The Islamic meaning of sabr is to stop ourselves from despairing and panicking, to stop our tongues from complaining, and to stop our hands from striking our faces and tearing our clothes at times of grief and stress.

To have sabr is to first realize within your own heart that a) there is a god that exists b) that this god is worthy of all my worship c) that this god is indeed characterized by attributes of perfectness and majesty, which can only be ascribed to god and no other.

After having understood this, sabr is then to act upon this belief  and not despair or panic because in your heart you know that there is a god that exists above the heavens and earth characterized by attributes of ultimate and complete mercy, love, care, wisdom, and knowledge (all in a matter that befit his majesty). You understand that this god, the one and only god–Allah–will always be there to help you through the tough times. You understand that anytime you need his aid all you have to do is ask; no need for intermediaries, just your own choice to raise those hands and ask Him. The essence of sabr is to realize this and not despair because you have with you Allah, the one who will never fail you.

Surah Baqarah V.284: To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in your ownselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is Able to do all things.

Mankind only despairs and panicks at their own inability or the inability of others around them. You may lose a job tomorrow, have a car accident, or find a loved one has passed away and in this you will see reality. We as humans will naturally despair and panick because we recongize our own weaknesses. In that situation we recognize our limited ability to do anything and we see the same in the people around us. In these difficult situations we realize that sustenance was never something we controlled, we realize that we never had the slightest control over the occurances of the world, and we understand that matters of life and deaht are out of our hands. Undersatnding these fundamental, eye-opening, realities lead us to despair and panick because we realize our inability to control these situaions and we lose hope in finding a solution from those around us.

Surah Naml V.62: Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations. Is there any ilah (god) with Allah? Little is that you remember!

However, for the one who believes in god, who understands Allah, they realize that even though they themselves don’t have the control, they can count on the one that has all the control. Thus, the one who secures his faith shows it in sabr. He has no need to despair or panick because he isn’t dealing with incapable creatures, rather he is dealing with the most perfect, the one to whom all power and strength belong, the creator of all the creatures, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

Surah Ale Imran V.139: So do not become weak, nor be sad, and you will be superior, if you are indeed believers

In this post, we will insha’Allah do a word-for-word breakdown of each surah, as space permits.

In the first ayah, Allah (subhannahu wa ta’ala) says:

لَا أُقْسِمُ بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ

The first two words, laa uqsimu (لَا أُقْسِمُ) literally means “I do not swear.” Uqsimu is mudaari’ mutakallim waahid, i.e. the single, gender-non-specific first person “I.” It appears to be on Baab I, but there’s a hint that it’s not–the dumma on the first letter. Check the comments insha’Allah for more clarification; the mudaari’ is yuqsimu; it’s a four-letter root (aqsama اقسم) in maadi’ (past-tense).

And–as we mentioned in the tafseer–knowing the tafseer, we know this is not literal; it’s best translated as an oath (which it is).

The latter part of the ayah, bi haadhal-balad (بِهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ) has a badal in it–the clue is that you see that al-balad is majroor (with kasra) without any apparent reason for it; then you notice haadhaa (ismul-ishaara bil qareeb), and the alif-lam before balad, which is the recipe for badal: one part common noun preceeded by alif-lam, and one part ismu-ishaarah (demonstrative pronoun) preceeding it.

And as you probably remember, badal means that the haadha passes on the kasra from the bi (which is a harf–jarr or preposition) onto the balad.

Precisely the same badal occurs in ayah #2–”anta hillun bi haadhal-balad.”

In ayah four, Allah says:

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ

I harped on this ayah quite a bit in the tafseer. Notice the linguistic emphasis–the use of lam (one emphasis), plus qad (another emphasis). This, from the words of Allah themselves (something we should pay attention to), makes us realize just how important it is to understand this ayah.

In ayah five, Allah says:

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ

A bit of more advanced grammar here — Allah says “lan yaqdira (لَّن يَقْدِرَ).” It’s not “lan yaqdiru” because lan modifies a mudaari’ (present-tense) verb to become mansoob (with fatha) instead of it’s usual marfoo’ (with damma). If you know this rule, it’s easier to remember the last vowel!

Then, in verses eight to ten, Allah (’azza wa jal) says:

أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ
وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ
وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ

If you notice, all the final words of all these verses end with -ayn, the majroor/mansoob form of the dual (eg. kitabaani–two books–becomes kitabayni). Regardless of why, listen to these three ayaat–they actually rhyme. Aside from the miracle of how Allah (’azza wa jal) made it rhyme and made the meaning impressively impressive, shaykh Nouman Khan mentioned that this is how you can identify one discourse (discussion on one topic) from another in the Qur’an–by the use of rhyme schemes. Subhanallah, this is just one part of the Qur’an that you cannot ever grasp purely through translation.

