Ayah 11

Wa-itha qeela lahum la tufsidoo fee al-ardi qaloo innama nahnu muslihoona

Usual translation: When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth", they say: "Why, we only want to make peace!"

Wa-itha qeela lahum la tufsidoo fee al-ardi

When it is said to them: Do not cause corruption on the earth

Whatever you do that is not genuine is corruption, even if they are doing good deeds but they are not genuine, It is still corrupt…

If someone builds a mosque for the wrong reasons, fights and legal tussles could result in the end because even though the outside of the deed looks good, the inside is corrupt.

Part of the corruption here is also that they will conspire with non-muslims against the muslims.

qaloo innama nahnu muslihoona

They cover their cowardice with a façade of peace. They go to the Quraish in the guise that they are trying to make peace but they conspire with them against the muslims…

This is another manifestation of the lies, another thing worth noting is that hypocrites are always willing to declare their self-righteousness…. We just want to make peace.

Ayah 12

Ala innahum humu almufsidoona walakin la yashAAuroona

Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realize (it) not.

Ala innahum humu almufsidoona walakin la yashAAuroona

You had better known, they are the ones that are the real causes of corruption, but they have no realization.

They have no realization that they are the ones that the root causes of corruption.

We continue with the exploration of the hypocrites as they move from self righteousness and their hatred is exposed.....

End of Ayah 6-12

Comments and Questions are welcome...

Tbaba, good job. May Allah reward you.

E_monkey: Tbaba, good job. May Allah reward you.

JazakAllahu Khair

In the preceding ayat, the first that was mentioned about the hypocrites by Allah is that there is a disease in their heart.

Now when they are criticized, they are not criticized for what they have in their hearts because that is impossible. What is said to them is a matter of action :

‘Do not cause corruption in the land” . That is because action can be judged.

This further reinforces the idea that a disease in the heart like hypocrisy is not up to us to judge but if someone is clearly engaged in corrupt action, It needs to be called out and a typical hypocritical response is a self-righteous one…

Ayah 13


Wa-itha qeela lahum aminoo kama amana alnnasu qaloo anu/minu kama amana alssufahao ala innahum humu alssufahao walakin la yaAAlamoona

Usual translation (Yusuf Ali): When it is said to them: "Believe as the others believe" they say: "Shall we believe as the fools believe?" Nay, of a surety they are the fools, buy they do not know.

Wa-itha qeela lahum aminoo kama amana alnnasu

When it is said to them: believe as everyone else

Then the next thing that is said to them is, If your iman(faith) and our iman is the same…. (Obviously if what is on the inside is the same , what is on the outside should be the same)… It is the same seed of faith… We are all brothers, come on you can do it also… It is not that hard, everyone can do it..

Now, this is a statement of brotherhood and camaraderie, they are almost being encouraged..

They are not being pushed away or labeled… The language here is positive…

The response gets worse, the first response was self-righteousness but now their hatred and the attitude of being condescending and arrogant to the other is exposed..

So they say

qaloo anu/minu kama amana alssufahao

they say: Should we believe like these fools have believed?

Their response is to call those who have made sacrifices stupid….

Now, the people in medina came into Islam in a way that is very different to those who were in mecca .

When the people of Mecca accepted Islam, all they had was trouble.. There was no worldly benefit for coming into Islam in Mecca. You lose family and tribal ties, You lose respect.. You get boycotted, you get physically and verbally assaulted, you lose your home and you have to migrate.

In Medina, the muslims are a force, they are a rising force… They are in a position of social recognition and power… As they are on a rise, their Islam is not tested as the muslims in Mecca… It is a lot easier to become muslim in medina…

So even if you come into Islam for genuine reasons, it still hasn’t been put to the test yet.

The ones being highlighted are those that saw Islam in a rising power, so joining the winning team means we will get a share in some of the benefits… Now, when they are told that this faith is something that requires sacrifice, they look at those who left their home and made so much sacrifice for the faith as fools… Do you want us to be homeless like them?

So Allah responds to them:

ala innahum humu alssufahao walakin la yaAAlamoona

Listen up!! They are the ones that are the fools, however they have no knowledge..

Let’s tie it up,

In the beginning, one of the implications of believing in the unseen, is that they spend from what has been given to them because they believe without a doubt. They would not have spent that much if that wasn’t the case.

An example of spending is giving up their houses and homes, and everything they had for the sake of Allah and in loyalty to the messenger and migrating to a new land. Where you know, you have no stability and nowhere to turn to. You are going there only because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commands.

They are the greatest examples of those who know the truth for what it is…

So Allah says of the hypocrites calling these people fools, that: They are the ones that are the fools, however they have no knowledge..

They really don’t know, They do not know how stupid they have become for saying this…

Another thing to note is that, they insulted the companions of the prophet and called them fools and Allah responds directly to them. It is like insulting the companions is an offence to Allah, himself.

Now this happens in private settings, they call the believers fools in private settings,

In the next ayah, Allah shows what they say in public.. The next ayah is what happens in public settings…

Ayah 14

Wa-itha laqoo allatheena amanoo qaloo amanna wa-itha khalaw ila shayateenihim qaloo inna maAAakum innama nahnu mustahzi-oona

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): When they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe" but when they are alone with their evil ones they say: "We are really with you we; (were) only jesting.

Wa-itha laqoo allatheena amanoo qaloo amanna

When they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe"

Now in public, when they meet those who believe, they say we are believers…. These were the same people they called fools in private settings. So when someone comes to them in private and says : why are you not like everybody else…. They would respond: You want me to be like those fools…

In public when they meet the believers:

they say :
we are believers tooo,
Na we we,
We are with you guys


wa-itha khalaw ila shayateenihim

When they go back to their devils

These has two meanings

i. When they are by themselves, and their devils (jinn) surround them….

ii. It also means those they conspire with.. In this case, there were some among the Jews of medina that were conspiring against the prophet and the muslims..
Shayateen carry out their plans in secret… It also means to be overwhelmed with jealousy…. So when they go to these people they say something different..

qaloo inna maAAakum innama nahnu mustahzi-oona

They say: We are with you, no doubt about it, trust us, we are just humouring them

Basically they say: We are just joking when we are there…

This is what they say when they are with their friends

Again Allah responds to their secret/private discussion with these Shayateen..

Ayah 15

Allahu yastahzi-o bihim wayamudduhum fee tughyanihim yaAAmahoona

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): Allah will throw back their mockery on them and give them rope in their trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones (to and fro).

Allahu yastahzi-o bihim

Allah infact is the one that is poking fun at them..

Basically: Allah is the one that is humouring them along, letting them keep playing their game

wayamudduhum fee tughyanihim

and he extends them in their rebellion

In other words, this is Allah’s punishment for the hypocrite… He gives the hypocrite more and more opportunities to disobey…. Gives them a leash…

Example: Imagine a wild dog, if you put a short leash on it, It pulls at the leash but eventually it gives up…

Now put the same dog in a field and put a very long leash, the dog runs off as fast as it can, thinking it is free… When it is at top speed, it gets to the end of the leash and the leash pulls it back almost killing it. It causes its own destruction…

yaAAmahoona

and they have no clarity of direction..

Now people of belief have clarity of direction,
People of disbelief have clarity of direction
The hypocrite has no clarity, he doesn’t know where to turn.

Ayah 16

Ola-ika allatheena ishtarawoo alddalalata bialhuda fama rabihat tijaratuhum wama kanoo muhtadeena

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): These are they who have bartered guidance for error: but their traffic is profitless, and they have lost true direction.

