Tafsir of Surah al-Ghaashiyah: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

The book Al-Tafsir al-Muyassar was written by a group of scholars under the direction of sheikh Saalih Aal al-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was designed to be a simple and easy-to-understand tafsir according to the understanding of the salaf. What follows is its brief tafsir of surah al-Ghaashiyah (88) and translation:

ـ {هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ (1)}
هل أتاك- أيها الرسول- خبر القيامة التي تغشى الناس بأهوالها؟ ـ

هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ

Has news of the overwhelming event reached you? (1)

Has news reached you – O Messenger? – of the Resurrection in which people will be overwhelmed with fright?

ـ {وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَاشِعَةٌ (2) عَامِلَةٌ نَاصِبَةٌ (3) تَصْلَى نَارًا حَامِيَةً (4) تُسْقَى مِنْ عَيْنٍ آنِيَةٍ (5) لَيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلاَّ مِنْ ضَرِيعٍ (6) لا يُسْمِنُ وَلا يُغْنِي مِنْ جُوعٍ (7)}
وجوه الكفار يومئذ ذليلة بالعذاب، مجهدة بالعمل متعبة، تصيبها نار شديدة التوهج، تُسقى من عين شديدة الحرارة. ليس لأصحاب النار طعام إلا من نبت ذي شوك لاصق بالأرض، وهو مِن شر الطعام وأخبثه، لا يُسْمن بدن صاحبه من الهُزال، ولا يسدُّ جوعه ورمقه. ـ

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَاشِعَةٌ * عَامِلَةٌ نَاصِبَةٌ * تَصْلَى نَارًا حَامِيَةً * تُسْقَى مِنْ عَيْنٍ آنِيَةٍ * لَيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلاَّ مِنْ ضَرِيعٍ * لا يُسْمِنُ وَلا يُغْنِي مِنْ جُوعٍ

Some faces, that Day, will be humbled, (2) Laboring, exhausted. (3) Burning in an intensely hot Fire. (4) They will be given drink from a boiling spring. (5) There will be no food for them except from a thorny plant (6) Which neither nourishes nor keeps away hunger. (7)

On that day, the faces of the disbelievers will be humiliated by punishment, exhausted from tiresome labor, with an intensely flaming fire attacking them, and they will be given drink from an extremely hot spring. The inhabitants of Hell will have no food other than a thorny plant which grows from the ground, which is one of the poorest and most vile forms of food. It neither nourishes one’s body to ward off malnutrition, nor does it stave off his hunger or exhaustion.

Tafsir of Surah al-Fatihah: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Ma’alim al-Tanzil, perhaps more famously known as Tafsir al-Baghawi, is one of the famous and reliable books of narration-based tafsir. After completing his introduction, sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Husayn al-Baghawi provided the following explanation of surah al-Fatihah. What follows is the slightly abridged version found in Mukhtasar Tafsir al-Baghawi with added section headings in brackets for ease of navigation:

سورة فاتحة كتاب

The Opening Surah of the Qur’an

ولها ثلاثة أسماء معروفة فاتحة الكتاب وأم القرآن والسبع المثاني . سميت فاتحة الكتاب ؛ لأن الله بها افتتح القرآن . وسميت أم القرآن وأم الكتاب لأنها أصل القرآن منها بدئ القرآن وأم الشيء أصله ، ويقال لمكة : أم القرى؛ لأنها أصل البلاد دحيت الأرض من تحتها وقيل لأنها مقدمة وإمام لما يتلوها من السور يبدأ بكتابتها في المصحف وبقراءتها في الصلاة والسبع المثاني لأنها سبع آيات باتفاق العلماء . وسميت مثاني لأنها تثنى في الصلاة فتقرأ في كل ركعة وقال مجاهد سميت مثاني لأن الله تعالى استثناها لهذه الأمة فذخرها لهم . ـ

[The Well-Known Names of the Surah, and their Meanings]

Surah al-Fatihah has three well-known names, which are:

• Fatihah al-Kitaab – “the Opening of the Book”
• Umm al-Qur’an – “the Mother of the Qur’an”
• al-Saba’ al-Mathaani – “the Seven Oft-repeated (Verses)”

It is called Fatihah al-Kitaab because Allah opens the Qur’an with it.

