Having Bad Thoughts of Your Lord: Tafsir al-Qurtubi

In surah Fussilat, Allah tells us that He will address the disbelievers on the Day of Judgement by saying:

وَذَٰلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ الَّذِي ظَنَنتُم بِرَبِّكُمْ أَرْدَاكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

And that thought of yours which you thought about your Lord has brought you to destruction, and you have become among the losers. [41:23]

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

قوله تعالى : وذلكم ظنكم الذي ظننتم بربكم أرداكم أي أهلككم فأوردكم النار . قال قتادة : الظن هنا بمعنى العلم . وقال النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – : لا يموتن أحدكم إلا وهو يحسن الظن بالله ، فإن قوما أساءوا الظن بربهم فأهلكهم ، فذلك قوله : وذلكم ظنكم الذي ظننتم بربكم أرداكم . وقال الحسن البصري : إن قوما ألهتهم الأماني حتى خرجوا من الدنيا وما لهم حسنة ، ويقول أحدهم : إني أحسن الظن بربي . وكذب ، ولو أحسن الظن لأحسن العمل ، وتلا قول الله تعالى : وذلكم ظنكم الذي ظننتم بربكم أرداكم فأصبحتم من الخاسرين . وقال قتادة : من استطاع منكم أن يموت وهو حسن الظن بربه فليفعل ، فإن الظن اثنان : ظن ينجي وظن يردي . وقال عمر بن الخطاب في هذه الآية : هؤلاء قوم كانوا يدمنون المعاصي ولا يتوبون منها ويتكلمون على المغفرة ، حتى خرجوا من الدنيا مفاليس ، ثم قرأ : وذلكم ظنكم الذي ظننتم بربكم أرداكم فأصبحتم من الخاسرين . ـ

Allah’s statement:

وَذَٰلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ الَّذِي ظَنَنتُم بِرَبِّكُمْ أَرْدَاكُمْ

And that thought of yours which you thought about your Lord has brought you to destruction …

i.e. has destroyed them and brought them to the fire.

Qatadah said, “The word ‘thought’ here refers to their certainty.”

The Prophet said:

None of you should die unless he had good thoughts of Allah, for there were a people who had bad thoughts of their Lord and so He destroyed them. That was His statement:

وَذَٰلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ الَّذِي ظَنَنتُم بِرَبِّكُمْ أَرْدَاكُمْ

And that thought of yours which you thought about your Lord has brought you to destruction …

al-Hasan al-Basri said, “There are people who indulge their unfounded hopes so much that they leave this world without any good deeds. They say, ‘I have good thoughts of my Lord,’ but they lie, for if they had good thoughts of Him then they would make their actions good.” And then he recited this ayah.

The Prophet and the Last Ten Ayaat of Surah Aal ‘Imran: Tafsir al-Qurtubi

At the end of surah Aal ‘Imran, Allah said

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ * الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ * رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ مَن تُدْخِلِ النَّارَ فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُ ۖ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ * رَّبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي لِلْإِيمَانِ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِرَبِّكُمْ فَآمَنَّا ۚ رَبَّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الْأَبْرَارِ * رَبَّنَا وَآتِنَا مَا وَعَدتَّنَا عَلَىٰ رُسُلِكَ وَلَا تُخْزِنَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۗ إِنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ * فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّي لَا أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ ۖ بَعْضُكُم مِّن بَعْضٍ ۖ فَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا وَأُخْرِجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِمْ وَأُوذُوا فِي سَبِيلِي وَقَاتَلُوا وَقُتِلُوا لَأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ثَوَابًا مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عِندَهُ حُسْنُ الثَّوَابِ * لَا يَغُرَّنَّكَ تَقَلُّبُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي الْبِلَادِ * مَتَاعٌ قَلِيلٌ ثُمَّ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۚ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ * لَٰكِنِ الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا نُزُلًا مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَمَا عِندَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لِّلْأَبْرَارِ * وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَاشِعِينَ لِلَّهِ لَا يَشْتَرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۗ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ * يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

The creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day certainly contain signs for the people of understanding * those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, “Our Lord, You did not create this without purpose, exalted are You! So protect us from the punishment of the hellfire! * Our Lord, whoever you enter into the Hellfire, you have disgraced him. And the wrongdoers will not have any helpers. * Our Lord, we have heard a caller calling to eman, “Believe in your Lord,” so we believed. Our Lord, forgive us of our sins and remove our sins from us and cause us to die with the righteous ones. * Our Lord, grant us what You have promised us through Your Messengers and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. You certainly do not break promises. * So their Lord responded to them, “I will never let the good deeds of any of you doers – neither male nor female – be lost. You are one of another. So those who migrated and were expelled from their homes and were harmed in My cause and fought and were killed, then I will surely remove their sins from them and enter them into gardens under which rivers flow as a reward from Allah. And Allah has the best reward with him. * Do not be deceived by the uninhibited movement of the disbelievers through the land. * A small enjoyment, but then their final destination is Hell, and what a terrible resting place that is! * But those who have taqwa of their Lord will have gardens under which rivers flow, residing there forever, an accommodation from Allah. And what is with Allah is best for the righteous ones. * And among the People of the Book are those who believe in Allah and what was sent down to you and what was sent down to them while being humble before Allah. They do not exchange the verses of Allah for a small price. Those ones will have their reward with their Lord. Allah is certainly swift in reckoning. * Of you who believe, persevere, be steadfast, remain firmly stationed, and have taqwa of Allah so that you may be successful. [3:190-200]

In part of his tafsir of this passage, al-Qurtubi wrote:

قال العلماء : يستحب لمن انتبه من نومه أن يمسح على وجهه ، ويستفتح قيامه بقراءة هذه العشر الآيات اقتداء بالنبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ثبت ذلك في الصحيحين وغيرهما وسيأتي ، ثم [ ص: 291 ] يصلي ما كتب له ، فيجمع بين التفكر والعمل ، وهو أفضل العمل على ما يأتي بيانه في هذه الآية بعد هذا . وروي عن أبي هريرة أن رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – كان يقرأ عشر آيات من آخر سورة ” آل عمران ” كل ليلة ، خرجه أبو نصر الوائلي السجستاني الحافظ في كتاب ” الإبانة ” من حديث سليمان بن موسى عن مظاهر بن أسلم المخزومي عن المقبري عن أبي هريرة . وقد تقدم أول السورة عن عثمان قال : من قرأ آخر آل عمران في ليلة كتب له قيام ليلة . ـ

The scholars say that it is recommend that when a person awakes from his sleep [for night prayers], he should wipe his face and begin his night worship by reciting these ten ayaat, thus following the example of the Prophet. That has been authentically reported in the two Sahih collections and elsewhere, as will be mentioned shortly. Then after reciting these, he would pray whatever amount he would pray. In this way, he engaged himself in both reflection and action, which is the best type of good deed according to the explanation that we will mention next under this ayah.

Fearing Allah: Tafsir al-Qurtubi

Allah says in surah Aal ‘Imran:

إِنَّمَا ذَٰلِكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ يُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ فَلَا تَخَافُوهُمْ وَخَافُونِ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

It is only the shaytaan who instills in you fear of his allies, so do not fear them but fear Me in you are truly believers. [3:175]

In part of his commentary on this ayah, al-Qurtubi wrote:

فالخائف من الله تعالى هو أن يخاف أن يعاقبه إما في الدنيا وإما في الآخرة ; ولهذا قيل : ليس الخائف الذي يبكي ويمسح عينيه ، بل الخائف الذي يترك ما يخاف أن يعذب عليه . ففرض الله تعالى على العباد أن يخافوه فقال : وخافون إن كنتم مؤمنين وقال : وإياي فارهبون . ومدح المؤمنين بالخوف فقال : يخافون ربهم من فوقهم . ـ

The one who fears Allah is one who fears that Allah will punish Him either in this life or the next. That is why some say, “The fearful person isn’t the one who cries and wipes his eyes; the fearful person is the one who stops doing what he fears he would be punished for.”

