Assorted Qur’an Benefits #69

In addition to our regular article schedule, we also periodically share shorter benefits from the books of tafsir on our social media pages. The following benefits were originally posted on our Facebook and Telegram channels during the latter part of May 2021 and have been collected here on the website to give them a more permanent home:

♦ Sins Damage One’s Intellect

The great scholar ibn al-Qayyim once wrote:

 الْمَعَاصِيَ تُفْسِدُ الْعَقْلَ، فَإِنَّ لِلْعَقْلِ نُورًا، وَالْمَعْصِيَةُ تُطْفِئُ نُورَ الْعَقْلِ وَلَا بُدَّ، وَإِذَا طُفِئَ نُورُهُ ضَعُفَ وَنَقَصَ

Sins damage one’s intellect, for the intellect has a light and sins of course dim the intellect’s light. And when its light is dimmed, the intellect weakens and decreases.

[al-Jawab al-Kafi pg. 59]

♦ Better of Two Goods and Lesser of Two Evils

Sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah once wrote:

كما يقال: ليس العاقل الذي يعلم الخير من الشر؛ وإنما العاقل الذي يعلم خير الخيرين، وشر الشرين

As the saying goes, “The intelligent person isn’t he who knows good from evil; the intelligent person is he who knows which of two good things is better and which of two evil things is worse.”

[Majmoo’ al-Fatawa 20/54]

Assorted Qur’an Benefits #68

In addition to our regular article schedule, we also periodically share shorter benefits from the books of tafsir on our social media pages. The following benefits were originally posted on our Facebook and Telegram channels in May 2021 and have been collected here on the website to give them a more permanent home:

♦ Listening to the Qur’an vs Listening to Music

In one of his writings, ibn al-Qayyim wrote:

ولا يخفى على من له أدنى عقل، وحياة قلب، الفرق بين ذوق الآيات، وذوق الأبيات، وبين ذوق القيام بين يدي رب العالمين، والقيام بين يدي المغنين، وبين ذوق اللذة والنعيم بمعاني ذكر الله تعالى والتلذذ بكلامه، وذوق معاني الغناء، والتطريب الذي هو رقية الزنا، وقرآن الشيطان، والتلذذ بمضمونها فما اجتمع والله الأمران في قلب إلا وطرد أحدهما الآخر

No one with even the least intellect and a living heart fails to notice the difference between

-The sensation of Allah’s ayaat vs the sensation of lines of poetry

-The sensation of standing before the Lord of all creation [in prayer] vs standing before singers

-the sensation of enjoyment and pleasure at the meanings of Allah’s remembrance and taking pleasure in His words vs the sensation of the meanings and tones of music – which is the incantation of zina and the qur’an of the shaytaan – and taking pleasure in what they contain

For I swear by Allah, no one brings both of these things into his heart except that one of them will expel the other!

[Asrar al-Salat pg. 86]

♦ The Meaning of the Shahadah

Assorted Qur’an Benefits #67

In addition to our regular article schedule, we also periodically share shorter benefits from the books of tafsir on our social media pages. The following benefits were originally posted on our Facebook and Telegram channels in the latter part of May 2021 and the beginning of June 2021 and have been collected here on the website to give them a more permanent home:

♦ The Subtext of the Title “People of the Book”

Allah says in surah al-Ma’idah:

يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا

O People of the Book, Our messenger has come to you … [5:15 & 5:19]

While discussing Allah’s address of the Jews and Christians by this term “People of the Book”, sheikh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen said:

سمّاهم الله أهل كتاب لا إكراما لهم، ولكن إقامة للحجة عليهم؛ لأن أهل الكتاب هم الذين يجب عليهم أن يكونوا أول عاملٍ به، كما قال تعالى في أول سورة البقرة: ﴿ولا تكونوا أوَّل كافرٍ به ﴾”. ـ

Allah has called them “People of the Book” not to honor them but instead to establish a proof against them. That is because the People of the Book are those who should be the first to act according to it, just as Allah said at the beginning of surah al-Baqarah:

وَلَا تَكُونُوا أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍ بِهِ

And do not be the first to disbelieve in it [2:41]

[Tafsir Surah al-Ma’idah 1/211]

♦ Being Neither Misguided Nor Subject to Wrath

Assorted Qur’an Benefits #66

In addition to our regular article schedule, we also periodically share shorter benefits from the books of tafsir on our social media pages. The following benefits were originally posted on our Facebook and Telegram channels in the latter part of May 2021 and have been collected here on the website to give them a more permanent home:

♦ All-Mighty, Oft-Forgiving

Allah describes Himself near the opening of surah al-Zumar by saying:

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ يُكَوِّرُ اللَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى اللَّيْلِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ ۖ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۗ أَلَا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفَّارُ ‎

He has created the heavens and the earth with truth. He makes the night to go in the day and makes the day to go in the night. And He has subjected the sun and the moon. Each running for an appointed term. He is certainly the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving. [39:5]

Commenting on the Names that Allah selected, al-haafidh ibn Kathir wrote:

ـ ( ألا هو العزيز الغفار ) أي : مع عزته وعظمته وكبريائه هو غفار لمن عصاه ثم تاب وأناب إليه . ـ

“He is certainly the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving” i.e. despite His might, majesty, and greatness, He is Oft-Forgiving to whoever disobeys Him and then repents and turns back to Him.

[Tafsir ibn Kathir 7/87]

♦ Being Repaid for the Worst of What They Did

Allah says in surah Fussilat:

فَلَنُذِيقَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَسْوَأَ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

But We will surely cause those who disbelieve to taste a severe punishment, and We will surely recompense them for the worst of what they had been doing. [41:27]

Commenting on this, Imam al-Qurtubi wrote:

أي ولنجزينهم في الآخرة جزاء قبح أعمالهم التي عملوها في الدنيا . وأسوأ الأعمال الشرك .ـ

That is: In the hereafter We will surely repay them with a recompense of the shameful nature of the deeds which they did in this life. And the worst of deeds is shirk.

[Jaami’ li-Ahkam al-Qur’an 15/318]

Assorted Qur’an Benefits #65

In addition to our regular article schedule, we also periodically share shorter benefits from the books of tafsir on our social media pages. The following benefits were originally posted on our Facebook and Telegram channels in the last part of May 2021 and have been collected here on the website to give them a more permanent home:

♦ What Has the Qur’an Planted in Your Heart?

Imam al-Qurtubi includes the following statement in part of his tafsir of surah al-Shooraa:

 وكان مالك بن دينار يقول : يا أهل القرآن ، ماذا زرع القرآن في قلوبكم ؟ فإن القرآن ربيع القلوب كما أن الغيث ربيع الأرض

Malik ibn Dinar used to say, “O people of the Qur’an, what has the Qur’an planted in your hearts? For the Qur’an is the springtime of the hearts just as the rain is the springtime of the earth.”

[Jaami’ li-Ahkam al-Qur’an 16/52]

♦ Allah’s Mercy is Certainly Near to the Good-Doers

Allah says in surah al-A’raaf:

إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

Allah’s mercy is certainly near to the good-doers. [7:56]

Commenting on this, ibn Taymiyah wrote:

وإنما اختُصَّ أهل الإحسان بقُربِ الرحمة: لأنها إحسانٌ من الله أرحم الراحمين، وإحسانُهُ تبارك وتعالى إنما يكون لأهل الإحسان؛ لأن الجزاء من جنس العمل، وكلما أحسنوا بأعمالهم؛ أحسن لهم برحمته

The reason why Allah singled out the people of goodness for nearness to mercy is because that mercy is a form of goodness from Allah, the most merciful of those who show mercy and His goodness is only for the people of goodness, as rewards are commiserate with their deeds. So the more that people do good in their actions, the more that Allah will be good to them with His mercy.

[Majmoo’ al-Fatawa 15/27]

Assorted Qur’an Benefits #64

In addition to our regular article schedule, we also periodically share shorter benefits from the books of tafsir on our social media pages. The following benefits were originally posted on our Facebook and Telegram channels in the last part of April 2021 and have been collected here on the website to give them a more permanent home:

♦ Allah is Certainly Forgiving and Merciful

In part of surah al-Nahl – also sometimes referred to as the surah of blessings – Allah says:

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

And if you were to count the blessings of Allah, you would never be able to count them. Allah is certainly Forgiving and Merciful. [16:18]

Commenting on this, Imam al-Baghawi wrote:

ـ( إن الله لغفور ) لتقصيركم في شكر نعمه ، ( رحيم ) بكم حيث وسع عليكم النعم ، ولم يقطعها عنكم بالتقصير والمعاصي

“Allah is certainly Forgiving” of your shortcomings regarding gratitude for His blessings “Merciful” towards you such that He graciously extends blessings to you and does not cut those blessing off from you as a result of your shortcomings and sins.

[Tafsir al-Baghawi 5/14]

Assorted Qur’an Benefits #63

In addition to our regular article schedule, we also periodically share shorter benefits from the books of tafsir on our social media pages. The following benefits were originally posted on our Facebook and Telegram channels in the latter part of April 2021 and have been collected here on the website to give them a more permanent home:

♦ Not a Single Ayah That Gives More Hope Than …

The great mufassir Imam Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari included the following statement in his tafsir of surah al-Tawbah:

حدثنا ابن وكيع قال : حدثنا يزيد بن هارون عن حجاج بن أبي زينب قال : سمعت أبا عثمان يقول : ما في القرآن آية أرجى عندي لهذه الأمة من قوله : ( وآخرون اعترفوا بذنوبهم ) إلى : ( إن الله غفور رحيم ) .ـ

… Hajjaj ibn Abi Zaynab said: I heard Abu ‘Uthman say:

In my opinion, there is not a single ayah in the Qur’an that gives more hope for this ummah than Allah’s statement:

وَآخَرُونَ اعْتَرَفُوا بِذُنُوبِهِمْ خَلَطُوا عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَآخَرَ سَيِّئًا عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ‎

And there are others who have acknowledged their sins. They had mixed a righteous deed with another that was bad. Perhaps Allah will turn to them in forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. [9:102]

[Tafsir al-Tabari 14/452-453]

Assorted Qur’an Benefits #61

The following short benefits from the books of tafsir and related works were originally published on the Tulayhah social media channels during the first part of April 2021. We have gathered them here on the Tulayhah website to give them a more permanent home.

♦ Drawing Our Attention to Something Greater

In surah al-Rahman, Allah describes the people of Jannah by saying:

مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَىٰ فُرُشٍ بَطَائِنُهَا مِنْ إِسْتَبْرَقٍ

Reclining on beds whose insides are made of silk brocade … [55:54]

Ibn Kathir commented on this by saying:

فنبه على شرف الظهارة بشرف البطانة . وهذا من التنبيه بالأدنى على الأعلى .ـ

Allah informed us of the excellence of the outside by mentioning the excellence of the inside. This is an example of using something lesser to draw our attention to something greater.

[Tafsir ibn Kathir 7/507]

Assorted Qur’an Benefits #60

The following short benefits from the books of tafsir and related works were originally published on the Tulayhah social media channels during the latter part of March 2021. We have gathered them here on the Tulayhah website to give them a more permanent home.

♦ The Stinginess of One’s Soul

Allah says in surah al-Hashr:

وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul – it is those who will be successful. [59:9]

Commenting on this in his book of tafsir, ibn ‘Atiyyah wrote:

 شح النفس فقر لا يذهبه غنى المال بل يزيده ـ

The stinginess of one’s own soul is a type of poverty which wealth cannot remove. In fact, wealth increases it!

[al-Muharrar al-Wajeez 8/268, as found in sheikh Faysal Aal Mubarak’s explanation of Riyadh al-Saliheen 1/371]

♦ The Appropriate Times for Gentleness and Harshness

Allah says in surah al-Ma’idah:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَن يَرْتَدَّ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّـهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ يُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّـهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

O you who believe, whoever of you leave your religion, then Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him – humble toward the believers, powerful towards the disbelievers. They strive in the way of Allah and do not fear the blame of any blamer. That is a bounty of Allah which He gives to whomever He wills. And Allah is Generous, All-Knowing.[5:54]

After mentioning a number of similar ayaat in his explanation of this ayah, sheikh Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shinqitee then wrote:

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