Chapter Twelve

Backbiting and Tearing of the Flesh And from an1ong these qydt is His statement, "O you who have believed, avoid much assumptions (for) indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite one other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would detest it. And fear Allah, indeed Allah is the One Who forgives (and accepts repentance) and Merciful."31 And this is from among the most excellent of exemplifying lt a/-f-f1!)Nral (49): 12 69 analogies, wherein Allah has likened the shredding of the honour of a ~luslim brother (through backbiting him) to the ripping of his flesh. And since the backbiter shreds his brother's honour in 'his absence he becomes like the one who tears his brother's flesh ' apart due to the absence of his soul fron1 his body due to death - and just as the person being backbitten is unable to defend himself due to his absence, is likened to the dead person ,vhose flesh is being ripped apart and is unable to defend it.

Likewise, considering that brotherhood de1nands mutual mercy and relation and support whereas the backbiter attaches to it, opposite connotations such as bla1ne and fault-finding and backstabbing, making it is as if he were tearing his brothees flesh apart. (1\nd) whereas brotherhood demands preserving, protecting and defending his brother's honour, the backbiter takes pleasure in smirching his brother's honour and censuring him, therefore he has been likened to devouring his brother's flesh after tearing it up. And as the backbiter enjoys doing it and thinks good of it, he has been resen1bled to one who loves to eat the flesh of his brother. And his love and enjoyment in eating his brother's flesh is a degree beyond just eating, just as eating it is a degree beyond ripping it apart. The refore reflect over this con1parison and exen1plification and its excellent arrangement and the complete correspondence between the abstract and the concrete. The description of the characterisation in the later part of the ayah preceded by the denial that anyone of them could actually love this (i.e. consuming their brother's flesh).

The case (being made) is that just as this act is reprehensible to then1 in their very nature, how could they love the deed of backbiting which in its nature resetnbles consuming one's brother's flesh? So Allah has established an argument against 70 Batkbiting and Tearing of lht Rub something they lo\·e to do (backbite) by emplo}ing an example of something they find reprehensible. He does tlus by striking a similarity bet\veen something they like to do '\Nith some which is most hateful and reprehensible to them. This reasoning compels sound mind, nature and \Visdom to be strongly repelled by something which is a counterpart and analagons to ic. .And ·with Allah lies success. 71 Deeds of the Disbelievers and the Blowing of Ashes And from amongst these examples is Allah's statement, ''The example of those who disbelieve in their Lord is that their deeds are like ashes on which the wind blows forcefully on a stormy day; they shall not get aught of what they have earned. That is the extreme error (of straying from the right path)."32 Here, Allah has likened the deeds of the disbelievers in terms o f their invalidity and lack of benefit, to ashes over which a strong ,2 llmibi111 (14): 18 72 Deeds of the Disbelievers and the BloJJJing of Ashes wind blows on a stormy day. Thus, Allah makes their deeds resemble dust particles that are scattered by a violent wind that may never be retrieved or collected when the disbelievers are n1ost in need of them.

This is a result of the deeds not being based upon imtin and ipsd11, they are done for the sake of other than Allah or thev, do not conform to His Commands. For this reason, the disbelievers \vill not benefit at all from their deeds on the Day of Judgement and neither will they receive a speck of reward from AlJah. This is because Allah, Exalted is He, only accepts deeds that were performed sincerely for His sake (alone) and in conformity \vith His Laws. Thus deeds are of four types-: one type is accepted whereas the other three types are turned down. The accepted deeds are the correct and sincere deeds and the meaning (of correct) is: To be from the acts legislated by Allah through His Messenger (~); and the meaning (of sincere) is: To be performed onJy for the sake of Allah. As for the other three types of deeds, they are the deeds that fail to meet the set requirements of an accepted deed.

A marvellous secret lies in the comparison of their deeds to ashes, as they both share some similarity; that is, fire burns both of them, and uproots their origins. All deeds that are performed for the sake of other than AUah, Most High, and are not in conformity with His laws, will be cast into Hell, and will be used to fuel the fire that will burn the ones who did these deeds, because AHah replaces their nullified deeds with punishment and fire. He wiJI also replace the good deeds of those who performed them sincerely for His sake, with grace and life (in Paradise). Therefore, note that A1lah will burn the nullified deeds until they become ashes, for wh_o cver worships anything or anyone other than Allah, wi)) enter Hell, as its fuel, along ,vith his idols. 73 Good \Vord and the Good Tree And from amongst these examples is Allah's statement, "Have you not considered how Allah presents an example, [making] a good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and it branches (high) in the sky? Producing its fruit all the time by the permission of its Lord. And Allah presents examples for the people that perhaps they will be reminded." 33 Here, Allah has likened the good word to the good tree because the outcome of a good word is a good deed, and a good tree will ,3 1/mihim (14): 24-25 74 also )~eld beneficial and good fruits.

This meaning is obvious and apparent and in conformity with the view adopted by the majority of scholars of Tafsir who say that the good word in this ayah means the declaration that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah (i.e. Shahadah). For indeed the fruits of this statement are all hidden and manifest good deeds since every good deed pleasing Allah, Most High, has to be a result of this statement. In the Tafsirof 'All ibn AbiTalib, Ibn 'Abbas (rat/fyA.lldhu 'anhum) said (regarding th.is ~ah), '1vhose root is ftrmfy fixed' refers to the statement, 'There is no deity JJJorthy of JJJorship but Allah' that is established in the heart of believers - "and it branches (high) in the sky" refers to the deeds of believers that are elevated to the sky by the means of this statement." Al-Rabt ibn Anas said, "The good word (mentioned in the ayah) is said in reference to tmdn, as it resembles the good tree. '1JJhose root is firmfy fixed' refers to the everlasting sincerity within it, and 'its branches (high) in the sf?y' refers to fearing Allah." The explanation used in this Qatter) interpretation is the most correct and most suitable because Allah, Exalted is He, likened the tree of Tmvpid in the heart, to the good tree whose roots are firmly fixed and its branches reach high in the sky, continually bearing fruit whenever a good deed is raised high. If one contemplates th.is comparison, he will realise that it perfectly corresponds to the tree of Ta1vpid whose roots are fixed in the heart (of a believer), whose branches comprising of good deeds, are raised high in the sky (and) continuing to provide the fruits of good deeds depending on the firmness and well-establishment of T0111hid in the heart - the level of love that a heart has for it, the level of understanding of its reality and truths - and the 75 level to which a person is appropriately mindful to the rights (of the deed).

He (is successful) who has this good word established firmly in his heart, understands its reality and his heart is engulfed with its characteristics; his tongue testifies its correctness and his limbs act upon (,vhat it necessitates). His heart and tongue affirm and negate that which Taw/_Jid affirms and negates, while his limbs submit ,villingly and in totality to the Commandments of Allah similar to ho,v his heart accepts no Lord but its truthful Creator. Undoubtedly, thjs good word which emanates from the heart and is uttered by the tongue continues to bear its fruit. The good deeds that are raised to the Lord of all Worlds (are those) that yield plenty of good fruits whenever it accompanies a good deed by which it ascends the good word. Allah said, "Unto Him ascend (al~ good 1vords and the righteous deed elevates them. "34 Allah also informs us that the result of a good word is a good deed for the person who utters it at all times.

This is because whenever a believer testifies and utters the word of Tawhid while knowing its true meaning and reality - what it confirms and negates and encapsulates his heart, tongue and all his limbs with the characteristics of this testimony - he is rewarded. For indeed, the roots of this word are firmly entrenched in his heart and its branches are connected to the sky, yielding fruit all the time. The Example of the Palm-Tree and the Believer Some of the righteous predecessors said that the good tree (in Surah Ibrahim, 24) is the palm tree. This is supported by the }:iadith }4 Fatir (35): 10 76 on the authority of lbn ' Un1ar (nujfy.· lll,ih11 'rmh11111n) that i~ rcconkd in the S:tl)il) books. Son1e of then1 also said (the good tre~) is the bdic:vcr. as per the report narrated by ~lul).tn1n1ad ibn S:t'd who relayed (through a sa1llJd [chainl) that lbn (Abbas (nuf!y. ·l/l,ih11 'm1h11111,i) said, 'In the t!J'ah, "Srr)'OII 1101 ho1J ."-11/tih roi11s a 1 si111i/it11dr: •-l good/) Stf)'illf!. • as a good/y lrer, il.r roof srl fir111, ifs hra11chrs 1 re,:duirg i11l0 heare11 ·, the goodly tree is the believer and 'ils roof se/ fir111. its bm11thrs rearbli1g lo 1hr he,u 01s' n1cans that the believer works 1 ~md talks on earth so his words and deeds reach into heaven while he still liYes on earth.'' \ \~yyah al-'U t1 said, "See )'OIi 110I hou· A lltih coins a si111ilill1de: / l goorl!y st!Ji11g. as a goorlb· tree' is similar to the believer whose words m d good deeds emanate from him and ascend to J\llah." Al-Rabt ibn Anas said, "its root set jir111, its hranrhe.s reaching into hrm·t11' is to exemplify the sincerity of the believer to Allah and his deYoted worship to Allah alone without associating any partner \\i th Him, 'its root setfir111' n1eans the origin of his (good) deeds are well established on earth and 'its branches reaching into heare11' means his name is mentioned in heaven." There is no contradiction between these t\vo interpretations because the intended meaning of the example is the believer, who also shares many similarities ,vith the palm tree. Thus, since the palm tree is a goodly tree then it is n1ore befitting to say that the believer is similar to it.

