Tafseer by Ayub A. Hamid

Al -Feel
Soorah 105:1-5
Name and Background
Teachings and Commentary
Ayub A. Hamid


Name and Background
Al-Feel was taken from the first verse of this Soorah to be used as its name.
The preceding Soorahs had pointed out the fallacy of the disbelievers view of success and indicated how the preoccupation with accumulating wealth corrupts one’s personality and makes a person forget the Hereafter. For the Quraish of Makkah, the existence of the Holy Ka‘bah in Makkah was the major contributor to their wealth and influence. Arabs revered the Holy Ka‘bah as the house of God constructed by Ibraaheem (Abraham) and Ismaa‘eel (Ishmael) ‘alayhimussalaam. Pilgrimage to the Holy Ka‘bah was their biggest annual event. They respected the Quraish for being the caretakers of the Holy Ka‘bah and the administrators for the pilgrimage. It was due to this respect that the Quraish were free to travel throughout Arabia when they wanted without any fear of attack from any tribe. This allowed them to send trading caravans and conduct trade throughout the year. The pilgrimage also afforded them excellent business opportunity. This Soorah and the next Soorah (Al-Quraish) jointly remind the Makkans that the Holy Ka‘bah -- their major sources of wealth, influence and security -- is a house that was built exclusively for the worship of and devotion to Allaah, the one true God. That is exactly what the Prophet Ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is calling them to and that is what the Makkans should be doing.
For that purpose, Soorah Al-Feel mentions an extraordinary event that had taken place just about forty some years before its revelation and many Makkans living at the time of this revelation themselves witnessed it. As the incident was well known, there was no need to mention the details; thus, the Soorah briefly reminds people only of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala’s role in that episode.
The story starts with the Abyssinian Christians becoming the rulers of Yemen in 525 CE. The Abyssinians were aided by the Romans who wanted to use the installed governor to wrest control from Arabs over trade routes used for trade with East Africa, India etc. A person named Abraham (Syriac pronunciation) or Abrahah (Abyssinian pronunciation) was able to come into power and become the Abyssinian king’s viceroy in Yemen. In addition to taking control of the trade, he also wanted to convert people to Christianity. He observed that the Yemeni Arabs, like all other Arabs, had very strong sentiments of devotion and reverence to the Holy Ka‘bah. They even undertook arduous journeys for its pilgrimage with passion. With the intention of diverting Arab devotion, he had a very splendid church of unprecedented magnificence built in San’aa, the Yemeni capital, and sent out announcements requiring all Arabs to come to that church for pilgrimage instead of going to the Holy Ka‘bah. When people resented his announcement rather than complying with it, he vowed to demolish the Holy Ka‘bah. In order to do that he needed to create a reason to attack. It was alleged that an Arab had desecrated the church by relieving himself in it. This issue was propagated extensively to rouse the Christian sentiments and to seek the support of the Abyssinian king. Thus, the war was justified and “sold” in the similar way as it is done today. Preparations were made and, in 570 or 571 CE[1], he set out with a 60,000 strong army that included a unit of 9 (or 13) elephants.
At the outset, a Yemeni chief named Dzu Nafar gathered an army of Arabs to fight him and force him to abandon his demolition plan; but he was defeated by the massive army of Abrahah and was taken prisoner. Then, in the territory of Khath‘am, another Arab chief named Nufail ibn Ĥabeeb Al- Khath‘ami confronted Abrahah’s army with the help of some neighbouring tribes. He was also defeated and captured. To save his life, he agreed to act as a guide to show Abrahah’s army the way towards Makkah. When the army reached Ŧaaif territory, the leaders of Banoo Thaqeef met Abrahah and made a deal with him that they would provide him a guide to show him the way to Makkah and, in return, he would spare their temple of Laat. A person named Aboo Righaal from their tribe acted as the guide, but he died when the army reached Al-Mughammas. Because of their cooperation with Abrahah, Banoo Thaqeef lost the respect among Arabs and the Arabs used to throw stones at the grave of Aboo Righaal for the same reason.