Ola-ika allatheena ishtarawoo alddalalata bialhuda
Those infact are the people that have purchased misguidance selling off guidance

The concept of trade, purchasing and selling is a very powerful concept in the Quran.. Allah uses it to compare this world’s and the next world’s life , our priorities are compared using tradeoffs…

A sales person prefers cash to credit, He prefers cash because the rewards are immediate. Imagine you are offered two deals, one says cash now and the other says cash later. Business men will choose the cash now deal. Human beings when they understand trade, they understand that the better deal is the one you get right away.

Allah offers us a deal, I will give you paradise and everlasting youth, A house in a great neighbourhood, with great neighbours , with everlasting security and peace..

This payment is being offered to us at a later date… It is not cash, it is credit…

Now in credit, there is a level of trust involved…. If you are selling on credit, you have to trust the customer…

Allah is offering us this deal and if we take it up, We would have displayed an incredible amount of trust in Allah….

All you get from Allah is His word, : I will pay you a lot, i will take care of you… All you have to give me is your life and wealth

You ask: for how long

It is until you die…

You ask: When do I get my pay

After you die

Your payment begins after you die…

That is real long-term credit…

Now shaytan comes, Shaytan offers us a payment plan too… He says: If you give me your life and wealth…. You will get instant rewards….

Most human means that would rather choose cash over credit choose the world over the hereafter.

It take a lot of trust to choose the hereafter over world.

This terminology is used all the time in the Quran…

Now, the hypocrite was offered the credit deal by Allah but he chose misguidance which to them brought benefits right now and they gave up for guidance which would have brought benefits in the hereafter.

There were warding themselves away from harm that they thought will come now but failed to ward themselves away from harm that will last forever…

fama rabihat tijaratuhum

their trade didn’t materialize at all

Allah says their trade did not materialize at all, meaning they gave their part but did not receive on the other end…

And Allah gives the reason

wama kanoo muhtadeena
And they weren’t committed to guidance at all

The hypocrite pretends to be committed to guidance and Allah says, No they are not…

Then Allah gives an example

Ayah 17

Mathaluhum kamathali allathee istawqada naran falamma adaat ma hawlahu thahaba Allahu binoorihim watarakahum fee thulumatin la yubsiroona

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): Their similitude is that of a man who kindled a fire; when it lighted all around him, Allah took away their light and left them in utter darkness so they could not see.

Mathaluhum kamathali allathee istawqada naran

Their example can be compared to the likenesss of someone who lit a fire

Imagine someone in the middle of the night and there is darkness , people are lost and someone lit a fire.

Musa (Peace and blessings be upon him) was lost, he spots a fire now he knows where to go…

When a fire is lit, at least you are aware of your surroundings, where you are….

This is the example of the prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) who comes with the light of guidance, the light of the Quran.. He lit a blaze and in the middle of the dark, a light is now present…

Now the people can finally have some access to guidance…

falamma adaat ma hawlahu

It lit whatever was surrounding it

‘daat’ means light that has heat in it…

ma hawlahu thahaba Allahu binoorihim

Then Allah took away their noor (light)

There is a comparison between the kinds of light, one is heat and light, the other (Noor) is just light…

Noor in Arabic is used for several things including the eyes… It is used for your eyesight.. Our eyes reflect light that is how we see….

Now there is this hot light around them and the thing that is taken away is their own eyesight, What good is the light of guidance if they can’t see it… Allah took their sight away.

In other words, Revelation came, they came close to the revelation, they were not able to appreciate that revelation so Allah took the power of appreciation away… made them blind from it..

The example of the concept in Ayah 15 is given…

When Allah offers guidance, a good human listens to it and says i should take it seriously, what if they don’t?

Our body is made of muscles, when we do not exercise those muscles, they get weaker and weaker until we lose them… If you keep your eyes shut for 9 months, you go blind… if you stay. If you are bed-ridden for years without moving your legs, you lose the ability of your legs…

Allah gave us that ability to accept guidance, if we do not take advantage, after many opportunities, the ability to accept guidance gets weaker and weaker until your light is gone…

watarakahum fee thulumatin

And then he left him in multiple shades of darkness

It is not like they have just one problem, they have multiple problems.. they have hypocrisy, fear of creation, greed, anger, jealousy, materialism,
The have all these stuff, darkness upon darkness upon darkness.. Allah left them in that…

la yubsiroona
There are not going to be able to see after that,

It means: they can’see and they do not have insight anymore….

Then Allah continues

Ayah 18

Summun bukmun AAumyun fahum la yarjiAAoona

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): Deaf, dumb and blind; and they return not.

Summun

Deaf

The disadvantage of being deaf is that you cannot hear someone trying to help you,

Now you are lost and blind in the middle of desert with no light, at least you can hear someone…. But Allah says you can’t even hear them…

Bukmun

Mute

You are lost, blind and deaf… You cannot even cry out for help. Their ability to ask for guidance has been stripped from them.

AAumyun

Can’t see….

Allah took away their light and they are blind…. Now they wander into the darkness and they can’t even be seen…

They can’t hear and they can’t be heard, they can’t see and they can’t be seen

fahum la yarjiAAoona
And they are not going to return

The fire was lit and they were there, Allah took away their like so they wandered off … they would not be able to return to the light of guidance, the light of the Quran.

End Ayah 13-18

Comments and Questions are welcome

May Allah reward you abundantly. Very nice effort!! I am speechless!!

damas11111: May Allah reward you abundantly. Very nice effort!! I am speechless!!

JazakAllahu Khair

May Allah reward u for this good efforts amin . . . This is like a live tafsir of the Qur'an. Truly engaging and simple to read and understand!

vedaxcool: May Allah reward u for this good efforts amin . . . This is like a live tafsir of the Qur'an. Truly engaging and simple to read and understand!

Alhamdulilah...

JazakAllahu Khair

Now Allah described the case of the hypocrite, who was exposed to the light of guidance, took it for granted and as a result Allah took away their light and they wandered off... They have lost clarity of direction.... Deaf, they cannot hear the call for guidance, mute, they can't even call for help and blind, they can't see their way...

They get so far lost from guidance that they cannot no longer return.... They had the chance to make use of the light of guidance but they didn't, now they are lost and can not find their way back, completely abandoned.... They can not return back to the fire...

Later in the Surah, Allah talks about those that were pulled from darkness into light; here they had light and went into darkness..

Ayah 257 (rough translation (oxford translation): God is the ally of those who believe: He brings them out of the depths of darkness and into the light......

Allah presents another example in the next ayah

Ayah 19

Aw kasayyibin mina alssama-i feehi thulumatun waraAAdun wabarqun yajAAaloona asabiAAahum fee athanihim mina alssawaAAiqi hathara almawti waAllahu muheetun bialkafireena

Usually translated (Picktall):Or like a rainstorm from the sky, wherein is darkness, thunder and the flash of lightning. They thrust their fingers in their ears by reason of the thunder-claps, for fear of death, Allah encompasseth the disbelievers. (in His guidance)...

Aw kasayyibin mina alssama-i feehi thulumatun waraAAdun wabarqun

or like intense rain from the sky in which there is multiple shades of darkness, thunder and there is lightning

This parable should be compared to the last parable, in the dark of the desert, it gets very cold. The fire brings light and heat.... The guidance gives you direction and comfort(warmth) (heat) in the cold of the night...

