Tafsir of Surah al-‘Aadiyaat: 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-‘Aadiyaat (100) and translation:

ـ {وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا (1)}
أقسم الله تعالى بالخيل الجاريات في سبيله نحو العدوِّ، حين يظهر صوتها من سرعة عَدْوِها. ولا يجوز للمخلوق أن يقسم إلا بالله، فإن القسم بغير الله شرك. ـ

وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا

By the racers, panting, (1)

Allah the Exalted swears by the horses galloping in His cause towards the enemy, such that their sounds can be heard due to how quickly they are racing.

As a note: it is not allowed for the created beings to swear by anything other than Allah, for swearing by anything besides Allah is shrik.

ـ {فَالْمُورِيَاتِ قَدْحًا (2)}
فالخيل اللاتي تنقدح النار من صلابة حوافرها؛ من شدَّة عَدْوها. ـ

فَالْمُورِيَاتِ قَدْحًا

And the producers of sparks, striking (2)

And by the horses which are producing sparks of fire from the toughness of their hooves, due the how fiercely they are racing forward.

The Deeds of the Munafiq: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah strikes the following parable in surah al-Baqarah:

أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ لَهُ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَأَصَابَهُ الْكِبَرُ وَلَهُ ذُرِّيَّةٌ ضُعَفَاءُ فَأَصَابَهَا إِعْصَارٌ فِيهِ نَارٌ فَاحْتَرَقَتْ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ

Would one of you like to have a garden of palm trees and grapevines underneath which rivers flow in which he has every kind of fruit? But then he is afflicted with old age and has weak offspring, and it is hit by a whirlwind containing fire and is burned. Thus does Allah make the signs clear to you so that you might give thought. [2:266]

In his famous book of tafsir, Imam al-Baghawi wrote:

ـ ( له فيها من كل الثمرات وأصابه الكبر وله ذرية ضعفاء ) أولاد صغار ضعاف عجزة ( فأصابها إعصار ) الريح العاصف التي ترتفع إلى السماء كأنها عمود وجمعه أعاصير ( فيه نار فاحترقت ) ـ

لَهُ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَأَصَابَهُ الْكِبَرُ وَلَهُ ذُرِّيَّةٌ ضُعَفَاءُ

… in which he has from every fruit? But he is afflicted with old age and has weak offspring …

young children who are weak and unable to take care of things

فَأَصَابَهَا إِعْصَارٌ

… and it is hit by a whirlwind …

a strong wind which rises up to the sky as if it were a pillar

فِيهِ نَارٌ فَاحْتَرَقَتْ

…. containing fire and is burned.

Tafsir of Surah al-Zalzalah: 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-Zalzalah (99) and translation:

ـ {إِذَا زُلْزِلَتْ الأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا (1) وَأَخْرَجَتْ الأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا (2) وَقَالَ الإِنسَانُ مَا لَهَا (3)}
إذا رُجَّت الأرض رجًّا شديدًا، وأخرجت ما في بطنها من موتى وكنوز، وتساءل الإنسان فزعًا: ما الذي حدث لها؟ ـ

إِذَا زُلْزِلَتْ الأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا * وَأَخْرَجَتْ الأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا * وَقَالَ الإِنسَانُ مَا لَهَا

When the earth is shaken with its earthquake * And the earth throw out its burdens * And man will say, “what it wrong with it?” (1-3)

When the earth will be shaken with a severe shaking, and it will throw out the dead and the treasures that it contains inside it the dead, and the people will ask one another in fright, “what is happening to it?”

Do Not Let Your Wealth or Children Divert You From the Remembrance of Allah: Tafsir al-Shawkaani

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

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ

O you who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers. [63:9]

Sheikh Muhammad al-Shawkaani commented on this ayah by writing:

لما ذكر سبحانه قبائح المنافقين رجع إلى خطاب المؤمنين مرغبا لهم في ذكره فقال : يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تلهكم أموالكم ولا أولادكم عن ذكر الله فحذرهم عن أخلاق المنافقين الذين ألهتهم أموالهم وأولادهم عن ذكر الله ، ومعنى لا تلهكم لا تشغلكم ، والمراد بالذكر فرائض الإسلام ، قاله الحسن

After mentioning the abhorrent traits of the munaafiqoon, Allah returned to addressing the believers by encouraging them in His remembrance, for He said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ

O you who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah.

So He was warning them against having the mannerisms of the munaafiqoon, those whose wealth and offspring divert them from the remembrance of Allah.

“Whoever Earns Evil and His Sin Has Encompassed Him”: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah says in surah al-Baqarah:

بَلَىٰ مَن كَسَبَ سَيِّئَةً وَأَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيئَتُهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

But whoever earns evil and his sin has encompassed him – those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally. [2:81]

Commenting on this, Imam al-Baghawi wrote:

ـ ( من كسب سيئة ) يعني الشرك ( وأحاطت به خطيئته ) والإحاطة الإحداق بالشيء من جميع نواحيه ، قال ابن عباس وعطاء والضحاك وأبو العالية والربيع وجماعة : هي الشرك يموت عليه ، وقيل : السيئة الكبيرة . والإحاطة به أن يصر عليها فيموت غير تائب ، قاله عكرمة والربيع بن خثيم . ـ

مَن كَسَبَ سَيِّئَةً

whoever earns evil …

i.e. commits al-shirk

وَأَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيئَتُهُ

… and his sin has encompassed him …

the word “encompassed” means: surrounding something from every side.