From Al-Mughammas, Abrahah sent a forward party who plundered Quraish and neighbouring tribes’ livestock. He also sent an emissary to the Makkans with the message that if they let him demolish the Holy Ka‘bah without resistance, his army would not bother the residents. The chief of Makkans, ‘Abdul Muŧŧalib, the grandfather of the Prophet Ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, went to talk to Abrahah. There are different versions reported about what transpired in the meeting, but one message was clearly conveyed: If Abrahah insisted on demolishing the Holy Ka‘bah, He would be fighting with Allaah to Whom the House belongs.
The Quraish, Kinana, Hudzail and some other tribes had gathered to confront Abrahah’s army. When ‘Abdul Muŧŧalib returned from his meeting with Abrahah, they jointly concluded that with only a few thousand fighters they could muster, it was futile to confront Abrahah’s 60,000 strong army and elephant unit. Thus, they decided to take their family up the mountains surrounding the city. As for the Holy Ka‘bah, ‘Abdul Muŧŧalib took some other chiefs to the Holy Ka‘bah, and holding the ring of the handle of its door, they prayed to Allaah with utmost devotion and humility. They forgot about all the 360 idols that they had erected in the Holy Ka‘bah, and prayed to Allaah alone. The extempore poetry ‘Abdul Muŧŧalib used for his supplication is reported to contain the following stanzas:
O Allaah a person protects his belongings, please protect your belongings
Let their cross and their power never ever overcome your Might
If you want to stay out of the matter between them and our Qiblah, do as You like
Suhaili has added the following:
Please help us, your people, against people of the cross and its worshippers
Ibn Jareer has also reported the following:
O Lord I do not have any hope from anyone except you, O Lord protect Your sanctuary
The enemy of the House is Your enemy, stop them from destroying Your town
After these supplications, they also went up the mountains. However, some researchers such as Hameeduddin Faraahi and his student Amin Ahsan Islahi contend that they (the Makkan men) did not abandon the fight completely, rather they took positions in the mountains to throw stones at the incoming army.
The next day Abrahah’s army advanced to enter into Makkah. When they reached Muĥassir near the Muĥaŝŝab valley, their advance was stopped. There are different events mentioned by different researchers and historians. Taking all those reports together, the picture that emerges is as follows:
First of all, their lead elephant stopped and sat down. They prodded him hard, but he would not move. If they signalled him to turn back, he would go running, but if they wanted him to advance towards Makkah, he would not step forward[2].
The Arabs who had taken positions on the mountains started throwing stones at them. At the same time, a very strong wind started blowing pelting the army with sand and stone pellets. While this was happening, flock after flock of birds appeared in the sky. Each bird was holding a pebble in its beak and in each of its claws. The birds dropped those pebbles over the army. Whoever was hit with a pebble would start feeling an intense itch, his flesh would begin to break up, rot and fall down in the form of rotten pieces. This aerial bombardment of bio-chemical material rendered their bodies like chewed up straw and husk. Abrahah was also hit. He ran away but died on the way.
The running army requested Nufail to guide them on their way out of that area back to Yemen, but he refused. He composed his observations in the following stanzas:
Whence can you flee when God is seeking you and the nose-clipped (Abrahah) is conquered, not conqueror.
O Rudainah, I wish you would see, but you will not be able to, what we saw near Muĥaŝŝab.
I praised and thanked Allaah, when I saw the birds and I was afraid lest a pebble falls upon us.
And everyone was looking for Nufail as if I owed Abyssinians any debt.
Abdullah ibn Azziba‘raa said in his poem:
There were sixty thousand who could not go back to their country, nor did their sick man (Abrahah) survive on his return.
There used to be ‘Aad and Jurhum before them, and there is Allaah, above people, Who is maintaining it.
Aboo Qais ibn Aslat’s poem said:
Stand up and worship your Lord and touch the corners of this House among the hills of Makkah and Mina.
When the help from the Lord of the Throne came it repelled the armies of the king between dust storm and stone throwing wind.
And in another stanza, he said:
Then the stone throwing wind was sent upon them and it folded them as straws are folded.
One of the Ŝaifi ibn ‘Aamir’s stanza said:
As soon as they crossed the Nu‘maan area, God’s armies between the dust-storm and the stone-throwing wind repelled them.
After this incident, the first ever cases of smallpox and measles were encountered in Makkah.
The Arabs clearly knew the fact that the destruction of the invading army was the work of Allaah. No one ever attributed it to any idol or any god other than Allaah.
Because of this incident, the year was remembered as the year of the elephant. The incident happened in Muĥarram (the first month of the year) and a few weeks later, the Prophet Ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was born in the third month of the same year.
Teachings
In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
1 Did you not see how your Lord dealt with the people who had elephants? 2 Did He not make their treacherous plan collapse 3 and sent upon them birds in flocks, 4 which pelted them with pebbles of hardened clay? 5 Thus, He rendered them like eaten straw.
Commentary
The “you” addressed every individual of the Makkan audience and invited him or her to reflect on the incident. At that crucial time they prayed only to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala because they knew that no one else could be of any avail. They also knew that it was only Allaah who destroyed the invaders. When that is the reality then why not believe in and worship only Him, as the Prophet Ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was inviting them to do?
The plan was treacherous or deceitful because its pretext was invalid and misleading. Even if Abrahah’s claim is accepted to be valid that an Arab had desecrated his church, it did not in any way justify an attack on Makkah or the demolition of the Holy Ka‘bah. Abrahah was using a false pretext to attain his economic and religious goals. His real aim was to subdue Arabs and coerce them to accept Christianity and to take control of the profitable international trade that Arabs were doing.
It is amazing to see parallels of Abrahah’s invasion with what is happening in today’s world. False pretexts have been used to wrongfully and illegally attack and destroy Muslim countries in order to subdue Muslims with a Crusader’s zeal and to take control of oil reserves and oil trade. It shows how wars are usually started and it demonstrates that human psychology and tactics remain always the same. The only change that takes place over time through the advancement of knowledge is in the physical tools and technology.
Those who reflect on it carefully will be able to see all the roles played by different people at the time of this incident and the current so-called war on terror. The only variation is in terms of the results. Had Muslims repented and turned sincerely to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, as ‘Abdul Muŧŧalib and his fellow chiefs did, the results could also have been similar. Allaah’s Sunnah – His way of dealing with people – never changes. He is always consistent.





