وَيَا قَوْمِ مَا لِي أَدْعُوكُمْ إِلَى النَّجَاةِ
وَتَدْعُونَنِي إِلَى النَّارِ {40:41}
[Q40:41] Wa
yaa qawmi maa leee ad'ookum ilan najaati wa tad'oonaneee ilan Naar.
[Q40:41] And, O my people! How is it that I call you to salvation and you call me to the fire?
[Q40:41] And, O my people! How is it that I call you to salvation and you call me to the fire?
[Q40:41] Dan wahai kaumku! Apa halnya aku dengan kamu? Aku mengajak kamu kepada
keselamatan dan kamu pula mengajakku ke Neraka?
(see
commentary for verse 23)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:41) My people, how is it that I call
you to salvation while you call me to the Fire;
تَدْعُونَنِي لِأَكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَأُشْرِكَ بِهِ
مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَأَنَا أَدْعُوكُمْ إِلَى الْعَزِيزِ
الْغَفَّارِ {40:42}
[Q40:42] Tad'oonanee
li-akfura biLLaahi wa ushrika bihee maa laisa lee bihee 'ilmunw wa ana ad'ookum
ilal'Azeezil Gaffaar.
[Q40:42] You call on me that I should disbelieve in ALLAH (SWT) and associate with Him that of which I have no knowledge, and I call you to the Mighty, the most Forgiving;
[Q40:42] You call on me that I should disbelieve in ALLAH (SWT) and associate with Him that of which I have no knowledge, and I call you to the Mighty, the most Forgiving;
[Q40:42] Kamu mengajakku supaya aku kufur (tidak percayakan keesaan) ALLAH (SwT)
dan mempersekutukanNya dengan apa yang aku tidak mempunyai pengetahuan
mengenainya, padahal aku mengajak kamu beriman kepada ALLAH (SwT) Yang Maha
Kuasa, lagi Maha Pengampun?
(see
commentary for verse 23)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:42) you call me to deny Allah and to associate with
Him as His partners those regarding whom I have no knowledge (that they are
Allah’s partners in His Divinity), *57 whereas I call you to the Most
Mighty, the Most Forgiving?
*57 That is,
"About whom I have no scientific proof that they are God's associates why
should I then accept such a stupendous thing blindly that they also have a
share in Godhead and that I have to serve them too along with
Allah?"
لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّمَا تَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ لَيْسَ
لَهُ دَعْوَةٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ مَرَدَّنَا إِلَى
اللَّهِ وَأَنَّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ هُمْ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ{40:43}
[Q40:43] Laa
jarama annamaa tad'oonanee ilaihi laisa lahoo da'watun fid dunyaa wa laa fil
Aakhirati wa anna maraddanaaa ilaL Laahi wa annal musrifeenahum Ashaabun Naar.
[Q40:43] No doubt that what you call me to has no title to be called to in this world, nor in the hereafter, and that our turning back is to ALLAH (SWT), and that the extravagant are the inmates of the fire;
[Q40:43] No doubt that what you call me to has no title to be called to in this world, nor in the hereafter, and that our turning back is to ALLAH (SWT), and that the extravagant are the inmates of the fire;
[Q40:43] Tidak syak lagi, bahawa makhluk-makhluk yang kamu ajak aku menyembahnya
itu tidak dapat menyahut sebarang seruan (atau memberikan sebarang pertolongan)
samada di dunia atau di akhirat dan sesungguhnya tempat kembali kita semua
ialah kepada ALLAH (SwT) dan sebenarnya orang-orang yang melampau kejahatannya
itu, merekalah ahli Neraka.
(see
commentary for verse 23)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:43) There is no doubt that those whom you call me
to have no claim to be called upon in this world and in the Hereafter. *58 Certainly
to Allah shall be our return, and those who exceed the limits *59 are
destined to the Fire.
*58 This
sentence can have several meanings: (1) That
they neither possess here nor in the Hereafter any right that the people should
be invited to .acknowledge their godhead; (2) that they
have been made gods by the people themselves without any reason, for they have
neither claimed godhead for themselves in this world nor will they put forward
any such claim in the Hereafter that they also were gods and should have been
acknowledged as such; and (3) that it is no use invoking them
here nor in the Hereafter, for they are absolutely powerless and invoking them
is of no avail at all.
*59 A "transgressor" is every such person who recognizes the godhead of others than Allah, or assumes godhead for himself, or rebels against God and adopts an attitude of independence in the world, and then commits excesses against himself, against other creatures of God and against everything else with- which he has to deal. Such a person, in fact, transgresses all limits of reason and justice.