And though some of the righteous predecessors said: 'thegood!J tree' is a tree in paradise; it is also known that the palm-tree is amongst the most honourable of trees in paradise. 77 ReviYing i111ti11 (Faith) \\'ithin this example (we find), secrets, knowledge and cognition that conform to the \,·isdom and Kno,\·ledge of :\llah. For '- example, since a tree must ha,·e roots, a ~ sap,l"'OOO~ bnnch~ lea,·es and fruit - the tree of 1i! Jd11 and Islam must ha,·e simib.r elements so that the likened is exacth· \\·hat it is likened to. The sap,,·o od is kno,,·ledge. undersrnncling and cert:tinty. its trunk is sincerity. its branches a.re deeds; and the fruits are guid:mce~ good n1anners and a good character. 1'.no,\-ir1g ho,\· firn1 and \\-dl-established .this goodh· ~ .. tree is in the h ~, can be noted throu....~ '- these elements. \\l1en a pe~on·s kno, Yledge is sound md based upo n the Qtu:·'in. his belief (creed) matches \\·hat r\llih and His ~Icssengc_rs inforn1ed us about Hin1; his h~rt is sincere and his actio ns confo rm to the Con1n1and1nents of Allah - his n1annet"$ :md char.lctcriscics co nform to these fund:unental~. It becon1es c,;dent th~\t the roots of the tree of i111<i11 in his heart :ue firn1hti,ed ,,-ith i~ bnnches re:iching into the sky. On the other h~.nd. in the c:1se that is o pposite to the: aforc1ncnciont'd e.x~unple.. one \\-ill ~ ~1lisc th~1t it is an evil tree that has been pbntcd in the! heart. :\ ~c th:u is \\;thout stability. uprooted fron1 the <.~rth. ~lnd dcpriY<.'O of \\".Her. and such as trt·es ~s we know. cannot sun·ivc !lnd ,,·ill eYcntu~\lhdry up and perish.

This i$ the clear ex:unple of the trct· of lsHhn within tht.· ht.\rt (of :1 bdicvcr). It n1ust rcgubrly be \\":ltcrt~l with go od ~,nJ bc:nt·ticial deeds, !tnd it n1ust be protected and strcngthcnt·d hy accu~- torning it to the rc1nen1br-:u1cc of :\llah, :•nd contc1nplnti'-)n upon His 13ook: otherwise it n1a,· . nnJ litck-ss. ln the .11.•,s-,:.: I . hccon1t· drv of In1:i1n t\l.1n1:1c.l. on tht· authority of :\bft I lur.•ymh (r.:l /r.-lll.ih11 78 Good l1Yord and the Good Tree 'at1bH) reported, that the Messenger of Allah (;I) said, "iman in the heart is torn as a garment is torn, so revive your iman." The Good Plant Generally speaking, \Vhen a plant is not being looked after, it will eventually dry up and die, which explains why the slaves (of Allah) are in great need of the acts of worship that He Commanded them to perform in the day and at night. It is from His ~1:ercy, His Benignity and Grace upon His slaves that He Legislated such acts of worship, which are the water that irrigates the plants of Ta]J){Jid that He placed within our hearts. It is also common for alien and harmful plants to mix within the beneficial crops. Thus, when the one in charge of these crops tends to look after them regularly and purifies them of these intruders, they will grow healthy and yield a large and beneficial harvest. However, when the person in charge of these crops becomes neglectful, they will be overtaken by weeds and harmful plants and as a result, the crops will be impaired, and the fruits \viU be damaged.

Those who lack a clear understanding and knowledge of these matters will miss many profitable gains \Vithout even realising it. That said, the believer is always pruning and watering this plant so that it is everlasting, and (he) uproots all other harmful plants and weeds from its surroundings to assure its healthy growth. And in Allah we place our trust. These arc just some of the secrets and wisdom contained \vithin this magnificent example, which tnay be just a drop from the ocean as we comprehend but a little fron1 the secrets of Allah due to our state of mind weak hearts deficient knowledge and deeds that ' ' necessitate the seeking of forgiveness. For indeed, if our hearts 79 ,,ut ,1~~,1~ \\--.tt t'Cft~)TT:1C'J ,\'1th ~inccrity :md dcYntion. "\\"'C \\·ottld hH,~ d.:-:i\ '-'1 mnny ren1!'lrk!lhk fflC.'ln in~ .md "\\i~don1 tron1 the \, \"'rd~ ( ,1· :\liah: "i~dom th:it c."\\--'t-sh:idow·s ~11 orhcr intcllcc~ 111is ~. rrrn.1~~"'lt1 illu~tr:'ltcs tf)r n~ the clcY~tcd :..nd blcs..~cd lc,-d of • kn\"\\\·l~...1~~ :1nd nndc~t~nding 1..1t rhc C\1n1pnnion~ n-12y _\llih be i'}·,1~..1 \\i~'h th~1 !11, kc.1t:~ :-!-le difr"c:-c.,cr bcrw~cn thc~r knou-l- ..

J~ , ~1n.~ un"-1 ~i!ln,iin~ :ind :-'h~t c.1f ,!1c ~opk· ~ I - " -ho c2n1c after :h~n1 ~"' .1.., \'.1..,t ~~ thectifrcre,.-,c(" b~t\rc~n their Ylm.lC' and thnt of 7h .. ~."':-ik ,Y!l -:1:,1~ :1-=-rcr - :ind _·\ llah kno~ b::st. the p1aces to ·wh1 -h H~ :i1k,c. T:·~~ H i~ (.; r!'I~{' :1nd tc.) ·wh cm1 He foyou~ '\\"'1th His ,---, \ . .. . 1.. • Bad Word and the Bad Tree Allah then mentioned (the opposite of good word) 'the bad 111ord' and likened it to the bad tree that has been uprooted from the surface of the earth. It is unstable with a weak trunk and no high branches, bears no fruit nor has any shade - as it is in reality nothing but a lo\v and fruitless tree. When a person with a sound intellect contemplates upon most o f the writing and speech of mankind, he will realise that it is similar to this bad tree. It is a great loss when a person busies himself with this fruitless talk and leaves behind the best and most beneficial Speech (i.e. the Qur'an). Al-Da}:l}:iak said, "Allah compared the disbeliever with a tree that has been 'uprootedfrom the surface of the earth, not having any stability' to say that a ro otless tree without branches or fruit is without benefit (and) is similar to the disbeliever, whose actions and speech arc devoid of good and therefore Allah places no grace or benefit within them.

Ibn 'Abbas said: "The phrase 'the exan,ple of a bad word' refers to shirk and 'is like a had free' refers to the disbeliever 81 and '11prw ttdfronr lht s1nf~u if the tatib, r.o: harir.g aq jfch::.~, •me.ins 1hirk (as) neither has an ori$n that a disbeliever can ho!d to nor a '-' proof." And Allah never accepts the deed of a clisbeEe"-er md ne\·er raises it to Himself. The intended meming of ·J:cs r.o firm r(Jo/s 011 tarth and no branfht.s in lht sJ:g~ is that the disbelie-ver h1s no good deed to be raised to _,\llah md no good deed in the Here1.fter. .A.I-Rabi ibn :\nas said, '-The e..\:ample of the bad tree is like the disbeliever ,,.-hose ~ords and deeds h:l\·e neither roots nor . ' - ha,-e no stabilitv. on earth nor branches, and his deeds and sa\ings can they reach high into the sky.~' Sa<id n1IT3ted from Q :niid:m regarding this t~;u.b• ... _-\ man on~ asked someone fron1 the people o f the knowledge th:.1t he met on the road. \\·hat do you say about the phr:1se in the !'t,;h ·tt t bed word?' he replied. '.-\s far as I kno, Y, it neither settl~ on e:mh nor 3scends to the sky. so it accon1pruues the one " ·ho said it until the D ay of Judgn1ent."' Then _-\llili inforn1s of His $ep:.uarion be~ t\\·een the t\\·o g roups; the people of the goodly word md the people o f the bad w-ord. md His justice. H e info ra1s us that "H( h t'j).i_fif711 tboH ui>{) /1</it1't. u-itb tbtjin.1 ur;rrt \\·hich is what they an: n1ost in need of in this lifr md the Here1f~r: and th:n He 'per: L,· tJShifl' lht /JTO!Jgdor-rs (1:e. dir/Jt/icrmj • by di~ting thcn1 far front the firn1 word thus He sends then1 astr.w. b\· . His .Justice: and holds the belie\·ers upon the firn1 wo rd by His Gr-.Kc ~d d ue to their hnan. \,.ithin this '[r,rh : -lll(ih kup.,jin,, tl osr uio l·dier(. :.:-:th tl-(_fin,, u-o.rr!. i11 the· Jl'orld{)' ltP and in tL·e H(l-r f/!fr'lit"s :\ ntagnific~nt m::1sun:.