[1] Historians differ on the year and the number of elephants.
[2] The Prophet Ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam confirmed this incident when he commented on his she-camel’s behaviour at Al-Ĥudabiyyah. When his she-camel, Al-Qaswa, sat down instead of continuing the journey, the Prophet Ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “She has been prevented by the same Will that prevented the elephant from entering Makkah.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari Volume 3, Book 50, Number 891). http://www.usc. edu/dept/ MSA/fundamentals /hadithsunnah/ bukhari/050. sbt.html# 003.050.891





Copyright © 2008 Ayub A. Hamid
All rights reserved
This document may be used, only with this copyright notice included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on internet forums, and include in not-for-profit publications subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced faithfully in full, without alteration or omission; (2) The author’s subject title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all other rights, which are reserved.

Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur‘aan, not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details. Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur‘aan is in fact only an expression of the translator’s understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur‘aan itself. Only the original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur‘aan.

Al -Humazah
Soorah 104:1-9
Name and Background
Teachings and Commentary
Ayub A. Hamid


Name and Background
The name of this Soorah, Al-Humazah, comes from its first verse.
At-Takaathur described how the pursuit of maximum abundance makes people neglect the Hereafter, where they are going to be losers; and thus their notion of success is faulty. Al-‘Aŝr described the qualities of people who will really avoid loss, and attain salvation and success. This Soorah describes the kind of personality traits that accumulators of wealth adopt and the punishment they will receive as a result.
Teachings
In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
1 Woe to every mocker, slanderer, 2 who accumulates wealth and keeps on counting it. 3 He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal. 4 Not at all! He will be flung to the Crusher. 5 And what will make you realize what the Crusher is? 6 It is the fire of Allaah, well-kindled, 7 that mounts the hearts. 8 It will be vaulted over them, 9 in outstretched columns.
Teachings and Commentary
1 Woe to every mocker, slanderer, 2 who accumulates wealth and keeps on counting it. 3 He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal.
The first verse describes two bad traits: Al-Humazah is an emphasized form of an adjective that describes someone who is given to mocking and taunting people using condescending gestures and scornful words. Al-Lumazah is another emphasized form of an adjective that describes someone who is habitual of using slanderous speech and propaganda for others’ character assassination.
Both of these bad traits are closely related and usually found simultaneously in a person. Usually this is a result of the arrogance based on the respect, status and power that the rich people think they have. They usually treat poor people with that kind of attitude. But, when they suspect that their wealth, influence or “superiority” seemingly is threatened by anyone, they particularly deploy these vicious tools to discredit such a person. And if he happens to be someone who promotes charity, morality and good conduct, in that case, they really use every tactic they can employ to discredit that person because his moral teachings may expose their stinginess, love of wealth and their immoral and exploitive methods of acquiring it; and thus, may destroy their respect and influence in the society.
The second verse gives a vivid picture of his preoccupation with wealth, which is indicated by an obsessive counting of assets and monitoring of their growth. In the contemporary world, it is indicated by an obsession with monitoring market movements as well as with checking market indices, growth charts, bank statements and portfolio valuations.
A person who realizes and remembers the temporary nature of the life of this world would be quite content to have enough assets to help him live reasonably for his remaining life. A person who believes in the Hereafter will be spending his wealth in charity in the way of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, thus depositing it with Him and making it grow for the eternal life, rather than worrying about its growth in this world. But those whose character is described in this Soorah have such a greed for more wealth and are obsessed with its growth as if they are never going to die but live forever and own this wealth for eternity.
4 Not at all! He will be flung to the Crusher. 5 And what will make you realize what the Crusher is? 6 It is the fire of Allaah, well-kindled, 7 that mounts the hearts. 8 It will be vaulted over them, 9 in outstretched columns.
Although they presume themselves to be important, high status and respectable people, they will be thrown in the hell like a useless thing is thrown in the garbage or junk yard. When they will be thrown into the depth of hell, they will be crushed.
The fire of hell will not be an ordinary fire because it is a fire that has been ignited by Allaah to punish those who totally forgot about Him. It will burn not only the outer flesh but it will simultaneously burn the inner most parts of the body. “Heart” proverbially represents a person’s mind which is where all emotions and attachments emanate from. As these people’s minds are full of passion for the wealth instead of love for Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, that seat of passion will particularly be a target of burning for the fire of hell.
They will be imprisoned in extremely tall pillars and hell will be covered shut from the top so that neither can any heat diffuse out, nor can there be any opportunity for them to escape the Fire.




Copyright © 2008 Ayub A. Hamid
All rights reserved
This document may be used, only with this copyright notice included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on internet forums, and include in not-for-profit publications subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced faithfully in full, without alteration or omission; (2) The author’s subject title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all other rights, which are reserved.

Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur‘aan, not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details. Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur‘aan is in fact only an expression of the translator’s understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur‘aan itself. Only the original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur‘aan.



Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic thinker residing in Canada for the last 33 years. His recently published books are:
1. Islam - Does It Make Sense?
2. Unveiling the Commands—The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar and Jilbaab.
3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth.
4. A Book Unlike Any Other.
5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms.
6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs.

http://soundvisionc anada.com/ shop/pbrowse. asp?Pg=3&Cat=10004

Name and Background

The symbolic name for this Soorah has been taken from its first verse where the Prophet ŝall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has been addressed as Al-Muzammil.