*59 A "transgressor" is every such person who recognizes the godhead of others than Allah, or assumes godhead for himself, or rebels against God and adopts an attitude of independence in the world, and then commits excesses against himself, against other creatures of God and against everything else with- which he has to deal. Such a person, in fact, transgresses all limits of reason and justice.
فَسَتَذْكُرُونَ مَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَأُفَوِّضُ
أَمْرِي إِلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ {40:44}
[Q40:44] Fasatazkuroona
maaa aqoolu lakum; wa ufawwidu amreee ilaL Laah; innaLLaaha baseerum bil-‘ibaad.
[Q40:44] So you shall remember what I say to you, and I entrust my affair to ALLAH (SWT), Surely ALLAH (SWT) sees the servants.
[Q40:44] So you shall remember what I say to you, and I entrust my affair to ALLAH (SWT), Surely ALLAH (SWT) sees the servants.
[Q40:44] (Kiranya kamu tetap berdegil sekarang) maka kamu sudah tentu akan
mengetahui kebenaran apa yang aku katakan kepada kamu dan aku sentiasa
menyerahkan urusanku bulat-bulat kepada ALLAH (SwT) (untuk memeliharaku);
sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Melihat akan keadaan hamba-hambaNya.
VERSES 44 and 45:
He refers to the plot Firawn made to kill him,
but he was saved, as the verse 45 shows.
The Firawn of the time of Musa, and
his people, suffered many calamities in this world (Araf 7:130 to 136).
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:44) Soon you shall remember what I say to you. I
entrust my affairs to Allah. Surely Allah is watchful over His servants.” *60
*60 This
sentence clearly shows that while saying all this the Believer was certain that
he would have to bear the brunt of the wrath of the entire kingdom of Pharaoh
in consequence of his speaking the Truth, and that he would have to lose all
Iris honours and privileges, even his life. But in spite of knowing all this he
perfomed his duty only with his trust in Allah, according to the call of his
conscience, on this critical occasion.
فَوَقَاهُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِ مَا مَكَرُوا ۖ وَحَاقَ
بِآلِ فِرْعَوْنَ سُوءُ الْعَذَابِ {40:45}
[Q40:45] Fa
waqaahuL Laahu saiyiaati maa makaroo wa haaqa bi Aali-Fir'awna sooo'ul 'Azaab.
[Q40:45] So ALLAH (SWT) protected him from the evil (consequences) of what they planned, and the most evil punishment overtook Firon's people:
[Q40:45] So ALLAH (SWT) protected him from the evil (consequences) of what they planned, and the most evil punishment overtook Firon's people:
[Q40:45] (Dengan keikhlasannya dan penyerahan dirinya kepada ALLAH (SwT)) maka
dia diselamatkan oleh ALLAH (SwT) dari angkara tipu daya mereka dan Firaun
bersama-sama kaumnya ditimpa azab seksa yang seburuk-buruknya,
(see
commentary for verse 23)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:45) Eventually Allah saved the person endowed with
faith from all the evils of their guile, *61 and a woeful chastisement *62 encompassed
the Pharaonites.
*61 This shows
that the Believer was such an important man in the kingdom of Pharaoh that
although he spoke out the truth in the face of Pharaoh, in the full-packed
court, yet none could have the courage to punish him publicly. That is why,
Pharaoh and his supporters had to make secret plans to kill him, but these
plans also were frustrated by Allah.
*62 It so appears from the style that this event of the Believer's speaking out the trnth had taken place in the last stage of the conflict between the Prophet Moses and Pharaoh. Probably being fed up and disgusted with the long drawn out conflict, Pharaoh might have at last made up his mind to kill the Prophet Moses. But he might have felt from the truthfulness of that influential person of his kingdom that the Prophet Moses' influence had even reached the higher circles of his government. Therefore, he might have decided that before taking the extreme step against Moses he should find out who among the chiefs and nobles and higher officials of the kingdom had been influenced by the movement, and should seize Moses after having punished them. But while he was still busy devising his plans, AIlah commanded the Prophet Moses and his companions to migrate, and it was while pursuing them that Pharaoh was drowned in the sea along with his hosts.
*62 It so appears from the style that this event of the Believer's speaking out the trnth had taken place in the last stage of the conflict between the Prophet Moses and Pharaoh. Probably being fed up and disgusted with the long drawn out conflict, Pharaoh might have at last made up his mind to kill the Prophet Moses. But he might have felt from the truthfulness of that influential person of his kingdom that the Prophet Moses' influence had even reached the higher circles of his government. Therefore, he might have decided that before taking the extreme step against Moses he should find out who among the chiefs and nobles and higher officials of the kingdom had been influenced by the movement, and should seize Moses after having punished them. But while he was still busy devising his plans, AIlah commanded the Prophet Moses and his companions to migrate, and it was while pursuing them that Pharaoh was drowned in the sea along with his hosts.
النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا
ۖ وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ
الْعَذَابِ {40:46}
[Q40:46] An
Naaru yu'radoona 'alaihaa ghuduwwanw wa 'ashiyyanw wa Yawma taqoomus Saa'aatu
adkhilooo Aala Fir'awna ashaddal 'azaab.
[Q40:46] The fire; they shall be brought before it (every) morning and evening and on the day when the hour shall come to pass: Make Firon's people enter the severest chastisement.
[Q40:46] The fire; they shall be brought before it (every) morning and evening and on the day when the hour shall come to pass: Make Firon's people enter the severest chastisement.
[Q40:46] Mereka didedahkan kepada bahang api Neraka pada waktu pagi dan petang
(semasa mereka berada dalam alam Barzakh) dan pada hari berlakunya kiamat
(diperintahkan kepada malaikat): Masukkanlah Firaun dan pengikut-pengikutnya ke
dalam azab seksa api Neraka yang seberat-beratnya!
The calamities
Firawn and his people suffered in this world (Araf 7:130 to 136) were nothing compared to the penalties they will suffer in the next
world, mentioned in these verses.
·
Verse 46 refers to the agony and
torment they will suffer morning and evening after death till the Day of
Resurrection.
This is an intermediary
stage where the enemies of ALLAH (SWT), like prisoners, according to Imam Jafar bin
Muhammad as Sadiq, will wait in a state
of continuous torment, morning and evening, for the real punishment they will
undergo after the Day of Reckoning.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:46) They are exposed to the Fire every morning and
evening; and when the Last Hour will come to pass, a command shall be given:
“Admit the Pharaonites to an even more severe chastisement.” *63
*63 This verse
is an express proof of the torment of barzakh,
which has often been mentioned in the Traditions as the torment of the grave.
Allah here has in clear words mentioned two stages of the torment; a lesser torment,
which is being given now to Pharaoh and his people before the coming of
Resurrection, and it is; this that they are presented before the fire of Hell
morning and evening, which strikes terror in their hearts and they see the Hell
which they will have to enter ultimately. After this when Resurrection comes,
they will be given the real and greater punishment which is destined for them,
i.e. they will be hurled into the same Hell, which they are being made to
witness since the time they were drowned till today, and will continue to
witness it till the Hour of Resurrection. And such a treatment is not
especially meant for Pharaoh and his people: all the culprits continue to
witness the evil end, from the hour of death till Resurrection, which is
awaiting them. On the other hand, the righteous people are made to see
continually the pleasant picture of the good end, which Allah has got ready for
them. A Tradition has been related in Bukhari, Muslim, and Musnad Ahmad on the
authority of Hadrat 'Abdullah bin `Umar, saying that the Holy Prophet said: Whoever
from among you dies is shown his final resting place morning and evening
continually, whether he be a dweller of Paradise or of Hell. It is said to him:
This is the place which you will enter when Allah will raise you back to life
on the Day of Resurrection and will call you into His presence." (For
further details, see AI Anfal: 50-51; An-Nalal: 28-32; AI-Mu'minun: 99-100 and
the E.N.'s thereof, and E.N.'s 22, 23 of Surah Ya Sin).
وَإِذْ يَتَحَاجُّونَ فِي النَّارِ فَيَقُولُ
الضُّعَفَاءُ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًا فَهَلْ
أَنْتُمْ مُغْنُونَ عَنَّا نَصِيبًا مِنَ النَّارِ {40:47}
[Q40:47] Wa iz yatahaaajjoona fin
Naari fa-yaqoolud du'afaaa'u lillazeenas takbarooo innaa kunnaa lakum taba'an
fahal antum mughnoona annaa naseebam minan Naar?
[Q40:47] And when they shall contend one with another in the fire, then the weak shall say to those who were proud: Surely we were your followers; will you then avert from us a portion of the fire?
[Q40:47] And when they shall contend one with another in the fire, then the weak shall say to those who were proud: Surely we were your followers; will you then avert from us a portion of the fire?
[Q40:47] Dan (ingatkanlah perkara yang berlaku) semasa orang-orang yang kafir
dan yang menderhaka berbantah-bantahan dalam Neraka, iaitu orang-orang yang
lemah (yang menjadi pengikut) berkata kepada pemimpin-pemimpinnya yang sombong
takbur: Sesungguhnya kami telah menjadi pengikut-pengikut kamu, maka dapatkah
kamu menolak dari kami sebahagian daripada azab Neraka ini?
