“So Be Patient; The Promise of Allah is Certainly True”: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah says in surah Ghafir:

فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ حَقٌّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنبِكَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ

So be patient; the promise of Allah is certainly true. And seek forgiveness for your sins, and exalt the praises of your Lord in the last part of the day and the first part of the day. [40:55]

Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Naasir al-Sa’di had the following beautiful words of commentary on this ayah:

ـ { فَاصْبِرْ } يا أيها الرسول كما صبر من قبلك من أولي العزم المرسلين. { إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ } أي: ليس مشكوكًا فيه، أو فيه ريب أو كذب، حتى يعسر عليك الصبر، وإنما هو الحق المحض، والهدى الصرف، الذي يصبر عليه الصابرون، ويجتهد في التمسك به أهل البصائر. ـ

فَاصْبِرْ

So be patient …

O Messenger, just as those messengers of great determination before you exercised steadfast patience.

إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ

The promise of Allah is certainly true.

i.e. there is no confusion or doubt about it, nor is it a false claim, all of which would make it difficult for you to be patient. On the contrary, it is the absolute truth and pure guidance which enables the patient ones to be patient and which the people of insight strive to adhere to.

Taking the Qur’an as Enough of a Blessing for You: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Near the end of surah al-Hijr, Allah says:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِّنَ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ * لَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

And We have certainly given you seven of the oft-repeated and the magnificent Qur’an. * Do not turn your eyes to what We have bestowed on certain categories of the disbelievers, nor grieve over them. And lower your wings to the believers. [15:87-88]

Commenting on this in his famous book of tafsir, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di wrote:

يقول تعالى ممتنا على رسوله ولقد آتيناك سبعا من المثاني وهن -على الصحيح- السور السبع الطوال: البقرة وآل عمران والنساء والمائدة والأنعام والأعراف والأنفال مع التوبة . أو أنها فاتحة الكتاب؛ لأنها سبع آيات، فيكون عطف ” القرآن العظيم ” على ذلك من باب عطف العام على الخاص؛ لكثرة ما في المثاني من التوحيد، وعلوم الغيب، والأحكام الجليلة، وتثنيتها فيها. ـ

Here, Allah is speaking about the blessings He has given to His Messenger:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِّنَ الْمَثَانِي

And We have certainly given you seven of the oft-repeated …

and – according to the correct opinion – these are the seven long surahs:

Six Proofs for the Resurrection of the Dead in Surah Yasin: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah concludes surah Yasin by saying:

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الْإِنسَانُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُّبِينٌ * وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلًا وَنَسِيَ خَلْقَهُ ۖ قَالَ مَن يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ * قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنشَأَهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ * الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الشَّجَرِ الْأَخْضَرِ نَارًا فَإِذَا أَنتُم مِّنْهُ تُوقِدُونَ * أَوَلَيْسَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَىٰ أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُم ۚ بَلَىٰ وَهُوَ الْخَلَّاقُ الْعَلِيمُ * إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ * فَسُبْحَانَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

Doesn’t man see that We created him from a sperm drop, and yet he is a brazen opponent! * And he makes a comparison of us and forgets his own creation, saying, “Who will give life to the bones when they have become dust?” * Say, “The One who created them the first time will give them life.” And He is All-Knowing of all creation. * The One who made fire for you from the green tree, and then you take fire from it. * Isn’t the One who created the heavens and the earth able to create something like them? Of course! He is the Knowing Creator. * When He wants something, He only has to tell it, “Be” and it is! * So exalted is He who has the ownership of everything in His Hand and to Him you will be returned. [36:77-83]

In his famous book of tafsir, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di pointed out six proofs of the resurrection of the dead found within these ayaat, writing:

هذه الآيات الكريمات، فيها ذكر شبهة منكري البعث، والجواب عنها بأتم جواب وأحسنه وأوضحه. ـ

These wonderful ayaat include mentioning the doubt of denying the resurrection of the dead and then respond to it in the most complete and eloquent way.

ـ (77) فقال تعالى: أولم ير الإنسان المنكر للبعث أو الشاك فيه، أمرا يفيده اليقين التام بوقوعه، وهو ابتداء خلقه من نطفة ثم تنقله في الأطوار شيئا فشيئا، حتى كبر وشب، وتم عقله واستتب، فإذا هو خصيم مبين بعد أن كان ابتداء خلقه من نطفة، فلينظر التفاوت بين هاتين الحالتين، وليعلم أن الذي أنشأه من العدم، قادر على أن يعيده بعدما تفرق وتمزق من باب أولى. ـ

Allah says:

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الْإِنسَانُ

Doesn’t man see …

referring to one who rejects the resurrection of the dead or has doubts about it. Doesn’t he see this thing that would give him complete certainty that it will happen – that being the fact that he was originally made from a sperm drop and then taken step by step through the various stages of development until he reached full maturity and mental fitness? At that point, he was someone who was brazen in his opposition after having been originally made from a sperm drop! So look and consider the great difference between those two states and then you would realize that the One who created you originally out of nothing is just as able to bring you back to life after your soul has left your body.