Skipping forward, in verse 14, Allah says:

أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ

The word dhiy (ذِي) is actually the majroor form of dhuw (ذو). Dhuw is one of those “five” weird words that change their form to show the case–dhuw (owner of), fuw (mouth), akhun (brother), abu (father), and one more, if I recall. The marfoo’ form is dhuw, the majroor is dhiy, and the mansoob is dhaa (ذا).

Here, it’s dhiy because it’s an adjective (na’at) of yawm, which is majroor.

And with that, insha’Allah we will close on the Arabic analysis. If you have any questions or comments–on this in particular, or on any part of the surah in terms of meaning and grammar–insha’Allah post it in the comments or on twitter, and we’ll try to respond with the right answer, bi idhnillah.

References:

• Touched by an Angel: Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Muhammad Alshareef. 2009.
• Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma. By Nouman Ali Khan – Bayyinah. 2009.

So who’s down for a party this Saturday? Let’s do it! Meet at the closest masjid near your house at 7:45pm. Forget about these kiddish Halloween parties, be a person of dignity and honour, be amongst the party of Allah.

And We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him – those are the party of Allah . Unquestionably, the party of Allah – they are the successful.

There are many amongst us in this part of the world that take time out of their busy schedules, Muslims (sadly) and non-Muslims, to celebrate a day known as Halloween. Now, I’m sure many of us as kids went out trick or treating in ignorance and many of our parents let us go out in ignorance. However, there are people amongsts us, and sadly the Muslims are included in this, that throw Halloween parties at their houses and dress up in costumes, leaving no trace of the Islamic traditions that were given to us. We have become so engrained within the morals, values, and customs of this part of the world that have we have forgotten the pure traditions that were given to us by Allah azza wa jal. We have lost our identity and thus have resorted to adopting the practices of those around us. However, we should realize this is probably done in ignorance as well; people just know no better. So, it becomes our jobs to educate those Muslims and bring them closer to a better understanding and a better way of living.

Inshallah, this article will serve as an educational tool for the Muslims. I ask Allah to accept it and make it of beenfit to the people. Before I begin, I find it important to lay out some basic prinicples of the religion, thereafter I will talk about the issue of Halloween and the stance of the Muslims on such practices.

I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Allah says:

Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.

The religion that will be accepted by Allah on the Day of Judgement will be al-Islam. Allah has chosen to make Islam the final religion for all of mankind; it is the religion that confirms everything that was revealed before it and it is the final message that was revealed to the final Prophet of Allah, Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalam. As Allah says:

It is He Who has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what came before it.

The Qur’an is truth and everything in it and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam is absolute truth. Allah has made this religion perfect; free of any need to burrow from other cultures/traditions/religions because Allah has completed this religion for us and made it perfect. Allah says:

This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion.

And it of no surprise that this perfect faith has been granted to all of mankind, because the essence of it carries out the purpose of our life. The essence of Islam is to submit ourselves to the one and only creator of the heavens and the earth and to worship Him alone. Allah says:

And I have not created the jinn nor the human except to worship Me.

And so Islam has been perfected by Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Meaning we have no need to add or subtract from this religion; everything that Allah has provided for us (through the Qur’an and the authentic traditions of the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam) in this package known as al-Islam is exactly what we need to succeed. And Allah has given us this perfected way of life so that we may carry out the purpose of our creation (i.e to worship Him) with ease.

II. HISTROCIAL INFORMATION REGARDING HALLOWEEN

Background

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain; from the Old Irish samain).The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the “Celtic New Year”. Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.

History of the Name

The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows’ Even (both “even” and “eve” are abbreviations of “evening”, but “Halloween” gets its “n” from “even”) as it is the eve of “All Hallows’ Day”, which is now also known as All Saints’ Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions, until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints’ Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints’ Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

Symbols

The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween’s most prominent symbols in America, and is commonly called a jack-o’-lantern. Originating in Europe, these lanterns were first carved from a turnip or rutabaga. Believing that the head was the most powerful part of the body containing the spirit and the knowledge, the Celts used the “head” of the vegetable to frighten off any superstitions. The name jack-o’-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambling, hard-drinking old farmer. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him by carving a cross into the tree trunk. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to forever wander the earth at night with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip.