Tho$<.' who find it, utilisl: it md spt·nd front it. will ht! succ<.'$S ful. wht·re.ts those who are pren.·ntcd fro1n t·njoying this tre.1suo.· will he fu>nt - - ------- - - - - - -- - - ----- _____ ...,.,___,.,. ...~~ the losers. Indeed the slave of AIJah cannot survive w ith(JUt .AJ!ih keeping hin1 firm, even for the blinking of an eye hcc:ws,.: ·;:itlJ~ out the Support from Allah, his workl would come cra"ihing dc-r;,T;., Allah said to His n1ost noble and beloved one amo~t J-fL creation, "And had We not made vou stand firm~ ,·ou wo uldJ , nearly have inclined to them a little. .. " 35 and, ~,,,,.,,,. / ':,J•.} .. N•t'-:~-~-Y_:./t"'t .... >,,, > .. , ~'~~~\ ~(;,~-~' N,w 1Jt4.)~~~~ "(Remember) when your Lord reYealed to the angels. "Verily, l am with you, so keep ti.rm those who h:1,-e believed ..." 36 and, ,,,,. ,, "'-?° -,1 \~· ,.:l>~\..e > .,,,~, .... ~>~-e,#\ 16 • d!G....,----- ~~~ !0 - ...ul_»' ~1..,.,1.·~ ,, • v, " - ..,,, .!JJ ,,,., ......... , ·'And all that \Y./e relate to you of the new~ of the lvlesscngcrs is in order that \,'e m:iy make ~trong :md firm your heart... '· 7 ,~ I.mi' (17): 74 \(1 a/-_, ltifiil (8): 12 ·" ll,id (l l): 120 83 The Method of l(eeping Them Firm The entire creation is divided into two kinds; those that arc blessed ,vith firmness and those who arc debased and without firmness.

The origin and essence of firmness is generated from the firm \"\lord and adherence to all the Commandments of Allah by which He keeps His slave firm. The more steadfast and firm the speech is and the better the deeds, the more Allah keeps His slave firm. Allah. As He said, " But if they had done what they were told, it would have been better for them, and would have strengthened their (Faith)."38 Those with the most firm hearts are the ones with the most firrn words and the firm word is the truthful and honest word, which is the opposite of the false and dishonest ,vord. There are rwo kinds of words; a firm word that is real, and a false word that is not real. The most firm word is the word of Ta1vf;id, and what it necessitates - for it is indeed the greatest means by which Allah keep His slaves firm in this life and the Hereafter.

For this reason, a truthful person is noted as the most firm and brave by others, whereas a dishonest man is seen as the most cowardly and least firm of people. People of intuition arc able to recognise the truthfulness "" nl-,Vilti' (4): 66 84 of an honest person by the firmness of his heart and bravery during trials; and the dishonesty of a dishonest person by his weak heart and cowardice. Such observations only go unnoticed by those ,vho are weak in imti11. Some people asked about the words that they heard from a person; so the answerer said, "By Allah I have not understood a word from what he said except that without a doubt, his words have an effect that cannot be an effect of a falsifier." Indeed, Allah has not given his slave anything better and more beneficial than the firm word; as such people reap the fruits of their speech when they are most in need of it; in their graves and on the Day of Judgement. Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib (racjfyAlltih11 'anhu) narrated: The Prophet ~) said, "This ayah was revealed regarding the punishment o f the g rave." This has been further explained in other authentic ahadeeth, including one narrated in the M11snad of Imam A~mad, from the l~adith o f D ~i\vud ibn AbI Hind, who narrated from Abu Nudrah, who narrated from Abu Sa'Id al-KhudrI (racJ!y/1/ltihtt 'anhu) who said, ''We were walking in a funeral with the Prophet (~) so he said, "O people, this nation is tested in their graves so that when the deceased is buried and the people have departed, an angel with a hammer in his hand comes to the deceased and asks him, 'what do you say about this man (i.e. the Prophet)?' If the deceased was a be1ievcr he will testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, and He has no partner, and that Mul~amrnad is His Slave and Messenger. The angel will then say, 'You said the truth,' and opens for him a door showing Hell and says to him, ·This we >uld have been your position in the fire had you disbelieved, but as you have believed, for you Allah has replaced it with this.' He then opens for him a door showing his place in Jannah, 85 so the deceased tries to get up to enter but the angel says, 'Remain in your place,> then he expands his grave.

As for the disbeliever and the hypocrite, when they are asked, 'What do you say of this man (i.e. the Prophet)?' They reply, 'I do not know,' so the angel says, 'You neither knew nor were guided,' then he opens for him a door to Jannah and says to him, 'This would have been your place had you believed in your Lord, but as you have disbelieved, for you Allah has replaced it with this.' Then he opens for him a door showing him hell, and then the angel strikes him with his han1mer so that the entire creation can hear except mankind and Jinn." Some of his companions said, "O Messenger of Allah, every one of us will be too frightened and speechless when we see an angel with a hammer in his hand, standing next to our heads." The Messenger of Allah (;i) said, "Allah keeps the believing ones firm with the firm word in this worldly life and the H ereafter, and He sends astray the wrongdoers (i.e. disbelievers) and does what J--le Wills." In the A1us11ad of Imam A}:imad, al-Bara' ibn < Azib also narrated: The 11essenger of Allah (;i) said (mentioning how the soul of the believers are taken by the Angel of death), "An Angel comes to hin1 in his grave so he asks him, 'Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet?' So he says, 'My Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam and my Prophet is Mu}:iammad.' The angel repeats the three questions angrily, and that would be the last test that a believer goes through and at that moment applies the Ayah: "He keepsjirt11 those 111ho believe, ,vith thefirm JlJord in the 111orld!J lift and H ereafter." So the believer replies, 'My Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam and my Prophet is Mu}:iammad.' The angel replies, 'You spoke the truth."' 86 And this is an authentic ~adith. f:lammad ibn Salamah narrated from Nlu}:lammad ibn (Amr and Abu Salamah that Abu Hurayrah (rat/iyAl/tih11 'anhu) said, that the Messenger of Allah (~) said, "He keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word in the worldly life and Hereafter." When the deceased is asked in his grave, 'Who is your Lord? What is your religion?' He answers, 'My Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam and my Prophet is Mu}:lammad. He was sent with proofs from Allah so I believed in him.' The angel replies, 'You said the truth; upon this you lived and upon this you clied and upon this you shall be resurrected."' Al-'Amash narrated from al-MinQal ibn < Amr that ZaQan narrated from al-Bara' ibn < Azib (rat/fyAllcihu 'anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (~) said (after mentioning how the soul of the believers are taken by angel of death); "The soul of the believer returns into his body (in the grave) then two violent angels are sent to hin1, so they make him sit down (in his grave) and aggressively ask him, 'Who is your lord?' He answers, 'Allah.' They ask him, 'What is your religion?' He answers, 'Islam.' They ask him, 'Who is this man who was sent to you?' He answers, 'Mu}:lammad, the Messenger of AJlah.' They say, 'How do you. know so?' He answers 'J read the book of Allah so I believed in him.' And this is what is meant with the ayah, "He keeps firm those who believe, u,ith /he firm 111ord i11 /he J1Jorld(y life and Hereafter." This was reported in the Sa}:li}:l of Ibn IJibban and the .A1usnad of Imam Al~mad. Ibn l~ibban also reported upon the authority of Abu Hurayrah (rat/!JAl/rihu 'anhu) that the Prophet (;i) said, "The deceased can hear the steps of people leaving him in his grave.:; so if he was a believer he will find that the $alcih stands next to his head, the Zak.ah stands on his right side, fasting stands on hi s left side, nnd good deeds such as charity, joining kinship, being 87 kind to others and similar good deeds stand next to his feet. \Xt'hen punishment attempts to reach him from the side of his head, the .fa/db stops it, so it attempts to reach him from his right side but the Zakdh stops it, so it tries from his left side but the fasting stops it.

So it tries to reach him from his feet but the good deeds (i.e. charity, joining kinship, and sho,ving kindness to people) stops it. Then he is told to sit down so he sits down while sun is shown to hin1 near sunset time so the angels ask him, 'Tell us the answers to what we will ask you about.' He says, 'What is it that you want to ask? Leave me alone so that I may pray.' They reply 'You \Vill pray but tell us about what we will ask of you.' They ask 'What do · you say about the man who was sent to you? And what do you testify to regarding him?' He says, 'Mul)ammad.' They say, 'Yes that is him.' He says, 'I testify that he is the Messenger of Allah (~ ) and he w2s sent with clear proofs from Allah so ,ve believed in him.' They say to him 'Upon that you lived, and upon that you died and upon that you will be resurrected, ,vith the permission of Allah.' Then his grave is expanded to the width of seventy arms-lengths and his grave becomes illuminated. Then a door from the doors of the Jannah opens for him and then it is said to him, 'Look at what Allah has prepared for you in it.' So he looks and becomes happy and delighted. Then Allah sends his soul into green birds from the birds of Jannah that land on trees of Jannah.