Surah Hud and Its Sisters: Tafsir al-Qurtubi

In the introduction to his tafsir of surah Hud, the famous explainer of the Qur’an al-Qurtubi mentioned and then discussed a hadith regarding this surah, first bringing his preferred explanation and then mentioned some alternative explanations:

روى الترمذي عن ابن عباس قال : قال أبو بكر – رضي الله عنه – : يا رسول الله قد شبت ! قال : شيبتني هود والواقعة والمرسلات وعم يتساءلون وإذا الشمس كورت . قال : هذا حديث حسن غريب ، وقد روي شيء من هذا مرسلا . وأخرجه الترمذي الحكيم أبو عبد الله في ” نوادر الأصول ” .ـ

al-Tirmidhi relayed from ibn ‘Abbaas that Abu Bakr said, “O Messenger of Allah, your hair has become grey!” The Messenger replied,

“Hud [11], Waaqi’ah [56], al-Mursalat [77], ‘Amma yatasaa’aloon [78] and al-Takwir [81] have turned my hair grey.”

al-Tirmidhi said about this, “This hadith is hasan gharib,” and there is also another narration with a gap in its chain on this topic.

Deeds Like a Mirage: Tafsir al-Qurtubi & al-Sa’di

Allah strikes a parable in surah al-Noor when He says:

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ مَاءً حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئًا وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ

And those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage on a flat expanse of land. A thirsty person thinks it is water until, when he reaches it, he finds that it is nothing. But he finds Allah in front of Him, and He will then pay him his due. And Allah is quick in reckoning. [24:39]

Commenting on this, al-Qurtubi wrote:

وهذا مثل ضربه الله تعالى للكفار ، يعولون على ثواب أعمالهم فإذا قدموا على الله تعالى وجدوا ثواب أعمالهم محبطة بالكفر ؛ أي لم يجدوا شيئا كما لم يجد صاحب السراب إلا أرضا لا ماء فيها ؛ فهو يهلك أو يموت

Allah struck this parable regarding the disbelievers; they are confident that they will be rewarded for their actions, but then when they come before Allah, they find that the rewards of their actions were nullified by disbelief. In other words, they do not find anything there, just as the person chasing a mirage only finds land with no water and will therefore perish or die.

The Qur’an is Like a Single Discourse: Tafsir al-Qurtubi

At the beginning of his tafsir of surah al-Qiyamah, al-Qurtubi included the following point of benefit:

قوله تعالى : لا أقسم بيوم القيامة قيل : إن ” لا “ صلة ، وجاز وقوعها في أول السورة ; لأن القرآن متصل بعضه ببعض ، فهو في حكم كلام واحد ; ولهذا قد يذكر الشيء في سورة ويجيء جوابه في سورة أخرى ; كقوله تعالى : وقالوا يا أيها الذي نزل عليه الذكر إنك لمجنون . وجوابه في سورة أخرى : ما أنت بنعمة ربك بمجنون . ومعنى الكلام : أقسم بيوم القيامة ; قاله ابن عباس وابن جبير وأبو عبيدة ـ

Allah’s statement:

لَا أُقْسِمُ بِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

Laa [literally “no”] I swear by the Day of Resurrection [75:1]

Some say that the word laa here is a connecting word. And it perfectly fine to use a linking word at the beginning of the surah since the different parts of the Qur’an are all linked to one another. For the Qur’an is like a single discourse. That is why something could be mentioned in one surah and then a response to that issue comes in a different surah, such as Allah’s statement:

Five Promises from Allah: Tafsir al-Qurtubi

In part of his tafsir of surah al-Talaq, Imam al-Qurtubi included the following narration from one of the tabi’oon:

وقال الربيع بن خيثم : إن الله تعالى قضى على نفسه أن من توكل عليه كفاه ومن آمن به هداه ، ومن أقرضه جازاه ، ومن وثق به نجاه ، ومن دعاه أجاب له . وتصديق ذلك في كتاب الله : ومن يؤمن بالله يهد قلبه . ومن يتوكل على الله فهو حسبه . إن تقرضوا الله قرضا حسنا يضاعفه لكم . ومن يعتصم بالله فقد هدي إلى صراط مستقيم . وإذا سألك عبادي عني فإني قريب أجيب دعوة الداع إذا دعان . ـ

al-Rabee’ ibn Khaytham said:

Allah has mandated it upon Himself that whoever places their reliance in Him, He will suffice them;

and whoever believes in Him, He will guide him;

and whoever lends Him a loan, He will reward him;

and whoever holds tight to Him, He will save him;

and whoever calls on Him, He will answer him.

