The Greatest Ayah Regarding Steadfastness: Salih al-‘Usaymi

Dr. Salih al-‘Usaymi mentioned the following benefit in one of his classes:

وأعظم آية في الثبات: قوله تعالى: ﴿ يثبت الله الذين آمنوا بالقول الثابت في الحياة الدنيا وفي الآخرة ﴾ [إبراهيم:27]. وقد ذكر الله عز وجل في هذه الآية أربعة أمور تتصل بالثبات: أوَّلها: المثبِّت. وثانيها: المثبَّت. وثالثها: المثبَّت به. ورابعها: المثبَّت فيه. ـ

The greatest ayah regarding steadfastness is Allah’s statement:

يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ

Allah fortifies those who believe with the firm word in this life and in the next. [14:27]

In this ayah, Allah mentioned four things that are connected to steadfastness:

1. The One who gives steadfastness
2. Those who receive steadfastness
3. The means of that steadfastness
4. Where they are made to be steadfast

فأما المثبِّت فهو الله سبحانه وتعالى؛ إذ قال: ﴿ يثبت الله ﴾ ؛ فلا سبيل إلى تثبيت أحدنا نفسه على الحق بقوته أو ماله أو حسبه أو نسبه أو شهادته؛ وإنما إذا شد يده بصلته بربه سبحانه وتعالى، وأعظم إقباله عليه، وكان عبدا له؛ فإن الله عز وجل يثبته. ـ

As for the One who gives steadfastness, that is Allah. This is from when He said:

If You Love Allah, Obey the Prophet: Tafsir ibn Kathir

Allah gives a powerful address in surah Aal ‘Imraan when He says:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ * قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَالرَّسُولَ ۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ

Say, “If you love Allah, then follow me. Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins.” And Allah is the Forgiving, the Especially Merciful. * Say, “Obey Allah and the Messenger. And if you turn away, then Allah certainly does not love the disbelievers.” [3:31-32]

al-Haafidh Ismaa’eel ibn Kathir offered the following commentary on these ayaat in his famous book of tafsir:

هذه الآية الكريمة حاكمة على كل من ادعى محبة الله ، وليس هو على الطريقة المحمدية فإنه كاذب في دعواه في نفس الأمر ، حتى يتبع الشرع المحمدي والدين النبوي في جميع أقواله وأحواله ، كما ثبت في الصحيح عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال : ” من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد ” ولهذا قال : ( قل إن كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعوني يحببكم الله ) أي : يحصل لكم فوق ما طلبتم من محبتكم إياه ، وهو محبته إياكم ، وهو أعظم من الأول ، كما قال بعض الحكماء العلماء : ليس الشأن أن تحب ، إنما الشأن أن تحب ، وقال الحسن البصري وغيره من السلف : زعم قوم أنهم يحبون الله فابتلاهم الله بهذه الآية ، فقال : ( قل إن كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعوني يحببكم الله ) . ـ

This noble ayah serves as a judge over anyone who claims to love Allah but is not on the path of Muhammad, for such a person is a liar in the very claim that he is making. He will continue living that lie until he follows the legislation of Muhammad and the Prophetic religion in all of his statements and circumstances. This is just as has been authentically reported that Allah’s Messenger said:

Whoever performs an action which is not part of this way of ours, then it is rejected.

That is why Allah said:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ

Say, “If you love Allah, then follow me. Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins.”

i.e. He will give you something even greater than the love that you seek to have towards Him: Him loving you, which is something much greater. This is just as some of the scholars and sages have said, that “the issue is not that you love, the issue is that you are loved.”

al-Hasan al-Basri and some of other salaf said: “Some people claimed that they loved Allah, so then Allah tested them with this ayah, saying:

What is the Injeel Mentioned in the Qur’an?: Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji

I, Abu Yaman Khalil, asked sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji (former professor of Tafsir at the Islamic University of al-Madinah) the following question:

س ـ السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته . سؤالي في اللفظ <الإنجيل> واستعماله في القرآن وإن كان تطلق على اكثر من شيء واحد في بعض المواضع دون بعض؟ هل اللفظ الانجيل في هذا الاية { الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ } تطلق على الانجيل نزل الله على عيسى عليه السلام ، أو تطلقها على الكتاب عند النصارى يسمونه الانجيل أو على غير ذلك؟

Question: al-salam ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaah wa barakaatuh.

