqata
Indeed, the Day of Judgement is an appointed time
-
Al Fasl
is to take two things and separate them
so much that they are clearly apart from one another. Yowm al Fasl is
a day of clear separation. The ‘Ulamaa` [scholars] commented that the Day of
Judgmentis the day truth will be separated from falsehood. The
mushrik believed in Allah and other gods. People who do evil do some
good and say, “Well, at least we’re doing such and such.” They mix truth
with falsehood. That day,a person will be separated from their false hopes.
A person will be separated from their false gods. Allah talks about
followers being separated from their leaders (see AlBaqarah). Perhaps the
most graphic separation: mother shall be separated from her child. May Allah
save us on that day.
Allah says “this day of clear
distinction has already been appointed.” This day of fasl has already
been fixed. It has to strike. Many of the things Allah talks about – the
creation of pairs, the sun, night and day – all have an appropriate, fixed
time. Just like that, this life is paired with
something: that is the Hereafter.Yowm al faslis fixed. Whether you
like it or not. “Human being, you better realize you aremarching forward
toward your Lord, minute by minute, second by second, without your
knowledge, even, and you’re going to get to meet Him.” No matter what you
do, whether you realize it or not, we’re heading towards our
Lord.
The Day They Deny
Ayah
18 :
íóæúãó íõäÝóÎõ Ýöí ÇáÕøõæÑö ÝóÊóÃúÊõæäó
ÃóÝúæóÇÌðÇ
Yawma yunfakhu fee assoorifata'toona
afwaaja
The Day the Horn is blown and you will come forth in
multitudes
Now that the
Day of Judgment has been introduced, the following ayahs will describe the
event of that day. Allah says, “the day on which it will be blown.” The
breath will be blow into the soor (trumpet). Literally, soor
means horn – either the horn of an animal or the horn that is blown
into.
“All of you will come forth
as a result, in multitudes…” Allah began the surah using third person. Now
Allah is talking to them. In the beginning, He was expressing His
disgust at them by not even addressing them directly. This is called
tab’eed in Arabic: to distance yourself from the one you are not
happy with. This is done in Arabic to show disgust – at first not even
addressing them and then turning to them and hitting them by
surprise.
An example of this
could be the classroom. Say a student failed a big exam. The teacher comes
into the room and says, “Some of you didn’t do very well on your exam…” All
of the students are on edge, and then suddenly the teacher turns to one
student and singles him out.
Another place this happens in the Qur’an is when
Allah is talking about them associating a son with him. Then Allah
transitions to second person and addresses them directly.
Ata ya`ti doesn’t just mean to come. Ata means to submit. Fa
ta`toona afwaaja – not only will you come
forward in multitudes, but you will give yourselves up.
This is to show the contrast between how you are now and how you will be
then.
Ayah 19 :
æóÝõÊöÍóÊö ÇáÓøóãóÇÁõ
ÝóßóÇäóÊú ÃóÈúæóÇÈðÇ
Wafutihati assamaa'u fakanat abwaba
And the heaven
is opened and will become gateways
Wa futihatis samaa`u fakaanat abwaaba
Those same seven heavens that
Allah talked about earlier, Hehas the power to destroy. He described their
power in this surah, and then He is talking about those skies being ripped
open, as though they were doors. What does it mean that they will be like
doors? In construction – what is the loosest part of the room? The door is
the loosest because it has hinges; it is the weakest part of the
construction. Allah talks about this magnificent construction and then He
says that it will all be as a door; very weak. You’ll see cracks all
over the place. This is in contrast with what we see now – we can keep
looking and not see any flaws.
Ayah 20 :
æóÓõíøöÑóÊö ÇáúÌöÈóÇáõ ÝóßóÇäóÊú
ÓóÑóÇÈðÇ
Wasuyyiratil jibaalu fakanat saraaba
And the
mountains are removed and will be [but] a mirage.
Allah then speaks of those
same mountains whose magnificence He described before and how they will be
suyyirah. Suyyira is talking about how the mountains will be
easily moved. The last thing that you think of when you imagine something
that is easily moved is mountains! SubhaanAllah.