III. WHAT IS SAID REGARDING CELEBRATING OR TAKING PART IN HALLOWEEN AND OTHER SUCH CUSTOMS

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasalam issued a stern warning:

“Whoever imitates a nation is one of them!”
(Recorded in Abu Da’oud)

Islam has strongly forbidden Muslims to follow the religious or social customs of the non-Muslims, and especially of the idol-worshippers or those who worship the devil. This is because the basis of our religion is to tesfify in the Oneness of Allah, it is to uphold tawheed, it is to give Allah His right of not associating and not acknowledging any partners to Him. Allah is One and Only and the Muslim does not oppress himself by taking part in celebrations/customs of those people who associate partners with Allah azza wa jal. May He be Exalted. Far above is He from that which they associate to Him. Allah says:

And when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him, “O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allah . Indeed, association [with him] is great injustice.”

Allah says:

“…And those who do not witness falsehood [al-zoor]…” [al-Furqaan 25:72]

Allah describes the believers as “Worshippers of the Most Gracious” , saying: “And those who do not witness falsehood and if they pass by “Laghow” (evil play or evil talk) they pass by it with dignity” (the same verse quoted above). The scholars and interpreters of Al-Quran quoted Mujahed, Ad-Dhahak, Ikrimah and others that Laghow means festivities of the idolaters, ie, “Worshippers of the Most Gracious” do not attend festivities of the idolaters

In regards to the same verse, Shaykh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah rahmatulillah alay has said:

In regards to the festivals of the mushrikeen: they combine confusion, physical desires and falsehood, there is nothing in them that is of any religious benefit, and the instant gratification involved in them only ends up in pain. Thus they are falsehood, and witnessing them means attending them.

This aaayah itself praises and commends (those who do not witness falsehood), which has the meaning of urging people to avoid taking part in their festivals and other kinds of falsehood. We understand that it is bad to attend their festivals because they are called al-zoor (falsehood).

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah sallalahu alayhi wasalam came and they had two days in which they would (relax and) play. He said, “What are these two days?” They said, “We used to play (on these two days) during the days of ignorance.” The Messenger of Allaah sallalahu alayhi wasalam said:

“Allaah has given you something better instead of them:
Yawm al-Duhaa [Eid al-Adha] and Yawm al-Fitr [Eid al-Fitr].”
(Reported by Abu Dawood).

This indicates clearly that the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam definitely forbade his ummah to celebrate the festivals of the disbelievers. The fact that the religion of the People of the Book is accepted does not mean that their festivals are approved of or should be preserved by the ummah, just as the rest of their acts of disbelief and sins are not approved of. Indeed, the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam went to great lengths to command his ummah to be different from them in many issues that are mubaah (permitted) and in many ways of worship, lest that lead them to be like them in other matters too. This being different was to be a barrier in all aspects, because the more different you are from the people of disbelief the less likely you are to do actions of the people who disbelieve. And this is a true statement because we are a product of our environment.

The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam said:

“The Final Hour will not come until my followers copy the deeds of the previous nations and follow them very closely, span by span, and cubit by cubit (inch by inch).”
(Bukhari).

As mentioned earlier, Islam is a perfect religion revealed by Allah azza wa jal to the Prophet sallalahu alayhiw asalam. When somethign is perfect in its true sense, it has no need to be added to or taken away from.

The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam said:

“You must keep to my Sunnah and the sunnah of the rightly-guided Caliphs;
cling to it firmly. Beware of newly invented matters, for every
new matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misleading.”
(Bukhari)

Ibn Uthaymeen rahmatulillah alay has said:

Muslims are forbidden to imitate the disbelievers by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet sallalahua layhi wasalam said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”

Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-siraat al-mustaqeem mukhaalifat ashaab al-jaheem:

Imitating them in some oftheir festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to humiliate and mislead the weak.

Allaah is the One Whom we ask to make the Muslims feel proud of their religion, to help them adhere steadfastly to it, and to make them victorious, for He is the Strong and Omnipotent. (Majmoo’ah Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/369)

Please forgive me for anything I said that may have offended you. Anything good that comes out of this is from Allah and Him Alone. Anything bad or wrong comes from myself and shaytaan. Jazak Allah Khair.

Continuing our discussion of Surah Balad, Allah (’azza wa jal) says:

أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ
وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ
وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ

Translation: Have We not made for him two eyes? And a tongue and two lips? And have shown him the two ways?[Surah Al-Balad, verses 8-10]

The word used for ways or paths is “najd.” Najd means a clear path, one where you can see where it’s going. Upward.

Then Allah says:

فَلَا اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ

Translation: But he has not broken through the difficult pass. And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass? [verses 10-11]

When you read verse 10, the natural question that pops into your mind is “what is this ‘aqabah, this difficult mountain pass? And verse 11 says, as we discussed very similar verses before, Allah is saying that you will never understand what al-’Aqabah is.