I have a question about the word al-Injeel, how it is used in the Qur’an, and if it can be used to refer to more than one thing in different places? Is the word al-Injeel in this ayah:

الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ

Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Tawrah and the Injeel … [7:157]

used to refer to the Injeel that Allah revealed to ‘Eesaa, or is it used to refer to the scripture that the Christians have which they call the Injeel, or is it referring to something else?

ج ـ مصطلح “الإنجيل” قيل إنه من اللغة العبرية, أو السريانية, وقيل أيضا إنه لفظ عربي مشتق من الإظهار, أو الاستخراج، أو غيرهما. وفي صفة الصحابة، رضي الله عنهم “صدورهم أَناجِيلهم”. جمع إنجيل، واذا أطلق فهو اسم كتاب الله تعالى المنزل على عيسى عليه السلام وهو كتاب الله المنزل على عيسى عليه السلام، المرسل إلى بني إسرائيل بعد موسى عليهما السلام، فيه هدى،ونور. ـ

Response: Regarding the term al-Injeel, some say that it comes from the Hebrew or Syriac language. Others however say that it is an Arabic word whose root is related to making a declaration, bringing something out, or to some other meaning. And one description of the Sahabah is that, “their chests are their anajeel” which is the plural of Injeel.

This term is used as a name for Allah’s scripture which was revealed to ‘Eesaa. It is Allah’s Book which was revealed to ‘Eesaa who was sent to the Children of Israa’eel after Moosaa, and it contains guidance and light.

ولكنهم حرفوه ولم يحفظوه وكان واحدا فصار أربعة أناجيل، ولاينسبونها إلى المسيح وإنما إلى متى،ومرقص،ولوقا،ويوحنا. والنصارى اليوم يسمون الإنجيل بالعهد الجديد،والتوراة بالعهد القديم . ـ

However, they changed it and did not preserve it. It had been one, but then it became four Injeels which were no longer attributed back to the Messiah but instead were credited to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And the Christians today call the Injeel the New Testament and the Tawrah the Old Testament.

Doubts Around the Dots in the Mushaf: Ibn ‘Uthaymeen

The following question and answer took place with sheikh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen:

الرد على من يقول: إن رسم القرآن في عهد الرسول لم يكن منقطاً

Response to Those Who Say: But in the Time of the Messenger the Qur’an was Written Without Dots!

في شبهة يقولون: إن رسم القرآن الحالي جاء عن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم غير منقط، والآن موجود الرسم الحالي منقط، فيقولون: إن هناك تلاعباً -والعياذ بالله- في قضية كيف عرض الباء والتاء والثاء كيف الرد عليهم يا شيخ؟ لأن الرسم الحالي منقط ومشكل، وعندما نزل على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يكن كذلك، فيقال: كيف ميزوا بين هذه الأحرف؟

Question: There is a doubt that some say, which is: the written form of the Qur’an came from the Messenger without any dots, however the written form found today does have dots. So they say that there is some manipulation – may Allah protect us! – in how to write letters like ba, ta, and tha. So how, O sheikh, do we respond to this claim of theirs, since the current written form contains dots and vowel symbols while when it was revealed to Allah’s Messenger it was not like that, so one might ask, “How can we distinguish between the different letters?”

