Du’a of the Qur’an Part 9: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned during 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 of Adam, as found in surah al-A’raaf:

ومن ذلك: دعاء آدم عليه السلام حين تاب إلى الله وتلقى منه هذه الكلمات هو وزوجه: ﴿قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ﴾[الأعراف: 23] فتوسلا بربوبية الله واعترافهم بالظلم، وإقرارهم بالذنب أن يغفر لهما؛ فيزيل عنهما المكاره كلها، وأن يرحمهما فيعطيهما أنواع المطالب، وأنه لا وسيلة لهما ولا ملجأ منه إلا إليه، وأنه لئن لم يرحمهما ويغفر لهما خسِرا الدنيا والآخرة؛ فقبل الله دعاءهما وغفر لهما ورحمهما. ـ

Another comprehensive du’a is the du’a of Adam when he repented to Allah and he and his wife received these words to say from Allah:

قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

The two of them said, “O our Lord, we have wronged ourselves and if You do not forgive us and have mercy towards us, we would certainly be among the losers!” [7:23]

They beseeched Allah to forgive them by referencing His Lordship, confessing to wrongdoing and recognizing their sin, so that He might lift all of the negative consequences from them and that He might show mercy to them and grant them various forms of good.

Do Not Deviate Regarding Allah’s Names: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah says in surah al-A’raaf:

وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

To Allah belong the beautiful Names so call on Him by them, and leave those who deviate regarding His Names. They will be repayed for what they used to do. [7:180]

Commenting on this, Imam Abu Muhammad al-Husayn al-Baghawi wrote:

قوله تعالى : ( ولله الأسماء الحسنى فادعوه بها ) قال مقاتل : وذلك أن رجلا دعا الله في صلاته ودعا الرحمن ، فقال بعض مشركي مكة : إن محمدا – صلى الله عليه وسلم – وأصحابه يدعون أنهم يعبدون ربا واحدا ، فما بال هذا يدعو اثنين؟ فأنزل الله – عز وجل – : ” ولله الأسماء الحسنى فادعوه بها ” . والحسنى تأنيث الأحسن كالكبرى والصغرى ، فادعوه بها . ـ

Regarding Allah’s statement:

وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا

To Allah belong the beautiful Names so call on Him by them …

Muqatil said:

That is for a person to call on Allah and to call on al-Rahman during His prayer, for some of the mushrikoon of Mecca used to said, “Muhammad and his followers claim that they only worship one lord, so then why do they call out to two?” Allah then revealed:

وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا

To Allah belong the beautiful Names so call on Him by them …

And the word al-husna is the feminine form of al-ahsan, similar in form to the words al-kubra and al-sughra.

فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا

… so call on Him by them …

What is the Injeel Mentioned in the Qur’an?: Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji

I, Abu Yaman Khalil, asked sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji (former professor of Tafsir at the Islamic University of al-Madinah) the following question:

س ـ السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته . سؤالي في اللفظ <الإنجيل> واستعماله في القرآن وإن كان تطلق على اكثر من شيء واحد في بعض المواضع دون بعض؟ هل اللفظ الانجيل في هذا الاية { الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ } تطلق على الانجيل نزل الله على عيسى عليه السلام ، أو تطلقها على الكتاب عند النصارى يسمونه الانجيل أو على غير ذلك؟

Question: al-salam ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaah wa barakaatuh.

I have a question about the word al-Injeel, how it is used in the Qur’an, and if it can be used to refer to more than one thing in different places? Is the word al-Injeel in this ayah:

الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ

Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Tawrah and the Injeel … [7:157]

used to refer to the Injeel that Allah revealed to ‘Eesaa, or is it used to refer to the scripture that the Christians have which they call the Injeel, or is it referring to something else?

ج ـ مصطلح “الإنجيل” قيل إنه من اللغة العبرية, أو السريانية, وقيل أيضا إنه لفظ عربي مشتق من الإظهار, أو الاستخراج، أو غيرهما. وفي صفة الصحابة، رضي الله عنهم “صدورهم أَناجِيلهم”. جمع إنجيل، واذا أطلق فهو اسم كتاب الله تعالى المنزل على عيسى عليه السلام وهو كتاب الله المنزل على عيسى عليه السلام، المرسل إلى بني إسرائيل بعد موسى عليهما السلام، فيه هدى،ونور. ـ

Response: Regarding the term al-Injeel, some say that it comes from the Hebrew or Syriac language. Others however say that it is an Arabic word whose root is related to making a declaration, bringing something out, or to some other meaning. And one description of the Sahabah is that, “their chests are their anajeel” which is the plural of Injeel.

This term is used as a name for Allah’s scripture which was revealed to ‘Eesaa. It is Allah’s Book which was revealed to ‘Eesaa who was sent to the Children of Israa’eel after Moosaa, and it contains guidance and light.

ولكنهم حرفوه ولم يحفظوه وكان واحدا فصار أربعة أناجيل، ولاينسبونها إلى المسيح وإنما إلى متى،ومرقص،ولوقا،ويوحنا. والنصارى اليوم يسمون الإنجيل بالعهد الجديد،والتوراة بالعهد القديم . ـ

However, they changed it and did not preserve it. It had been one, but then it became four Injeels which were no longer attributed back to the Messiah but instead were credited to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And the Christians today call the Injeel the New Testament and the Tawrah the Old Testament.

Key Points of ‘Aqeedah in Surah al-A’raaf: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah says in surah al-A’raaf:

إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ ۗ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then settled upon the throne. He covers the night with the day, chasing it rapidly. And the Sun, the Moon, and the stars – all are subjected to His command. He certainly owns the creation and holds authority. Blessed is Allah, Lord of all creation. [7:54]

Commenting on this in his book of tafsir, Imam Abu Muhammad al-Baghawi wrote:

قوله تعالى : ( إن ربكم الله الذي خلق السماوات والأرض في ستة أيام ) أراد به في مقدار ستة أيام لأن اليوم من لدن طلوع الشمس إلى غروبها ، ولم يكن يومئذ يوم ولا شمس ولا سماء ، قيل : ستة أيام كأيام الآخرة وكل يوم كألف سنة . وقيل : كأيام الدنيا ، قال سعيد بن جبير : كان الله – عز وجل – قادرا على خلق السماوات والأرض في لمحة ولحظة ، فخلقهن في ستة أيام تعليما لخلقه التثبت والتأني في الأمور وقد جاء في الحديث : ” التأني من الله والعجلة من الشيطان ” . ـ

Regarding His statement:

إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ

Your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six days …

What Allah means by this is: in a length of time equivalent to six days as a day runs, from the rising to the setting of the sun. And at the time of creation there was no such thing as a day, the sun or the sky yet.

Meanwhile, others have said that it means: six days like the days of the hereafter in which each day is like one thousand years.

However others have said that what is meant here is: the days of this world.

Sa’eed ibn Jubayr said, “Allah is completely able to create the heavens and the earth in a single second, but He created them in six days in order to teach His creation to be careful and steady in their actions.” And it is mentioned in a hadith, “Steadiness is from Allah and hastiness is from the shaytaan.”

Subtle Points Regarding the Punishments of Shu’aib’s People: Tafsir ibn Kathir

While discussing the story of Prophet Shu’aib in surah Hud, al-haafidh Ismaa’eel ibn Kathir mentioned:

قال الله تعالى : ( ولما جاء أمرنا نجينا شعيبا والذين آمنوا معه برحمة منا وأخذت الذين ظلموا ) وهم قومه ، ( الصيحة فأصبحوا في ديارهم جاثمين ) وقوله ( جاثمين ) أي : هامدين لا حراك بهم . وذكر هاهنا أنه أتتهم صيحة ، وفي الأعراف رجفة ، وفي الشعراء عذاب يوم الظلة ، وهم أمة واحدة ، اجتمع عليهم يوم عذابهم هذه النقم كلها . وإنما ذكر في كل سياق ما يناسبه ، ففي الأعراف لما قالوا : ( لنخرجنك ياشعيب والذين آمنوا معك من قريتنا ) [ الأعراف : 88 ] ، ناسب أن يذكر هناك الرجفة ، فرجفت بهم الأرض التي ظلموا بها ، وأرادوا إخراج نبيهم منها ، وهاهنا لما أساءوا الأدب في مقالتهم على نبيهم ناسب ذكر الصيحة التي أسكتتهم وأخمدتهم ، وفي الشعراء لما قالوا : ( فأسقط علينا كسفا من السماء إن كنت من الصادقين ) [ الشعراء : 189 ] ، قال ( فأخذهم عذاب يوم الظلة إنه كان عذاب يوم عظيم ) [ الشعراء : 189 ] ، وهذا من الأسرار الغريبة الدقيقة ، ولله الحمد والمنة كثيرا دائما . [ ص: 348 ] ـ

Allah’s statement:

وَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا

And when Our command came, We saved Shu’aib and those who believed with him, out of mercy from Us. And the shriek seized those who had wronged …

i.e. Shu’aib’s people

الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ

… and they became fallen prone within their homes. [11:94]

And Allah’s statement:

جَاثِمِينَ

fallen prone

i.e. lifeless and motionless.