And Iqtahamaa means … if you’ve ever seen Sumo wrestling, the real part is when the two wrestlers (big muscular guys) slam into each other with full power, at full force.

So Allah is giving us a clue. There’s Al-’Aqabah, the mountain pass; and you have to iqtahamaa, climb it at full-force with no holding back. If you’ve ever had to climb tons and tons of stairs–like the CN tower (pictured above, literally thousands of stairs)–you know that to make it to the top, you need to gather your strength and rush, all at once. You don’t climb stairs one by one and stop every few steps.

That’s iqtahamaa.

So we need to do iqtahamaa of Al-’Aqabah. And we’ll never understand Al-’Aqabah.

But here’s a glimpse:

فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ
أَوْ إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ
يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ

Translation: It is the freeing of a slave. Or feeding on a day of severe hunger, An orphan of near relationship. [verse 13-15]

Freeing a slave is something that’s not possible anymore; verse 14 says, feeding a poor person on a day of severe hunger. To feed someone poor when you yourself are hungry, that’s the best sadaqah you can do!

And an orphan of near kin (aka a relative of yours) is someone who has the rights of an orphan, AND the rights of near relatives; so that’s twice the rights of a regular orphan (or a regular relative).

Allah (’azza wa jal) continues:

أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ

Translation: Or a needy person in misery. [verse 16]

In the phrase “dhaa matraba,” we see in the latter word, turaab (dirt), from taraba (the verb). This eloquently describes a person out in the elements–out with the wind and the rain, with no shelter; someone homeless, clinging to the dirt out of misery.

And the final remark on Al-’Aqabah? The last thing mentioned to do?

ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ
أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ

Translation: And then being among those who believed and advised one another to patience and advised one another to compassion. Those are the companions of the right. [verses 17-18]

Nothing surprising here–a verse very similar to what we find in Surah Al-’Asr: believe, and call to patience, and call to rahmah (mercy, compassion). These are the winners, the ones who have conquered Al-’Aqabah, the people of the right.

Sounds difficult, right? Well, what’s the alternative?

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِنَا هُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْمَشْأَمَةِ
عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌ مُّؤْصَدَةٌ

Translation: But they who disbelieved in Our signs – those are the companions of the left. Over them will be fire closed in. [verses 19-20]

As shaykh Muhammad Alshareef says, if a person really, truly understands Hellfire, there is no choice. Allah (’azza wa jal) describes His fire as “mu’sadah.” Mu’sadah means that the fire will close down on you.

People often think Hellfire is like a big plain, and there will be people running around. It’s not. It’s described as dark, with chained people, and with fire that is mu’sadah–closes down on you.

May Allah (’azza wa jal) protect us from it and help us to understand and implement this great surah.

Really, the lesson here is that social services are from the core values of Islam. Praying and fasting and paying zakah and going for Hajj are what Muslims generally think about when you talk about Islam. But it’s more than just that; it’s social services, too.

Wallahu ta’ala a’lam.

References:

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

Allah says:

لَا أُقْسِمُ بِهَذَا الْبَلَدِ

Translation: I swear by this city (Makkah) … [Surah Balad, verse 1]

“Laa uqsim” literally means, “I will not swear by.” in Arabic language, it means “this thing is so truthful, I almost don’t even have to swear by it.” It’s translated as “I swear by.”

Then Allah says:

وَأَنتَ حِلٌّ بِهَذَا الْبَلَدِ

Translation: And you, [O Muhammad], are free of restriction in this city … [verse 2]

“Anta hillu” means “you are free.” It’s a slight at the mushrikeen, that this place (Makkah) is honourable and noble because the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) is here, and they should listen to him and accept him instead of trying to kick him out and kill him.

It also indicates a time where the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) was allowed, for about an hour, to fight in Mecca–something even the mushrikeen considered haraam.

Then Allah says:

وَوَالِدٍ وَمَا وَلَدَ

Translation: And [by] the father and that which was born [of him] … [verse 3]

There are two opinions about what this verse means; one is that it means Adam (alayhi salaam) and his children; the other is that it means any parent and child. Allahu a’lam, the second opinion is stronger–that the relationship between the parent and child is mu’adhham sharan, of noble and lofty status in the Shari’ah.

Then Allah says:

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ

Translation: We have certainly created man into hardship (kabad). [verse 4]

If you check Tafseer ibn Katheer, you’ll find a lengthy explanation of the encompassing meanings of this ayah; among other things, it means hardship in being born, and hardship in enduring life, and hardship in working to earn a living, and hardship in the hereafter (on the Day of Judgment).