Allah then says Fakaanat saraaba. This is
talking about how the humans will see the mountains moving, and because such
a sight is so unbelievable, they will think they are seeing a
mirage.
This is the first
reality that they would know about – the Day of Judgment – now Allah will
depict for them the Fire which they will come to know of.
Again, They
Will Know!
Ayah 21 :
Åöäøó Ìóåóäøóãó ßóÇäóÊú
ãöÑúÕóÇÏðÇ
Inna jahannama kanat
mirsada
Truly, Hell is a place of ambush,
“No doubt, the hell
fire has always been waiting in ambush.” Mirsaad comes from
rasada. Mursad is one who is trying to ambush. Allah describes
hell fire as Mirsaad: a place ideal for ambush. It is designed with
the only intent to hide and attack the enemy.
Hasan al Basri uses this ayah to explain “There is
no one from you at all who will not go over it [the hell fire]” (Surah
Maryam). We will get to experience what we have escaped. For
the believers, they will be able to pass
by, but the disbelievers will be ambushed by it.
Ayah 22 :
áøöáØøóÇÛöíäó
ãóÂÈðÇ
Littagheena ma'aaba
For the rebellious, a place of destination:
Who is it in
ambush for – for at Tagheen.
So many other words could have been used,
but Allah says at Tagheen. Kufr is on the
outside. Tughyaan is what is on the inside – rebellion. On the
outside, even thephilosophy majors or atheists, etc don’t want to
acknowledge Islam or God. It is not because they have intellectual
arguments, but because they want to live their life the way they want to
live. They don’t want to live according to a higher authority; they want to
rebel. That is the root of this whole problem. It’s not that they are
curious about an naba` - it is their rebellion. And the Hell Fire is
waiting for the rebellious.
It is
ma aaba – a place that they will have to keep going back to. This
illustrates they are going to try to escape, but they keep being sucked back
in.
Ayah 23 :
áøóÇÈöËöíäó ÝöíåóÇ
ÃóÍúÞóÇÈðÇ
Labitheena feeha ahqaba
In which they will remain for ages
[unending].
It is a place of stay and stay itself.
They are going to be staying
there for a very long time. That long period of time has been given a
quantity – ahqaaba. Ahqaaba is the plural of haqb.
According to ‘Ali radiyallahu ‘anhu and aqb is eighty years, every
day of which is 1,000 years (and this is the most popular opinion).
Regardless of what the time is, the number if finite. This led some
mufasiroon to say that hell will eventually end. This opinion has
been negated heavily. Hasan al Basri said that Allah did not say
haqb; He said ahqaaban, which means they are multiple. The
plural illustrates that there is no end to it.
This
illustrates hopelessness. It is a means of psychological torture. They are
given the hope that one haqb is ending, but then another
beings.
Ayah 24 :
áøóÇ íóÐõæÞõæäó ÝöíåóÇ
ÈóÑúÏðÇ æóáóÇ ÔóÑóÇÈðÇ
La yathooqoona feehabardan wala
sharaba
They will not taste therein [any] coolness or
drink.
“They
will not get to taste in it neither coolness nor any kind of
drink.”
Lafha is a warm
breeze and nafha is a cool breeze. Allah speaks of the least
punishment in hell and says that even if the coolest breeze of hell
fire reached them, it is so hot that they will cry out over and over again:
“Destruction has fallen upon us! We had continuously been the wrong
doers!”
In desert life, the two
joys you can have of relief from the desert are drinks and cool breezes. The
expression in the Arabic language “his eyes became cool” is used for a man’s
eyes getting relief after a sandstorm. Allah uses this expression to
describe joy from wife and family. So we can see that coolness, in the
Arabic culture, is a great pleasure. Allah will take that pleasure away in
Hell.
Ayah 25 :
ÅöáøóÇ ÍóãöíãðÇ
æóÛóÓøóÇÞðÇ
Illa hameeman wa ghassaqa
Except boiling water, and dirty
wound discharges.
Allah adds only two more things in place of those:
boiling, scorching water and infected blood or pus of the other companions
in hell.