And it is called Umm al-Qur’an or Umm al-Kitaab because it is the foundation of the Qur’an with which the Qur’an begins, and the umm of something is its foundation. Mecca is called Umm al-Quraa because it was the origin of the cities which spread out across the surrounding land. And it is also said that surah al-Fatihah is called Umm al-Qur’an because it is an introduction and a leader for the surahs which follow it. Its text begins the mushaf and its recitation begins the prayer.

What Happened to Ibrahim’s People?: Tafsir al-Sa’di

In part of his tafsir of surah al-‘Ankaboot, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di addressed the question of what happened to the people of Ibrahim after he left them:

ولما اعتزلهم وفارقهم، وهم بحالهم، لم يذكر اللّه عنهم أنه أهلكهم بعذاب، بل ذكر اعتزاله إياهم، وهجرته من بين أظهرهم. ـ

And when Ibrahim left his people and separated from them while they were still in the state they had been in, Allah doesn’t mention destroying them with some form of punishment. Instead, He mentioned that Ibrahim left them and emigrated out of their midst.

فأما ما يذكر في الإسرائيليات، أن اللّه تعالى فتح على قومه باب البعوض، فشرب دماءهم، وأكل لحومهم، وأتلفهم عن آخرهم، فهذا يتوقف الجزم به على الدليل الشرعي، ولم يوجد، فلو كان اللّه استأصلهم بالعذاب لذكره كما ذكر إهلاك الأمم المكذبة، ولكن لعل من أسرار ذلك، أن الخليل عليه السلام من أرحم الخلق وأفضلهم [وأحلمهم] وأجلهم، فلم يدع على قومه كما دعا غيره، ولم يكن اللّه ليجري بسببه عذابا عاما. ـ

Now, as for what is mentioned in the Israa’eeliyyaat – Judeo-Christian – narrations that Allah unleashed mosquitos on his people who drank their blood and ate their flesh and destroyed every last one of them, here were must hold off on definitively taking a position in the absence of a religiously-binding evidence. But no such religiously-binding evidence is found. And if Allah were to decimate them with some form of punishment, then He would have mentioned that just as He mentioned the destruction of the other disbelieving nations.

Tafsir of Surah al-A’la: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

The book Al-Tafsir al-Muyassar was written by a group of scholars under the direction of sheikh Saalih Aal al-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was designed to be a simple and easy-to-understand tafsir according to the understanding of the salaf. What follows is its brief tafsir of surah al-A’la (87) and translation:

ـ {سَبِّحْ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى (1) الَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّى (2) وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَى (3) وَالَّذِي أَخْرَجَ الْمَرْعَى (4) فَجَعَلَهُ غُثَاءً أَحْوَى (5)}
نَزِّه اسم ربك الأعلى عن الشريك والنقائص تنزيهًا يليق بعظمته سبحانه، الذي خلق المخلوقات، فأتقن خلقها، وأحسنه، والذي قدَّر جميع المقدرات، فهدى كل خلق إلى ما يناسبه، والذي أنبت الكلأ الأخضر، فجعله بعد ذلك هشيمًا جافًا متغيرًا. ـ

سَبِّحْ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى * الَّذِي خَلَقَ فَسَوَّى * وَالَّذِي قَدَّرَ فَهَدَى * وَالَّذِي أَخْرَجَ الْمَرْعَى * فَجَعَلَهُ غُثَاءً أَحْوَى

Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High, (1) Who created and proportioned (2) And Who determined and guided (3) And Who brings out the pasture (4) And makes it dry, dark brown. (5)

Exonerate the name of your Lord the Most High from any shirk or shortcoming with a complete exoneration, as fits with His majesty – exalted is He. He is the One Who created the created beings and then perfected their forms and beautified them. He is the One Who doled out every measurement, and He guided each and every created being to what is fitting for it. He is the One Who caused the green herbage to grow, and then later made it into dry chaff, alternating back and forth between these two states.

