Assorted Qur’an Benefits #38

What follows are the short points of benefit originally posted on the Tulayhah social media channels in the second half of November 2019:

♦ Your Record of Deeds

Allah describes some of the events of the Day of Resurrection in surah al-Israa’, including what will be said to the people when their records are presented to them:

اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا

Read your book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against yourself this Day [17:14]

Imam al-Qurtubi included the following in his brief commentary on this ayah:

وقال بعض الصلحاء : هذا كتاب ، لسانك قلمه ، وريقك مداده ، وأعضاؤك قرطاسه . ، أنت كنت المملي على حفظتك ، ما زيد فيه ولا نقص منه ، ومتى أنكرت منه شيئا يكون فيه الشاهد منك عليك .ـ

One of the righteous people said: This is the book – your tongue is its pen, your saliva is its ink, your limbs are its pages, and you are the one dictating it to your scribe. There are no extra additions nor any parts missing from it, and if you were to take issue with any part of what is recorded, there would be an evidence within it from your own self against you.”

[Tafsir al-Qurtubi 10/230]

Tafsir of Surah al-Baqarah 196-203: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

This is the twentieth installment of our translation of al-Tafsir al-Muyassar‘s explanation of surah al-Baqarah, covering ayaat 196-203. This passage focuses on Hajj and sincerity in worship. See the series guide here for more information about this series and other installments.

وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ ۚ فَإِنْ أُحْصِرْتُمْ فَمَا اسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ الْهَدْيِ ۖ وَلَا تَحْلِقُوا رُءُوسَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ الْهَدْيُ مَحِلَّهُ ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ بِهِ أَذًى مِّن رَّأْسِهِ فَفِدْيَةٌ مِّن صِيَامٍ أَوْ صَدَقَةٍ أَوْ نُسُكٍ ۚ فَإِذَا أَمِنتُمْ فَمَن تَمَتَّعَ بِالْعُمْرَةِ إِلَى الْحَجِّ فَمَا اسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ الْهَدْيِ ۚ فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ فِي الْحَجِّ وَسَبْعَةٍ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ ۗ تِلْكَ عَشَرَةٌ كَامِلَةٌ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن لَّمْ يَكُنْ أَهْلُهُ حَاضِرِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

Complete the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah. But if you are prevented, then offer what sacrificial animals can be easily attained. And do not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal has reached its place. Then whoever of you is sick or has an injury on his head, then his ransom is fasting or charity or sacrifice. Then when you are safe, whoever performs ‘Umrah followed by Hajj, then he should offer what sacrificial animal can be easily attained. But whoever cannot find one, then he should fast three days during the Hajj and seven once he goes back. That is a full ten days. That is for anyone whose family does not live around al-Masjid al-Haram. And have taqwa of Allah, and know that Allah is severe in punishment. [2:196]

وأدُّوا الحج والعمرة تامَّيْنِ، خالصين لوجه الله تعالى. فإن منعكم عن الذهاب لإتمامهما بعد الإحرام بهما مانع كالعدو والمرض، فالواجب عليكم ذَبْحُ ما تيسر لكم من الإبل أو البقر أو الغنم تقربًا إلى الله تعالى؛ لكي تَخْرُجوا من إحرامكم بحلق شعر الرأس أو تقصيره، ولا تحلقوا رؤوسكم إذا كنتم محصرين حتى ينحر المحصر هديه في الموضع الذي حُصر فيه ثم يحل من إحرامه، كما نحر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في الحديبية ثم حلق رأسه، وغير المحصر لا ينحر الهدي إلا في الحرم، الذي هو محله في يوم العيد، اليوم العاشر وما بعده من أيام التشريق. فمن كان منكم مريضًا، أو به أذى من رأسه يحتاج معه إلى الحلق- وهو مُحْرِم- حَلَق، وعليه فدية: بأن يصوم ثلاثة أيام، أو يتصدق على ستة مساكين لكل مسكين نصف صاع من طعام، أو يذبح شاة لفقراء الحرم. فإذا كنتم في أمن وصحَّة: فمن استمتع بالعمرة إلى الحج وذلك باستباحة ما حُرِّم عليه بسبب الإحرام بعد انتهاء عمرته، فعليه ذبح ما تيسر من الهدي، فمن لم يجد هَدْيًا يذبحه فعليه صيام ثلاثة أيام في أشهر الحج، وسبعة إذا فرغتم من أعمال الحج ورجعتم إلى أهليكم، تلك عشرة كاملة لا بد من صيامها. ذلك الهَدْيُ وما ترتب عليه من الصيام لمن لم يكن أهله من ساكني أرض الحرم، وخافوا الله تعالى وحافظوا على امتثال أوامره واجتناب نواهيه، واعلموا أن الله شديد العقاب لمن خالف أمره، وارتكب ما عنه زجر. ـ

196. Perform Hajj and ‘Umrah in times of safety sincerely for the sake of Allah. If you are prevented from completing either of these rituals by some factor such as an enemy or illness after entering the state of ihram for them, then you must sacrifice whatever animal such as a camel, cow, or sheep is easy for you to attain as an act of drawing close to Allah. This is so that you may exit from your state of ihram by shaving or cutting the hair on your head. But do not shave your heads when you have been detained until the detained person has sacrificed his sacrificial animal in the place where he has been detained; then he can exit his state of ihram. This is just as the Prophet made his sacrifice at al-Hudaybiyyah and then shaved his head. But those who are not prevented from completing the Hajj or ‘Umrah can only sacrifice their sacrificial animal in the Haram, which is the place for sacrifice on the day of ‘Eid, the tenth day, and the following days of Tashreeq. Then if any of you are sick or has an injury on his head which would require him to shave his head while in a state of ihram, then he should shave it and he will have to pay a ransom: fasting for three days, or giving charity to six poor people with each of them receiving half a sa’a of food, or sacrificing a sheep to give to the poor people of the Haram. But if you are in a state of security and health, then whoever would like to perform a tamatta’u ‘Umrah leading up to Hajj, and that involves being able to partake of the things that had been forbidden because of his state of ihram after completing his ‘Umrah, then he must sacrifice whatever kind of sacrificial animal is easy for him. But whoever cannot find a sacrificial animal to sacrifice, then he must fast three days during the months of Hajj and seven more days after completing the Hajj rituals and returning to his people. That is a full ten days that he must fast. That sacrificial animal and the fasting related to it are for those whose families are not residents of the Haram area. And fear Allah and be consistent in fulfilling His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, and know that Allah is severe in punishing those who go against His command and commit acts which they have been forbidden from doing.

“Thus Does Allah Strike a Parable of Truth and Falsehood”: al-Qurtubi, ibn Taymiyah, and ibn al-Qayyim

Allah strikes the following two parables in one ayah in surah al-Ra’d:

أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَالَتْ أَوْدِيَةٌ بِقَدَرِهَا فَاحْتَمَلَ السَّيْلُ زَبَدًا رَّابِيًا ۚ وَمِمَّا يُوقِدُونَ عَلَيْهِ فِي النَّارِ ابْتِغَاءَ حِلْيَةٍ أَوْ مَتَاعٍ زَبَدٌ مِّثْلُهُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّـهُ الْحَقَّ وَالْبَاطِلَ ۚ فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفَاءً ۖ وَأَمَّا مَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّـهُ الْأَمْثَالَ

Allah sends down rain from the sky and the valleys flow according to their capacity, and a torrent carries the rising foam. And out of that which they heat in the fire, seeking adornments and tools, is a similar foam. Thus does Allah strike a parable of the truth and falsehood. As for the foam, it vanishes, being cast off. But as for they which benefits people, then it remains on the earth. Thus does Allah strike parables. [13:17]

Commenting on this in his book of tafsir, al-Qurtubi wrote:

وهو أن المثلين ضربهما الله للحق في ثباته ، والباطل في اضمحلاله ، فالباطل وإن علا في بعض الأحوال فإنه يضمحل كاضمحلال الزبد والخبث . وقيل : المراد مثل ضربه الله للقرآن وما يدخل منه القلوب ; فشبه القرآن بالمطر لعموم خيره وبقاء نفعه ، وشبه القلوب بالأودية ، يدخل فيها من القرآن مثل ما يدخل في الأودية بحسب سعتها وضيقها . ـ

Allah struck these two parables about the truth and its firmness and falsehood and its transience. For even if falsehood may be ascendant at certain times and situations, it will pass away just as foam and filth pass away.

Some have said that the intended meaning of this parable is about the Qur’an and how it enters into the hearts. Allah likened the Qur’an to water due to how much good it brings and its enduring benefit, and He likened the hearts to river valleys. So the Qur’an enters the heart just as water enters the river valleys – that is, an amount matching with their width or narrowness.

Rejecting the Sunnah in Order to Reinterpret the Qur’an: Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool

In 2015, Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool, a professor at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca, wrote a series of posts on his personal blog entitled “The Types of People Who Reject the Sunnah”. We have translated all six installments of this series and present them to you below:

الذين ينكرون السنة أصناف؛ – منهم من ينكر السنة من أصلها ويردها كالقرآنيين. – ومنهم من يرد السنة الآحادية؛ لأنها ظنية بزعمه. – ومنهم من يثبت الحكم الشرعي بالآحاد، ولا يثبت الحكم العقدي إلا بالمتواتر. فلا تثبت عنده سنة احادية بظني، والآحاد عنده كله ظني. – ومنهم من يزعم أنه لا يرد السنة ولكن يطعن في كتبها ويشكك في ثبوتها من جهة دعوى اختلاق أسانيدها. – ومنهم من لا يقبل إلا السنة المنقول بعمل المسلمين ويرد ما عداها. – ومنهم من يطعن في أفراد من الأحاديث ليتوصل بذلك إلى التشكيك في كتب السنة الصحيحة. – ومنهم من يطعن في أعلام الحديث الناقلين للسنة. فهذه أصناف من الطاعنين في السنة، وهدفهم في النهاية إسقاط الدين. ـ

[Part One]

Those who reject the Sunnah fall into several different categories.

• There are those who deny and reject the Sunnah at its very core, such as the Qur’aniyyoon.

• There are those who reject the parts of the Sunnah transmitted through only one narrator because, according to them, such things cannot be confirmed with certainty.

• There are those who affirm legal rulings transmitted through only one narrator but do not affirm points of ‘aqeedah unless they come through multiple independent corroborating chains of narration. So they do not affirm these singular chains of narration due to their uncertain nature, and they claim that all such singular narrations are of uncertain authenticity.

Three Central Points of The Prophets’ Da’wah: Ibn al-Qayyim

In one of his valuable written works, the great scholar ibn al-Qayyim included the following:

أن دعوة الرسل تدور على ثلاثة أمور : تعريف الرب المدعو إليه بأسمائه وصفاته وأفعاله . ـ

The da’wah of the Messengers centers around three main topics:

1) Knowing the Lord that is being called to by His names, attributes, and actions.

الأصل الثاني معرفة الطريق الموصلة إليه وهي ذكره وشكره وعبادته التي تجمع كمال حبه وكمال الذل له . ـ

2) Knowing the path which leads to Him, and that path is: remembering Him, being grateful to Him, and worshiping Him. And that worship involves complete love of Him and complete humility before Him.

“So Flee to Allah”: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, says in surah al-Dhaariyat:

 فَفِرُّ‌وا إِلَى اللَّـهِ

So flee to Allah [51:50]

Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di said in his tafsir:

 وهو الفرار إليه أي: الفرار مما يكرهه الله ظاهرًا وباطنًا، إلى ما يحبه، ظاهرًا وباطنًا، فرار من الجهل إلى العلم، ومن الكفر إلى الإيمان، ومن المعصية إلى الطاعة، و من الغفلة إلى ذكر الله فمن استكمل هذه الأمور، فقد استكمل الدين كله وقد زال عنه المرهوب، وحصل له، نهاية المراد والمطلوب.ـ

Fleeing to Allah means: fleeing from what Allah dislikes in terms of both open deeds and hidden deeds to what is beloved to Him in terms of both open deeds and hidden deeds – fleeing from ignorance to knowledge, from al-kufr to al-eemaan, from disobedience to obedience, and from heedlessness to remembrance of Allah.

Why Does the Qur’an Sometimes Use the Past Tense When Describing Allah?: Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji

The following question was posed to sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji, a professor of Tafsir at the Islamic University of al-Madinah:

س ـ في قوله تعالى: (إنه كان صديقًا نبيًا) للمفسرين في “كان” أقوال: أنها بمعنى صار، وأنها للدوام والاستمرار؟ أيهما أرجح؟ وما السبب؟ وهل هناك مرجع فيه تفصيل لهذه المسألة غير البرهان ـ

Question: Regarding Allah’s statement,

إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَّبِيًّا

He was certainly a truthful man, a prophet [19:41]

the mufassiroon have multiple explanations of the word kana – “was” -, with some saying that it means “he became”, while others say that it means he was always like that. Which is correct, and why? And is there is reference work besides al-Burhan that one could use to get more clarity on this topic?

ج ـ “كان” لا تدل دائماً على الماضي المنقطع، وقد جاءت في كلام العرب وفي القرآن الكريم بمعنى “لم يزل ” وهي تدل بذلك على ” الاستمرارية ” لا الانقطاع ، ومنه قوله تعالى (وَكَانَ الإِنسَانُ عَجُولاً)، وقوله تعالى (إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلإِنْسَانِ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا) وجاء هذا المعنى وجاء هذا المعنى في أسماء الله تعالى وصفاته،وقد روى البخاري في صحيحه قال رجل لابن عباس:إني أجد في القرآن أشياء تختلف علي؟فذكر منها (وكان الله غفورا رحيما) (عزيزا حكيما)(سميعا بصيرا) فكأنه كان ثم مضى؟ فقال ابن عباس: (وكان الله غفورا رحيما)سمى نفسه بذلك وذلك قوله أي لم يزل كذلك..” ـ