Al-Muzammil means a person who has wrapped himself in his mantle – a cloth sheet that Arabs used to keep with them. This mantle or sheet was considered an important accessory that was hung on one’s shoulder and used for multiple purposes as needed. It could be used as a cloak, as a blanket or other purposes. ‘Uqbah ibn Abee M‘uait once used it to strangulate the Prophet while he was praying in the Holy Ka‘bah and Aboo Bakr radhiallaahu ‘anhu interfered to save him. As per the tradition of the society, the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam also used to keep such a sheet with him. It was this sheet that he used to place the Black Stone while resolving the dispute over its installation. When he wanted to welcome and honour someone, it was this sheet that he would spread for him or her to sit upon.

It is human psychology that when a person is very sad, extremely worried, distressed, or in a deeply-reflective mood, he usually tends to keep wrapping himself in his mantle, cloak or blanket[1], while continually introspecting or thinking and reflecting upon the situation at hand. The Prophet, who used to be very much respected in the society before starting the Islamic mission, and who was so sincerely and so selflessly inviting people to Islam for their own benefit and salvation, was now being mistreated, rejected and taunted. Naturally, he felt very sad about this situation, and resorted to wrapping himself while contemplating his circumstances and reflecting upon the ignorant reaction of his people. Addressing the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam lovingly as Al-Muzzamil is to demonstrate understanding and appreciation of his mental state during that time.

Timing

The first section of this Soorah was revealed at a time when the opposition to the mission of the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam by the chiefs of Makkah had grown so aggressive[2] and negative that the Prophet was feeling sad and distressed about it. This section also commands the Prophet to stay up reciting the Qur-aan for about a half of the night at a slow chanting pace. This indicates that enough of the Qur-aan had already been revealed to allow that long of a recitation. The main message of this section was to teach the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam how to cope with the situation he was facing. The Makkan chiefs have also been warned of the consequences of their behaviour through the example of Moosa (Moses) ‘alayhissalaam and Fir‘own (Pharaoh)
In following the footsteps of the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, many Muslims had also adopted this practise of getting up past the first half of the night and standing up for worship, reciting the Qur-aan. The second section was revealed in Madeenah[3] to give the believers leave from staying up that long at night to enable them to fulfill other Islamic obligations.

Teachings and Commentary

In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As mentioned in the introductory section, the Soorah starts with instructions to the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam on the best way to cope with the adverse circumstances.

1 O you who wraps himself in a mantle!
2 Stand up worshipping all night except a little,
3 last half of it, or a little less,
4 or a little more; and recite the Qur-aan with slow, measured chant.

The first instruction is that the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam should get up at about the middle of the night and stand up for the worship of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala, chanting the Qur-aan slowly and reflectively. The target is to do so more or less for the later half of the night. This is what will build his close relationship with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala, provide him the comfort and support that he needs and grant him inner strength, power and ability to withstand all sorts of adversities and challenges that he is and will be facing in his mission. Pursuant to this instruction, the Prophet used to offer this special worship at night for the rest of his life. Because it is performed by breaking one’s sleep, it is called Tahajjud. Although it was obligatory only for the Prophet, it is highly recommended for all Islamic workers.

Also, pursuant to this instruction, the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam used to chant the Qur-aan slowly, enunciating every word clearly and stopping at the end of every verse, while reflecting on its message. Because of the profound levels of reflection, he would repeat some verses multiple times, glorify Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala at the mention of His greatness and glory, pray when occasion arose for supplicating, seek refuge of Allaah when reciting a verse mentioning Allaah’s anger or punishment, and express his gratitude and pleasure while reciting the verses mentioning the mercy and bounties of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala. Similarly, he would instantly fall into prostration (Sajdah), if prostration to Allaah was mentioned in a verse.