The first example highlights an attribute of revelation that it is comforting because it provides you heat..

The second example is of something intense and hard...

Allah highlights something very important here, Revelation is two things, on the one side , it is soft and comforting and on the other side, it is also intense, tough, powerful and scary.

It can be both of these things... Now the other side of the coin is presented here, the other side of revelation is highlighted in the next parable....

Allah uses Heavy rain, thunder (scary) and lightning (also scary) because of what will come from the revelation that is intense and scary... Like the intense warnings in the Quran, things that will be scary in the revelation.

Now they are caught in the middle of those warnings, what do they do?

yajAAaloona asabiAAahum fee athanihim mina alssawaAAiqi hathara almawti

They stick their fingers into their ears because of the explosive (really loud) thunder claps for fear of death

Allah describes really really explosive thunder clap, the kind of thunder , that is deafening and it is continuous, it keeps happening .... It is so loud they have to stick their fingers into their ears because they are afraid they are going to die...

Now you are out in the dark, it is rainy heavy and the thunder is deafening, explosively loud.. It is so loud , they are terrified for their life...

What does this mean?

Allah says the hypocrite when the hypocrite hears the warning of the Quran, it is too depressing for him. Something in his heart says, yea, it is coming but he'd rather not hear that so he blocks it all out...

Imagine, you are speaking to him about death or the hereafter, he doesn't want to hear it....

He says: Can we change the topic? that is too depressing, I don't wanna talk about this..

So they stick their fingers in their ear...

Now, is sticking your fingers in your ears,a logical defense against death? If lightning strikes, that does nothing for them... Allah is alluding that not only have they lost their means to intellect, hearing, speking seeing... They have lost their intellect too... They have become illogical now..

waAllahu muheetun bialkafireena

And Allah has completely encircled disbelievers...

Allah has completely fenced them off, they can't escape this... Allah does not even call them hypocrites, He calls them disbelievers... As far as Allah is concerned, They are disbelievers.. Allah is the only one who can judge what is inside the heart. And inside the heart, if there is no conviction, there can only be kufr (disbelief)... There is nothing in between... On the outside, they are hypocrites, on the inside, Allah knows who they are and can call them disbelievers.

Later on in surah Taha (20) related to these parables, On the day of reckoning Allah says (rough translation):

and he will say, ‘master, why did You bring me here blind? I was sighted before!’ Allah will say, ‘This is how it is: You ignored Our revelations when they came to you, so today you will be ignores.’ (Surah 20: 124)

Allah described the one who ignored revelation as being raised up blind.... Here, it is just a parable but in reality, they will be raised blind...

May Allah not make us one of them...

Allah continues parable 2, describing hypocrites

Ayah 20

Yakadu albarqu yakhtafu absarahum kullama adaa lahum mashaw feehi wa-itha athlama AAalayhim qamoo walaw shaa Allahu lathahaba bisamAAihim waabsarihim inna Allaha AAala kulli shay-in qadeerun

Usual translationyusuf Ali):The lightning all but snatches away their sight; every time the light (helps) them, they walk therein and when the darkness grows on them, they stand still. And if Allah willed, He could take away their faculty of hearing and seeing; for Allah hath power over all things.

Yakadu albarqu yakhtafu absarahum

It is almost as if the lightning is going to snatch their eyes,

The light of revelation is so bright and brilliant that they are blinded by it....

kullama adaa lahum mashaw feehi

Every time, it lights up for them, they walk a little bit in it

Also means when it eases up for them, It is not like they don't follow revelation at all, they follow when it is convenient...

wa-itha athlama AAalayhim qamoo

When it falls dark upon them, they are left standing...

Everytime,hardship comes they are left standing....

walaw shaa Allahu lathahaba bisamAAihim waabsarihim inna Allaha AAala kulli shay-in qadeerun

Had Allah wanted, he could have taken away their ability to hear and see.. Certainly Allah is in complete control of all things

In the first parable, Allah did take their seeing and hearing away, In this case, at least, they are walking a little bit, It implies that they may have some hope,, Allah didn't take away their seeing and hearing... He only said, If He wanted, he could have... It is not too late for these brand of hypocrites... They can still find their way back...

So 1st parable, Hypocrite, who has no more hope
2nd parable, Hyocrite, who might still have some hope

SubhanAllah

Ayah 21

Ya ayyuha alnnasu oAAbudoo rabbakumu allathee khalaqakum waallatheena min qablikum laAAallakum tattaqoona

O ye people! adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and those who came before you, that ye may have the chance to learn righteousness.

Ya ayyuha alnnasu

People (all of humanity)

oAAbudoo rabbakumu

Worship and enslave yourselves completely to your master

Complete submission, there is no such thing as partial slavery... you can't be a slave part time.. Once you call yourself a self, it is a full time job...

Why is this ayah here?

The previous ayat spoke of sections of mankind, that pretended to go into slavery or went into slavery partially not wholly (when it is convenient)... So Allah makes the call again for the top. It is a call to all of us, are we truly enslaving ourselves completely to the master??...

allathee khalaqakum waallatheena min qablikum laAAallakum tattaqoona

The one who created all of you and the ones who came before you so that you may be able to protect yourselves

In the last two examples, there are attempts by people to protect themselves; 1st example: they are deaf,blind mute in the middle of the dark.... 2nd example: middle of a storm and completely surrounded...

Allah says Do you really want to protect yourselves? then enslave yourselves to your master... It is coming back to what the surah began with... The Muttaqun... Those who protect themselves....

Ayah 22

Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda firashan waalssamaa binaan waanzala mina alssama-i maan faakhraja bihi mina alththamarati rizqan lakum fala tajAAaloo lillahi andadan waantum taAAlamoona

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali):Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto Allah when ye know (the truth).

Allathee jaAAala lakumu al-arda firashan

The one who made the earth for you as a flooring,

waalssamaa binaan waanzala

and the sky as a ceiling...

This means the earth and the sky are supposed to be a form of protection like being in the confines of your home...

Now understand how it ties to the parables (i think this is so beautiful),

The first parable was about trouble on the earth, your are left on the earth stranded with no light..

The second parable was about trouble from the sky,

Allah is implying that originally if you were my slaves, the earth and sky are means of protection for you..

Then Allah say..

mina alssama-i maan faakhraja bihi mina alththamarati rizqan lakum

And He sent water down from the sky, and brought about all kinds of fruits as provision for all of you

Water again, Water was coming down in the parable too but it was coming down as part of destruction...

The sky and the earth work together so that you can eat..

fala tajAAaloo lillahi andadan

Then don't make competitors with Allah

Don't set up other competitors with Allah, Don't set up your greed, ego, pride, idols i.e outside and inside idols as competitors with Allah

waantum taAAlamoona

While you know very well..

this is contrasted with doubt, you have no doubt inside you, you know it and you are still not committing yourself...

Hypocrisy or lack of faith is rooted in two kinds of problem

i. Emotion
ii. Intellectual

i. Emotion: Here, you have temptations like greed, jealousy,ego, and these temptations get in the way of your faith... Even though you know the truth

ii. Intellectual: Here, you are genuinely not convinced, you are not sure it is the truth... that is an intellectual kind of problem...

When Allah says, you know very well.. He is talking about the hypocrites who know islam is the truth but let their emotions and temptations take them away..

After Allah speaks to the one who knows it is the truth in this ayah...

He moves to the one that is not intellectually convinced in the next ayah...

End Ayah 19-22

Alhamdulilah, Comments and questions are welcome...