This is really, for me, one of the cruxes of this surah. There’s even double emphasis on this ayah to draw attention to it–in addition to all the aqsaam (oaths) above!

Every single human being, young or old, man or woman, of any culture you can name, goes through hardship in their lives.

In Mecca, the companions were tortured and killed. They went through that kabad for the sake of Allah; but other people just go through it.

Think and reflect on this. Why are you going through the kabad in your life? If you try and have a good, sincere intention for everything you do, then insha’Allah you will earn a reward for all of it.

If not … well, as they say, “life just happens.”

Then in verse five, Allah continues:

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّن يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ

Translation: Does he think that never will anyone overcome him? [Surah Al-Balad, verse 5]

This is something you see very strongly in youth and kids–they think they’re invincible. They do crazy, daring things. “But you could get hurt,” you protest. “Me? I won’t get hurt,” they reply.

Qatadah, one tabi’ee, commented on this verse and mentions that it applies to wealth–that humans think nobody is able to take away his wealth; and that he denies that he will be asked by Allah how he earned it and how he spent it.” [Tafseer ibn Katheer]

Allah (’azza wa jal) continues:

يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مَالًا لُّبَدًا

Translation: He says, “I have spent (wasted) wealth in abundance.” [verse 6]

This is something we see very clearly in Israel–they have a budget of billions of dollars to kill the Muslims. Even in the seerah, we know that by the middle of the Medinan period (around 6AH), the mushrikeen were exhausted financially–all that wealth they spent, thousands of dinars in Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, and other battles–all wasted wealth that brought them no benefit.

Then Allah says:

أَيَحْسَبُ أَن لَّمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ

Translation: Does he think that no one has seen him? [verse 7]

This verse is a motto you should take for your life. Whenever you want to sin, reflect on this verse:

Does he think nobody sees him?

Because Allah sees everything; you can’t hide from Him (subhannahu wa ta’ala). Try and keep this in mind as you go through your life from day-to-day. It will increase you in taqwaa, insha’Allah.

Wallahu ta’ala a’lam.

References:

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

This is post #32 in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma (click the link to see all posts in this series).

This post is chronologically out of order, since Surah Quraish was revealed before surah Qaari’ah; but insha’Allah khayr. Allah says:

لِإِيلَافِ قُرَيْشٍ
إِيلَافِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ
فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَذَا الْبَيْتِ
الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ

Translation: For the accustomed security of the Quraysh – Their accustomed security [in] the caravan of winter and summer – Let them worship the Lord of this House, Who has fed them, [saving them] from hunger and made them safe, [saving them] from fear. [Surah Quraysh, verses 1-4]

The word “rihlah” means journey. Mecca is a very empty area–there’s really no area that you can do agriculture. Therefore, the thing that kept Mecca alive financially, especially in times of jahiliyyah, is business. Although the primary business of the Meccans was idol-trading–they had 360 idols in the ka’bah when it was opened in 8AH (After Hijrah)–the Meccans also used to travel around in caravans to do business.

And this is what kept them alive. This is what Allah mentions in verse two: “Rihlata ash-shitaai was-sayfi,” the journey of winter and summer. They would travel to Ash-Sham (the Roman area) in Summer, and Yemen in winter, to do business.

These are blessings of Allah on the Quraysh. Allah reminds them of these blessings. Then what does He say? What do you do once you have these blessings?

Verse two: “fal ya’budu rabba haadhal-bayt.” So worship the Lord of this house (Masijd Al-Harram). And this is a command in the Arabic language–it’s a laam (lam-ul-amr) with a mudaari’ (present-tense verb), a pattern you see pretty often in the Qur’an.

Then again, in the last verse, Allah describes more blessings: He fed them when they were hungry, and gave them security. Because the best house in the world, if it’s in a bad neighbourhood, you’re always worried and in fear about your house.

Also, if you recall the tafseer of Surah Fil, Allah saved the Ka’bah; and the Quraysh were the custodians of the Ka’bah. This raised their status in the eyes of the people–that Allah sided with them! So much so, that the books of tafseer mention, Quraysh could travel free in the land at any time, without worrying about highway robbery.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

Action Items:

• Reflect on the Blessings: Think about all the things Allah gave you–eyes to see; a mind to think; Islam; health; wealth; an internet and a computer. Are you really worshiping Allah as He deserves? Are you being thankful for these blessings?

References:

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

Bismillah

This is a translation from the original article in Arabic.

