Du’a of the Qur’an Part 8: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned one Ramadan, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. What follows is his explanation of the du’a found towards the end on surah al-Furqan:

ومِن ذلك: دعاءُ عبادِ الرحمن الذين وصفهم الله بكل خُلقٍ جميل، وأعد لهم المنازل العالية؛ فدعوا بدعوتين: دعوةٍ استُجيبت لجميعِهم – كاملَ الدرجة ومَن دونه – ودعوةٍ استُجيبت لخواصهم وأئمتهم وقدوتهم، قال تعالى: ﴿وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا﴾ – إلى أن قال عنهم -: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا﴾[الفرقان: الآيات 63 – 65]

Another comprehensive du’a is the du’a of the ‘ibad al-Rahman – servants of the Most Merciful – whom Allah described with all kinds of beautiful characteristics and promised them elevated ranks.

They made two supplications:

One supplication which was answered for all of them, both those who attained the highest level of excellence as well as those below that

and another supplication which was answered for the elite ones, the leading figures and role models among them.

Three Types of People in Taking on Allah’s Trust: Sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr

In one of his classes, sheikh ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Badr (teacher at al-Masjid al-Nabawi) mentioned the following point:

الامانة يأتي الامر بها وبيان عظم شأنها في القرآن الكريم في آيات عديدة منها قوله تعالى : {إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنسَانُ ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا} . ـ

Allah has commanded us to be dutiful with our trusts and has illustrated the importance of this issue in a number of ayaat throughout the Qur’an. One example of this is His statement:

إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنسَانُ ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا

We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains but they declined to take it on and they were afraid of it. But man took it on; he is certainly unjust and ignorant. [33:72]

فذكر عز وجل عظم شأن الامانة وأن الله عز وجل عرض تحمل الامانة على السموات وعلى الارض وعلى الجبال فأبين أن يحملنها وذكر سبحانه وتعالى سبب هذا الاباء وأنه ليس امتناعا لأمر الله وعدم رضوخ لما امر الله به بل هو شفقة من عدم القدرة على التحمل ولهذا قال : {وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا} فالجبال مع صلابتها وقوتها ولارضون والسموات لما عرض الله عليها تحمل الامانة شفقة منها ، والعرض لم يكن على وجه الالزام وانما كان على وجه التخيير ولهذا اختيار السموات والارض والجبال عدم التحمل شفقة من عدم القدرة . ـ

Allah mentioned the significance of taking on a trust and that He offered the opportunity to take on this trust to the heavens and to the earth and to the mountains but they declined to take it on. He mentioned that the reason why they declined and that this was not a refusal to carry out one of Allah’s commands or a lack of submission to Allah’s order, but that it this was because they feared that they would not be able to bear it. That is why He said:

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.

“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:

Language or Tradition as the Basis for Explaining the Qur’an?: Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool

Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool, a professor at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca, wrote:

قوله تعالى: ({ نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ (193) عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنْذِرِينَ (194) بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُبِينٍ} [الشعراء: 193 – 195]؛ فيه : أن تفسير القرآن بمقتضى اللغة سائغ؛ ولكن هذا مشروط بشرط أن لا يخالف مخالفة تضاد التفسير بالمأثور؛ لأن الله تبارك وتعالى أوكل تبيين القرآن للرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم ، قال تعالى: {وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (44} [النحل: 44]. وعن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم تلقى الصحابة رضي الله عنهم بيانه، وعن الصحابة أخذ التابعون ذلك . ـ

There is Allah’s statement:

نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ * عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ * بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُّبِينٍ

The Qur’an was sent down with the trustworthy Spirit * to your heart so that you would be one of the warners * in the clear Arabic language [26:193-195]

This indicates that explaining the Qur’an through recourse to linguistics is acceptable. However, this is predicated on the condition that such explanations do not contradict the transmitted explanations. That is because Allah entrusted the clarification of the Qur’an to the Messenger, as He said:

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

And We sent down the dhikr to you in order to make clear to the people what has been sent down to them and in order that they would reflect. [16:44]

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.

A Subtle Distinction in Surah al-Shu’araa’: Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji

The following Q&A was carried out with Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji, a former professor of Tafsir at the Islamic University of al-Madinah:

س/ في سورة الشعراء ذكر عدد من الأنبياء عليهم -الصلاة والسلام- وكل واحد ذكر بلفظ الأخ لقومه، مثل (إذ قال لهم أخوهم) إلا سيدنا شعيب عليه السلام! ـ

Question: A number of Prophets are mentioned in surah al-Shu’araa’ and each one of them is described as being a brother to his people, such as in the statement:

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ

When their brother said to them …

except for in the case of Shu’ayb. Why is that?