ـ {سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلا تَنسَى (6) إِلاَّ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَى (7)}
سنقرئك- أيها الرسول- هذا القرآن قراءة لا تنساها، إلا ما شاء الله مما اقتضت حكمته أن ينسيه لمصلحة يعلمها. إنه- سبحانه- يعلم الجهر من القول والعمل، وما يخفى منهما. ـ

سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلا تَنسَى * إِلاَّ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَى

We will make you recite so you will not forget, (6) Except what Allah wishes. Indeed, He knows what is open and what is hidden. (7)

Conditions for Explaining the Qur’an: Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji

Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji, a former professor of Tafsir at the Islamic University of al-Madinah, provided the following brief but useful guidelines for the conditions one must fulfill in order to make tafsir of the Qur’an:

وضع العلماء لمن أراد أن يُفَسِّـر كتابَ الله عز وجل شروطا يجب أن تتوفر فيه وهي ثلاثة أقسام: ـ

The scholars have laid out certain conditions that anyone who wishes to make tafsir of the Qur’an must fulfill, and they fall into three categories of conditions:

١-شروط علمية: ويُعَبِّرُ عنها بـــ(العلوم التي يحتاجها المفسر) وأهمها: علوم القرآن، والقراءات، والحديث، روايةً ودرايةً، ولاسيما ماورد في تفسير القرآن والعقيدة.واللغة العربية.والفقه.وأصوله ـ

1) Knowledge-Based Conditions, which refer to the bodies of knowledge a mufassir must possess. The most important of these are:

• The Qur’anic sciences
• Qiraa’aat
• Hadeeth sciences – both in terms of the chains of narration and the knowledge which they contain – especially regarding those hadeeth narrations which transmit explanations of the Qur’an
• ‘Aqeedah
• Arabic language
• Fiqh
• Usool al-Fiqh

The Effect of the Qur’an on ‘Umar and Jubayr’s Conversions to Islam: Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr

In one of his lessons, sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr (teacher in al-Masjid al-Nabawi) mentioned the following beautiful stories and benefits about the effect of the Qur’an on ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and Jubayr ibn Mut’im and their conversions to Islam:

ثم ذكر هذا الحديث ، حديث عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه ، قال : خَرَجْتُ قَبْلَ أَنْ أُسْلِمَ أَتَعَرَّضُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ ، فَوَجَدْتُهُ في المسجد فقمت فَقُمْتُ خَلْفَهُ، فَاسْتَفْتَحَ سُورَةَ الْحَاقَّةِ، فَجَعَلْتُ أَعْجَبُ مِنْ تَأْلِيفِ الْقُرْآنِ،

Next, the author mentions this narration of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, in which he says:

One day, prior to entering Islam, I went out intending to oppose Allah’s Messenger. I found him at the masjid, so I stood behind him. He began to recite surah al-Haqqah, and I found myself amazed by the arrangement and composition of the Qur’an.

وهذا فيها أن اسماع غير المسلم القرآن له تأثير في نظمه وتأليفه وهداياته وأياته ومعانيه ودلالاته ، وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ، إذا لعل ذلك هو سبب لهدايته ثم ينتبه هنا القرآن فيه بركة ، بركة عظيما جدا ، بركة عظيمة ، ولهذا اعظم ما ينبغي ان يعتنى به ويأتم به ويراعى فيه باب الدعوة يُسمع من يُدعى شيئ من القرآن حتي يكون ذلك سببا لهدايته ودخوله في الاسلام . ـ

This shows that letting a non-Muslim listen to the Qur’an has an impact on them, due to its arrangement, its composition, its guidance, its signs, its messages, and its evidences.

وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ

And if one of the mushirkoon seeks your protection, grant him protection so that he can hear the Words of Allah … [9:6]

for that might be a source of guidance for him.