Then the body returns to dust and that is the statement of Allah: ''Allah keeps the believing ones firm 1vith the firm 111ord in this 1vorld!J' life and the Hereafter. " No Iviuslim should become tired of hearing about the firm word and its benefits, as every scholar, martyr, ruler, and all Muslims are more in need of understanding this, than their need for air, food and water. And with Allah lies all success. 88 The Example of Those Who Associate Anything with Allah Fron1 an1ong these qyat is His statement, "So shun the filth of idols, and shun lying speech. Turning unto Allah (only), not ascribing partners unto Him; for whosoever ascribes partners unto Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky and the birds had snatched him or the wind had blown him to a far off placc."w C)nc should contcn1platc this cxan1plc and its sin1ilarity to the -~-- -·-- - - 1'/ ,J/)1,yj (22): 10-11 89 condition of those who associate and equate anything or myone with Allah. This parable offers rwo beneficial comparisons; firstly. it may be taken as a complex similitude in v.hich Allah likens the one ,\·ho commits shirk, to the one who bro%oht upon himsdf an inescapable disaster. Allah thus compares this person to one who falls from the sky (while) being snatched at by birds and ending up within their stomachs; or being blown to a far off place by the \\i.nd.

According to this comparison, the parable is taken as a \\·hole - The second aspect is to take this parable as a di,-ided comparison, where each part is taken and analysed separately. Therefore the highness, honour and endlessness of il11ti11 and T{11J·f;id a.re likened to the skY. to which the,·. ascend and from which the,· . descend. And He likened the one " 'ho abandons i111ti11 and Tau -l;id to a person falling do\vn from sk-y in respect to se,·ere pain. Birds snatching him and tearing him apart are the devils that Allah sends to annoy him and disturb him, leadir..g him to doom, as eYery devil has snatched away a piece of his heart and religion sin1ilar to how every bird has a piece of his flesh and limbs. The \vind blo,ving him to a far off place is his desires that he follo,vs, ,,·hich blo,,· him down and far from the sky. 90 10 It: Vr dl \' 1hot1e on wh, 1u1you ,·,Ill hr~ldt 1\lli\h t' ,11, 1 tW\'l I' ('t', :ltl ' (n't'II) ti tlr th1H1p,li thr) l'ntHhlt1r tnp,rt\w1· 1 1 (, H' 1hr p111p,11tt' , t\ nd II' tlw lly 1, 1111, ritllHr thil\~ !'fntll tl 1<·1n llw t·n11ld rn,t 11tlw 11 lu1r l, f1t11H It , S1, ,,,,·111 1 I , ,11t 1 (110 th ) tlw ""''In•, iuHl llh' ~rn ,ght! 'l'hn • li,\\T n, 1111H'itfl · 111,·d 1\ll ~h I lh1 1ip_h11ul nu,,,,.,11,·, \ ,·,II · ,·\llnh '" ,\II VI Strong, All-Almighty."~11 Every slave (of Allah) ought to take heed of this example and contemplate upon it, for it completely removes all sources of shirk from the heart.

This is because the least of which the worshipped can do is to create that ,vhich benefits his worshippers and remove harm from them. ln contrast, the idols which the idolaters worship cannot create a fly, even if they gathered together to do this task. If this is the case with creating a fly, then it is obvious that they are unable to do that which is greater - the inability to even restore what a fly may take fro1n the1n. Thus, it is evident that there is nothing weaker or more worthless than idols, ,vho can neither create a fly nor restore what it takes from them, even though it is the weakest o f creatures. So, how does a sound mind allow the worship of id{ 1ls!? The sitnilitude employed in this a_)'ah is amongst the n1ost eloquent Revelations in which Allah nullified idolatry, conde1nned idolaters and their reasoning and sho,vs that they are n1anipulated by the devils like the n1anner in which a child plays \\~th a ball. For these devils ascribe some attributes of Allah (such as total power, con1pletc knowledge, answering prayers, aiding those in need and being self-sustained) to images and sculptures that have no control over even the tiniest portion of creation, c,·c1~ if they all gathered together to do so.

And the fact that this tiny, weak and helpless fly may take s01nething fron1 then1 - and they :ire unable to restore it, even if they all gathered together - is enough of an evidence to negate their claims of Lordship. He thus placed the worshipper (idolater) and the worshipped (idols) at th<: san1c level in respect of weakness and helplessness when -- --------- - "' 111-U,yi (22): 73-7,t 92 thei.rt.r and the I ·?J_________ l'ob1 ___;;_ I-le said: "Jo Jl'eak are (both) the seeker rmd the sought!" Jt was said that the seeker is the worshipper and the sought is the worshipped (idol) to exemplify how a weak thing attaches itself to something weak. lt was also said that it is to equate the worshipped ido l with the fly in terms o f weakness and helplessness and based upon this, the seeker is the worshipped idol and the sought is the fly, i.e. the idolaters seeking the aid of the idol (seeker) to restore what the fly (sought) has taken. It was also said that the seeker is the fly and the sought is the worshipped idol so the fly asks the idol for what it took away. The correct statement is that all these meanings are possible as the words are applicable to the worshipped idol, the worshipper, the seeker and the sought are aJJ weak and helpless - therefore he who worshipped these idols besides Allah, Most High, has neither given Allah His rightful measure nor understood Hjm in the rightful manner nor glorifi ed Him in a manner befitting Hjs Greatness. 93 The Caller and the Called From among these aydt is His statement, .> .. ,, ,, / ,,~ ,>. ,,,,,,, .. ,,~"("'' >', / ~'->~ ~ \__,_)..f-:=, c:.t ~ ;u \ _, 5-~ ;:;;1 •>-: » ·) je>.r~) ~Jj, [~~ ~, >, .., ~ ~ .. - >-+'~rf" ,,_, •C::-: ;. "And the example of those who disbelieve is like that o f one who shouts at what hears nothing but calls and cries (cattle or sheep). (fhey are) deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand." 41 Wherein Allah mentions a caller and the called; the former is a person addressing the idol, and the latter is the idol.

It was said that the caller of cattle exemplifies the idol worshipper and the one calJed exemplifies the idol since the condition of the disbeliever when invoking (his idols) is similar to the condition of the one calling to something that cannot hear. This understanding 41 al-/Jaqarah (2): 171 94 has been adopted by a group of scholars such as cAbdul-Ra}:iman ibn Zayd. This Yiew has been deemed problematic by the author of 'al-Kashshaf and some others who said: the phrase \vhat hears nothing but calls and cries' negates their view because idols cannot hear a call or a shout. Thjs objection has been replied to ,v;th three answers. The first a11.over. It is a linguistic application in which "ii/a" (translated as 'but') is deemed additional and hence has no meaning.

Ho\vever, this answer is invalid because "ilkl' cannot be used as an addition in language. The second a11s1ver. The form of similitude used in this tJ_}'ah is particular to all types of calling and not related to the characteristics of the called or invoked. The third a11s1ver: The meaning of this similitude is that those ,vho invoke their idols that cannot comprehend their prayers are like a person calling for and shouting at his sheep; he does not benefit wich his calling and shouting. Similarly, idolaters ,vho invoke their idols gain nothing out of their invocations and calls but the effort they exerted. It ,vas also said: 'The example of disbelievers is like cattle that do not understand what their shepherd shouts except that they only hear his sound, therefore the shepherd is the caller of disbelievers and the cattle are the disbelievers.' .

Sibawayh said that the meaning (of this tlJ'ah) is, 'O Mul:iamn1ad, the example of you and disbelievers is like the caller and the one called.' 95 Based on this, the n1eaning is, 'The cxan1plc of those who disbelieved and the one who calls thcn1, is like the sheep and the one who shouts at thcn1.' If we consider this similitude as a complex one, then it likens the inability of disbelievers to understand and <:omprehend, to sheep that do not understand the calls of their shepherd, except for hearing of noise. On the other hand, if we consider the similitude in this tl)'ab as a multiple parable, then the ayah likens disbelievers to cattle, the voice of the caller to the one calling disbelievers to the right path and guidance and the inability of disbelievers to understand this call for guidance, to the inability of cattle to understand the calls of their shepherd. And Allah knows best. 96 Spending For the Sake of Allah and Planting Grains From amongst these a_J'a f is His statement, ' 'The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the \X'ay o f Allah is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears, in every ear (has) a hundred grains. Allah gives manifo ld increase to whom He wills. Allah is All E mbracing, All Knowing.' ' 42 Allah likens spending for His sake, be it for Jihad or any other means of goodness, to a person planting grains. Every grain grew seven cars and in every ear there were one hundred grains, and Allah multiplies the reward depending upon many factors: the 42 al-/Jaqarah (2): 261 97 sincerity, (the level of) i111tit1 of the spender, the extended benefit resulting from such spending, the amount of money that ,vas spent and spending the money in the right place.