Ma shAllah, may Allah save of from hypocrisy amin. Good work bro, keep it coming, may Allah continue to strengthen you amin

sino: Ma shAllah, may Allah save of from hypocrisy amin. Good work bro, keep it coming, may Allah continue to strengthen you amin

Amin, JazakAllahu Khair

In the previous ayah, Allah warned those who already know the truth but do not commit themselves to guidance. In the next ayah, Allah addresses people with doubts about this revelation.

Ayah 23

Wa-in kuntum fee raybin mimma nazzalna AAala AAabdina fa/too bisooratin min mithlihi waodAAoo shuhadaakum min dooni Allahi in kuntum sadiqeena

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali):And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Surah like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.

Wa-in kuntum fee raybin mimma nazzalna AAala AAabdina

And if it is the case that you are in any kind of doubt, of anything We have sent down to our slave

The discussion began with doubt... "there is no doubt whatsoevr'.... But if it is the case that you do not know, (Allah addressed those who knew in the previous ayah)...

Then Allah says

fa/too bisooratin min mithlihi

then bring a sura remotely like it

Allah says, bring anything even close to it.... Go ahead if you are in doubt

Important note: This is a medina ayah (other similar ayat are late meccan), meaning this is NOT the first approach towards giving dawah (inviting to Islam); I am also guilty of this... That is not the way the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave dawah... The vast majority of us do not understand how the prophet gave dawah.. Allah does not reveal this at the beginning of the dawah...

The original call of the Quran is to decency, to your own conscience, to make people understand their purpose in life, to make them look around and recognize evil for what it is.. These are the things we are supposed to call to....

When they have reached the point of no return and they are completely adamant in their lack of faith, then Allah says : Fine, go ahead, make your own sura...

This is basically Allah inviting them to their own destruction... If you are going to compete with what Allah revealed, you are sealing your own fate.

waodAAoo shuhadaakum min dooni Allahi in kuntum sadiqeena

And bring your witnesses other than Allah that you have if infact you are truthful

Testimony (Shuhada) and truth are put in the same ayah... Originally your own conscience is supposed to testify to the truth but since you have killed your conscience, go find your own witnesses then if you have your own version of the truth...

Ayah 24

Fa-in lam tafAAaloo walan tafAAaloo faittaqoo alnnara allatee waqooduha alnnasu waalhijaratu oAAiddat lilkafireena

Usual translation (yusuf Ali):[/b]But if ye cannot and of a surety ye cannot then fear the Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, which is prepared for those who reject Faith.

[b]Fa-in lam tafAAaloo

But if it is the case that you didn't do so

Allah uses the Past tense...

You didn't do so...

Meaning, is it not the case that so far you have already failed to do so.....

walan tafAAaloo

And you won't be able to do so...

Allah first comments on previous failures - first slap

And then assures them that they would never be able to do so - Second slap

Allah lets them know that they have been unable to do so thus far and you won't be able to

faittaqoo alnnara

Then go ahead and protect yourselves from the fire

Allah mentioned the muttaqun, -those who protect themselves, In ayah 21: Allah also speaks about protection.. This is the first time that there is an object to the verb...

The lack of object means it could be a number of things, protect yourself from indecency, from disappointing Allah... e.t.c... It could be any number of things... This is a common feature in Arabic.

These guys on the other hand are at the bottom of the barrel, the only left for them to protect themselves from is the fire... that is the minimum... that is the lowest

allatee waqooduha alnnasu waalhijaratu

Whose fuel is going to be people and stones...

Stones that people worship, Stones when they burn, they make lava which is an extremely hot flame ... People and the idols they worshiped will burn together... Later in the surah, we will learn that people's heart became hard as stones... and here those hard hearts are burning like stones... May Allah protect us from this..

oAAiddat lilkafireena

Prepared for those who disbelieved and were ungrateful..

After warning the people who know and still can't commit to guidance and those who do not know, and are adamant in misguidance. Allah congratulates those who chose the right trade; those who did not trade guidance for misguidance... Those who chose the credit deal...

Ayah 25

Wabashshiri allatheena amanoo waAAamiloo alssalihati anna lahum jannatin tajree min tahtiha al-anharu kullama ruziqoo minha min thamaratin rizqan qaloo hatha allathee ruziqna min qablu waotoo bihi mutashabihan walahum feeha azwajun mutahharatun wahum feeha khalidoona

Usually translated (Pickthal):: And give glad tidings (O Muhammad) unto those who believe and do good works; that theirs are Gardens underneath which rivers flow; as often as they are regaled with food of the fruit thereof, they say: this is what was given us aforetime; and it is given to them in resemblance. There for them are pure companions; there for ever they abide.

Wabashshiri allatheena amanoo waAAamiloo alssalihati

And You (the prophet(SAWS)) congratulate those who have come to faith, and have done the few righteous things expected of them

anna lahum jannatin tajree min tahtiha al-anharu

that they are going to have gardens, the bottom of which rivers are going to be flowing

Remember the trade, Allah is telling us here... Hey, congratulations you made a great sale, you are going to have gardens, multiple gardens...

If any of you have looked for a home to purchase, whether you looked online or you went around with a real estate agent.. What are the things that makes a home beautiful.... a great lawn and backyard, a pool, located near a water front, beach front, lake side.... gardens and rivers... we take pictures of these..... There are TV shows dedicated to homes ...

It is a human obsession to live in a beautiful house... Allah says: Congratulations them, they are going to have a beautiful home;

Imagine your home is on top of a mountain and underneath, waterfalls are coming out... or your driveway and waterfall is next to each other, or maybe your floor is made of glass like an aquarium house and you can see the water flowing from underneath you..

kullama ruziqoo minha min thamaratin rizqan

Everytime they are provided with any kind of fruit in it as provision

remember fruits were mentioned earlier, Allah said on the earth he sent water from the sky and brought about fruits for our sustenance... In Jannah(paradise), Allah mentions water just like he did earlier... In both cases, right after water Allah mentions fruits...

Fruits are something, we are familiar with... so we look at the fruits and say

qaloo hatha allathee ruziqna min qablu

they say: this is what we used to get way-back

For us, way-back is the world... We will be like : Oh my God, i used to eat bananas back in lagos, they have those in Jannah? It looks just like the ones we buy from the market...

But

waotoo bihi mutashabihan

they will appear to them very similar

Allah didn't go further, what is in between the lines?

it will look similar but it isn't... The other implication is that you pick an apple, you take the first bite, you are like : wow.... You take the second bite: It is not the same... It gets better with every bite..

This is not the same with when we eat fruits in this world... .. Then Allah continues

walahum feeha azwajun mutahharatun

And they are going to have for themselves in it purified spouses,

Purified spouses means not only physical clean but they are also spiritually clean, It also means that the are just purified for you... They are the exact personality you like...

That is impossible in this world, In this world, you can like most things about your spouse but there are still some things that you can't stand... Maybe in the beginning of the marriage, you'd say everything is perfect but as that phase finishes.. you begin to notice things you do not like...

azwajun mutahhara means everything about your spouse is perfect... So when married couples who were married in this world meet in Jannah... All the things the wife didn't like about her husband is gone and vice versa...

wahum feeha khalidoona

And in there, they will remain permanently

They will be in that awesome state forever...