Justice:
Ayah 26 :
ÌóÒóÇÁð
æöÝóÇÞðÇ
Jazaa'an wifaqa
An exact recompense (according
to their evil crimes).
If you describe this to a non believer, what do you think
they would say? “Man, this is pretty intense. Do you think somebody could
deserve this?” The next ayah says: jazaa an wifaaqa. Jazaa` means
payback; in it is included “you get what you work for.” But then Allah adds:
wifaaq. The normal Arabic would expect muqafiqun. When you say
wifaaq, it illustrates that there could be no punishment more
appropriate. This is exactly – down to the last ounce – what they deserved.
There is no torture or oppression; this is justice.
[Personal note by
transcriber: If you read Jamal Az-Zarabozo’s explanation of the 40
hadith of An-Nawawi, under the explanation of the first hadith, he addresses
a similar issue. Some people may ask, well, a disbeliever did not disbelieve
for eternity, so how can he be punished for eternity? The answer is that,
had he lived for eternity, he would have disbelieved for eternity. So he had
the intention to do that as long as he lived. The same way if he had
believed, he would be in Paradise for eternity, but he rejected that offer.
Allah knows best.]
Ayah 27 :
Åöäøóåõãú ßóÇäõæÇ áóÇ
íóÑúÌõæäó ÍöÓóÇÈðÇ
Innahum kanoo la yarjoona
hisaba
Surely they did not hope for a
reckoning,
What is it
exactly that they did? They were the one who had no hopes of accountability.
The wording is very careful. Allah does not say that they didn’t
expect accountability; He says that they didn’t hope for it.
If you don’t expect something, that means you had no idea. When you don’t
hope for it, it means that you heard and knew about it, but you hoped it
wouldn’t come. You let your false hopes that the accounting would not come
delude you.
There are often
Muslims even within our own families, that don’t want to talk about
accountability. If you tell them, for example, “We’ll have to answer for how
we earned our money,” they may brush it off and say something like, “Don’t
depress me. I want to talk about something else.” They want to stay in their
false hopes.
Ayah 28 :
æóßóÐøóÈõæÇ ÈöÂíóÇÊöäóÇ
ßöÐøóÇÈðÇ
Wakaththaboo bi-ayatinaa kiththaba
They called
Our revelations false with strong denial.
This crime we just spoke of was inside of them.
And that false hope led them to commit the second crime on the outside: they
denied the ayaat. They did two things here: lied against themselves and then
lied against the miraculous ayaat of Allah.
There are two types of ayaat: ayaat kowniyya
(ayaat in existence) and Qur’aniyyah. This person refused to reflect on
either of them. This includes lying against the Messengers, lying against
the truth, character assassination, etc.
Ayah
29 :
æóßõáøó ÔóíúÁò ÃóÍúÕóíúäóÇåõ
ßöÊóÇÈðÇ
Wakulla shay-in ahsaynahu
kitaba
And all things We have recorded in a Book.
“Don’t be shocked that
each and every last thing We have completely encompassed.” ‘Ad means
to count and ihsaa means to not only count it, but protect it and
archive it. The scholars comment that this ayah of the Qur’an is the worse
about ‘adhaab (punishment): every time they try to escape the
punishment, they are entered into one that is worse than what they came out
of.
Ayah 30 :
ÝóÐõæÞõæÇ Ýóáóä äøóÒöíÏóßõãú
ÅöáøóÇ ÚóÐóÇÈðÇ
Fathooqoo falan nazeedakum
illa'athaaba
"So taste [the penalty], and never will We increase you except in
torment."
Allah says,
“then go ahead and taste all of you.” Allah is speaking to them.
This is showing His extreme anger with
them. But Allah does not use His Name next to them. According to other
excerpts in the Qur’an, we learn that Allah will not even turn towards them
or face them that day.
What will
they be begging for? A little relief, a little drink, but all they will get
is punishment. May Allah protect us from hell.