This is because the reward varies according to the sincerity and i,ntin in the spender's heart and the firmness at the time of spending the money i.e. spending the money with a firm heart, happily and willingly without any attachment to it, so that the hand gives it away unshaken and ,vithout hesitation. It also varies depending upon the level of benefit achieved and ·whether the money is spent appropriately. From this example, we may understand that Allah has likened spending, to the gro,vth of grains, because the person who spends his lawful wealth for the sake of Allah is like the one who plants his grain into fertile land. The harvest depends upon the quality of the grain, the fertility of the land, irrigation, and the removal of harmful plants and pests. \X!hen all these acts are performed and no fire has incinerated the grains, the harvest will come in the size of mountains and will be like a grain that has been planted on a hill that is exposed to sun and wind, which provides the best conditions for the growth of plants. Then heavy rain falls down continuously causing the plant to give double the harvest of other plants and even if the rain was little, it will suffice it to grow a little, and its gro\vth will double with more water. The use of heavy and light rain was in similitude of those ,vho spend a little and those who spend a lot and Allah never overlooks even an atom's worth of good deeds.

Thus, when someone spends for the sake of Allah and then does something that nullifies his good deeds, he is like a person who has a garden of palms and vines with rivers flowing underneath, with many fruits therein; and he is very old and has feeble 98 off-spring - then a fiery windstorm strikes it, consuming it all \\1th fire so that upon the day in ·which deeds are judged and rew·ards arc given, \Vhat happened to the o,vner of the garden will happen to him, though his grief and regret ,vill surpass the suffering of the owner of the garden. This example has been set by Allah to · illustrate the grief and regret that occurs when a blessing that is very beneficial and great is taken a\\1ay at the time when it is most needed, similar to the man ,vho is old and weak and has feeble off-spring who cannot look after him and are under his care, yet cannot benefit from the grace and blessings he possessed. If this is the case of a person who owns a garden of all kinds of fruit~ including the best fruit; palms and vines that suffice him and his off-spring, then all of a sudden his garden is consumed by fire, what sorrO\V and grief is greater than this! Ibn < Abbas (rat/!.JAlltih11 'anh11llla) said, "This is the example of a person ,vhose last deeds at the end of his life are corrupted." 11ujahid said, "This is the example of a person who remains unmindful of obedience to Allah until his death." Al-Sari said, "This is the example of a sho,v-off ,vhose spending is not for the sake of Allah; therefore he is prevented from its re,vard when he is most in need of it." Once, < Umar ibn al-Khanab (rat/!JAllahJJ 'a11h11) asked the companions about this t1J'ah so they said, "Allah kno,vs best.'' So •umar got upset and said, "Either you say ,ve kno,v or ,ve do not kno\\r." Ibn < Abbas (ratJ!JAlltih11 <a11h11111a) said, "O chief of the Believers, I may kno,v \vhat it means." 'Umar said, "O my nephe,v, say it and do not keep it to yoursel(" Ibn ·Abbas said, " It is an exan1ple of a deed." 'Umar asked, "\Xlhat deed?" Ibn ·Abbas said, "A rich 99 man who does good deeds then Allah sends hin1 the Shaytan, so he starts to commit wrongdoings until these wrongdoings destroyed all his good deeds." Al-J:Iasan said, "This is the example that only few can comprehend, it is the example of an old, weak man ,vith many children who is in need of his garden and by Allah, all of you are in more need of the (reward of) good deeds after death. So, when his charitable deeds are affected by his showing off or·reproaching (the ones receiving his charity), the rewards of his charity are nullified." The refore the likeness of this person and the nullification of his good deeds are like a rock upon which lies dust of earth that is struck by a rain storm, leaving it smooth and bare. When one conten1plates the results of the acts mentioned in this example, and the depth of the parables, the greatness of the Qur'an will be realised.

A rock is likened to the heart of a show-off who reproaches or mocks the ones who receive his charity, therefore his heart in terms of imti11, sincerity and ipstin is like a rock - and insincere deeds are likened to the dqst of earth upon a rock. Yet, the hard surface of the rock prevents dust from sticking to it, and prevents plants gro,ving from it when there is a rainstorm. This is also the condition of a show off, who is stubborn in the face of Commandtnents, thus the small amount of dust covering him is removed, revealing a bare rock underneath. This is a good example of the good deeds and spending of a show-off who will not attain their reward on the Day of Judgement, when they are most in need of it. And with Allah is all success. 100 1 1isspending and the Windstorm From amongst the5e tt_)'a/ is His st2temen~ " Indeed, those who disbeHeve - ne\·er will their wealth o r their children avaiJ them against Allah at all, and those are the companio ns o f the Fire; they will abide therein eternally. The example o f what they spend in this worldly life is like that o f a wind containing frost which strikes the harvest o f a people who have wro nged themselves and destroys it.

And Allah has not 10 1 wronged them, but they wrong themselves.''43 Here, Allah has set an example of those who spend their wealth in matters displeasing to Allah. He likened the wealth that they spend to showing off and gaining the praise of peopl~ - so they lead them away from the way of Allah and His Messengers - to seeds that one planted in the hope of achieving benefit, but then a windstorm containing frost strikes the harvest, leaving it withered and destroyed. Scholars offered three meanings of the (Arabic) word "Sirr'' that has been used in this ayah to describe the wind. Son1e said it is extreme coldness, others such as Ibn < Abbas said it is fire. Al-Anbari said the reason why fire is described as "Sirr" is due to its sound when it burns. Some others said "Sirr'' is the sound accompanying the windstorm as a result of its extreme power and speed.

The three statements are all correct and related because it is extreme cold that burns the harvest, leaving it dry, similar to how fire burns and it also blows with a powerful noise. The phrase 'strikes the harvest of apeople who have wronged themselves' is to notify us of their wrongdoings for which the windstorm struck their harvest (in the first place). The wrongdoing of the people was the windstorm that destroyed their good deeds and spending. 43 - , Allmran (3): 116-117 102 ., The Idolater and the Believer From among these '!)'al is His statement, " Allah puts forth an example: a man (slave) belonging to (many) disputing panners and another man (sfave) belonging exclusi\·ely to one master - are they equal in comparison? All Praise be to ..-\llah! But most of them do not know."'"' \Vherein Allah gives the examples of an idolater and a believer - The idolater is likened to a slave owned by a group ,vhom he must serve, yet he is unable to please them all, whereas a believer u al~Z1111111r (39): 29 103 who ,vorships and believes in One God, is likened to a slave owned by one person, and he knows of the means by which he can please hi1n. He knows what his master wants of him and so he is safe from the quarrelling of partners, had he been owned by a group.

Therefore, he is focused on serving his n1aster and his master is merciful and compassionate when he deals with him. So, Allah asks us how these slaves can be equal in any manner. Indeed, when a person is devoted to serving one owner, he will receive much kindness, generosity and aid, compared to the one who is owned by disputing partners. All Praise is due to Allah alone for most of then1 fail to comprehend. 104 Those who Disbelieve and Those who Believe Frorn amongst these aydt is His statement, HAJlah puts forth an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Nul) and the wife of Lut. They were under 105 two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so those Prophets did not avail them from Allah at all, and it was said, 'Enter the Fire with those who enter.' And Allah puts forth an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, 'My Lord, build for me a home near You in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people.' And (the example of) Mary, the daughter of < Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into 01er garment) through Our angel, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient."45 In these tf)'tit, three examples were mentioned; one example of a disbeliever and two examples of believers. The example of the disbeliever explains how a disbeliever is blamed for his disbelief and enmity to Allah, His Messenger and His supporters - and that neither his blood-relationship nor any relationship whatsoever he has with believers will benefit him due to his disbelief.

Indeed, all connections and relations are nullified on the Day of Judgment, except the relationships established with Allah alone, through His Messengers. For indeed, if blood-relationships or affinity would benefit anyone who disbelieved, then it would have helped and benefited the wives of (the two Prophets) Nii}:i and Liit - Thus, when their relationship could not avail them from Allah at all, it was said to them, "Enter the Fire with those who enter." Consequently, this ayah stopped those who disobey Allah from hoping to benefit from their relationship with pious people regardless of how close this relationship was in this life. There is no stronger and closer bond than Prophethood, parenthood and spousal relationships, yet neither could Nii}} avail his son from Allah nor could Ibrahim 45 al-Ta/Jrim (66): 10-12 106 a\~ail his father fron1 Allah and nor could Nul:i and Lu~ avail their ,vives from Allah. Allah says, tttr.:. r~j,~. .~~\:.._j, FJ ,.._h / -.:.~,:~.-:- ., . tt ,&~0~:;,~~\" ;~~ j ,or, ,:(;i\,,.,. ~ - ... . > ~~ ... ... --- (Y.. '~either your relatives nor your children will benefit you on the Day of Resurrection (against Allah). He will judge between you.