Here, Allah mentioned that a loud shriek, while in surah al-A’raaf He mentioned an earthquake, and in surah al-Shu’araa’ He mentioned punishment on a dark day. They were just one nation, but on the day of their punishment all of these forms of punishment came together, but in each instance Allah only mentioned what was fitting for the context. So in surah al-A’raaf after the people said:

Etiquette of Supplication in Surah al-A’raaf: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah commands the believers at the end  of surah al-A’raaf by saying:

وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ وَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ الْغَافِلِينَ

And remember your Lord within yourself humbly and fearfully, without loudness in your speech, in the mornings and the evenings, and do not be one of the heedless ones. [7:205]

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

الذكر لله تعالى يكون بالقلب، ويكون باللسان، ويكون بهما، وهو أكمل أنواع الذكر وأحواله، فأمر الله عبده ورسوله محمدا أصلا وغيره تبعا، بذكر ربه في نفسه، أي: مخلصا خاليا. ـ

Remembering Allah can be done in one’s heart, on one’s tongue, or both – and doing both together is the best form and method of remembering Allah. Allah instructed His servant and messenger Muhammad – him as the standard and others following in his model – to remember his Lord within himself, that is: purely and devotedly.

تضرعا أي: متضرعا بلسانك، مكررا لأنواع الذكر، وخيفة في قلبك بأن تكون خائفا من الله، وجل القلب منه، خوفا أن يكون عملك غير مقبول، وعلامة الخوف أن يسعى ويجتهد في تكميل العمل وإصلاحه، والنصح به. ـ

تَضَرُّعًا

… humbly …

i.e. fervently with one’s tongue, repeating all forms of remembrance

وَخِيفَةً

… and fearfully …

in one’s heart, such that you would be fearful of Allah, one’s heart apprehensive of Him, afraid that your deeds would not be accepted. And one sign of this fear is that one would rush and strive to make his deeds complete, upright and sincerely for Allah.

Encouragement and Intimidation in the Qur’an: Tafsir ibn Kathir

Allah concludes surah al-An’aam by saying:

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Your Lord is certainly swift in punishment, and He is certainly forgiving and merciful. [6:165]

After commenting on the immediate meaning of this ayah, al-haafidh ibn Kathir took this opportunity to highlight a larger stylistic feature of the Qur’an:

وقوله : ( إن ربك سريع العقاب وإنه لغفور رحيم ) ترهيب وترغيب ، أن حسابه وعقابه سريع ممن عصاه وخالف رسله ( وإنه لغفور رحيم ) لمن والاه واتبع رسله فيما جاءوا به من خير وطلب . ـ

This statement contains both incitement through intimidation and incitement through encouragement: that Allah’s reckoning and punishment is swift for those who disobey Him and oppose His messengers

وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

and He is certainly forgiving and merciful

to those who align themselves with Him and follow His Messenger in the goodness and  that they have brought and what they command.

وكثيرا ما يقرن تعالى في القرآن بين هاتين الصفتين ، كما قال تعالى : وقوله : ( نبئ عبادي أني أنا الغفور الرحيم وأن عذابي هو العذاب الأليم ) [ الحجر : 49 ، 50 ] ، وقوله : ( وإن ربك لذو مغفرة للناس على ظلمهم وإن ربك لشديد العقاب ) [ الرعد : 6 ] وغير ذلك من الآيات المشتملة على الترغيب والترهيب ، فتارة يدعو عباده إليه بالرغبة وصفة الجنة والترغيب فيما لديه ، وتارة يدعوهم إليه بالرهبة وذكر النار وأنكالها وعذابها والقيامة وأهوالها ، وتارة بهذا وبهذا لينجع في كل بحسبه . جعلنا الله ممن أطاعه فيما أمر ، وترك ما عنه نهى وزجر ، وصدقه فيما أخبر ، إنه قريب مجيب سميع الدعاء ، جواد كريم وهاب . ـ

Allah frequently pairs these two qualities and mentions them in conjunction throughout the Qur’an. Take for instance His statement:

Two Kinds of People and How to Deal with Them: Tafsir ibn Kathir

Allah issues the following command in surah al-A’raaf:

خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ

Take what is given freely, command the good, and turn away from the ignorant. [7:199]

In part of his tafsir of this ayah, al-haafidh Ismaa’eel ibn Kathir mentioned:

وقال بعض العلماء : الناس رجلان : فرجل محسن ، فخذ ما عفا لك من إحسانه ، ولا تكلفه فوق طاقته ولا ما يحرجه . وإما مسيء ، فمره بالمعروف ، فإن تمادى على ضلاله ، واستعصى عليك ، واستمر في جهله ، فأعرض عنه ، فلعل ذلك أن يرد كيده ، كما قال تعالى : ( ادفع بالتي هي أحسن السيئة نحن أعلم بما يصفون وقل رب أعوذ بك من همزات الشياطين وأعوذ بك رب أن يحضرون ) [ المؤمنون : 96 – 98 ]ـ

One of the scholars said:

There are two kinds of people: 1) The first is a good person. Accept the good behavior that he freely shows to you and don’t charge him with anything above his ability or make things difficult for him.