Then Allah continues:

Ayah 26

Inna Allaha la yastahyee an yadriba mathalan ma baAAoodatan fama fawqaha faamma allatheena amanoo fayaAAlamoona annahu alhaqqu min rabbihim waamma allatheena kafaroo fayaqooloona matha arada Allahu bihatha mathalan yudillu bihi katheeran wayahdee bihi katheeran wama yudillu bihi illa alfasiqeena

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): Allah disdains not to use the similitude of things lowest as well as highest. Those who believe know that it is truth from their Lord; but those who reject Faith say: "What means Allah by this similitude?" By it He causes many to stray and many He leads into the right path but He causes not to stray, except those who forsake (the path).

Inna Allaha la yastahyee an yadriba mathalan

No doubt about it, It is Allah infact, the one who is not embarrassed at all to give any example..

Has Allah given examples yet?

Yes, two of them

basically Allah says: by the way, i don't care, the point is, i am not going to be embarrassed to teach you how i teach you...

This is a very deep lesson in the Quran,

A teacher is not there to impress you with how much he knows, A teacher's objective is to make you understand, a Kindergarten teacher will juggle balls, blow ballons, make funny faces.. All of it to teach the students...

In normal speech, you judge the intelligence of the speaker by their speech, Can you judge the intelligence of a pre-school teacher by their speech? No, He/she could know a lot more because he/she is speaking at the level of the child...

The Quran is the perfect speech of Allah but in the end, it is teaching... This is a glimpse of Allah's wisdom... It has been watered way down so us, weak human being can understand... This incredible, perfect word of Allah that we have, in it he will give examples so that you and I, the dumb ones on this earth can get something... He knows way more... He started this surah with that ' Alif Lam Mim', ... But he is going to give us what we can handle.

And when Allah gives an example like that, Someone might say: He is so wise, he couldn't think of a better example... Allah gives examples not because it is good for Him but because it is good for us..

It is for you that he gave that example and he is not embarrassed to help his creation.. He is not embarrassed to serve that purpose... that by His mercy He is going to help His creation understand, so He will give his examples.. Humans should be grateful that Allah gives us this Quran in a language and a way that we can understand...

Now think we have listened to professors and really knowledgeable people, the more knowledgeable they get, the more difficult it is to understand them... you can listen to islamic lectures and not understand anything at all... The more someone know, the more complicated they get...

Allah knows everything, and yet he clarified and simplified to the point that we can understand.. That is a huge mercy from Allah..

We learn from the sunnah (way) of Allah that if you and I are going to be teachers, we shouldn't feel inhibited.... We are not there impress students.. We are there to teach,

That is the difference between a scholar and a teacher, A scholar can say a lot but people won't get it.... A teacher comes down to the level of the people... That is the job of a teacher.. A good teacher is judged by how much he can simplify the subject for his students...

Allah gave us this Quran so that we can learn, Allah says in the Quran:

In this Qur
an, We have set out all kinds of examples for people, yet most of them persist in disbelieving. (Surah 17:89)

These examples are for people, those who have a little knowledge can appreciate; So Allah infact, the one who is not embarrassed at all to give any example..

ma baAAoodatan fama fawqaha

Even if it be, a mosquito or even anything above and beyond that

Meaning: Even something more insignificant, or something sitting on top of the mosquito... That doesn't matter to Allah.. What matters is that He will teach a lesson of guidance

faamma allatheena amanoo fayaAAlamoona annahu alhaqqu min rabbihim

As far as those who have faith are concerned, they already know this is the truth from their master

One of the most important things in the study of the Quran is intellectual humility, you have to come to terms with the fact that Allah knows and i don't... Whether you understand it or not and sometimes examples will be like that.. There will be examples you don't understand, or you will try to understand but at the end of the day, you have to say 'Allahu alim'. You have to know, no matter what that it is the truth from my master..

waamma allatheena kafaroo fayaqooloona matha arada Allahu bihatha mathalan

And those who disbelieve will say, what does Allah intend by giving this, as an example?

Translations that say: 'what does Allah intend by this example?' are off...

There is a huge difference:

If you say: 'what does Allah intend by this example?'

That is a valid question, that can be asked by a genuine person, infact we should be asking that question

But those who disbelieve say:

what does Allah intend by giving this, as an example?

They say: why will He give this as an example?, They are criticizing or been condescending to the idea of the example itself... That is what Allah is highlighting . They have an arrogant attitude when the approach this book...

Then Allah responds:

yudillu bihi katheeran

He misguides by means of it many

The 'it' could be the entire Quran, or the 'it' could be the example itself...

There is this example from suratul hajj that was criticised by orientalists; they couldn't make sense of it, to them it was senseless.. In fact one of them wrote an entire paper of how the example in the Quran doesnt make any sense;

Basically, the article should have been titled: matha arada Allahu bihatha mathalan ( what does Allah intend by giving this, as an example?) ...

(Ironically, it is a very deep and profound example: It was in Amazing Quran-Season 1.. I will post the example after the explanation of this ayah)

Then Allah adds:

yudillu bihi katheeran - He misguides by means of it many

The Quran is guidance but not for everyone... Who is is for? the muttaqun

That has been identified already... They are a lot of people that are going to read it and find misguidance in it.. They are going to find stuff to quote and hate more.. They will read it and it will increase them in hatred.. The more they read the Quran, the more they hate it... They will make videos and blogs ... They will hate on Islam on Nairaland..

wayahdee bihi katheeran wama yudillu bihi illa alfasiqeena

And guides many by means of it, but He does not misguide anyone unless the inherently corrupt..

Inherent corruption has been identified in this ayah as criticism..

'what does Allah intend by giving this, as an example?' that is corruption..

The Corruption is that of the ego, The Corruption is that of not being humble,

If you come with that to the Quran then you will only be misled

And Allah says, I will misguide them,

I will misguide them because they deserve it, Because of they are inherently corrupt...

There is a line in your attitude you are not supposed to cross when you approach the Quran, When you do, you no longer get guidance from it...

From The Amazing Quran, Season 1 https://www.nairaland.com/972776/amazing-quran-pre-ramadan-study-interactive

A powerful example drawn for shirk (associating partners with Allah)

A lot of what we have looked at so far are on a micro-scale so let's change it a bit:

Allah gives up examples in the Quran, Lets share one beautiful example:

Allah Says in the Quran:

حُنَفَآءَ لِلَّهِ غَيۡرَ مُشۡرِكِينَ بِهِۦ‌ۚ وَمَن يُشۡرِكۡ بِٱللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَتَخۡطَفُهُ ٱلطَّيۡرُ أَوۡ تَهۡوِى بِهِ ٱلرِّيحُ فِى مَكَانٍ۬ سَحِيقٍ۬ (٣١

Being true in faith to Allah and never assigning partners to Him: if anyone assigns partners to Allah h[b]e is as if he fell from the sky and been snatched up by birds or the wind had swooped and thrown him into a far-distant place.[/b] (Surah 22:31)

So Allah describes someone who commits as

i. One who falls from the sky
ii. Been snatched up by birds
iii. The wind throw him off to a distant place

Now for many people, this makes little sense ... How does this tie to shirk?

If you say, 'That movie was cool', A person living in the 1960s would interpret it in a different way because the use of the word 'cool' as an expression for something good was not common in their times. Hence, A person in the 60's looking at that statement would say, it makes no sense...

if one translates this example literally without an understanding of expression, the point is lost. A proper arabic speaker who is a missionary could look at this and say , this makes no sense.

You see, the Quran was revealed to ancient arabs and ancient arabic also had its own idioms...