And Allah is the All-Seer of what .,vou do.""6 and, ~ .::._.r~,--r/ :M~-- 0 ,.~.--.,,•~/'.>:Y 42J.\ -l...,.., > J u-4' ... -..t/'; r. J! i_J ... ~ - . . J>•"' .,, ... > •" .l .. ~ • " (It will be) the Day when no person shall have power (to do) anything for another, and the Decision, that Day, will be (wholly) with Allah."47 and, .,,,. .,,, "•"' .,,• . ,,,, ..'->. ~ ,J:J l:."'•,•\ --,,1.,,- .; \"•.: •. . •, r '!I" .r - c.,;A'~~ ~ ~~!J "And fear a Day (of Judgement) when a person shall not avail anocher..." 48 .~al-M11mlahinah (60): 3 . ., a/-Injitdr (82): 19 ·~ al-Baqarah (2): 48 107 and, "O mankind, fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all."49 In these tJJ'cit, Allah clearly nullifies the false hopes of disbelievers who left Allah and clutched on to others, be it a relative or a companion, hoping that such a relationship will benefit them on the Day o f Judgment or provide them with refuge from the punishment of Allah; or even intercede for them. This false hope is actually the n1ain reason behind the misguidance and idol worshipping of the sons of Adam, which is the form of idolatry that Allah docs not forgive. He revealed His Books to nullify it and sent l\tfcssengers to show enmity towards the idolaters and to fight them. As for the two examples of believers; one of them is the example of the wife of Fir'awn (Pharaoh) , wherein Allah established that the relations of a believer with a disbeliever in this life does not harm him so long he disavows himself from the disbelief and sins of the disbeliever - this is because the sins of a disobedient people never harm obedient ones in the Hereafter, and when he is harn1ed due to it in this worldly life, it is only because the punishment imposed upon the people of Earth is general when they disobey Allah.

The \vife of Fir'awn was not harmed despite her 4') I .11q111tin (31 ): 13 108 t\nd thL' wi,•es o f NC1l.1 and Lt"1r did no t benefit from their spousal rebcionship tho ugh they were nrnrried to ~lesscngcrs o f Allah. The second cxatnple is that of ~laryam who had no believing o r disbelieving husband. And fro1n these examples we have three kinds of won1en; a disbelieving woman who has a spousal relationship with believing 111an, a believing woman who has a spousal relationship \\ith a disbelieving 111an, and a believing woman who has no spousal relationship at aU. The first kind docs not benefit fro tn her spousal relationship, the second kind is not harmed due to her spousal rebtionship and the third kind is not harn1cd as a result o f her not having any spousal relationship at alJ. These exan1ples contrun marvellous secrets that m atch the context of the S11r11b, fo r they were revealed addressing the ,vivcs of the Pro phet (~) and warning them from cooperating ,vith each o ther a~ainst hitn. For if they did not obey Allah and His N[csscngcr C*-) and seek the reward of the Hereafter, then (they need to know) their 1narriage to the Prophet (;i) would not bring thcn1 anv. benefit, just like. the wives of NC1l~ and Lur did not benefit frorn their marriages to them.

This is why in this S11rab, the cxmnplc was lin1itcd to spousal relationships without mentioning the bloo <l-rclations. Yalwa , ibn Sallam said: AJlah mentioned the first exa1nplc ,varning 'A'ishah and Hafsah, then He mentio ned the seco nd example encouraging the1n to ho ld fast to the obedience (of Allah and His ~lessenger). The cxan1plc o f Nfaryam was to show that though she was the no ble, chosen and pure wo n1an, she was exposed to false accusations frorn enen1ies o f Allah (the Jews) towards herself and her son Ucsus) and attributing to them wh:lt Allah de109 dared them innocent from, yet all these accusations did not defame them in the sight of Allah. Thus, when a pious m'an does good deeds, all the false accusations of sinners and disbelievers against him are harmless. (In) this example was a solace for < A'ishah, the mother of believers, as this Surah was revealed after the incident of al-'lfk. (fhe great lie that was attributed to her, which Allah freed her from.) The examples in these qycit addressing the wives of the Prophet (~) contain warnings, admonitions, encouragement (to do good deeds) and consolation (for those who have been hurt by the words of others).

Nonetheless, the secrets of Revelation are more supreme and honourable than all that we have mentioned, particularly the examples that only those with a sound intellect can comprehend. May the peace and blessings be upon Mul:iammad and his Family and his Companions. 110 The Parable of the Hypocrites Imam ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah may Allah have mercy upon him. 111 The Parable of the Hypocrites Ibn al-Qayyim on al-Baqarah (2): 17-20 Allah, E xalted is He, says in S1irah al-Baqarah concerning the hyp ocrites: 17. Their likeness is that of one who kindled a fire, and ·Taken from 'Characteristic of the Hypocrites', Published by Dar as-Sunnah Publishers, Birmingham, UK. 112 then when it had lit up all aro und them, Allah rcn1oved their light and left then1 in &1rknesses, unable to see. 18. Deaf, dumb and blind, they will not re turn. 19. O r that of a stonn-clo ud in the sky, full o f darkness, thunder and lightning. They thrust their fingers in their ears against the thundercbps, fear ful o f death.

Allah enco1npasses the rusbelievers. 20. The lightning all but s natches away their sight. \'(' henever they have light, they walk therein but whe never darkness covers then1, they halt. l f Allah wish ed , 1-le could take away their hearing and their sight; fo r J\Jlah has p ower over all thin!-,rs, 1\llah, Glo rio us is .H e, has p ropounded a parable fo r His cnetnics, the hyp ocrites, with a p eople w ho ignited a fire in o rder to acquire lig ht and b enefit - for they were a p eople o n a journey w ho h ad lost their way. When this fire had alighted and lit up their surro undin~s, they ,vere able to see the right p ath, they were abk to sec what would b ene fit them and w hat wo uld harn1 then1; bur t hen, sudd enly, the lig ht was exting uished and they were left in darkness : a11 three ro utes to !:,> Uidancc were barred then,. ·/Jr,?(, d11111h a11d hhi,d,' g uidance co n1cs to a servant fro n1 three d oors: w hat he h ears with his ears; what he secs with his eyes; and what he under~rnnds with his h ea rt; these peo ple's hearts arc unable to compreh end, they cannot sec, and neither can they h car. 1 It is 1 lbn al-< J:1yyi m, Jfijiti/1/Jtirru-.\~i'tid{//, 11 / 245-25(,J said, 'J\Wih, (ilo rious is I k , has c.kscribcd th e deni ze ns of the Fire as being people of i~no~mc~ and l k informed us th at the ro ut es to knmvlcdgc han : been h:trn:d to them. I le s:1id , "Th< J' will I t!) ~ 'If 1111b we h11d lislmrd and wrd n11r i11ltllrr1. 11·, 1101h11n· lxm drnizr,11.r '!I 1 1hr /Jlnz..r.' " jr,l-,11"11.:. ((>7): 1011] 1-1,.:aring and intclkct :in: the.· foundalions of kno wk dgc :mJ hy th t.·m docs o ne acquire it, "Wr /J,11'f' r, y,1k d 111mn· <!l thr, Ji1111 t1111I = 11 3 also said that because they gained no benefit from their ears, sight, and hearts; they were as good as those who had no faculty of hearing, seeing, and comprehension; and hence were described as such. Both these opinions are of the same meaning and go handin-hand.

'They will not return,' in the light they had seen the path of guidance, but "vhen the light left them, they did not return to that guidance. Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He said, 'Allah removed their light,' placing the particle 'ba' before the word 'light, fl and there is a notable reason for this. That is that this usage serves to show that Allah has removed from them His special closeness that is reserved for the believers only. Therefore, after His removing their light, He neither stays 'close' to them or 'with' them. They have no place in His sayings, Do not be despondent, Allah is with us. [at-Tawbah (9): 40] = 111en far Hell. They have hearts they do not understand with.

They have ears they do not hear ivith. Thf!J' have f!J'es lhf!J' do not see with. Such people are like cattle, rather they are even f11rther aslra_y! They are the 11naJ1Jare." [al-A'rij (7): 179] Here, He informs us that they have not acquired knowledge from any of its three doors: intellect, hearing, and seeing... "Deaf - dumb - blind. They do no use their intellect." (al-Baqarah (2): 171] Allah, Exalted is He says, "Have they not /ravelled about the earth and do they not ha11e hearts to understand 1vilh or ears lo hear with?

It is not their eyes which are blind but the hearts in their breasts JlJhich are blind." [al-Ifajj (22): 46], "lf7e gave them hearing, sight, and hearts. But their hearing, sight, and hearts 111ere of no use lo them al all whm thry reno1111ced Allah's signs and 1vhat they mocked al engulfed them.'' [al-Abqij (46): 26]' 2 Saying, 'hi nririhim,' as opposed to 'mirahum.' 114 .__, ~ ~~;:J;~~[~ j~ He said, 'Never! l\1y Lord is with me and He will guide me.' [ash-Shrlarti' (26): 62) Ponder carefully His saying, 'then 111hen it had lit up all around them,' how this light is dearly shown to be distinct and separate from them, for had it been a light that was intrinsic to them, it would not have left them. Therefore it was a light that surrounded them but did not enter them, it was something fleeting whereas the darkness was something permanent and intrinsic to them. Hence the light returned to its source and the darkness remained in its source, all o f this was done as a proof from Allah and for an allencompassing wisdom that none but those endowed with understanding can see. Ponder carefully His saying, 'Allah removed their light,' how He clid not say, 'Allah removed their fire,' such that the wording would co nfo rm to that found at the beginning of this verse. Why is this?