Tafsir of Surah al-Taariq: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

The book Al-Tafsir al-Muyassar was written by a group of scholars under the direction of sheikh Saalih Aal al-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was designed to be a simple and easy-to-understand tafsir according to the understanding of the salaf. What follows is its brief tafsir of surah al-Taariq (86) and translation:

ـ {وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ (1) وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ (2) النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ (3) إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ (4)}
أقسم الله سبحانه بالسماء والنجم الذي يطرق ليلا وما أدراك ما عِظَمُ هذا النجم؟ هو النجم المضيء المتوهِّج. ما كل نفس إلا أوكل بها مَلَك رقيب يحفظ عليها أعمالها لتحاسب عليها يوم القيامة. ـ

وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ * وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ * النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ * إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ

By the sky and the night visitor. (1) And what can make you know what the night visitor is? (2) It is the piercing star. (3) There is no soul without a recorder over it. (4)

Allah – exalted is He – swears by the sky and the star which comes nightly. And what will cause you to know the greatness of this star? It is a piercingly bright shining star. There is no human being who does not have an angel assigned to him, keeping close watch over him, recording his deeds so that he may be held accountable for them on the Day of Resurrection.

ـ {فَلْيَنظُرْ الإِنسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ (5) خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ (6) يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ (7) إِنَّهُ عَلَى رَجْعِهِ لَقَادِرٌ (8)}
فلينظر الإنسان المنكر للبعث مِمَّ خُلِقَ؟ ليعلم أن إعادة خلق الإنسان ليست أصعب من خلقه أوّلا خلق من منيٍّ منصبٍّ بسرعة في الرحم، يخرج من بين صلب الرجل وصدر المرأة. إن الذي خلق الإنسان من هذا الماء لَقادر على رجعه إلى الحياة بعد الموت. ـ

فَلْيَنظُرْ الإِنسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ * خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ * يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ * إِنَّهُ عَلَى رَجْعِهِ لَقَادِرٌ

So let man see what was created from. (5) He was created from a fluid gushing forth, (6) Coming from between the backbone and the ribs. (7) He is certainly able to return him. (8)

Is it Valid to Criticize a Book of Tafsir Simply for Including Israa’eeliyyaat Narrations?: Muhammad Bazmool

Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool, a professor at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca, posed the following question and answer regarding Israa’eeliyyaat (Judeo-Christian) narratives in the books of tafsir:

سؤال : نرى بعض الكتاب إذا أراد الثناء على تفسير وصفه بأوصاف منها أنه يعرض عن الاسرائيليات، فهل هذا صحيح على إطلاقه؟ ـ

Question: We have seen some books which, when they want to praise a book of tafsir, they will describe it with certain characteristics such as that it rejects the use of Israa’eeliyyaat narrations. Is this always a valid point?

الجواب : هذا الاطلاق لا يصح؛ فإن بعض الصحابة رووا الإسرائليات، و لم يعب عليهم ذلك. ـ

Response: It is not correct to treat this as a valid rule in every instance, for some of the Sahabah relayed Israa’eeliyyaat narration without being criticized for doing so.

فإن قيل : أخرج البخاري تحت رقم (2685) عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، قَالَ: ” يَا مَعْشَرَ المُسْلِمِينَ، كَيْفَ تَسْأَلُونَ أَهْلَ الكِتَابِ، وَكِتَابُكُمُ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ عَلَى نَبِيِّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَحْدَثُ الأَخْبَارِ بِاللَّهِ، تَقْرَءُونَهُ لَمْ يُشَبْ، وَقَدْ حَدَّثَكُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الكِتَابِ بَدَّلُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ وَغَيَّرُوا بِأَيْدِيهِمُ الكِتَابَ، فَقَالُوا: هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا، أَفَلاَ يَنْهَاكُمْ مَا جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ العِلْمِ عَنْ مُسَاءَلَتِهِمْ، وَلاَ وَاللَّهِ مَا رَأَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ رَجُلًا قَطُّ يَسْأَلُكُمْ عَنِ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ “. فهذا ابن عباس رضي الله عنه ينكر سؤال أهل الكتاب ؟ ـ

Now, what if one were to say: al-Bukhari brings the following hadith narration #2685 on the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas who said:

O Muslims, how can you ask the Ahl al-Kitab when your Book which Allah revealed to His Prophet is the most recent information about Allah? You recite it and it has not been distorted, but Allah has told you that the Ahl al-Kitab have altered what Allah wrote and changed the scripture with their own hands, saying, “This is from Allah” in order to exchange it for a small price. Doesn’t the knowledge that has come prevent you from asking them? But, and I swear by Allah, we have never seen a single one of them asking you about what has been sent to you!