Most of the pagan arabs did not believe in an afterlife, They believed everything stopped at death. And reminders of the catastrophic events of the endtime was met with disbelief.So Allah uses a truly remarkable example to describe the one who has ascribed partners to Allah.

The pagan arabs were made up of warrior tribes, they used to get into fights over all kinds of trivial issues. The worst kind of death imaginable for anyone is the death of a coward or a loser. Since they did not believe in an afterlife, the reputation you live behind is the most important thing and to die the death of a loser or a coward was the worst thing imaginable.

i. 'Falling from the sky'- This was a common expression in ancient arabic. Now imagine there are two tribes fighting, One is on a hill and the other is at the bottom of the hill.. The one at the top has the advantage, If despite of that advantage they lost; maybe they were killed in the battle or as they run away, they trip, fall off and die. They have died the death of a coward or a loser.

This is the worst legacy you can leave..This kind of death is expressed in ancient arabic as 'falling from the sky'... The ugliest kind of end they could imagine is captured in the words 'falling from the sky'.

So Allah used the ugliest thing these pagan arabs could imagine to describe shirk, since they had no concept of the hereafter.

ii.'Been snatched up by birds'- What happens after battle? The people come to pick up the bodies of their dead to bury... For those who have died the death of cowards and losers, Nobody comes for them and when nobody comes... birds of carrion visit the body and feed on it.... These birds feed on the body of a person who has died a humiliating death and has been disowned by his own tribe so these birds eat to their fill

iii. The wind throw him off to a distant place- Whatever scum is left of the body is blown off when a wind comes. and even if no birds came, the body decomposes and what is left of it is blown away by the wind...

Allah expresses the condition of one who commits shirk from the perspective of the pagan arab. The most horrible thing they could imagine has been displayed in such beautiful terms to show them the seriousness of shirk.

Can you see how powerful the examples in the Quran are?

This also highlights the importance of studying this book and having intellectual humility when we study it....

End Ayah 23-26

Comments and Questions are welcome

Back to the discussion

No doubt about it, It is Allah infact, the one who is not embarrassed at all to give any example, Even if it be, a mosquito or even anything above and beyond that, As far as those who have faith are concerned, they already know this is the truth from their master, And those who disbelieve will say, what does Allah intend by giving this, as an example?, He misguides by means of it many, And guides many by means of it, but He does not misguide anyone unless the inherently corrupt..

Allah continues about the inherently corrupt, the fasiqeen

Ayah 27

Allatheena yanqudoona AAahda Allahi min baAAdi meethaqihi wayaqtaAAoona ma amara Allahu bihi an yoosala wayufsidoona fee al-ardi ola-ika humu alkhasiroona

Usually translated (yusuf Ali): Those who break the covenant of Allah after ratifying it, and sever that which Allah ordered to be joined, and (who) make mischief in the earth: Those are they who are the losers.

Allatheena yanqudoona AAahda Allahi min baAAdi meethaqihi

Those who violate the promise of Allah much after it was taken

the 'min' here imply that this covenant/contract was taken a long time ago,

So what promise is this?

Allah describes it in surah Araf (Rough translation):

'when your master took out the offspring from the loins of the Children of Adam and made them bear witness about themselves, He said, ‘Am I not your master?’ and they replied, ‘Yes, we bear witness.’ So you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘We were not aware of this,’ or, ‘It was our forefathers who, before us, ascribed partners to God, and we are only the descendants who came after them: will you destroy us because of falsehoods they invented?’In this way We explain the messages, so that they may turn [to the right path]. (surah 7: 172-174)

A promise was taken with us way back, when we were created and Allah asked us, if he is our master ... And we all bore witness to this.. The fasiqun violate that promise, because if we have testified that He is our master, that makes us slaves... A slave is by definition humble and doesn't question the master and when someone arrogantly questions the example in the Quran, they are questioning the master.

So they violated the contract,

wayaqtaAAoona ma amara Allahu bihi an yoosala

And they cut apart what Allah has commanded to keep together

Another thing to REMEMBER: They cut apart what Allah has commanded to keep together...

This is a very deep statement in the Quran, some of the benefits we will find later in the surah; soon we will be entering the story of Adam(AS).. There we will see how this materialises,,, but for now, understand that there are some things that Allah has commanded to stay together and the hypocrite/inherently corrupt takes them and breaks them...

EX: Allah put our body and soul together, there are needs of the body and there are needs of the soul,they should be kept together. there are some people that concern themselves with spirituality at the expense of the natural needs of the body;

Allah commanded they should stay together...

Allah commanded that there should be individual concern and communal concern

Our religion makes us worry about ourselves and a society, some people are entirely concerned with community others entirely concerned with the individual.

They are supposed to stay together...

Another manifestation of this, is that some people say, i take the Quran seriously but not the sunnah of the messenger (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).

The Quran and the Sunnah are supposed to stay together... They seperate them...

You are supposed to believe in all the prophets and messengers... We do not disbelieve in any one of them. Some take some messengers and the leave the rest...

They cut apart what is supposed to stay together...

Same thing, when some people take some part of the book seriously and neglect other parts,,,, They took the Quran and tore it to shreds

We will look at the big one when we get to the story of Adam...

Another easy example: family ties...

Allah has commanded that you keep family ties together,Allah has commanded that we maintain relationships of kin. brothers, sisters, husband, wife, children parents, uncles, aunties...

Allah has commanded that these things are kept together because if they are not:

then

wayufsidoona fee al-ardi

Then corruption happens on the earth

When the things that are supposed to be kept together are no longer kept together, then it is easy to cause corruption on the earth... Look at all the neighbourhoods that have the highest crime, you will notice that they also have the most broken families... The natural result of disrupting something that is supposed to be kept together is corruption.

There is supposed to be individual concern and collective concern;... Capitalism for instance is individual concern, so you have a city like las vegas, Nevada. Lots of capitalism, individual concern but they have one of the highest suicide rate... They have the most houses of worship per capita in the united states, no wonder. A society that is falling apart. Why? because something that is supposed to be kept together is torn apart..

Something to add: the ayat before are things that make a believer feel gratitude; Allah takes about how the sky and water are for our benefits and congratulates the believers on the gift, He is going to give Us... Keep this in mind.

What makes one break these ties that Allah has commanded to be joined together? the overwhelming reason is because of some kind of gain they hope to achieve.. Greed... Instead of being grateful for what Allah has given or is going to give you, you are looking for gifts elsewhere. That is usually the motive for people breaking the ties that Allah has commanded to be joined. So Allah tells them that there will be no gain in the next ayah...

ola-ika humu alkhasiroona

Those are the ones that are infact the ultimate losers...

These ties are broken for gain, but they are told that they are the ultimate losers....

The word 'kafir' also implies the ungrateful... In both of its meaninings, we understand the next ayah....

Ayah 28

Kayfa takfuroona biAllahi wakuntum amwatan faahyakum thumma yumeetukum thumma yuhyeekum thumma ilayhi turjaAAoona

Usual translation (Yusuf Ali): How can ye reject the faith in Allah? Seeing that ye were without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return.

Kayfa takfuroona biAllahi wakuntum amwatan faahyakum

How could you disbelieve and be ungrateful to Allah when all of you were dead, and he gave you all of you life...