Fire has both the property to give light and the property to burn, so its property of light was removed leaving only the property to burn and harm. 3 3 Ibn al-Q ayyim explains this further in his Wribil as-$ayyib, 'Such is the state of the hypocrites. The lig ht o f their faith has been removed by hypocrisy, leaving to smo ulder in their hearts the heat o f disbelief, do ubts, and questio nable practices. And as heat and flames singe their hearts in this world, so, too, on the Day o f Judgm ent wi11 G od place them in a 'kindled Fire that reaches 11p lo the hearts.' Such is the similitude of o ne wh o no lo nger goes through this world by the lig ht o f faith, wh o abando ns it and remo ves himself from it after it had lit his way. 115 l >ndcr can:tulh-. Hi$ ~~wing . 'thrir fir/ " ; ( htlW He did not ~av ,, 'their ~ ow <f.:u'): d~$pitc the fact that He $Uid. ·1hr11 ll'hr11 it had lit 11p all ,:rc.."1:d th(l c1nploying the \\Urds ("ru·'. The word (lau·, rcfc~. c~- 1: .

' $Cntialh-. to that lie.ht which l$ c.'\tr.u1cous to b~\sic li~ht. So if Allah . ' ' h!\ll $:Ud that He had ~ken a,,~w. their daw' . it would ha,·c sug-' ~ ~t\.·d th:\t nnly tht· cxtrnnt-ou$ light had been taken away and not the b.\$IC light. Now bt-c~\U$e light. mir. is the ba~is upon which ~! :i:·' i$ built. to$,\\'. that tht· 111ir ha~ been takc-n awnv. automaticall\'. pn:~uppo $C$ th~u the (h:1J· has abo been takc.·n away. Thi~ then 1 $~ S$t's the fact th:\t they arc people o f darkness and have no light in any o f i~ fortn$: the Bo ok which Allah has called light; the ~k~sen~er l~) which t\ll:1h has called light; His religion which .. \ 11:ih h:\$ c--.tlled light~ His ...guidance which Allflh has called light; '- <.' ne nf His N ~un e$ is ' the Light': and the prayer which is light. .\ ll~h ·~ u ki ng aw~n· their light ~ ~ '- 1ncans that He took all this a,,-a\' . fn)tn th~n1. Pond~r c--.lrt:fully how this par.1ble con1pletcly corresponds to th~' rrrYiOu~ly gi\·en parable, T hose :in.· the people who have ~old guidance fo r mis~uid:mn ·.

Their trade h:1~ brought then\ no profit :1nd they ~lre not ~uided. [alBaqarab (2): 161 huw they acquin:d this n1isguidance at the c-xpense of guidance. 116 --- - - - - -----· - -- giYing it :tw:,y h:,ppily;,. nnd here how they hnppily :lCl}Uircd darkness - tnisguidnnce - at the expense of light - hn.1idancc. I lcncc , hey h:,vc sold light and guidance nnd bought d~ukncss and . nlis~uid:1ncc... whnt :1 wretched transactjon! Ponder carefully how J\ll:ih says, ~'-11/tib t't'111011ed their light,' but say~. 'ml(/ /~ft thr111 in d,1rk11rsst'-'~' rncntioning light in the singular and darkness in the plural. The truth is one, and that is Allah's Str:iight P:ith: the only path that leads to Hin1: worshipping Allah Alone in nccordnnce to wh:1t has been legislated upon the tongue of Hi s l\lcsscngcr (*'.); not ,vith one's own desires and innovations. However the ways of falsehood arc many and this is why All~h n1entio ns th<: truth in its singular forrn but falsehood in its plur:11, AJEih is the protector of those who believe.

He brings them out of the darknesses into the light. But the disbelievers have false gods as protectors, they take them from the light into the darknesses... [al-Baqarah (2): 257] ' A person enters a transaction of his own free will and is free to buy, or not buy. the commodity. The fact that these peop]c, without coercion, bought misguidance shows that they were happy with it. This is why the author makes a point of mentioning the fact that they happily bought it. Allah knows best. 117 This is My Path and it is straight, so follow it. Do not follow other ways or you will become cut off from His Way.

That is what He instructs you to do so that hopefully you will have taqwa. [al-A11'a111 (6): 153] This does not contradict His saying, / .> > >.,,/. ,;' .. ,,,,, /,,, / ,,~,I\ ~/ ~~~.J~,~~ ~'->~ .,,, / _ ,I ~' L:J\ By it, Allah guides those who follow what pleases Him to the ways of Peace. [a/-Jv!a'idah (5): 161 for this verse makes reference to the ways and routes that can be taken to please Him, all of which are contained ,vithin His one path, the Straight Path. It is authentically reported that the Prophet (~ drew a straight line on the ground and said, 'This is the path of Allah,' then he drew lines to the left and right of this line and said, 'These are the other paths, at the head of every path is a devil calling to it,' then he recited the verse, 118 This is My Path and it is straight, so follow it. Do not follow other ways or you will become cut off from His Way. That is what He instructs you to do so that hopefully you will have taqwa. [al-An'a,n (6): 153]5 It is also said in explanation to this first parable that it is a similitude for ,vhat the hypocrites kindle of the fire of trial and tribulation that they seek to covertly spread amongst the Muslims, as such it would be in the same vein as His saying, Each time they kindle the fire of war, Allah extinguishes 1t. [al-Ma'idah (5): 64] So, 'Allah removed their light' would have the same meaning as, 'Allah extinguishes it'; the foiling of their efforts and the falsification of their claims would have the same meaning as leaving them in darkness and confusion: deaf, dumb, and blind. It is problematic that this latter explanation be the correct exegesis to this verse, even though it, in and of itself is true. The context does not lend itself to this explanation.

The one who kindles the fire of war does not have light that surrounds him, and the one who kindles the fire of war has no light that could be taken from him. The fact that they have been left in darkness, unable to see, means that they moved from a state in which they could see knowledge and guidance to a state of doubt and disbelief, not that they kindled the fire of war. 5 Al)mad on the authority of ibn Mas'ud. 119 Al-Hasan said, 'It refers to the hypocrite: he sa\v, then became blind; he kne\v, then rejected.' This is why He says, 'th~y will 1101 r e/J1n1,' i.e. they will not return to the light that they left. Allah says with regards the disbelievers, ~~-:;,-q ·> .-: .,, • ., J~r>,., v , .. ~~rf° Deaf - dumb - blind. Thcv do not use their intellect. ,I (al-Baqarah (2): 171) and thereby negated comprehension from them as they arc not people: o f fai th and insight, not having entered Jslam. But with regards the hypocrites, He negated the fact that they would return because they had bdievcd, then disbdicvcd, and wo uld not return t o fai th. T hen after propounding this parable of fire, Allah pro po unds an,>t hc.:r p arable for the hypocrites, this time of water. ..)t!J]ih ment ioncd in t hc verse refcrs to driving rain which pours down fron1 rhe ~k y.

I lcrc the i~uidancc with which He 1-,rui<led 11 is servant s ha~ hccn lilH.: ncd to water because guidance gives )ifc to the hearts ~,:, water gives life to the earth. The portion that the hypocrite gets fr<>m thi~ hruidance is the same as one who is caught in this stormd " ud but gets n<,thing from it save darkness, thunder, and lightning; h71ving no notion of it s mnny benefits such as life for the c~irth - it•i anirnals and vegetation - springs forth after rain. The cfarkn css, thunder, ~1nd lightning in a storn1-cloud arc not n1attcrs that arc desired in ,u1d of themsdve8, rather they arc ,natters that lc~td to I he ~tccornplishmcnt of wh,lf is desired from this cloud. The ignonunus suffices with merely seeing the outwar<l effects of thi" doud: the darknc:-is, the thunder, the lightning, the cold, and the fact tlrnt he J!i prevent ed fror-n travelling; hut has no inkling of 120 the huge benefit that comes as a result of this rain. This is true of e,·ery short-sighted, dull \\i;tted person; his perception does not go deeper than seeing the out\vard form of things and he does not what is behind them. This is the state of the majority of creation except for a few amongst them. \"vben the short-sighted sees the hardship and toil that is to be found in Jihad, \vhen he sees the fact that he could be \vounded, censured by certain people, and excite the enmity of others; he does not go forth for Jihad.

He is unable to probe deeper and realise the great benefits, the praise-worthy goals, and great rewards it contains. \Xlhen one of them desires to perform the pilgrin1age and sees the hardships entailed in the journey, the lea,;ng of the comfort of his hon1e and to\vn, and the difficulties to be faced, he cannot see beyond this to what lies at the end of this journey and as such falters and does not undertake it. This is the state of those who lack spiritual insight and are ·weak of faith: those who see the threats, promises, con1mands, and prohibitions that are to be found in the Quian as ordinances that are too heavy for their egos which desire only to follow their lusts. These ordinances wean the soul of its base qualities. \~1eaning is truly difficult for the child; and all men are children ,vith respect to their intellects \Vith the exception of those who have weaned and regulated them, and as such have comprehended the truth by ,vay of kno,vledge and action. It is such people ·who are able to see \vhat is behind this storm-cloud; ·what is behind the darkness, thunder, and lightning; it is such people who realise that this stormcloud is the source of life for existence. Az-Zamakhshari said, 'The religion of Islam has been likened to the cloud, because hearts are given life by it as the earth is by 121 water; disbelief has been likened to darkness; threat and promise has been likened to thunder and lightning; and trials and tribulations that terrify the disbelievers have been likened to thunderclaps. The meaning of 'or that of a storm-cloud' is 'or that of people caught in a storm-cloud.' Both these parables contain great points of wisdom: [1] The one who is seeking light is seeking light from something else, not from himself; when that light goes, he remains in that original darkness.