ج/ ذكر بعض المفسرين أن شعيباً-عليه السلام-أرسل إلى أهل مدين؛وإلى أصحاب الأيكة. و كان من أهل مدين؛ ولم يكن من أصحاب الأيكة؛ فلذلك وصف بإخوتهم، كما في سور: الأعراف وهود والعنكبوت. ولم يذكر ذلك في سورة الشعراء، لأن المذكور فيها هم أصحاب الأيكة، وقيل: إن أصحاب الأيكة هم أهل مدين ووصف بالأخوة لما ذكرهم باسم قبيلتهم لأنه منها؛ ولم يوصف بها حين نسبهم إلى الأيكة التي هلكوا بها أو عبدوها تنزيها له عن النسبة إليها. ـ

Response: Some of the mufassiroon said that Shu’ayb was sent to the people of Madyan and to the Ashab al-Aykah though he himself was from the people of Madyan and not one of the Ashab al-Aykah. So they say that this is the reason why he is described as a brother in surah al-A’raf and Hud and al-‘Ankaboot while he is not described as such in surah al-Shu’araa’ because it is the Ashab al-Aykah that are mentioned in that surah.

The Difference Between Humiliating Punishment and Great Punishment in the Qur’an: ibn Taymiyah

In one of his writings, ibn Taymiyah discusses a subtle difference between the use of the phrase “a humiliating punishment” [عَذَابُ مُهِين] and “a great punishment” [عَذَابُ عَظِيم] throughout the Qur’an, illustrating that “a humiliating punishment” is reserved for the disbelievers” while “a great punishment” could be applied to the disbelievers or believers:

قال إن الذين يؤذون الله ورسوله لعنهم الله في الدنيا والآخرة وأعد لهم عذابا مهينا ولم يجيء إعداد العذاب المهين في القرآن إلا في حق الكفار كقوله الذين يبخلون ويأمرون الناس بالبخل ويكتمون ما آتاهم الله من فضله وأعتدنا للكافرين عذابا مهينا وقوله وخذوا حذركم إن الله أعد للكافرين عذابا مهينا ـ

Allah said:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا ‎

Verily, those who affront Allah and His Messenger, Allah has cursed them in this world, and in the Hereafter, and has prepared a humiliating punishment for them. [33:57]

and preparing a humiliating punishment is only mentioned in the Qur’an in relation to the disbelievers. Take, for example, Allah’s statement:

الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبُخْلِ وَيَكْتُمُونَ مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ ۗ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا

Those who are miserly and enjoin miserliness on other men and hide what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounties. And We have prepared a humiliating punishment for the disbelievers. [4:37]

and His statement:

وَخُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَعَدَّ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُّهِينًا ‎

but take every precaution for yourselves. Verily, Allah has prepared a humiliating punishment for the disbelievers. [4:102]

وقوله فباؤوا بغضب على غضب وللكافرين عذاب مهين إنما نملي لهم ليزدادوا إثما ولهم عذاب مهين والذين كفروا وكذبوا بآياتنا فأولئك لهم عذاب مهين وإذا علم من آياتنا شيئا اتخذها هزوا أولئك لهم عذاب مهين وقد أنزلنا آيات بينات وللكافرين عذاب مهين اتخذا أيمانهم جنة فصدوا عن سبيل الله فلهم عذاب مهين ـ

And His statements:

فَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ عَلَىٰ غَضَبٍ ۚ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ

So they have drawn on themselves wrath upon wrath. And for the disbelievers, there is a humiliating punishment. [2:90]

The Length of Surah al-Ahzab: Tafsir al-Qurtubi

Imam al-Qurtubi began his tafsir of surah al-Ahzab with the following:

سورة الأحزاب

Surah al-Ahzab

مدنية في قول جميعهم . نزلت في المنافقين وإيذائهم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وطعنهم فيه وفي مناكحته وغيرها . وهي ثلات وسبعون آية . وكانت هذه السورة تعدل سورة البقرة . وكانت فيها آية الرجم : ( الشيخ والشيخة إذا زنيا فارجموهما البتة نكالا من الله والله عزيز حكيم ) ; ذكره أبو بكر الأنباري عن أبي بن كعب . وهذا يحمله أهل العلم على أن الله تعالى رفع من الأحزاب إليه ما يزيد على ما في أيدينا ، وأن آية الرجم رفع لفظها . وقد حدثنا أحمد بن الهيثم بن خالد قال حدثنا أبو عبيد القاسم بن سلام قال حدثنا ابن أبي مريم عن ابن لهيعة عن أبي الأسود عن عروة عن عائشة قالت : كانت سورة الأحزاب تعدل على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مائتي آية ، فلما كتب المصحف لم يقدر منها إلا على ما هي الآن . قال أبو بكر : فمعنى هذا من قول أم المؤمنين عائشة : أن الله تعالى رفع إليه من سورة الأحزاب ما يزيد على ما عندنا . ـ

It is a Madani surah according to consensus. It was revealed regarding the munafiqoon and their harm, abuse and insults, etc. towards Allah’s Messenger.

It is 73 ayaat long, but this surah used to be equal in length to surah al-Baqarah, and it used to contain the Ayah of Stoning. That is

الشيخ والشيخة إذا زنيا فارجموهما البتة نكالا من الله والله عزيز حكيم

And adult man and the adult woman – if they commit adultery, then stone them both completely. This is an edifying punishment from Allah, and Allah is Almighty, All Wise.

Abu Bakr al-Anbari mentioned this on the authority of Ubay ibn Ka’b.

The scholars have taken this to mean that Allah lifted whatever was beyond the amount of surah al-Ahzab that we have today back to Himself and that the wording of the Ayah of Stoning was lifted [i.e. it is no longer part of the Qur’an].

… A’ishah said: