The Passing Nature of this Life: Tafsir al-Tabari

Allah presents the following comparison in surah al-Kahf :

وَاضْرِ‌بْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَاءٍ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الْأَرْ‌ضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُ‌وهُ الرِّ‌يَاحُ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرً‌ا

And strike an example of the life of this world: It is like water which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it. Then it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allah holds power over all things [18:45]

The great mufassir imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari mentioned the following in part of his explanation of this ayah:

يقول : فلا يفخر ذو الأموال بكثرة أمواله ، ولا يستكبر على غيره بها ، ولا يغترن أهل الدنيا بدنياهم ، فإنما مثلها مثل هذا النبات الذي حسن استواؤه بالمطر ، فلم يكن إلا ريث أن انقطع عنه الماء ، فتناهى نهايته ، عاد يابسا تذروه الرياح ، [ ص: 31 ] فاسدا ، تنبو عنه أعين الناظرين ، ولكن ليعمل للباقي الذي لا يفنى ، والدائم الذي لا يبيد ولا يتغير .ـ

Allah is saying: So no one with wealth should exult in the abundance of wealth he has, nor should he feel exalted above others because of it. And those living well in this world should not be deceived by the worldly life they are enjoying.

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Central Themes of Surah al-Baqarah: Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool

In a discussion on the connections between different sections of individual surahs, Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool provided an example in this quick outline of the contents of surah al-Baqarah:

مثال آخر: الآيات من آية رقم ( ١)، إلى الآية رقم ( ٢٠ ) من سورة البقرة تعتبر المقدمة بالنسبة لمحتوى السورة، حيث وصف القرآن بما هو أهله، ووصف متبعيه ومخالفيه كلا بما يستحقه. ـ

Another example of the relationships between different groups of ayaat to one another within a surah comes in surah al-Baqarah^[1].

Ayaat 1-20 can be considered as an introduction to the contents of this surah as it describes the Qur’an in the way that it deserves and characterizes the followers and violators of the Qur’an in ways appropriate for each of them.

ثم يأت المقصد الأول من آية رقم ( ٢١-٢٥ ) في دعوة الناس كافة إلى الإسلام. ـ

Then we come to the first section, from ayah 21-25, which is inviting all of mankind to Islam.

ثم يأت المقصد الثاني من آية رقم (٤٠ -١٦٢ ) في دعوة أهل الكتاب، دعوة خاصة إلى ترك باطلهم والدخول في هذا الدين الحق. ـ

Then we come to the second section, from ayah 40-162, which is inviting the Ahl al-Kitab. More specifically, it is inviting them to abandon their false beliefs and enter into this religion of truth.

A Recurring Sequence in the Qur’an: al-Zarkashi

Muhammad al-Zarkashi, the author of a famous work on ‘uloom al-Qur’an, mentioned the following point of benefit therein:

وَعَادَةُ الْقُرْآنِ الْعَظِيمِ إِذَا ذَكَرَ أَحْكَامًا ذَكَرَ بَعْدَهَا وَعْدًا وَوَعِيدًا لِيَكُونَ ذَلِكَ بَاعِثًا عَلَى الْعَمَلِ بما سبق ثم يذكر آيات التوحيد والتنزيه لِيُعْلَمَ عِظَمُ الْآمِرِ وَالنَّاهِي . وَتَأَمَّلْ سُورَةَ الْبَقَرَةِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْمَائِدَةِ وَغَيْرَهَا تَجِدْهُ كَذَلِكَ . ـ

A recurring feature of the Qur’an is that when it mentions some legislative rulings, it will then follow that up with a promise and/or a threat so that this could be an incentive to act on what was just mentioned. It will then mention verses on the subject of Allah’s sole right to be worshiped and His freedom from any faults or defects in order that the greatness of the One sending these commands and prohibitions might be known.

Consider surah al-Baqarah, al-Nisaa’, al-Maa’idah and others as well and you will find this pattern.

[al-Burhan fee al-‘Uloom al-Qur’an pg. 40]

See also: Connections and Links between Surahs: al-Zarkashi

See also: ‘Ilm al-Munasabat and its Proper Place: Sheikh Saalih Aal al-Sheikh

See also: How to Contemplate the Qur’an: Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool

Read more posts about al-munaasabaat, or the connections and relationships among ayaat and surahs, here.

How to Contemplate the Qur’an: Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool

Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool, a professor at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca, wrote the following on his social media:

كيف تتدبر القرآن ؟ ـ

How to Contemplate the Qur’an

ـ ∆ إذا قرأت آية فاعرف معناها … ثم تساءل ماذا يريد الله أن يعلمك بهذه الآية ! ـ

Whenever you read an ayah, first become acquainted with its meaning, and then ask yourself: What is it that Allah wants to teach me with this ayah?

ـ ∆ إذا قرأت آية فيها قصة تفكر في العبرة من هذه القصة وما المقصود منها ! ـ

Whenever you read an ayah that contains a story, contemplate what the lesson from this story is and what is its purpose.

ـ ∆ إذا قرأت الآية فانظر إلى ألفاظها … واسأل نفسك : لماذا جاءت الآية بهذا اللفظ بدلا من غيره … لماذا جاء التعبير بهذا التركيب دون غيره …. وتمسك بيدك مطالع العلوم … ـ

Whenever you read an ayah, look at its wording and ask yourself: why does this ayah use this wording instead of something else? Why is this expression used here, with this word order, rather than something else? So grab hold of the rungs of the ladder to knowledge.

Connections and Links between Surahs: al-Zarkashi

In his well-known manual of the Qur’anic sciences, Burhan fee ‘Uloom al-Qur’an, sheikh Badr al-Deen al-Zarkashi dedicated an early chapter to the discussing the munasabat, or relationships and connections between different verses and surahs of the Qur’an. After defining the topic, discussing some of its history and mentioning some of the different opinions regarding this field of study, he wrote the following:

قال : والذي ينبغي في كل آية أن يبحث أول كل شيء عن كونها مكملة لما قبلها أو مستقلة ، ثم المستقلة ما وجه مناسبتها لما قبلها ؟ ففي ذلك علم جم ، وهكذا في السور يطلب وجه اتصالها بما قبلها وما سيقت له ” . ـ

He [Wali al-Deen al-Malwi] said:

What one ought to do with every ayah is first to look at whether this functions as a completion of what came before it of as an independent ayah on its own. Then, if it is an independent ayah on its own, how does it relate to the ayah before it? There is considerable knowledge to be found in this. And it is like this for the surahs too; one should look for how each is linked to what preceded it and how it supports it.

The Themes of Surah Qaaf and When to Recite it: Tafsir ibn Kathir

In the beginning of his explanation of surah Qaaf, after discussing how the Sahabah used to divide their reading of the Qur’an, al-haafidh Ismaa’eel ibn Kathir mentioned a number of narrations about when the Prophet used to recite surah Qaaf and its major themes:

قال الإمام أحمد : حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن مهدي ، حدثنا مالك ، عن ضمرة بن سعيد ، عن عبيد الله بن عبد الله ; أن عمر بن الخطاب سأل أبا واقد الليثي : ما كان رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – يقرأ في العيد ؟ قال : بقاف ، واقتربت . ـ

Imam Ahmad relayed … that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab asked Abu Waaqid al-Laythi, “What did Allah’s Messenger used to recite for the ‘Eid?” He replied, “Qaaf (50) and Iqtarabat [i.e. surah al-Qamar (54)].”

ورواه مسلم وأهل السنن الأربعة ، من حديث مالك ، به . وفي رواية لمسلم عن فليح عن ضمرة ، عن عبيد الله ، عن أبي واقد قال : سألني عمر ، فذكره . ـ

Muslim and the authors of the four Sunan relayed a hadith from Maalik to this effect. And in the narration of Muslim … on the authority of Abu Waaqid, who said, “‘Umar asked me…” and then he mentioned the rest of the hadith.

حديث آخر : وقال أحمد : حدثنا يعقوب ، حدثنا أبي ، عن ابن إسحاق ، حدثني عبد الله بن محمد بن أبي بكر بن عمرو بن حزم ، عن يحيى بن عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن بن سعد بن زرارة ، عن أم هشام بنت حارثة قالت : لقد كان تنورنا وتنور النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – واحدا سنتين ، أو سنة وبعض سنة ، وما أخذت ( ق والقرآن المجيد ) إلا على لسان رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – كان يقرؤها كل يوم جمعة على المنبر إذا خطب الناس . ـ

رواه مسلم [ أيضا ] من حديث ابن إسحاق ، به . ـ

In another hadith, Ahmad relayed … that Umm Hishaam ibn Haarithah said:

‘Ilm al-Munasabat and its Proper Place: Sheikh Saalih Aal al-Sheikh

Sheikh Saalih Aal al-Sheikh, current minister of Islamic Affairs for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, mentioned what follows in part of a lecture entitled discussing thematic tafsir of the Qur’an:

فما المقصود بعلم مقاصد السور؟ معلوم أن الله جل جلاله هو الذي تكلم بهذا القرآن وأن القرآن كلامه ﴿وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُ﴾ فالقرآن كلام الرب جل جلاله، ومقاصد السور يُعنى بها عند أهل هذا العلم: الموضوعات التي تدور عليها آيات سورة ما. يعني أن سورة من السور التي في القرآن أو أن معظم السور أو كل السور لها موضوع تدور عليه الآيات والمعاني التي في هذه السورة، إذا عُلم هذا المقصد؛ يعني هذا الغرض هذا الموضوع، فإن فهم التفسير سيكون سهلا، بل سيفهم المرء كلام الأولين، وسيفهم كلام المحققين بأكثر مما إذا أخذ الآيات مجردة عن موضوع السورة كما سيأتي في مثال نستعرضه إن شاء الله تعالى. ـ

What do we mean by “the study of the themes of surahs”? We all know that Allah is the One who spoke this Qur’an and that the Qur’an is His speech:

وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُ

And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah. Then deliver him to his place of safety [9:6]

So the Qur’an is the speech of the Lord, and according to experts in this field, what is meant by the “major themes of the surahs” are the topics and subjects which the ayaat are centered around. Meaning, at least one of the Qur’anic surahs, or most of them, or even all of them have certain topics which their ayaat are centered around and certain meanings which the surah contains. So if this theme or this objective or this point is known, then understanding the meanings of the surah becomes easy. Even more than that, a person will be much better able to understand the statements of the early generations as well as those of the later-day scholars who weigh the various opinions compared to if he had just looked at the individual ayaat themselves without knowing the larger theme of the surah, as we will see by looking at some examples, inshaAllaah.*

وأصلا في بحث مقاصد السور لم يكن بحثه في تاريخ العلم مبكرا، فإنما بحث قبله بُحث يسمى المناسبات، والعلماء اختلفوا في موضوع المناسبات، ويعنون بها مناسبات الآي؛ هل الآية هذه جاءت بعد الآية لمناسبة؟ هل بين الآية الأولى والثانية رابط؟ والثانية والثالثة بينها مناسبة؟ هل هذه الآيات في نظامها بينها وبين موضوع السورة اتصال؟ هذا يبحث في علم التفسير ويبحث في إعجاز القرآن، ولهذا عد طائفة من العلماء أن من وجوه إعجاز القرآن، وهو المنزل آية وبرهان ومعجز للخلق أجمعين، أنّ من وجوه الإعجاز أن يكون للسورة موضوع تدور عليه، وأن يكون بين الآيات ترابط هذه الآية بعد تلك، هذه القصة بعد تلك لغرض معلوم. ـ

The start of investigating the maqaasid al-suwar [themes/objectives of surahs] did not begin at the earliest stages of Islamic scholarship. The research in this area that preceded this was known as “al-munasabat” [relationships, links, connections], and there are different views among the scholars regarding the subject of munasabat.

And when one talks about the munasabat of some ayaat, what they mean is: did this ayah come after that ayah for a certain reason? Is there a link between the first ayah and the second one? Or a relationship between the second and the third? Is there some sort of connection between the ordering of these ayaat and the theme of the surah as a whole?

The Themes and Contents of Surah Maryam: ibn Taymiyah

Sheikh al-Islaam ibn Taymiyah wrote the following words discussing the major themes of surah Maryam and outlining its contents. We would recommend reading this article with a Qur’an close by in order to better follow the different themes and topics mentioned:

سورة مريم قال شيخ الإسلام رحمه الله فصل ” سورة مريم ” مضمونها : تحقيق عبادة الله وحده وأن خواص الخلق هم عباده فكل كرامة ودرجة رفيعة في هذه الإضافة وتضمنت الرد على الغالين الذين زادوا في النسبة إلى الله حتى نسبوا إليه عيسى بطريق الولادة والرد على المفرطين في تحقيق العبادة وما فيها من الكرامة وجحدوا نعم الله التي أنعم بها على عباده المصطفين . ـ

Surah Maryam includes the following topics:

Affirming worship for Allah alone, and that the best of creation were those who devotedly worshiped Him. For every honor and elevated station lies in this relationship of the creation worshiping the Creator.

This surah also includes a rebuttal of those fanatical people who claim various additional and higher forms of relationship with Allah, to such an extent that they link ‘Eesaa (Jesus) directly to Him as an offspring.

It also includes a refutation of those who go to extremes in their affirmation of sevanthood and who deny the various blessings – such as the miracles given to righteous people – which Allah has bestowed upon His chosen servants.

افتتحها بقوله : { ذكر رحمة ربك عبده زكريا } وندائه ربه نداء خفيا وموهبته له يحيى ثم قصة مريم وابنها وقوله : { إني عبد الله } . . إلخ بين فيها الرد على الغلاة في المسيح وعلى الجفاة النافين عنه ما أنعم الله به عليه ; ثم أمر نبيه بذكر إبراهيم وما دعا إليه من عبادة الله وحده ونهيه إياه عن عبادة الشيطان وموهبته له إسحاق ويعقوب وأنه جعل له لسان صدق عليا وهو الثناء الحسن وأخبر عن يحيى وعيسى وإبراهيم ببر الوالدين مع التوحيد وذكر موسى وموهبته له أخاه هارون نبيا كما وهب يحيى لزكريا وعيسى لمريم وإسحاق لإبراهيم . ـ

Allah begins this surah by saying:

ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ عَبْدَهُ زَكَرِيَّا

a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariyyah [19:2]

and his calling His Lord with a private supplication, and Allah’s granting him Yahya, and then the story of Maryam and her son, and that son’s statement:

إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّـهِ

Indeed, I am a servant of Allah… [19:30]

until the end of the story. In this part of the surah, Allah makes a clear refutation against those who go to extremes regarding the Messiah, as well as rebutting those ill-mannered ones who deny the various blessings which Allah did bestow upon him.

An Example of Reconciling Different Explanations from the Salaf: Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool

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

مثال لتفسير الصحابي: ابن عمر رضي الله عنه، وتفسير لرجل من أتباع أتباع التابعين الفضيل بن عياض رحمه الله في قوله تعال: (لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا)؛ ـ

Here is an example of the tafsir of a Companion is that of ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), as well as the tafsir from someone of the generation of the Atbaa’ al-Taabi’een, al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyyaadh (may Allah have mercy on him), regarding Allah’s statement:

لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

that He may test you, which of you is best in deed [67:2]

روي عن ابن عمر وجاء مرفوعا و لا يصح، أنه قال: “(وأحسن عَمَلًا): أَحْسَنُ عَقْلًا، وَأَوْرَعُ عَنْ مَحَارِمِ اللَّهِ، وَأَسْرَعُ فِي طَاعَةِ الله”. وقال الفضيل بْنُ عِيَاضٍ: أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا أَخْلَصُهُ وَأَصْوَبُهُ. ـ

It is transmitted from ibn ‘Umar – and it has also been attributed to the Prophet, though not authentically – that he explained:

 أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

… best in deed

to mean, “best in intellect, most detached from that which Allah has forbade, and quickest to obey Allah.” While al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyyaadh explained it as, “Best in deed – that is, the most sincere and correct of deeds.”

Overview of Surah al-Insaan: Ibn Taymiyah

Sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah began a long discussion of the different parts of surah al-Insaan [76] by providing this general overview of the surah‘s contents:

اعلم أن سورة هل أتى على الإنسان سورة عجيبة الشأن من سور القرآن على اختصارها فإن الله سبحانه ابتدأها بذكر كيفية خلق الإنسان من النطفة ذات الأمشاج والأخلاط التي لم يزل بقدرته ولطفه وحكمته يصرفه عليها أطوارا وينقله من حال إلى حال إلى أن تمت خلقته وكملت صورته فأخرجه إنسانا سويا سميعا بصيرا . ـ

You should know that surah al-Insaan is one of the amazing surahs of the Qur’an despite its brevity. For Allah the Exalted begins this surah by mentioning how He creates the human being from a mixed sperm drop which, by His Might, Benevolence and Wisdom, He takes through a number of stages of development, moving from one condition to the next until its creation is finished and it is fully formed. Then He brings it forth as a well-formed, hearing, seeing, human being.

ثم لما تكامل تمييزه وإدراكه هداه طريقي الخير والشر والهدى والضلال وأنه بعد هذه الهداية إما أن يشكر ربه وإما أن يكفره . ـ

Then when man’s discernment and understanding have fully developed, Allah guides him to the two paths of either good or evil, guidance or misguidance. After this guidance, man is either grateful to his Lord or ungrateful towards Him.