So here we have ibn ‘Abbaas criticizing asking the Ahl al-Kitab, isn’t it?

فالجواب : إنما أنكر ابن عباس رضي الله عنه من يترك ما في القرآن ويسأل أهل الكتاب عما في كتابهم، أمّا من طلب من كتبهم أموراً تتعلق بمبهمات القرآن، أو بقصص القرآن فهذا ليس محل الذم والنهي . ـ

We could respond by saying: Ibn ‘Abbaas was only criticizing those who abandoned what is in the Qur’an and instead asked the Ahl al-Kitab about what was in their scriptures. As for those who are looking for some further details in their scriptures about things or stories that were only mentioned in general terms in the Qur’an, then that does not merit criticism or prohibition.

وقد جمع بعض أهل العلم بين ما ورد عن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم في الرواية عن أهل الكتاب ، بأنها على ثلاث جالات : أن تكون موافقة لما في شرعنا .فهنا الحجة ما في شرعنا… وقد جاء في الحديث: “حدثوا عن بني إسرائيل ولاحرج”. أن تكون مخالفة لما في شرعنا ، فهذا لا ينبغي اعتماده ولا الرجوع إليه، ويذم ناقله من المفسرين بدون تنبيه عليه. وفيه حديث: “امتهوكون فيها يا ابن الخطاب”. أن لا تكون موافقة و لا مخالفة، وفي هذه الحال جاء حديث: “إذا حدثكم أهل الكتاب فلا تصدقوهم ولا تكذبوهم”. ـ

Some of the scholars have reconciled the different reports from the Prophet regarding relaying information from the Ahl al-Kitab by saying that such information can be divided into three types:

1) Something that is in line with our religious guidance. In this case it would be considered a proof of what our religious guidance teaches.

A hadith mentions, “Narrate from Banu Israa’eel, there is no harm in that.”

2) Something that is in opposition to our religious guidance. This ought not to be taken as reliable nor referred back to, and any mufassir who mentioned such a thing in his tafsir without pointing out that it opposes our religious guidance would deserve to be criticized.

There is a hadith related to this: “Have you become confused about this, O ibn al-Khattaab?!”

3) Something that is neither in line with nor in conflict with our religious guidance.

Regarding this situation, there is the hadith: “If the Ahl al-Kitab tell you something, neither declare them to be right nor declare them to be wrong.”

فأنت ترى أن الرواية عن أهل الكتاب جائزة في حالين و لا تجوز في حال واحدة فقط. ومن هذا تعلم ما في ذكر أن المفسر يعرض عن الإسرائيليات من نظر! ـ

So you can see that relaying information from the Ahl al-Kitab is permitted in two of these situations and only disallowed in one. From this, you can know that what was said about the mufassir who turned away from using Israa’eeliyyaat narrations is not a black and white situation.

وبالله التوفيق . 22 شوال 1441هـ ـ

And Allah is the grantor of success.

Shawwaal 22, 1441

[As found on the sheikh’s Facebook page here on June 14, 2020]

See also: How and Why the Sahabah used Israa’eeliyyaat Narrations: Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool

See also: Sources of Tafsir Article Index

“So That We May Know Who Follows the Messenger”: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah says in surah al-Baqarah:

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا ۗ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنتَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ ۚ وَإِن كَانَتْ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ‎

And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you. And We only made the qiblah which you used to face so that We would know who would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels. And it was certainly difficult except for those whom Allah has guided. And Allah would never have caused you to lose your faith. Indeed Allah is Kind and Merciful to the people. [2:143]

Commenting on part of this ayah, Imam Abu Muhammad al-Husayn al-Baghawi wrote:

ـ ( إلا لنعلم من يتبع الرسول ) فإن قيل ما معنى قوله : ” إلا لنعلم ” وهو عالم بالأشياء كلها قبل كونها قيل : أراد به العلم الذي يتعلق به الثواب والعقاب ، فإنه لا يتعلق بما هو عالم به في الغيب ، إنما يتعلق بما يوجد معناه ليعلم العلم الذي يستحق العامل عليه الثواب والعقاب ، وقيل : إلا لنعلم أي : لنرى ونميز من يتبع الرسول في القبلة ( ممن ينقلب على عقبيه ) فيرتد وفي الحديث إن القبلة لما حولت ارتد قوم من المسلمين إلى اليهودية ، وقالوا : رجع محمد إلى دين آبائه ، وقال أهل المعاني : معناه إلا لعلمنا من يتبع الرسول ممن ينقلب على عقبيه كأنه سبق في علمه أن تحويل القبلة سبب لهداية قوم وضلالة قوم ، وقد يأتي لفظ الاستقبال بمعنى الماضي كما قال الله تعالى فلم تقتلون أنبياء الله ” ( 91 – البقرة ) أي فلم قتلتموهم

إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ

… except so that We would know who would follow the Messenger …

Now, someone might ask: what does “so that We would know” mean when Allah knows all things before they even happen?

The response would be that here Allah is referring to the knowledge that is connected to rewards and punishments. It is not related to the knowledge of the Unseen which He already knows; it is only connected to what has been manifested. Meaning: So that He would know the information which entitles the people to reward or punishment.

Tafsir of Surah al-Burooj: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

The book Al-Tafsir al-Muyassar was written by a group of scholars under the direction of sheikh Saalih Aal al-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was designed to be a simple and easy-to-understand tafsir according to the understanding of the salaf. What follows is its brief tafsir of surah al-Burooj (85) and translation:

ـ {وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْبُرُوجِ (1) وَالْيَوْمِ الْمَوْعُودِ (2) وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ (3) قُتِلَ أَصْحَابُ الأُخْدُودِ (4) النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُودِ (5) إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌ (6) وَهُمْ عَلَى مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌ (7) وَمَا نَقَمُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ (8) الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ (9)}

أقسم الله تعالى بالسماء ذات المنازل التي تمر بها الشمس والقمر، وبيوم القيامة الذي وعد الله الخلق أن يجمعهم فيه، وشاهد يشهد، ومشهود يشهد عليه. ويقسم الله- سبحانه- بما يشاء من مخلوقاته، أما المخلوق فلا يجوز له أن يقسم بغير الله، فإن القسم بغير الله شرك. لُعن الذين شَقُّوا في الأرض شقًا عظيمًا؛ لتعذيب المؤمنين، وأوقدوا النار الشديدة ذات الوَقود، إذ هم قعود على الأخدود ملازمون له، وهم على ما يفعلون بالمؤمنين من تنكيل وتعذيب حضورٌ. وما أخذوهم بمثل هذا العقاب الشديد إلا أن كانوا مؤمنين بالله العزيز الذي لا يغالَب، الحميد في أقواله وأفعاله وأوصافه، الذي له ملك السموات والأرض، وهو- سبحانه- على كل شيء شهيد، لا يخفى عليه شيء. ـ

وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الْبُرُوجِ * وَالْيَوْمِ الْمَوْعُودِ * وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ * قُتِلَ أَصْحَابُ الأُخْدُودِ * النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُودِ * إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌ * وَهُمْ عَلَى مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌ * وَمَا نَقَمُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ * الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ

By the sky holding great stars, (1) By the promised Day, (2) By the witness and what is witnessed, (3) Cursed are the people of the trench, (4) A fire full of fuel, (5) When they were sitting by it, (6) And they were watching what they were doing to the believers. (7) And they were only hostile towards them because they believed in Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy, (8) To Whom belongs ownership of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is a witness over everything. (9)

Allah swears by the sky which holds the stations through which the sun and the moon pass, and by the Day of Resurrection on which Allah has promised to gather His creation together, for the witness to bear witness and for the one who was witnessed to have witness brought against him. And Allah – exalted is He – swears by whatever part of His creation He wishes, however it is not permitted for the created beings to swear by anything other than Allah, for swearing by anything other than Allah is an act of shirk.