When Allah took the covenant from us (from last ayah), he made us (our ruh (usually translated as souls) come alive and took a promise from Us. We were non-existent before then..

thumma yumeetukum thumma yuhyeekum

Then he gives you death again, then he will give you life again

Some scholars have referred as you were dead and he brought you to life in this world...Then you will die in this world, and he will bring you back in the next world

and return to Him:

thumma ilayhi turjaAAoona

And you are all going to be returning to Him

Ayah 29

Huwa allathee khalaqa lakum ma fee al-ardi jameeAAan thumma istawa ila alssama-i fasawwahunna sabAAa samawatin wahuwa bikulli shay-in AAaleemun

Usual translation (Yusuf Ali): It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; then He turned to heaven and made them into seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge.

Huwa allathee khalaqa lakum ma fee al-ardi jameeAAan

He is the one that created for you, whatever is on the earth all together..

Again, furthering the theme of gratitude;

jameeAAan here means for all of you, all humanity, Also refers to all the things that were created on the earth.. both meanings are possible...

JameeAAan means he created for you, all that is on the earth for all of you all together,

The menaing is interesting because we learn that the resources of the world are meant to be shared by all of humanity, It is not for one nation or one group to hoard and manipulate at the expense of other nations..

Allah created the earth for all of our advantage

thumma istawa ila alssama-i fasawwahunna sabAAa samawatin

Then he turned to the sky and fashioned and evened out seven skies..

You know this ayah about creating what is in the earth and the skies, and whatever is on the earth was created for us is important because one of things about the hypocrite is that he thinks that religion deals with things outside this world and he/she knows best about worldly affairs.

This is an old sentiment that is common even today, : All these religious people, they don't know anything apart from paradise and Hell.. They do not know how the world really works... Allah teaches us that He created everything around us and

wahuwa bikulli shay-in AAaleemun

He has power over all things

The hypocrite does not have that attitude, he thinks religion deals with spiritual things and we have to deal with worldly things ourselves

Transition to Ayah 30

Ayah 30 begins with the story of Adam (peace and blessings be upon him) and the question is why?

Allah has identified three types of humans

i.) Those who believe/ have the potential to believe

ii. Those who will not believe no matter what

iii. Hypocrites -

The most time was spent on hypocrites,

Remember the two qualities of the believers (told you to remember it earlier):

i Muttaqun

ii. muflihoon


So we have three groups of people.

All of these groups of people are children of the same father, the father of humanity and the conflict of guidance and misguidance did not just start now, It is not new, It started from the beginning of humanity so we are taken right to the beginning of human history before we even came on the earth...

Ayah 30

Wa-ith qala rabbuka lilmala-ikati innee jaAAilun fee al-ardi khaleefatan qaloo atajAAalu feeha man yufsidu feeha wayasfiku alddimaa wanahnu nusabbihu bihamdika wanuqaddisu laka qala innee aAAlamu ma la taAAlamoona.

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): Behold thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said "Wilt thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not."

Wa-ith qala rabbuka lilmala-ikati innee jaAAilun fee al-ardi khaleefatan

When your master said to the Angels, : i am placing particularly (or only) for the earth, a khalifa

A khalifa means someone who is going to be having generations after generations after generations... So Allah is saying: I will put someone on the earth who is going to have generation after generation after generation... He is going to be leaving people behind..

qaloo atajAAalu feeha man yufsidu feeha wayasfiku alddimaa

The angels said: Are you going to place someone in it, that is going to be the cause of corruption in it and he is going to spill rivers of blood..

He is going to cause genocides, he is going to cause world wars...

wanahnu nusabbihu bihamdika wanuqaddisu laka

While we are the ones in fact that declare your perfection by praising you and declare your sanctity and purity.

Meanings: you are too sanctified for a creation of yours to behave in this way;

The other implication is that tasbih (declaring the perfection) of Allah is the antithesis (direct opposite) of corruption.... Nowadays when we do tasbih, we think of just praising Allah using our tongues but it is not limited to this, the perfection of Allah translates into you perfect character and how you carry yourself in society and what it is supposed to do for society..

So there is a contrast between shedding blood and doing tasbih of Allah...

If real tasbih of Allah is done then its impact brings about goodness to the society and is not limited to the mosque. This is the real obedience and declaration of Allah's perfection.

So Allah replies:

qala innee aAAlamu ma la taAAlamoona.

He said: Certainly, i know best what you have no knowledge of

One of the things we saw earlier

Allah spoke about those who violate the promise of Allah and spread corruption. We see that is not a new concern, it was raised by the angels even before we got here, it seemed like man had that kind of potential..

So Allah says: I know what you don't

some have interpreted this to mean, Allah know the potential of the human being; Allah knows that the human being is capable of great things, so great that even the angels will be sending salawat (peace be upon him) upon a human being; Like our beloved prophet (peace and blessing be upon him).

Others say: this is refering to iblis, the jinn that was given a high rank; meaning you guys are not so perfect; there is someone in your midst, you are not that pure. There is someone in your midst you don't even realise yet..

Ayah 31

WaAAallama adama al-asmaa kullaha thumma AAaradahum AAala almala-ikati faqala anbi-oonee bi-asma-i haola-i in kuntum sadiqeena

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): And He taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels and said: "Tell Me the names of these if ye are right."

WaAAallama adama al-asmaa kullaha

He taught Adam (Alayhi salam) the names, all of them

This is our introduction to linguistic 101, the originals of all languages are nouns; the way you manipulate those nouns become verbs; Allah taught Adam names of things;

By Allah saying 'Kullaha"; It means all the names there could be..

thumma AAaradahum AAala almala-ikati

Then He brought the things all together; before the angels

The language shows that it includes living and non living things; all categories of things basically; those things all together are brought before the angels...

faqala anbi-oonee bi-asma-i haola-i in kuntum sadiqeena

and said: tell me the names of these things if you are indeed truthful

Meaning: if your claim holds weight; if your claim that this creature is going to shed blood holds any value then go ahead and tell me the names of these things.

Here, it is been displayed that this human being is going to be given knowledge and that knowledge could lead to wonderful advances;

Today all sciences boil down to terminology, It does not matter what subject you are studying; whether, medicine, physics, psychology .. It doesn't matter... In the end, you are learning concepts that are defined by terms and in the end it all boils down to nouns.

At your workplace you have to know certain kinds of terminology;

All modern knowledge today,is a by product of what Adam was given. The ability to label things:

This is not refering to revealed knowledge, this is refering to what is called'secular' knowledge. The origins of all the fields were planted inside Adam to the point that even the angels did not what it was.

And Allah praised that knowledge too in this ayah... Young people that get zealous about religion, they say: i am going to study the religion, that is the knowledge to study'... Yes it is but the study of other fields is also a study of what Allah taught to begin with. It is a study of the signs of Allah also.

Remember we said that the inherently corrupt and the hypocrite separate the things that Allah has commanded to be joined... Here, the knowledge of religion and the knowledge of sciences. psychology, medicine, anthropology etc..

All these sciences are not supposed to be divorced from revealed knowledge, they are supposed to be married to revealed knowledge. They are supposed to go hand in hand. These are two sides of the same coin.

Your can call this acquired knowledge and revealed knowledge; They are supposed to go hand in hand.... The muslims of the past understood this and that is why scholars of religion were also the scientists.

Today, in the muslim world, The college and university is something else, the madrassa is something else.. there are two seperate worlds; they are like two entities that have nothing to do with each other. Originally these two sides of knowledge are supposed to be interconnected and interact with one another...

Examine the Quran, How mush of it deals with observations about creation? look at the sky, look at the mountains, look at the ocean, look at travel, trade, history... Allah forces us to deal with worldly things but they are supposed to be in harmony...