The
Muttaqeen:
Ayah 31 :
Åöäøó áöáúãõÊøóÞöíäó
ãóÝóÇÒðÇ
Inna lilmuttaqeena
mafaza
Verily, for the Righteous, there will be a
success (Paradise);
There are two audiences in this Surah: the
kuffaar and the muttaqeen. When Allah speaks to the
muttaqeen, He speaks to them. Allah then addresses the people
of taqwa. Why this particular title forthem?
Taqwa is commonly
translated as “fear”, but that is not correct. That would be “khowf.” Taqwa,
here, refers to the precautions you take as a result of fear, the things you
do because you are afraid. For example, locking your doors at night because
you are afraid would be out of precaution. So taqwa is to take precaution.
Taqwa is a feeling that results in some kind of
action.
What is
waiting for them? Mafaaz has a lot of meanings wrapped up into it –
success, the place of success (Jannah) and an appointed time
when they enjoy success (it’s coming, be patient).
Ayah
32 :
ÍóÏóÇÆöÞó æóÃóÚúäóÇÈðÇ
Hada-iqa
wa'naaba
Gardens and grapeyards;
Then Allah
describes the place: gardens.
Hadeeqa is a
garden with a tall fence, so it is a private type of garden ☺ No one else
has access to it. Hadaqa is also related to the word hadeeqa,
and it refers to the pupil of the eye, which in turn refers to the beautiful
color surrounding it.
The food that is mentioned is grapes
– and this is a two in one because it is a food that already has a drink in
it ☺ SubhaanAllah.
Ayah 33 :
æóßóæóÇÚöÈó
ÃóÊúÑóÇÈðÇ
Wa kawaA'iba atraba
And full-breasted [companions] of equal
age
Kawaa’ib
is the plural of kaa’ib. Kaa’ib
is a really gorgeous woman. They will be at the most compatibleage for
the believers.
Ayah 34 :
æóßóÃúÓðÇ ÏöåóÇÞðÇ
Waka'san
dihaqa
And a cup full (to the brim).
Ka`s
nowadays means a cup or glass, but in
classical Arabic ka`s was only used when the glass was full ofwine,
or some expensive drink. So these glasses will be full of expensive and
exotic drinks. The color of the drinks will be exotic, and it will also be
splashing.
Ayah 35 :
áøóÇ íóÓúãóÚõæäó ÝöíåóÇ áóÛúæðÇ æóáóÇ
ßöÐøóÇÈðÇ
La yasmaA'oona feeha laghwan wa laa kidhzaba
No ill
speech will they hear therein or any falsehood -
Then Allah says they will not hear
in those gardens laghw (useless talk) or kidhaab (when one
person lies against another). Why does Allah mentioned these two specific
things? In the beginning of the surah, the disbelievers are making useless
talk. When they get to Jannah, the believers will not have to hear any of
this. In Al ‘Imran, Allah says you will have to endure a lot of painful
words from the kuffaar. Even the messengers were told to have
beautiful patience. Once in Jannah, the believers will not have to worry
about any of this.
Also, believers are working for the
deen constantly hear kidhaab – in the media. They hear people lying
about the messengers, about the book of Allah, etc. In Jannah, they will no
longer be tortured with these things.
Ayah
36 :
ÌóÒóÇÁð ãøöä ÑøóÈøößó ÚóØóÇÁð
ÍöÓóÇÈðÇ
Jazaa'an min rabbika ataa'an hisaba
A reward from
your Lord, an ample calculated gift (according to the best of their good
deeds).
With the disbelievers,
Allah said jazaa`an wifaaq – not more or less, but exactly what they
deserve. Allah does not say wifaaq for Jannah, because He will give us more
than what we deserve, subhaana wa ta’aala.
Allah says mir rabbika (from their
rabb). Allah is the One Who gives, provides, nourishes, creates,
takes care of – all of these positive connotations are included inside of
the word rabb. Rabb was not used with the disbelievers,
because there was no mention of mercy with them.
Another way Allah mentions His Mercy is that He
says rabbika – your Lord. Anywhere in the Qur’an where Allah speaks
to His messengers, those are the most merciful places in the Qur’an. Allah
adds on to that, saying ‘ataa`. ‘Ataa` is a grant/gift to
someone who doesn’t deserve it. So the believers will be showered with
gifts.