1- It is a cause to receive the Love of Allah azza wa jal. The Most High says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves. (2:222)

2- It is a cause of success. The Most High says:

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

And all of you beg Allah to forgive you, O believers, that you may be successful. (24:31)

3- It is a cause of the acceptance of the deeds of a slave and pardoning of his sins. The Most High says:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُو عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ

And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and pardons sins. (42:25)

and The Most High says:

وَمَن تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَإِنَّهُ يَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَتَابًا

And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allah with true repentance. (25:71)

4- It is a cause of entrance into Jannah and safety from the Hell-Fire. The Most High says:

فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا

But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil. Except those who repent, believe and do righteousness; for those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged at all. (19:59-60)

5- It is a cause of forgiveness and mercy. The Most High says:

وَالَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِهَا وَآمَنُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

But those who committed evil deeds and then repented afterward and believed, verily, your Lord after (all) that is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (7:153)

6- It is a cause in the changing of evil deeds into good deeds. The Most High says:

وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

And whoever does this shall be thrown the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace; Except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (25:68-70)

7- It is a cause of [receiving] every good. The Most High says:

فَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ

So if you repent, it is better for you. (9:3)

and The Most High says:

فَإِن يَتُوبُوا يَكُ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ

If then they repent, it will be better for them. (9:74)

8- It is a cause of emaan and [receiving] a great reward. The Most High says:

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِاللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

Except those who repent, do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allah, and purify their religion for Allah, then they will be with the believers. And Allah will grant the believers a great reward. (4:146)

9- It is a cause of the sending of blessings from the sky and an increase in strength. The Most High says:

وَيَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَىٰ قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِينَ

“And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him, He will send you (from the sky) abundant rain, and add strength to your strength, so do not turn away as criminals. (11:52)

10-It is a cause of [receiving] the supplication of the Angels for those who repent. The Most High says:

الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَّحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ

Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (saying): “Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your Way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire! (40:7)

11- It is obeying the Will of Allah, azza wa jal. The Most High says:

وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ

And Allah desires that He should turn to you (in repentance). (4:27) So the one who repents is doing what Allah loves and Pleases Him.

12- Allah becomes happy with the repentance of His slave. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Truly, Allah is happier with the repentance of His slave than one of you who is on his mount, and upon his mount is his drink and food; then he loses his mount in the desert, and he searches for it until he loses hope; so he sleeps and then wakes up to find that his mount is beside him, and he says, ‘O’ Allah, you are my slave and I am your Lord’. He pronounced this mistake as a result of extreme happiness.” [Muslim]

Ramadan is still fresh in your mind; the long days of fasting, the pain in your legs and back from taraweeh, and most of all, that biting regret that you didn’t do enough.

Would you like to make the next Ramadan even better? With only five minutes worth of effort?! Try this out: create a new document (by hand or computer, whatever you like) called “Ramadan Retrospective.” List out the following:

• What you did well. Maybe you read more Qur’an than ever before! Or you prayed taraweeh every day. Whatever it is.
• What you didn’t do well enough. Maybe you neglected your sunnah prayers because you were tired, or slept after Fajr. Write all that down.
• What to do better next time. List the missed opportunities. Maybe you didn’t have a concrete plan for the last ten nights. Or you never bothered planning for ‘ittakaaf, and so, missed it.

The key step is to keep this in a safe place and look at it next Ramadan. This will insha’Allah give you a strong starting-point to move forward from. The key is to spend some time really thinking about it. If you don’t, it’ll just be superficial.

May Allah accept our good deeds and keep us doing them even after Ramadan has ended–ameen. And that, scholars say, is one of the best signs that your deeds were accepted.

Wallahu a’lam.

One final point–please list in the comments any lessons you learned (or heard about but maybe already knew) from Ramadan. Let’s see how much benefit we can come up with, insha’Allah. Here are a few to get you started from what I learned:

• Eat little in Iftar, because bloat makes you sleepy in taraweeh.
• Learn Arabic, because then taraweeh will be enjoyable, not endless.
• Make a du’a list and use it every night in the last ten nights.
• Pray two rakaahs before Fajr. It counts as Tahajjud!
• Make du’a when you break your fast — that’s one of the best times.
• Eat healthy.

Ramadan is coming to a close. Like the last half-kilometer of a 10km race, the finish-line is in sight. This is the time to pull out all the stops and to sprint, flat-out. This is the time when Laylatul-Qadar, the night where deeds are multiplied by more than one thousand, hides.

Are you ready for it?

Maybe you felt like Ramadan breezed by. Maybe you felt like you didn’t do enough. Well, this is your chance to make up for it. You need to finish strong, insha’Allah.