“Do Not Invalidate Your Deeds”: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah commands the believers in surah Muhammad by saying:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَلَا تُبْطِلُوا أَعْمَالَكُمْ

O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds. [47:33]

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

يأمر تعالى المؤمنين بأمر به تتم أمورهم، وتحصل سعادتهم الدينية والدنيوية، وهو: طاعته وطاعة رسوله في أصول الدين وفروعه، والطاعة هي امتثال الأمر، واجتناب النهي على الوجه المأمور به بالإخلاص وتمام المتابعة. ـ

Allah commands the believers with something that will make all of their affairs complete and enable them to attain joy in both their spiritual and worldly lives. That is: obeying Him and obeying His Messenger in both the fundamentals and details of the religion.

And obedience is: complying with the commands and avoiding the prohibitions, and doing so in the prescribed way, doing so sincerely for the sake of Allah, and completely following the way of the Prophet.

وقوله: { وَلَا تُبْطِلُوا أَعْمَالَكُمْ } يشمل النهي عن إبطالها بعد عملها، بما يفسدها، من من بها وإعجاب، وفخر وسمعة، ومن عمل بالمعاصي التي تضمحل معها الأعمال، ويحبط أجرها، ويشمل النهي عن إفسادها حال وقوعها بقطعها، أو الإتيان بمفسد من مفسداتها. ـ

Allah’s statement:

وَلَا تُبْطِلُوا أَعْمَالَكُمْ

… and do not invalidate your deeds

includes prohibitions against

• invalidating one’s deeds after having performed them by means of something which ruins them, such as reminding others of the favors you did them, being amazed with oneself, bragging or having done the deeds just to show off.

“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 Parable of Surah al-Hashr: Tafsir al-Sa’di & Others

Allah says in surah al-Hashr:

كَمَثَلِ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ قَرِيبًا ۖ ذَاقُوا وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ * كَمَثَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِذْ قَالَ لِلْإِنسَانِ اكْفُرْ فَلَمَّا كَفَرَ قَالَ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّنكَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Their situation is like that of those shortly before them. They tasted the bad outcome of their affair and they will have a painful punishment. * They are like the shaytaan when he tells man, “disbelieve,” but then when he disbelieves, he says, “I am certainly free of you! I fear Allah, Lord of all creation.” [59:15-16]

Imam ibn Jarir al-Tabari opened his tafsir of the first of these ayaat by saying:

يقول تعالى ذكره: مثل هؤلاء اليهود من بني النضير والمنافقين فيما الله صانع بهم من إحلال عقوبته بهم ( كَمَثَلِ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ) . ـ

Here, Allah is saying: The situation of these Jews of Banu al-Nadhir and the munafiqoon and the punishment that Allah made and unleashed on them “is like that of those before them.”

[Tafsir al-Tabari 23/294]

Imam Abu Muhammad al-Baghawi wrote:

يعني : مثل هؤلاء اليهود كمثل الذين من قبلهم ( قريبا ) يعني مشركي مكة ( ذاقوا وبال أمرهم ) يعني القتل ببدر وكان ذلك قبل غزوة بني النضير قاله مجاهد . وقال ابن عباس : كمثل الذين من قبلهم يعني بني قينقاع . ـ

I.e. The situation of these Jews is like those shortly before them, referring to the mushrikoon of Mecca

He Calls Allah as a Witness to What is in His Heart: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah describes the munafiqoon in part of surah al-Baqarah by saying:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيُشْهِدُ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ مَا فِي قَلْبِهِ وَهُوَ أَلَدُّ الْخِصَامِ * وَإِذَا تَوَلَّىٰ سَعَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيُفْسِدَ فِيهَا وَيُهْلِكَ الْحَرْثَ وَالنَّسْلَ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَسَادَ * وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُ اتَّقِ اللَّـهَ أَخَذَتْهُ الْعِزَّةُ بِالْإِثْمِ ۚ فَحَسْبُهُ جَهَنَّمُ ۚ وَلَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ

There are some people whose speech about the life of this world amazes you and he calls Allah as a witness to what is in his heart, yet he is the most quarrelsome of opponents * and when he turns away from you, he exerts himself throughout the land to corrupt what is in it and destroying the crops and animals. And Allah does not love corruption. * And when he is told, “have taqwa of Allah!” pride in sin takes hold of him. Hell is sufficient for him, and what a horrid end that is. [2:204-205]