The confirmation of this in the Qur’an is:

Pray As You Have Seen Me Pray: Tafsir al-Qurtubi

In part of his discussion of surah Hud, Imam al-Qurtubi included the following discussion:

ذكر الله سبحانه في كتابه الصلاة بركوعها وسجودها وقيامها وقراءتها وأسمائها فقال : أقم الصلاة الآية . وقال : أقم الصلاة لدلوك الشمس الآية . وقال : فسبحان الله حين تمسون وحين تصبحون وله الحمد في السماوات والأرض وعشيا وحين تظهرون . وقال : وسبح بحمد ربك قبل طلوع الشمس وقبل غروبها . وقال : اركعوا واسجدوا . وقال : وقوموا لله قانتين . وقال : وإذا قرئ القرآن فاستمعوا له وأنصتوا على ما تقدم . وقال : ولا تجهر بصلاتك ولا تخافت بها أي بقراءتك ; ـ

Throughout His Book, Allah mentions the prayer by referring to its bowing, prostrating, standing, recitation and by their names.

He says:

وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ

And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night … [11:114]

أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ ۖ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا

Establish prayer at the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night and the recitation of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed. [17:78]

فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ حِينَ تُمْسُونَ وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُونَ * وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَعَشِيًّا وَحِينَ تُظْهِرُونَ

So exalted is Allah when you reach the evening and when you reach the morning. * And to Him belongs praise throughout the heavens and the earth. And exalted is He at night and when you are at noon. [30:17-18]

A Central Theme of Surah al-An’aam: Tafsir al-Qurtubi

After discussing a number of statements from the salaf regarding the revelation and themes of surah al-An’aam, Imam al-Qurtubi then wrote:

تنبيه : قال العلماء : هذه السورة أصل في محاجة المشركين وغيرهم من المبتدعين ومن كذب بالبعث والنشور وهذا يقتضي إنزالها جملة واحدة لأنها في معنى واحد من الحجة وإن تصرف ذلك بوجوه كثيرة . ـ

A Note: the scholars have said that this surah is the foundation for arguing against the Mushrikoon, as well as others such as innovators and anyone who denies the resurrection and gathering of the dead. That is why this surah was revealed all at once, because it all centers around one message of making an argument, even if the surah pursues that goal in a number of different ways.

A Point on Promises in the Qur’an: Tafsir al-Shawkaani, al-Qurtubi & al-Baghawi

Allah says in surah al-Baqarah:

الشَّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكُمُ الْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِالْفَحْشَاءِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًا ۗ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

The shaytaan promises you poverty and commands you to commit immoralities, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is rich and all-knowing. [2:268]

In part of his commentary on this ayah, Imam al-Shawkaani wrote:

الوعد في كلام العرب إذا أطلق فهو في الخير ، وإذا قيد فقد يقيد تارة بالخير وتارة بالشر . ومنه قوله تعالى : النار وعدها الله الذين كفروا [ الحج : 72 ] ومنه أيضا ما في هذه الآية من تقييد وعد الشيطان بالفقروتقييد وعد الله سبحانه بالمغفرة ، والفضل . ـ

In the Arabic language, al-Wa’d – a promise – on its own is only used to refer to something good, but if what has been promised is specified in some way then the specification could sometimes be something good and other times be something bad.

An example of the this is Allah’s statement:

النَّارُ وَعَدَهَا اللَّـهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

It is the fire which Allah has promised for those who disbelieve [22:72]

This is also the case in this ayah [i.e. 2:268] as it has specified that the shaytaan’s promise is for poverty and it has specified that Allah’s promise is for forgiveness and bounty.