So take five minutes and make an action plan. This plan will, insha’Allah, help you milk the end of the month. Grab a piece of paper and write “Ramadan Plan” on it.

First, list two categories of historical items:

• The Good: List all the things you did, that you’re happy with. You read Qur’an. You prayed Taraweeh. You donated $100. And so on. You need to ensure you keep doing these things.
• The Bad: Maybe you didn’t pray tahajjud. Maybe you didn’t even pray Fajr in the masjid! List all these things. Don’t hold back.

Then, create your action plan: Pick as many items as you think you can handle, the best of The Good and whatever you can take from The Bad. Using the example above, your action plan might include: Read Qur’an, pray Taraweeh, pray Fajr in the masjid.

Then, list all the things you need to stop doing to get this to work. Maybe you watch 2-3 hours of TV a day. Or you spend six hours daily on Facebook. Whatever it is–list it, and aim to get rid of it.

It’s crucial to realize that you need to sacrifice in the short-term. You want to maximize Laylatul-Qadr. Do so, even if you’ll drop behind on things here and there for a few days.

Insha’Allah if you do this, you’ll have a strong, action-oriented plan for the last ten nights. And remember to stretch yourself. Go beyond your comfort limit. That’s what Ramadan is about–breaking the limits.

If you have any other tips, insha’Allah list them in the comments. I’d love to squeeze more benefit out of Laylatul-Qadr. May Allah give us all the tawfeeq to catch this awesome night with the best good deeds.

This is post #31 in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma (click the link to see all posts in this series).

As per the poll on our twitter account, there was consensus on their being a post on grammatical analysis of Surah Qaari’ah. So here you go insha’Allah.

Standard Disclaimer: I am not an Arab (as in, fluent in Arabic) nor have I double-checked this in books of ‘ulama discussing grammar; there is sometimes difference of opinion in grammar, as well; so take it as such insha’Allah.

Let’s go word-by-word insha’Allah.