Ibn ‘Abbaas, ‘Ataa’, al-Dhahhaak, Abu’l-‘Aliyah, al-Rabee’ and a number of others all said: this is referring to al-shirk that one dies while still committing.

Tafsir of Surah al-Nas: 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-Nas (114) and translation:

ـ {قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ (1)}
قل- أيها الرسول: أعوذ وأعتصم برب الناس، القادر وحده على ردِّ شر الوسواس. ـ

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ

Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, (1)

1) Say – O Messenger – : I seek refuge and protection in the Lord of mankind, the only One who can repel the evil of the whisperer.

ـ {مَلِكِ النَّاسِ (2)}
ملك الناس المتصرف في كل شؤونهم، الغنيِّ عنهم. ـ

مَلِكِ النَّاسِ

The King of mankind. (2)

2) The King of mankind who manages all of their affairs and does not depend on them at all.

Surah al-Anbiyaa’ is the Surah of Dhikr: Ibn Taymiyah

Sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah once wrote:

سورة الأنبياء  سورة الذكر وسورة الأنبياء الذين عليهم نزل الذكر افتتحها بقوله : { ما يأتيهم من ذكر من ربهم محدث } الآية وقوله : { فاسألوا أهل الذكر إن كنتم لا تعلمون } وقوله : { لقد أنزلنا إليكم كتابا فيه ذكركم } وقوله : { هذا ذكر من معي وذكر من قبلي } وقوله : { وذكرا للمتقين } وقوله : { وهذا ذكر مبارك } وقوله : { ولقد كتبنا في الزبور من بعد الذكر } ـ

Surah al-Anbiyaa’ is the surah of dhikr – remembrance of Allah – and the surah of the Prophets to whom that dhikr was revealed. Allah begins the surah by saying:

مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِم مُّحْدَثٍ إِلَّا اسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ

Whenever a new reminder comes to them from their Lord, they only listen to it while they are at play [21:2]

and He said:

فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

So ask the people of remembrance if you do not know [21:7]

and He said:

لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ

We have certainly sent down a Book to you which contains your reminder [21:10]

and He said:

Tafsir of Surah al-Falaq: 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-Falaq (113) and translation:

ـ {قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ (1)}
قل- أيها الرسول-: أعوذ وأعتصم برب الفلق، وهو الصبح. ـ

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ

Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak (1)

1) Say – O Messenger – : I seek refuge and protection in the Lord of the falaq, which is the dawn.

ـ {مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ (2)}
من شر جميع المخلوقات وأذاها. ـ

مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ

From the evil of what He created (2)

2) From the evil and harms of all of the created beings.

Introduction to ‘Ilm al-Munasabat: Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji

Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji, a former professor of Tafsir at the Islamic University of al-Madinah, was asked the following question:

س – السلام عليكم؟ ما علم المناسبات بين السور والآيات ؟ وما أهمتيه في تفسير القرآن الكريم ؟ وما أفضل الكتب تكلم في هذا الباب ؟ ـ

Question: al-Salam ‘alaikum, What is the study of al-munasabat – links and connections – between surahs and ayaat? What is its importance in explaining the Qur’an? What are the best books which engage in this field?

وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته . المناسبة في اللغة: المقاربة والمشاكلة . واصطلاحاً : علم تعرف به وجوه ارتباط أجزاء القرآن بعضها ببعض. ـ

Response: wa ‘alaikum al-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu.

Linguistically, the word al-munsabah means something close or of close resemblance.

As for the technical meaning of the word, it is the field of study through which one comes to know the ways that the different parts of the Qur’an are connected to one another.

Tafsir of Surah al-Ikhlas: 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-Ikhlas (112) and translation:

ـ {قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (1)}
قل- أيها الرسول-: هو الله المتفرد بالألوهية والربوبية والأسماء والصفات، لا يشاركه أحد فيها. ـ

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

Say, “He is Allah, the One, (1)

1) Say – O Messenger – : He is Allah, unique in Divinity, in Lordship, and in Names and Attributes, with none sharing in any of those qualities with Him.

{اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ (2)}
الله الذي كَمُل في صفات الشرف والمجد والعظمة ، الذي يقصده الخلائق في قضاء الحوائج والرغائب. ـ

اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ

 Allah, al-Samad. (2)

2) Allah is the one who is complete and perfect in regards to praise, magnificence, and noble attributes. It is He to whom the created beings direct themselves for the fulfillment of their needs and desires.

ـ {لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (3)}
ليس له ولد ولا والد ولا صاحبة. ـ

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ

He neither begets nor is He begotten, (3)

3) There is no offspring, parent or spouse for Him.

ـ {وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (4)}
ولم يكن له مماثلا ولا مشابهًا أحد من خلقه، لا في أسمائه ولا في صفاته، ولا في أفعاله، تبارك وتعالى وتقدَّس. ـ

وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

And is there nothing equivalent to Him.” (4)

4) And there is no one in His creation who is equivalent to Him or who resembles Him, neither in respect to His names, nor in respect to His attributes, nor in respect to His actions – blessed and exalted is He.

[al-Tafsir al-Muyassar pg. 604]

This article is part of a series translating all of Juz’ ‘Amma’ from this introductory-level work of tafsir. Click here to explore more installments.

See also: Tafsir of Surah al-Falaq: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

See also: Tafsir of Surah al-Fatihah: al-Tafsir al-Muyassar

See also: Tafsir of Surah al-‘Asr: Imam al-Sa’di