Now what has happened in the modern world is that the muslims either go entirely into religious knowledge and have no idea how the world works,

If you do not understand how modern finance works; how are you going to provide a solution based on Allah's guidance that works for the modern world, not just muslims?

If you do not understand sociology, how are you going to produce solutions from our religion that helps society get better?

You have to understand both sides of the picture;

How are you going to determine when to do ruqya (for jinn possession (exorcism)) or take for a psychological evaluation? If you do not understand both sciences...
These are sciences that are supposed to go hand in hand...

Our scholars are supposed to be scholars all around and if we can't have that then we should have think tanks where people of different sciences sit together... Where the scholars of fiqh and lawyers sit together,

These two areas of knowledge are not supposed to be divorced from one another..

When they are divorced, you get the worst chaos in the society...

You see, science is blind it has no guidance; when you can use science to create things like the nuclear bomb, you can use science to create chemical weapons.. Science by itself is just the study of how materials interact with one another. That is all it is...

Guidance from revealed knowledge gives it a direction, Here, is how you do research to made the whole a better place...

Today, most scientific researches are driven by greed, Major corporations sponsor research because of greed.. For instance, when medicine is being produced, the driving factor is not whether it is going to help humanity.. The primary purpose is that they will be able to sell it at a huge turnaround cost... Look at the massive corruption in the pharmaceutical industry. The kind of profit margins are criminal.. It is unimaginable that human beings can do that...

If guidance was the driving factor, then it will be for everybody like the ayah 29 before said:

He is the one that created for you, whatever is on the earth for all of you all together

These two things must be married together;

We have to bring revealed knowledge and worldly knowledge together again... We have to make it happen... that is the future of the ummah... We have to do it...

May Allah make it easy for us ...

End Ayah 27-31

Comments and Questions are welcome

tbaba1234:
We have to bring revealed knowledge and worldly knowledge together again... We have to make it happen... that is the future of the ummah... We have to do it...

Absolutely right, the youth in the universities should endeavor to include in their intentions that this course i am studying, apart from wanting to make a living out of it, i want to also use it to serve Allah, to help the ummah. This will go a long way to bring back the Islamic consciousness lacking in some of our educated adults.

Ayah 32

Qaloo subhanaka la AAilma lana illa ma AAallamtana innaka anta alAAaleemu alhakeemu

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali):They said: Be glorified! We have no knowledge saving that which Thou hast taught us. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Knower, the Wise.

Qaloo subhanaka la AAilma lana illa ma AAallamtana, innaka anta alAAaleemu alhakeemu,

They said: We declare your perfection above and beyond all. We have absolutely no knowledge whatsoever except that which you have taught us. No doubt, It is you and you alone, that is the knowledgeable and the wise

Here, again something powerful, Allah begins with Adam saying: I have taught him the names of all things.. In other words, worldly knowledge... We learn here that even the worldly knowledge is something, Allah has given us. No matter how far technology gets, it begins with Allah gave us Himself. The human mind has been equipped, enabled and taught these terms by Allah. That in of itself, is Allah gift to humanity.

They mentioned two attributes,

i, Knowledgeble - Meaning He is the one who knows, We don't know

ii. Wise - This is mentioned because they do not know the wisdom in the human being creation. They are acknowledging that they may be wisdom here that we may not know or see.

Ayah 33

Qala ya adamu anbi/hum bi-asma-ihim falamma anbaahum bi-asma-ihim qala alam aqul lakum innee aAAlamu ghayba alssamawati waal-ardi waaAAlamu ma tubdoona wama kuntum taktumoona

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali):He said: O Adam! Inform them of their names, and when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I not tell you that I know the secret of the heavens and the earth? And I know that which ye disclose and which ye hide.

Qala ya adamu anbi/hum bi-asma-ihim falamma anbaahum bi-asma-ihim

He said: Adam, Inform them of the names of these things and when he informed them of their names

So Adam informed the angels of the names, the language suggests it was done immediately..

qala alam aqul lakum innee aAAlamu ghayba alssamawati waal-ardi

He said: Didn't i say to you, Certaintly i am the one that knows the unseen in the skies and the earth

In other words, there is not only unseen in the skies, there is also unseen on the earth. The earth had the unseen that wasn't even seen to the angel but Allah made it seen to Adam (A.S).

They didn't figure that out but Adam was taught the names..

waaAAlamu ma tubdoona wama kuntum taktumoona

And i know what are exposing and what you have been hiding

Past continuous

They've been hiding something; They don't even know what they have been hiding... They have been hiding iblees (the devil) in their ranks.. Allah says: I know what you've been hiding , you think this guy is going to cause corruption... Let me tell you , way more corrupt is already here and you've been hiding him.

So what is hidden gets exposed in the next ayah

Ayah 34

Wa-ith qulna lilmala-ikati osjudoo li-adama fasajadoo illa ibleesa aba waistakbara wakana mina alkafireena

Usually translated (Yusuf Ali): And when We said unto the angels: Prostrate yourselves before Adam, they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He demurred through pride, and so became a disbeliever.

Wa-ith qulna lilmala-ikati osjudoo li-adama

When we said to the angels: Prostrate before Adam

The ceremonial sajdah (prostration) to show a loyalty to Adam (Alayhi Salam)

fasajadoo illa ibleesa aba waistakbara

They all prostrated except for Iblees, He refused and he sought his own greatness

Iblees is a jinn that was in the ranks of the angels because of his righteous acts; Allah reveals the reason why iblees refused to do sajdah, He sought greatness for himself. The mentality is : Why should i do sajdah to Him? I have been serving you all this time... How come he (man) gets this position?

The Question that arises is what does iblees get? All he gets is a religious title; To be the khalifa on the earth... What is the job of the khalifa on the earth? He has to worship Allah..... And from our narrations, iblees was already worshipping Allah on the earth for a very long time before the creation of Adam.

Iblees was interested in not only worshipping Allah but been recognised as the greatest worshipper.. Religious recognition..

It is important to highlight this because we live in a time where religion has been turned into an industry too, and speakers can vie for recognition and appreciation. It is no different from iblees vying for recognition. The whole point of our creation is to humble ourselves as slaves before Allah. The more we learn, the more humble we should be.. We turn our duat, scholars and speakers into celebrities : can i take a picture with you?, Can i get an autograph? . We should not put these people in that position. The best thing you can do for them is to pray for them. The most precious thing they have in their possession is sincerity not Knowledge. Knowledge is easy, Speaking is easy, Sincerity is hard. It is easy to let go off and if they are constantly been praised, it can create a serious problem. It can really mess people up.

Arrogance and power struggle can even happen within the religious sphere. There can be arrogance even in the desire to lead prayer or the desire to be the imam or to be known as the greatest scholar among everybody else.

Iblees has been worshipping Allah for how long? a very very long time, yet He couldn't save himself from arrogance;

aba waistakbara wakana mina alkafireena

and He had been from among from those who disbelieved

In other words; Allah implies that iblees was already of the disbelievers even before then and only Allah knew. Once, He opened his mouth, it came out in the open. His arrogance that has always been there was exposed.

This is another scary thing, just because someone has not expressed their arrogance against Allah doesn't mean, it isn't there. His display of arrogance is an expression of a pre-existing disease..The symptom only shown itself because the disease was already there.

We have to look within ourselves for this disease of arrogance..

There is a lot more to this story but id continue later on, today insha Allah..