أولاً: نرد على هؤلاء فنقول: إن القرآن لم ينزل مكتوباً كالتوراة، التوراة نزلت مكتوبة، القرآن نزل بالسماع -بالصوت- إذاً ما هناك حرف معين منقط أو غير منقط فهو كلام يبقى النظر في كتابته، الصحابة رضي الله عنهم حينما كتبوه على عهد عثمان المصحف الموحد كتبوه حسب القواعد المعروفة في ذلك الوقت، وهي في ذلك الوقت على هذا الواقع، ولذا على نفس الموضوع الموجود في المصاحف، ولهذا تجد أن هذه القاعدة تخالف القاعدة المعروفة عندنا، فالصلاة مثلاً تكتب بالواو في المصحف والزكاة بالواو، والربا بالواو، وحسب القاعدة التي عندنا، كذلك الصلاة والزكاة تجد أن فيها الألف المشالة، وهذه فيها الألف بدلها، وأشياء كثيرة مختلفة، فهذا خاضع للاصطلاح، ولهذا اختلف العلماء رحمهم الله: هل يجوز أن نكتب المصحف الآن على الرسم الموجود في عصرنا، أو لا بد أن نلتزم بالرسم العثماني؟ فيها ثلاثة أقوال: القول الأول: أنه لا بأس أن نرسمه على حسب رسمنا نحن.

Response: We can reply to these people by saying that the Qur’an was not revealed in a written form like the Tawrah was. The Tawrah was revealed in a written form, while the Qur’an was revealed orally, i.e. by voice. Understanding that, it was not the case of some letters being dotted and other undotted; these words were used as a visual reference in written form. When the Sahabah wrote the unifying mushaf during the time of ‘Uthman, they wrote it according to the principles in current use at the time, and at that time writing letters without dots was the norm. As a result, that same principle was applied to the mushafs. That is why you find that those principles of writing differ from the principles that we know today. For instance, the word

Questions and Answers on the Fall of Iblis: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah says in surah al-Baqarah:

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ

And remember when We told the Angels, “Make sujood to Adam.” So they made sujood, except for Iblis. He refused and was arrogant, and he was one of the disbelievers. [2:34]

In his commentary on this first mention of the story of Iblis within the mushaf, Imam al-Baghawi addressed a number of questions:

واختلفوا في أن هذا الخطاب مع أي الملائكة فقال بعضهم مع الذين كانوا سكان الأرض . والأصح أنه مع جميع الملائكة لقوله تعالى : ” فسجد الملائكة كلهم أجمعون ” ( 30 – الحجر ) . ـ

[Who was this Command Addressed to?]

The scholars have differed as to which angels this command was addressed to.

Some said that is was addressed to those dwelling on the earth, however the more correct position is that it was addressed to all of the angels due to Allah’s statement:

فَسَجَدَ الْمَلَائِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ

So all of the angels made sujood together [15:30]

وقوله ( اسجدوا ) فيه قولان الأصح أن السجود كان لآدم على الحقيقة وتضمن معنى الطاعة لله عز وجل بامتثال أمره وكان ذلك سجود تعظيم وتحية لا سجود عبادة كسجود إخوة يوسف له في قوله عز وجل ” وخروا له سجدا ” ( 100 – يوسف ) ولم يكن فيه وضع الوجه على الأرض إنما كان الانحناء فلما جاء الإسلام أبطل ذلك بالسلام . وقيل : معنى قوله ( اسجدوا لآدم ) أي إلى آدم فكان آدم قبلة والسجود لله تعالى كما جعلت الكعبة قبلة للصلاة والصلاة لله عز وجل ـ

[Why were the Angels Command to Make Sujood to Adam?]

Regarding Allah’s statement:

اسْجُدُوا

… make sujood …

“Follow Our Way And We Will Surely Bear Your Sins”: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah says in surah al-‘Ankaboot:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّبِعُوا سَبِيلَنَا وَلْنَحْمِلْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَمَا هُم بِحَامِلِينَ مِنْ خَطَايَاهُم مِّن شَيْءٍ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ * وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ أَثْقَالَهُمْ وَأَثْقَالًا مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ ۖ وَلَيُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ

Those who disbelieve tell those who believe, “Follow our way and we will surely bear your sins,” but they will not bear any of their sins. They are certainly liars. * They will surely bear their own burdens and other burdens alongside their own burdens. And on the Day of Resurrection they will surely be asked about what they used to fabricate. [29:12-13]