Thus, we learn that the proper way of the recitation of the Qur-aan is to stand up in worship in order to hear or recite the words of the Master, reflecting attentively on the text, reacting to the message instantly and acting upon it as required immediately. Unfortunately, Muslims have lost the prophetic style of recitation. It has become a mechanical ritual. Usually, they sit down, recite it like parrots, without any reflection, emotional involvement or action on its commands. Even when it is done in the standing position as part of the worship in Ramadhaan, the emphasis is merely on ritual completion.

The next two verses explain the objective of this special worship through the recitation of the Qur-aan at night.

5 Surely soon shall We charge you with a word of weight.
6 Truly the getting up for the latter part of the night is most effective for concentration and most suitable for assimilating the words.

The objective is to prepare the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for the tremendously difficult work of the mission that lies ahead. And the best time for this objective is at night. Not only does it train the person for hardships by sacrificing his best opportunity to sleep but it also affords reflective, meditative and devotional benefits.

But this night-time worship is not enough – the communication with and remembrance of Allaah has to continue during the day as well.

7 You also have opportunity to glorify[4] him all day long.
8 So remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him utterly and exclusively --
9 the Lord of the East and the West, there is not deity except Him, therefore, take Him as your Defender.

This is the second instruction for strengthening the relationship with Allaah and gaining inner strength. The Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam should remember Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala all day long, in every step of his day-to-day life. He should not keep any hope or expectation of support or help from anyone except Allaah to Whom he should be exclusively devoted. This attitude of total hope in and complete dependence on Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala, exclusive of everyone else in this world, gave the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam such courageous independence that nothing and no one could ever come into the way of his mission or impact his level of all out efforts. Pursuant to the command of remembrance throughout the day, he would consciously glorify Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala and call upon for His mercy and bounty at every step in his life. His words are well documented about how he used to do so while going to bed, while getting up from the bed, while going to the washroom or coming out of it, while eating or drinking, while finishing eating or drinking, while going out of the house, while entering the house, while stepping into the Masjid, while exiting the Masjid, while riding an animal, while looking into the mirror, while setting on a journey, while entering the city, and so on and so forth. He never made any move without remembering Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala, glorifying Him or seeking His mercy.

10 And be patient over what they say and steer clear of them in a gracious manner.
11 And let Me deal with the deniers – the well-to-do – and allow them a little respite.
12 Verily, with Us are heavy fetters and a flaming fire,
13 and food that chokes and a painful punishment;
14 on the day when the earth and the mountains shall quake violently, and the mountains shall become like heaps of loose sand.

This is the third instruction for the Prophet to follow to deal with the adverse circumstances. He should continue to do his work in a positive manner without worrying about, responding to or caring for his opponents. He should leave their matter with Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala. His job is to continue giving his message in the best manner. Taking care of the adversaries is Allaah’s responsibility. He may not take care of them immediately, for which he should allow them some respite. Even if they are not punished in the world, a dreadful punishment is waiting for them in the Hereafter. It should be noted that the Prophet’s adversaries at that time were the rich and famous chiefs of Makkah who perceived his mission as a threat to their power, wealth and influence. Their life of comfort and delicious food will be replaced with painful punishment and the food that will be difficult to swallow. It should be remembered that the fetters will not be there to keep them from running away because they will not be able to run away anywhere – the heavy fetters will be actually used to keep them burdened to add to their punishment and misery.



[1] The mental state similar to that of the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam at the time of the revelation of these verses is also experienced by those who sincerely and dedicatedly work for Allaah’s Deen when they initially encounter unwarranted but strong opposition and criticism from the community in response to their sincere and best efforts.
An earlier example of this occurred when the Prophet ŝall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was visited by Jibreel for the first time with the first revelation, the Prophet came home worried and trembling and asked his wife to cover him with a blanket.
[2] This is indicated by verses 10-15.
[3] There are different opinions about the timing of the revelation of this section; however, the mention of qitaal (fighting) and Zakaah indicate that it was revealed in Madeenah about 10 years after the first section, as Sa‘eed ibn Jubair has claimed.
[4] This translation is according to Amin Ahsan Islahi, who is of the opinion that “sabhan” cannot be taken to mean “being busy or occupied”.