• Al-Qaari’ah (الْقَارِعَةُ): (verse 1) Notice that it ends with ta-marbuwta, the little funny face-like letter. This means that if you stop on that letter, it’s pronounced as a haa; and if you keep going, it’s pronounced as a taa. So you can say “Al-Qaari’ah” or “Al-Qaariatu … [continuing on].” I know in Indo-Pak lands, they always pronounce it as a ta; but that’s not correct.
• Wa Maa Adaraaka Maa Al-Qaari’ah (وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ): (verse 3) This phrase occurs often enough in the Qur’an; let’s dissect it more insha’Allah.
• Wa (وَ): And. Shortest word in the Arabic language!
• Maa (مَا): Maa can have lots of meanings. Here, it’s ismu-istifhaam, aka the interrogative particle, aka the question-mark. In English, we put a question-mark at the end of a sentence; in Arabic, we use maa, or a (أ), or hal (هَل).
• Adraaka (أَدْرَاكَ): Adraa is a verb; the maf’ool (recipient of the verb) is “ka,” which means “you” (singular, second-person, masculine). Even though it’s masculine, in Arabic, if you don’t know the person you’re speaking to, you can refer to them in the masculine gender, singular or plural. (Plural is more respectful.)
• Maa (مَا): The second maa in this phrase is also ismu-istifhaam (the question-mark); if we just chopped the phrase before this word, we would get: maa Al-Qaariah? What is Al-Qaari’ah?
• Yawma (يَوْمَ): Yawmun means “a day.” Al-Yawm, means the day. Yawma is definite (with single tanween–yawma, not yawman) but it eludes me why it’s definite and mansoob (with fatha). It looks like it might be mudaaf, but where’s the mudaaf ilayh?
• Yakuwnu (يَكُونُ): (verse 4) Yakuwnu is the third-person, singular, masculine, present-tense form of kaana. Kaana means “he was,” and yakuwnu is “he is.” What does it refer to? See the next word.
• An-Naas (النَّاسُ): An-Naas is an interesting word. It’s a singular word, but refers to a plural (humankind); some scholars say it comes from the root nasiya/yansaa, to forget–because human nature is to forget. Here, it’s marfoo’ (with dumma: an-naasu) so we know it’s the faa’il (doer) of yakuwnu. By the way, this is the norm in Arabic–to put the verb before the doer, unlike in English.
• Ka (كَ): Not “you,” but ka here is the particle of comparison–you can translate it as “is like” or “as like (the example of)” or something similar. The thing that it’s comparing to (eg. the “you” in “like you”) is always majroor (with kasra).
• Al-Faraash (الْفَرَاشِ): Faraash means moths–those butterfly-like beings; see the picture at the top of the post. We know it’s the thing that An-Naas is compared to, because it’s majroor (with kasra).
• Al-Mabthooth (الْمَبْثُوثِ): Scattered. Notice it has the same a) number, b) gender, c) case (kasra) and d) definitivity (alif-lam) as Al-Faraashi; this marks it as an adjective. Again, unlike English, in Arabic, the adjective comes after the word it describes.
• Takuwnu (تَكُونُ): (verse 5) In Arabic, the mudaari’ (present-tense verb) has the same form for “you” (masculine singular 2nd-person) and “she” (feminine singular 3rd-person). That form is–you guessed it–takuwnu. How do you know what it refers to? By the context, of course–this is why Arabs (as in, those fluent in Arabic) must constantly apply their brains when reading, writing, speaking, and listening in (Classical/Fushaa) Arabic. It’s not like English!
• Al-Jibaalu (الْجِبَالُ): That was easy. Al-Jibaal is the plural of jabal (mountain). It’s marfoo’, and it’s obviously the faa’il (because it’s marfoo’ with damma). But wait a minute–we said takuwnu is for she and you. But Al-Jibaal is neither–it’s a masculine plural! What’s going on? The answer is, Arabic treats the non-human plural as feminine singular. Read all about it at Arabic Tree (if you’re interested). It’s complicated, I know. That’s why Al-Jibaal works with takuwnu.
• Ka Al-’ahni Al-Manfooshi: Same structure as ka al-faraashi al-mabthooth.
• Fa (فَ): Fa has a couple of meanings that I know of; one is to indicate something that happens immediately after something else; the other meaning is the one used here–to section out a group into sections. Eg. if you have two people, Muhammad and Musa, you can say “fa Muhammad, he is a doctor; and fa Musa, he is a teacher.” Translated usually as “as for.” The rest of this verse gives you the section–the one who is heavy in deeds.
• Man (مَن): Who. It’s ismu-istifhaam (question-mark–eg. “who are you?”) but not here. Man, since it means “who,” can also mean “anyone” or “the person who.”
• Thaqulat (ثَقُلَتْ): Heavy. The commonly-used form is thaqeel.
• Mawaaziynu (مَوَازِينُ): Mawaaziyn is the plural of mizaan. Mizaan is like a weighing scale with two ends that you can use to compare two things; mawaaziyn is plural. Al-Mizaan refers to the scale that will weigh our good and bad deeds on the Yawm-ul-Qaari’ah. Notice also it’s definite with single tanween (mawaazeenu), which is a hint it might be mudaaf (possessed object in a possessive case construct).
• Hu (هُ): The mudaaf ilayh. Hu is the majroor/mansoob version of huwa; so together with mawaazeen, we get the translation “his scales.” And the “he” refers to “man” earlier in the verse.
• Fa (فَ): (verse 7) This is the other meaning of fa–something that happens immediately after something else. Subhanallah it’s like the one who is heavy in his mawaazeen, fa huwa fiy ‘ishaat ar-raadi’a.
• Fiy (فِي): In. Standard harf-ul-jarr, where’s the majroor?
• ‘Iyshatin (عِيشَةٍ): It’s majroor because of fiy. It means life. It’s indefinite, so it means “a life.”
• Raadiyah (رَّاضِيَةٍ): Pleasant. You can see the root verb–radiya, to be pleased with (as in: radiallahu ‘anhu, Allah is pleased with them). Notice it’s the same a) number (singular) b) gender (feminine) c) case (majroor) d) definitivity (indefinite) as ‘ishaat–making it an adjective.
• Fa amma man khaffat mawaaziynuhu (وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ): (verse 8) Exactly the same construct as verse 6; except Allah uses khaffat, light; the commonly-used word is khafeef.
• Fa ummuhu (فَأُمُّهُ): (verse 9) Fa is the same particle of immediately-following as in verse 7. Ummun means a mother; Ummu is definite (single tanween), and it is, as you might guess, mudaaf; the mudaaf ilayhi is “hu.” Ummuhu, therefore, means “his mother.”
• Haawiyah (هَاوِيَةٌ): An abyss. If you’re non-Arab like me, you might say, “what IS this haawiyah thing?”
• Wa maa adraaka maa hiya (وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَ): Precisely the question posed in our minds. What is haawiyah?
• Naarun haamiyah (نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ): Naarun means “a fire.” Haamiyatun means, intensely hot; note that these two match in the number, gender, case, and (in)definitiveness; they are na’at and man’oot, the adjective case. This is, of course, a glimpse of what is haawiyah; as we mentioned in the tafseer, we can never know fully what it is.

Wallahu ta’ala a’lam.

References:

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