This is the state of the hypocrite; he affirms belief on his tongue but does not believe or have love in his heart; as such what light he acquires as a result of this is borrowed. [II] Fire requires fuel to keep it alight. This fuel is comparable to food that is required to sustain animal life. Likewise the light of faith requires fuel so as to maintain it: beneficial knowledge and righteous action. If this fuel is taken away, it dies out. [m] Darkness is of two types: a perpetual darkness which is not preceded by light and a temporal darkness which is preceded by light. It is the latter of these two which is most severe upon the one who faces it. The darkness of the disbelievers is of the first type for they have never seen the light, the darkness of the hypocrites is of the second type for they saw the light and then were plunged in darkness. [iv] This parable points to their state in the Hereafter for there they \Vill be given a superficial light just as their light in this world was superficial.

Then, at the time when they need light most, it will suddenly die: they will halt on the Bridge and be unable to 122 cross it for only those with firm light n1ay do so. That light is only n1ade firn1 with beneficial knowledge and righteous actions. Therefore their pat·able which describes their state in this life corresponds to their state in the Hereafter: when light is ::tpportioned to the people before the Bridge, the light of the believers ,viii remain and the light of the hypocrites will die. \'Vhcn this is understood one understands why Allah said, 'Allah re111011ed their light,' employing the 'ha' and did not say 'adhhah/l/1/ltih11 N1irah11111.' For further detail one can read the l)adith recorded by Muslim on the authority of Jabir bin < Abdullah (raef!JA!ltih11 'anhutna} He was asked about the crossing of the Bridge to which he replied, "\Xie would con1e on the D ay of Judgement on a hill standing above the people. Then the people will be summoned along with the idols that they used to worship, one after another. Then our Lo rd, Blessed and Exalted, would come to us and say, 'Who are you waiting for?' They would say, 'We are waiting for our Lord.' He would say, 'I am your Lord.' They say, 'We are not sure until we look upon You.' He would then manifest Himself and laugh, and would leave with them following. Every person among them, the believer and hypocrite, would be given light.

On the Bridge spanning Hell there would be hooks and spikes which would take whoever Allah willed. Then the light of the hypocrites would die out and the believers would secure salvation. The first group saved would consist of seventy thousand people whose faces would be like the moon and they will not be judged. The next group would have faces like the stars of the sky, and so on. The intercession would commence till the point that there would come out of Hellfire the one who said, 'None has the right to be worshipped save Al1ah,' and there was only in his heart a barley grain's worth 123 of faith. They would be brought to the courtyard of Paradise and the inhabitants of Paradise would sprinkle water over them ...," to the end of the ryadith.

Ponder carefully his saying, ' ... and would leave with them following. Every person among them, the believer and hypocrite, would be given light...,' and ponder carefully His saying, 'Allah removed their light and left them in darknesses, unable to see,' and ponder their state when their light is extinguished and they are left in the pitch of darkness whereas the believers proceed on, following their Lord. Ponder his (?lt) saying in the l:Jadith concerning the intercession, 'Every nation will follow the god that they used to \vorship,' the polytheist \vill folJow his god and the person of Ta1vpid \vill follow Allah. Ponder His saying, The Day the srun wiJl be uncovered and they are summo ned to prostrate but they will not be ab]e to. [al-Qa/a,n (68): 42] He (~) mentioned this verse in the l:iaruth of intercession on this occasion talked about in the previous l:iadith and in the l:Jadith he said, ' ...so He will uncover His shin,' and thereby made clear that it was His shin that was being talked about in the verse. Ponder all of this and you wiJI come to understand a secret from the secrets of TaJJJpid, understanding of the Quean, and how AIJah deals with the people of Ta,vf;id as compared to the people of shirk. (v] The first parable deals with them acquiring darkness which 124 i~ :, si1nilitudl· fnr tnisguid:mc<.· nnd c:onfusinn, the oppo:<i tl' of which i~ ~uid:rnc:c.

The ~crond par:thlc deals with thdr a<.:<.tuirini~ ll·~u·, tht.· oppnsi1c of whic:h is safc1y and security. The hypotrircs :,re nnt ~uidc:d :,nd neither arc they sa fe, ~·~,,,1;Lll·~A ~ ~ • .J - ~>;,:Lt;~ , ::r--,~ >.rf ~., ~ ~~ lr - J, _..,,,., ... ~~_..~ ... . ) >~ ~p ~y,l"'., 4; ~., 'l'hnst: who b,·lit'vc :tnd do not mix their foith with nny wrongdoing, they :ire the <>11cs who :11·c safe; it is they who arc guidt·cl. j,,1..,. I11',i111 (6): 821 1h11 't\hh:is and other cxcgc.:tc.:s said, 'The similitude o f these pt·oplc 's hypocrisy is that of a person who kindled a fire in a dnrk night on ~ terrifying occasion. Ht.: warms himself up, secs what is :trou11d hi1n, and is saved fron1 what he feared; then while in that ~t:lt c. the fire is suddenly extinguished and he remains once again in that d:trkncss in :t state of fear and utter confusion. The hypocrites, by their outwardly testifying to faith, have secured their wc:tlth and children, they marry the bcHevers, they inherit from then,, an<l they acquire a portion of the wnr booty. This is their light. but when they <lie, they return once again to darkness and fc:1r.' ~lujahi<l snic.l, 'The fire alighting for them means their going towards the Muslin1s and guidance.

Their light being taken away rncans their going towards the polytheists and mis6ruidancc.' The acl1uiring of light and its removal has been explained variously to take place in this life, o r the life of the grave, or in the I krcnfter. The correct position is that it occurs in all three stages 125 of life, for they are recompensed fo : c:e:= ~~ ~ r:-~ \:. ...r'C ~ all three stages \\ith, ...a nmng recor..pe&-~ r~ -'~d -~~-=- In the resurrection a pe~oo ~h.ill rc.:ap w h-;.~ t t" : : i. ."\,-~2 t~ c..=-: ~ . it is c:tlled th~ D.w. t !. R(."'CX~-~~~ world :1nd th:1t is wh,· . Thv~e who ~trc blind in thi~ w\\rld wi l be b':-·r:J ~ -~ 1-krc.tfrc r ~md cn·n furtl,cr ()tY cl1c P.n:h. (.,'-,-' ...,...,...; 1~,: -,- ~ ,\11:ih ;m1!tncnt~ tho~c wh(, .Ht ~1,Jcxi lw ~l\'1\\~ ~-:<': ~, ' ' ' ' ' grc.ttcr ~uid.met'. '- '- le) return to the <li~cu~~inn ~\t h; HhL ..\ ll:ih. the Hk$~C\l .Ul\~ l-. . .~- ;tlt-cd, h:1s propounded twn p.u~1hk~ ()t\ ~ fr~r fire, ~,n~, f~nc t;_,r w ·J , -~-------- - " ,\t th i$ point the ,\uth\.\r, m:\y .\lll h h,\\"C me~,· \~l" 't'\, '-h,~ t\''-' ~ t\, ~ l,~~~ \ . . thi:-: i:-$\IC. ~\\l(''° it i:- \\lH\'bt~i M th ,·<,.

'~n"H('-n ,,f ~h-,· di:-:cu~~inn \.,m\.'nni,,\.!. p.1n1hlc :\l h:md. the u~,n:-1.m ,r h.\:- , '('tC\l h,, "nit it. tcr, in Siirtih al-Baqarah, Siirah al-Ra'd, and Surah al-N,ir. This is because life comes about through water and light; the believer has a living and illuminated heart, and the hypocrite has a dead and dark heart. Allah, Exalted is He says, Is someone who was dead and whom \Ve brought to life, supplying him with light by which to walk among people, the same as someone who is in utter darkness, unable to emerge from it? [al-An'tim (6): 122] The blind and the seeing are not the same, nor are darkness and light, nor are cool shade and fierce heat. The living and dead are not the same, Allah makes anyone He wills to hear but you cannot make those in the grave to hear. [Fa/ir (35): 19-22] Therefore He considered those who follow His guidance, and illuminate themselves with His light to be alh·e, taking refuge under a shade that saves them from the heat of doubts, n1isguidancc:, innovation, and shirk. 1\nd He considered one who docs not do 127 ... so to be blind and dead, submerged in the heat of disbelief, shirk and misguidance, engulfed in layer after layer of darkness. Allah knows best.7 7 Ibn Qayyim, ljti111ti' alj11y1ish al-Is/ti111!J!Yah [pp. 63-72, 79-87]; Tafrir al-Qa;)'itn [pp.114-126). The author also has an explanation to both these parables in his al-/1111tba/fl-I Q11r'd11 and alJ'J:7rihi/ a/-._fo.

J!J'ih. 128 \.. Imam ibn Qayyim al:J awziyyah (d. 75;H) ' \.

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