Qataadah radiyallahu ‘anhu
explained hisaab saying that this is like a saying in Arabic, in which you
give so much to a person that they say, stop, I can’t take any more. May
Allah make us worthy of this. Ameen.
Ar-Rahmaan and
Ar-Raheem:
Ayah
37 :
ÑøóÈøö ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö æóãóÇ ÈóíúäóåõãóÇ
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäö ۖ áóÇ íóãúáößõæäó ãöäúåõ ÎöØóÇÈðÇ
Rabbi assamawati wal-ardi wamaa baynahuma
arrahmani laa yamlikoona minhu khitaba
[From] the Lord of the heavens
and the earth and whatever is between them, the Most Merciful. They possess
not from Him [authority for] speech.
The Lord of the heavens and the earth – that same
Lord – is excessively merciful. Some things you should know about Ar-Rahmaan
(which is used here) as opposed to Ar-Raheem:
Ar-Raheem is potential. You
can say a person is merciful. That doesn’t mean he is always merciful, doing
something merciful at every moment. When Allah is speaking of a mercy He is
doing right in the moment, He doesn’t use ar-Raheem; He uses ar-Rahmaan.
When there is a specific mercy mentioned, ar-Rahmaan is used. Ar-Raheem is
more general.
This special
mercy of Allah is being given to the believers on the Day of Judgment. It is
perfectly suited here because of all of the different levels of mercy Allah
will bestow on the believers which were mentioned in the previous
ayahs.
From the disbelievers’ side – after hearing
such a strong warning in this surah – may lose hope. Allah mentioning His
Name, Ar-Rahmaan, gives hope to the disbeliever as well. Allah is
exceedingly, unexpectedly merciful.
None
Shall Speak:
Ayah 38 :
íóæúãó íóÞõæãõ ÇáÑøõæÍõ
æóÇáúãóáóÇÆößóÉõ ÕóÝøðÇ ۖ áøóÇ íóÊóßóáøóãõæäó ÅöáøóÇ ãóäú ÃóÐöäó áóåõ
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ æóÞóÇáó ÕóæóÇÈðÇ
Yawma
yaqoomu arroohu walmalaa'ikatusaffan la yatakallamoona illa man athina lahu
arrahmanu waqaala sawaba
The Day that Ar-Ruh [Jibrael (Gabriel) or
another angel] and the angels will stand forth in rows, none shall speak
except him whom the Most Beneficent (Allah) allows, and he will speak what
is right.
They will
have no control, no ability or power in regards to Him on that day – in
terms of addressing Him or making a case. This is for the
kuffaar.
But then Allah
says: the day when ar-Ruh will stand and malaa`ika. There is
almost ijmaa` [consensus] of the mufassiroon [the scholars of
tafseer] that ar-Ruh refers to Jibreel ‘alayhis salaam (Gabriel)
almost every time in the Qur’an. Usually in the Qur’an, we see the reverse
order – the angels are mentioned first and then Jibreel. This is a reversal
in the sequence. One of the scholars of balaagha [literary beauty?],
sh-Sha`raabi, commented on this: whenever you find a lot of movement, then
angels are associated with going up and down and being in constant movement.
There, you find malaa`ika mentioned first. When you find responsibility, Jibreel is mentioned first
because he has the most responsibility.
That is why Jibreel is mentioned first.
Another benefit of knowing this is that one of the
theories of the mushrikoon [polytheists] was that the angels would
come and save them. Who is the greatest of the angels? Ar-Ruh
[Jibreel/Gabriel]! And they will all be standing before Allah in straight
rows, not uttering a single word. So if the disbelievers had some hope that
the angels would save them, then they are mistaken. The angels will be
standing silent as well.
Only to
whom Allah gives permission will speak and he will say that which is true
and upright. Allah was using present tense up until now, but He switches to
past tense to show that even one who does speak will be very brief. People
will be spoken to rather than them speaking.