Commenting on this, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di wrote:

يخبر تعالى عن افتراء الكفار ودعوتهم للمؤمنين إلى دينهم، وفي ضمن ذلك تحذير المؤمنين من الاغترار بهم والوقوع في مكرهم، فقال: وقال الذين كفروا للذين آمنوا اتبعوا سبيلنا فاتركوا دينكم أو بعضه واتبعونا في ديننا، فإننا نضمن لكم الأمر ونحمل خطاياكم وهذا الأمر ليس بأيديهم، فلهذا قال: وما هم بحاملين من خطاياهم من شيء لا قليل ولا كثير. فهذا التحمل، ولو رضي به صاحبه، فإنه لا يفيد شيئا، فإن الحق لله، والله تعالى لم يمكن العبد من التصرف في حقه إلا بأمره وحكمه، وحكمه ألا تزر وازرة وزر أخرى . ـ

Allah is telling us about the disbelievers’ fabrications and how they called the believers to their religion. Embedded within this information is a warning to the believers against being misled by this and falling prey to their plot. He said:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّبِعُوا سَبِيلَنَا

Those who disbelieve tell those who believe, “Follow our way …”

and leave your religion or leave off certain parts of it and follow us in our religion; we will provide insurance for you and bear your sins. But that is something outside of their control, which is why Allah said:

The Biography of Qaaloon: Ibn al-Jazari

In the history of famous reciters of the Qur’an, one name familiar to many is that of Qaaloon. Alongside Warsh, Qaaloon was one of the two transmitters of Naafi’, who was one of the seven well-known reciters. In his biographical encyclopedia of the notable reciters, Imam ibn al-Jazari provided the following entry on Qaaloon:

عيسى بن مينا بن وردان بن عيسى بن عبد الصمد بن عمر بن عبد الله الزرقي ويقال المري مولى بني زهرة أبو موسى الملقب قالون قارئ المدينة ونحويها، يقال إنه ربيب نافع وقد اختص به كثيرًا وهو الذي سماه قالون لجودة قراءته فإن قالون بلغة الرومية جيد قلت: سألت الروم عن ذلك فقالوا: نعم غير أنهم نطقوا لي بالقاف كافا على عادتهم، قرأت على أحمد بن محمد الشيرازي عن علي بن أحمد أنبأنا زيد بن الحسن أنا عبد الله بن علي أنبأني أحمد بن عبد الجبار أنبأني الحسن بن علي المقرئ ثنا أحمد بن يزيد الحلواني ثنا أبو موسى قالون قال: كان نافع إذا قرأت عليه يعقد لي ثلاثين ويقول لي قالون يعني جيدًا جيدًا بالرومية، قال عبد الله بن علي إنما يكلمه بذلك لأن قالون أصله من الروم كان جد جده عبد الله من سبي الروم من أيام عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه، فقد قَدِمَ به من أسَرَه إلى المدينة وباعه، فاشتراه بعض الأنصار فهو مولى محمد بن محمد بن فيروز

[Name and Introduction]

He was ‘Eesaa ibn Mina ibn Wardan ibn ‘Eesaa ibn ‘Abd al-Samad ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdullah al-Zurqi – and some said that al-Marri. He was the mawla of the Banu Zahrah.

His kunya was Abu Moosaa, and he went by the nickname “Qaaloon”.

He was a leading reciter of al-Madinah and the surrounding areas.

[The Origin of His Nickname]

It is said that he was the stepson of Naafi’, and Naafi’ took special interest in him. In fact, he was the one who nicknamed him “Qaaloon” due to how excellent his recitation was, for the word “qaaloon” means “good” in the Byzantine language.

I asked some Byzantines about this and they said, “yes”, except that they pronounced it for me with a kaf sound rather than a qaf sound, as is their way.