Commenting on this in his famous book of tafsir, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di wrote:

لما أمر تعالى بالإكثار من ذكره، وخصوصا في الأوقات الفاضلة الذي هو خير ومصلحة وبر، أخبر تعالى بحال من يتكلم بلسانه ويخالف فعله قوله، [ ص: 152 ] فالكلام إما أن يرفع الإنسان أو يخفضه فقال: ومن الناس من يعجبك قوله في الحياة الدنيا أي: إذا تكلم راق كلامه للسامع، وإذا نطق ظننته يتكلم بكلام نافع، ويؤكد ما يقول بأنه ويشهد الله على ما في قلبه بأن يخبر أن الله يعلم أن ما في قلبه موافق لما نطق به، وهو كاذب في ذلك، لأنه يخالف قوله فعله، فلو كان صادقا لتوافق القول والفعل، كحال المؤمن غير المنافق، فلهذا قال: وهو ألد الخصام أي: إذا خاصمته وجدت فيه من اللدد والصعوبة والتعصب وما يترتب على ذلك ما هو من مقابح الصفات، ليس كأخلاق المؤمنين الذين جعلوا السهولة مركبهم والانقياد للحق وظيفتهم، والسماحة سجيتهم. ـ

After having commanded the people to be prolific in remembering Him [see 2:203], especially during virtuous times, which is a source of good, uprightness and virtue, Allah then informed us about those who say one thing with their tongues but whose actions go against their words. For one’s words either raise him up or bring him down. Allah said:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا

There are some people whose speech about the life of this world amazes you …

meaning: when he speaks, his words are pleasing to listeners, and when he expresses something, you think that he is saying some beneficial words. And he emphasizes what he says in that:

The Advice of Luqman in Brief: Tafsir al-Sa’di

After completing his ayah-by-ayah explanation of the story of Luqman in surah Luqman [31:12-19], sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di then provided the following summary of its main themes and messages:

وهذه الوصايا، التي وصى بها لقمان لابنه، تجمع أمهات الحكم، وتستلزم ما لم يذكر منها، وكل وصية يقرن بها ما يدعو إلى فعلها، إن كانت أمرا، وإلى تركها إن كانت نهيا. ـ

These injunctions which Luqman gave to his son combine all of the essential wisdom and whatever they did not explicitly mention is necessitated by them. And every injunction is paired with something that encourages the listener to carry it out if it is a command, or to leave it if it is a prohibition.

وهذا يدل على ما ذكرنا في تفسير الحكمة، أنها العلم بالأحكام، وحكمها ومناسباتها، فأمره بأصل الدين، وهو التوحيد، ونهاه عن الشرك، وبين له الموجب لتركه، وأمره ببر الوالدين، وبين له السبب الموجب لبرهما، وأمره بشكره وشكرهما، ثم احترز بأن محل برهما وامتثال أوامرهما، ما لم يأمرا بمعصية، ومع ذلك فلا يعقهما، بل يحسن إليهما، وإن كان لا يطيعهما إذا جاهداه على الشرك. وأمره بمراقبة الله، وخوفه القدوم عليه، وأنه لا يغادر صغيرة ولا كبيرة من الخير والشر، إلا أتى بها. ـ

And this supports what we have mentioned previously about the meaning of the word hikmah, that it refers to knowledge of the rulings and the wisdom behind them and how to appropriately apply them.

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.

The Parable of the Sahabah in the Injeel: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah concludes surah al-Fath by saying:

مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا ۖ سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ ۚ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَىٰ عَلَىٰ سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ ۗ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those with him are stern toward the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure. Their sign is on their faces from the traces of prostration. That is their description in the Tawrah. And their description in the Injeel is like a plant which produces its offshoots and strengthens them so that they grow firm and stand up on their stalks, delighting the farmers – so that He may enrage the disbelievers with them. Allah has promised those of them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness and a great reward. [48:29]

In the midst of this ayah, Allah struck the parable:

وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَىٰ عَلَىٰ سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ

And their description in the Injeel is like a plant which produces its offshoots and strengthens them so that they grow firm and stand up on their stalks, delighting the farmers – so that He may enrage the disbelievers with them.

In his book of tafsir, Imam al-Baghawi briefly summarized the meaning of this parable by writing:

هذا مثل ضربه الله – عز وجل – لأصحاب محمد – صلى الله عليه وسلم – في الإنجيل [ أنهم يكونون قليلا ثم يزدادون ويكثرون . قال قتادة : مثل أصحاب رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – في الإنجيل ] مكتوب أنه سيخرج قوم ينبتون نبات الزرع يأمرون بالمعروف وينهون عن المنكر . ـ

This is a parable that Allah struck regarding the companions of Muhammad in the Injeel. It describes them as being few in number, then growing and increasing.