Ayah 39 :
Ðóٰáößó Çáúíóæúãõ ÇáúÍóÞøõ ۖ
Ýóãóä ÔóÇÁó ÇÊøóÎóÐó Åöáóìٰ ÑóÈøöåö ãóÂÈðÇ
Dhalika alyawmu alhaqqu famanshaa ittakhatha ila rabbihi
maaba
That is without doubt the True Day, so, whosoever wills, let
him seek a place with (or a way to) His Lord (by obeying Him in this worldly
life)!
Dhaalikal yowm al haqq . There are three ways to translate
this:
- “That day is in fact the ultimate the truth” –
this is favored by most scholars.
- “This is that true day which is coming”
You
Have Been Warned:
Ayah 40
:
ÅöäøóÇ ÃóäÐóÑúäóÇßõãú ÚóÐóÇÈðÇ ÞóÑöíÈðÇ íóæúãó íóäÙõÑõ
ÇáúãóÑúÁõ ãóÇ ÞóÏøóãóÊú íóÏóÇåõ æóíóÞõæáõ ÇáúßóÇÝöÑõ íóÇ áóíúÊóäöí ßõäÊõ
ÊõÑóÇÈðÇ
Inna antharnakum 'athaaban qareeban yawma yanthuru almar'u maa
qaddamatyadahu wayaqoolu alkafiru ya laytanee kuntu turaba
Verily, We
have warned you of a near torment, the Day when man will see that (the
deeds) which his hands have sent forth, and the disbeliever will say:
"Woe/destruction to me! Would that I were dust!"
“Then, whoever wants,
let find ma’aab towards his Lord.” Whoever wants, let him hold on to
a path that will lead towards his Lord. Allah already spoke about
jahannam being ma`aab. Now He is speaking about another
ma`aab – your goal in this life to return to your Lord. May Allah
make us of those who return to their Lord. Ameen.
In conclusion of this surah, Allah says, Inna
andharnakum. It is indeed We who have warned you. The kaafir
thinks that Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is warning him, but
Allah is telling them thatthis is the Lord of the worlds Who is warning
them. They see it far away, but We see it very close.
We said before that the “sa” in the beginning was
for closeness. The conclusion is also closeness.
The day on
which every single person will see whatever their hands have sent forward.
This expression is often misunderstood in English. It requires some
explanation: most of our actions are done by our hands. When our hands do an
action, it is recorded and is then sent forward. Whatever we have done is
archived and sent into archives. It will later be bought out of those
archives and displayed before you on a day that is coming ahead. Every
person will see what both his hands sent forward.
As a result, the disbeliever will say la
laytani – and there are no words in English to translate this. In modern
language, we are much less articulate. The closest thing in our times is: a
person so sad and overwhelmed that you have no words. It is when you are
speechless and dumbfound. All you can do is sigh or scream. Destruction is
upon them, but they can’t say it. Allah is describing the emotion of that
person. They will say, “If only I had been reduced to nothing but
dust!”
Before this day, the
arrogant kaafir was walking around in arrogance, thinking he had no
accountability, but on that day he will wish he was dust. In Arabic
tradition, dust was associated with humiliation. To put dust on someone or
kick it in their face were expressions of humiliating someone. The last
thing someone wants is to be associated with dust. He will face Allah and
will wish he was that humiliated dust.
The
Cohesion of Beginning and End
How the beginning of this surah correlates to the
beginning: in the beginning, the kuffaar were adamant and arrogant, in total
disregard of the hereafter. In the end, their state will be that they will
not be able to speak. Now, let them run their mouth, but a time will come
when their mouth will be silent.
In
the beginning they had disagreement over what would happen in the hereafter.
That Day, there will be only one true opinion.
Finally, Allah warned them that they will know the
consequences of their speech. In the end, the will say, “Oh, I wish that I
were dust!”
Divine - Linguistic Miracle..: Surah Naba - Dream
Tafseer Notes - Nouman Ali Khan [Transcribed]
ÞæáæÇ "áÇ Åáå ÅáÇ Çááå" ÊÝáÍæÇ
Say there is no god but Allah,
and you will
be successful
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