It was narrated to me that … Qaaloon said: When I used to recite to Naafi’, he would have me recite thirty ayaat in a sitting and then he would say to me, “qaaloon”, meaning “good job, good work” in the Byzantine language.

Assorted Qur’an Benefits #59

The following benefits were originally published on the Tulayhah social media in March 2021 and have been gathered here to give them a more permanent home:

♦ Some of Your Wives and Children are Enemies to You

Allah addresses the believers in surah al-Taghabun by saying:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ وَأَوْلَادِكُمْ عَدُوًّا لَّكُمْ فَاحْذَرُوهُمْ ۚ وَإِن تَعْفُوا وَتَصْفَحُوا وَتَغْفِرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ * إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ عِندَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ

O you who believe, some of your wives and your children are enemies to you, so beware of them. And if you pardon and overlook and forgive then Allah is certainly forgiving and merciful. * Your wealth and your children are only a test. And Allah has a great reward with Him. [64:14-15]

Commenting on this, Imam al-Baghawi mentioned:

قال بعضهم : لما ذكر الله العداوة أدخل فيه ” من ” للتبعيض ، فقال : ” إن من أزواجكم وأولادكم عدوا لكم ” لأن كلهم ليسوا [ بأعداء ] ولم يذكر ” من ” في قوله : ” إنما أموالكم وأولادكم فتنة ” لأنها لا تخلو عن الفتنة واشتغال القلب . ـ

Some of the scholars said: When Allah mentioned the enemies, He included the phrase

مِنْ

some of

to indicate that this applied to a portion of them, for He said,

مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ وَأَوْلَادِكُمْ عَدُوًّا لَّكُمْ

some of your wives and your children are enemies to you

since not all of them are enemies to you. But He did not mention “some of” when saying

إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ

Your wealth and your children are only a test

since none of them are free of some form of trial and preoccupying one’s heart.

[Tafsir al-Baghawi 8/144]

♦ Allah Will Guide His Heart

The Wives of the Prophet and the Parables of Surah al-Tahreem: ibn al-Qayyim

Allah mentions the following three parables in the conclusion of surah al-Tahreem:

‏ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اِمْرَأَةَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَةَ لُوطٍ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَالِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا فَلَمْ يُغْنِيَا عَنْهُمَا مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا وَقِيلَ ادْخُلَا النَّارَ مَعَ الدَّاخِلِينَ

Allah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Nuh and the wife of Lut. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so those prophets did not avail them from Allah at all, and it was said, “Enter the Fire with those who enter.”

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اِمْرَأَةَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِنْدَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنْ فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Fir’awn, when she said, “My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Fir’awn and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people.”

وَمَرْيَمَ ابْنَتَ عِمْرَانَ الَّتِي أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتْ بِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِ وَكَانَتْ مِنَ الْقَانِتِينَ

And [the example of] Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her Our Ruh, and she testified to the truth of the Words of her Lord, and His Scriptures, and she was of the devoutly obedient. [66:10-12]

After explaining the overall meaning of these parables, Ibn al-Qayyim then pointed out some subtle connections between these parables and the contents of the surah as a whole:

ثم في هذه الأمثال من الأسرار البديعة ما يناسب سياق السورة فإنها سيقت في ذكر أزواج النبي والتحذير من تظاهرهن عليه وأنهن إن لم يطعن الله ورسوله ويردن الدار الآخرة لم ينفعهن اتصالهن برسول الله كما لم ينفع امرأة نوح ولوط اتصالهما بهما ولهذا إنما ضرب في هذه السورة مثل اتصال النكاح دون القرابة

These parables also contain a subtle and elegant link to the larger context of the surah, for the surah also contains some mention of the wives of the Prophet and warning them working together against him and informing them that if they do not obey Allah and His Messenger and desire the hereafter, then their connection to Allah’s Messenger will not benefit them at all, just as the wives of Nuh and Lut’s connections to their husbands did not benefit them at all. So that is why the parables mentioned in this surah are focused on the relationship of marriage rather than blood relations.