As for 2) the bad person, then enjoin him to do good, but if he continues in his misguided ways and is unresponsive to your attempts, instead persisting in his ignorant behavior, then turn away from him. Perhaps that will foil his schemes, as Allah said:

Those Who Threw Off the Guidance that Allah Gave Them: Tafsir al-Sa’di

Allah says in surah al-A’raaf:

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِي آتَيْنَاهُ آيَاتِنَا فَانسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ * وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَاهُ بِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ ۚ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث ۚ ذَّٰلِكَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۚ فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ * سَاءَ مَثَلًا الْقَوْمُ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَأَنفُسَهُمْ كَانُوا يَظْلِمُونَ * مَن يَهْدِ اللَّـهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِي ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ

Recite to them the news of the one to whom We gave Our signs, but he threw that off and so the shaytaan followed him up, so he was one of those who went astray. * And if We had wished, We could have raised him up by them, but he clung to the earth and followed his desire. The likes of this one is the likes of a dog: if you drive it away it pants and if you leave it alone it pants. Those are the likes of the people who deny Our signs. So relate this story so that they might reflect. * What an evil likeness – the people who denied Our signs and used to wrong themselves. * Whoever Allah guides, then he is the guided one, and whoever Allah leads astray, then they are the losers. [7:175-178]

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

يقول تعالى لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم: وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِي آتَيْنَاهُ آيَاتِنَا أي: علمناه كتاب اللّه، فصار العالم الكبير والحبر النحرير. فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ أي: انسلخ من الاتصاف الحقيقي بالعلم بآيات اللّه، فإن العلم بذلك، يصير صاحبه متصفا بمكارم الأخلاق ومحاسن الأعمال، ويرقى إلى أعلى الدرجات وأرفع المقامات، فترك هذا كتاب اللّه وراء ظهره، ونبذ الأخلاق التي يأمر بها الكتاب، وخلعها كما يخلع اللباس. فلما انسلخ منها أتبعه الشيطان، أي: تسلط عليه حين خرج من الحصن الحصين، وصار إلى أسفل سافلين، فأزه إلى المعاصي أزا. فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ بعد أن كان من الراشدين المرشدين. ـ

Allah is telling His Prophet:

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِي آتَيْنَاهُ آيَاتِنَا

Recite to them the news of the one to whom We gave Our signs

i.e. We taught this person the Book of Allah and so he became a major scholar and learned religious leader

فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ

but he threw that off and so the shaytaan followed him up

Iblees’ Promise to Misguide Mankind: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah recounts the story of Adam and Iblees in surah al-A’raaf, including in the following ayaat. This passage begins with Allah addressing Iblees by saying:

قَالَ فَاهْبِطْ مِنْهَا فَمَا يَكُونُ لَكَ أَن تَتَكَبَّرَ فِيهَا فَاخْرُجْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ * قَالَ أَنظِرْنِي إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ * قَالَ إِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنظَرِينَ * قَالَ فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ * ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَائِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ

Allah said, “Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. So get out; indeed, you are of the debased. * Iblees said, “Reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected.” * Allah said, “Indeed, you are of those who are reprieved.” * Iblees said, “Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path. * Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful. [7:13-17]

In part of his commentary on these ayaat, the great mufassir Imam al-Baghawi wrote:

قوله تعالى : ( فما يكون لك أن تتكبر ) بمخالفة الأمر ، ( فيها ) أي : في الجنة ، فلا ينبغي أن يسكن في الجنة ولا السماء متكبر مخالف لأمر الله تعالى : ( فاخرج إنك من الصاغرين ) من الأذلاء ، والصغار : الذل والمهانة . ـ

Allah said:

فَمَا يَكُونُ لَكَ أَن تَتَكَبَّرَ

… for it is not for you to be arrogant …

in opposition to My command

فِيهَا

… therein.

meaning in Jannah, for it is not appropriate for a prideful opposer of Allah’s command to reside in Jannah or in the heavens