Response: The word kana does not always refer to a completed past action. You can find it used in Arab speech and the Qur’an to mean “he continued to do something”, which indicates an ongoing action rather than a completed action. Some examples include:

An Encouragement to Those Who Rush Towards Good: Tafsir al-Shawkani

In the middle of surah al-Mu’minoon, Allah describes those who rush towards good with a series of excellent qualities:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ * وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ * وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِرَبِّهِمْ لَا يُشْرِكُونَ * وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ مَا آتَوا وَّقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ رَاجِعُونَ * أُولَـٰئِكَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ

Those who are apprehensive from fear of their Lord * And who believe in the signs of their Lord * And who do not associate anything with their Lord * And who give what they give while their hearts are fearful because they will be returning to their Lord – * These are the ones who hasten to good deeds, and they are the forerunners to them. [23:57-61]

Allah then follows up these descriptions by saying:

وَلَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

And We do not tax any person except according to his capacity … [23:62]

Imam Muhammad al-Shawkaani commented on relationship between the first section of ayaat and the latter one by writing:

A Beneficial Method of Studying Tafsir: Sheikh Saalih al-‘Usaymi

In part of his explanation of sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di’s shorter thematic tafsir, al-Fath al-Raheem, sheikh Saalih al-‘Usaymi mentioned the following:

وما ذكره رحمه الله تعالى من أن علوم التفسير يمكن أن إفادة منها إذا ادرك الانسان مجامع المعاني القرآن دون حاجة لوقوف على كل آية ، هذا حق . وقل من يعنتني بهذا الامر ، فإن بعض الناس يظن ان التفسير لا يدرك إلا بأن يؤخذ القرآن آية آية . وهذا ليس من المنهج القوي في التلقين والتلاقي . بل المنهج القوي هو بيان الاصول والقواعد والكليات بقدر من القرآن بحيث لو لم يدرس الطالب إلا إياه يستطاع أن يعرف التفسير الباقي القرآن . وهذا القدر هو في شيئين اثنين : أحدهما المفصل من سورة ق إلى آخره وثاني سورة البقرة . فإن الانسان إذا درس تفسير هذين القدرين من القرآن الكريم على طريقة تبين فيها الأصول والقواعد في الفهم وتفسير لكلام الله سبحانه وتعالى أكسبه ذلك قدرة على فهم باقي القرآن الكريم . ـ

As for what the sheikh mentioned about it being possible for a person to have a good knowledge of the meanings of the Qur’an if he were to understand a selection of the Qur’an’s messages without needing to have gone over every single ayah, then this is accurate.

However, there are not many who give attention to this method, for some people think that one has not achieved an understanding of the Qur’an unless he has learned the Qur’an ayah by ayah. But this is not a strong method of studying and taking knowledge.

Knowing that Allah is Always with You: Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr

In this course of his explanation of the book al-‘Aqeedah al-Wasitiyyah, Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr mentioned the following hadith and then proceeded to comment on it:

فأفضل الإيمان أن تعلم أنّ الله معك حيثما كنت. أيْ: سواءً كنت في مكان خفيّ، أو في مكان أو موضع مُعلن، في غيب أو شهادة، أو سر أو علانية، فاعلم أنّ الله معك لا تخفى عليه منك خافية، يسمعُ كلامك، ويرى فِعالك، ويعلمُ بحالك، لا تخفى عليه -تبارك وتعالى- منك خافية. ـ

فأفضل الإيمان أن تعلم أنّ الله معك حيثما كنت

So the best eemaan is that you know that Allah is with you wherever you are

meaning: whether you are in a private place or a public place or area, whether alone or in the presence of others, whether secretly or openly, then you should know that Allah is with you. Nothing secret that you do is hidden from Him. He hears your speech, sees your actions, and knows your conditions. Nothing secret that you do is hidden from Him.

إِذا خَلَوتَ الدَهرَ يَومًا فَلا تَقُل ***** خَلَوتُ وَلَكِن قُل عَلَيَّ رَقيبُ

When you are alone for a part of the day, do not say,
“I am alone.” Instead say, “There is a watcher over me.”

وإذا كان العبد بهذا الوصف وبهذا الاستشعار لمعيّة الله -سبحانه وتعالى- كان ذلكم أكبر زاجر، وأعظم رادع. بل قال الإمام الشنقيطي -رحمه الله- ( اتّفق أهل العلم على أنّ أعظم زاجر أن تعلم أنّ الله يراك، وأنّه عليمٌ بك، مطّلعٌ عليك). ـ

When a slave has this characteristic and this awareness of Allah being with Him, then this is the greatest check and most important restraining factor. In fact, Imam al-Shinqitee said, “The scholars have agreed that the greatest check on a person is that he know that Allah sees him and that Allah has complete knowledge of him in minute detail.”