(see
commentary for verse 46)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:47) Just imagine when they will remonstrate with
one another in Hell. The weak ones will say to those who waxed proud: “We were
your followers. Will you, then, lighten for us a part of our suffering of the
Fire?” *64
*64 This they
will not say in any hope that their previous guides or rulers or leaders would
actually be able to save them from the torment, or would have it reduced. At
that time they will have fully realized that those people could not avail them
anything there. But they will say this in order to humiliate them, as if to
say: "In the world you ruled over us with great show of power and
authority: now save us also from this disaster which has befallen us only
because of you."
قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا إِنَّا كُلٌّ فِيهَا
إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ حَكَمَ بَيْنَ الْعِبَادِ {40:48}
[Q40:48] Qaalal lazeenas takbarooo innaa kullun feehaaa innaL
Laaha qad hakama baynal'ibaad.
[Q40:48] Those who were proud shall say: Surely we are all in it: surely ALLAH (SWT) has judged between the servants.
[Q40:48] Those who were proud shall say: Surely we are all in it: surely ALLAH (SWT) has judged between the servants.
[Q40:48] Orang-orang yang sombong angkuh itu menjawab: Sebenarnya kita semua
menderita bersama-sama dalam Neraka (tidak ada jalan untuk kita melepaskan
diri), kerana sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) telah menetapkan hukumanNya di antara
sekalian hambaNya
(see
commentary for verse 46)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:48) Those who had waxed proud will reply: “All of
us are in it. Allah has already passed His judgement among His servants.” *65
*65 That is,
Both you and we have already been sentenced and Allah has passed His judgement
regarding each of us. Now it does not lie in anyone's power to change the
sentence of Allah, or to make any increase or decrease in the punishment
awarded by Him."
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ فِي النَّارِ لِخَزَنَةِ جَهَنَّمَ
ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ يُخَفِّفْ عَنَّا يَوْمًا مِنَ الْعَذَابِ {40:49}
[Q40:49] Wa
qaalal lazena fin Naari likhazanati Jahannamad-'oo Rabbakum yukhaffif 'annaa
yawmam minal azaab.
[Q40:49] And those who are in the fire shall say to the keepers of hell: Call upon your Lord that He may lighten to us one day of the punishment.
[Q40:49] And those who are in the fire shall say to the keepers of hell: Call upon your Lord that He may lighten to us one day of the punishment.
[Q40:49] Dan berkatalah pula orang-orang yang ada dalam Neraka kepada
malaikat-malaikat penjaga Neraka Jahannam: Pohonkanlah kepada Tuhan kamu,
supaya Dia meringankan sedikit azab seksa dari kami, barang sehari.
(see
commentary for verse 46)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:49) Those suffering in the Fire will
say to the keepers of Hell: “Call upon your Lord to lighten the chastisement
for us just for a day.”
قَالُوا أَوَلَمْ تَكُ تَأْتِيكُمْ رُسُلُكُمْ
بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ۖ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ ۚ قَالُوا فَادْعُوا ۗ وَمَا دُعَاءُ
الْكَافِرِينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ {40:50}
[Q40:50] Qaalooo
awalam taku taateekum Rusulukum bilbaiyinaati qaaloo balaa' qaaloo fad'oo; wa
maa du'aaa'ul kaafireena illaa fee dalaal.
[Q40:50] They shall say: Did not your messengers come to you with clear arguments? They shall say: Yea. They shall say: Then call. And the call of the unbelievers is only in error.
[Q40:50] They shall say: Did not your messengers come to you with clear arguments? They shall say: Yea. They shall say: Then call. And the call of the unbelievers is only in error.
[Q40:50] Malaikat penjaga Neraka menjawab: Bukankah kamu telah didatangi
Rasul-rasul kamu dengan membawa keterangan-keterangan (yang menyatakan akibat
perbuatan derhaka kamu)? Mereka menjawab: Ya, telah datang. Malaikat itu
berkata: Jika demikian, maka berdoalah kamu sendiri dan doa permohonan
orang-orang yang kafir pada saat ini hanya menyebabkan mereka berada dalam
keadaan dukacita dan kecewa sahaja.
(see
commentary for verse 46)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:50) The keepers of Hell will ask: “Did your
Messengers not come to you with Clear Signs?” They will say: “Yes (they did).”
The keepers of Hell will say: “Then you yourselves should call (upon the Lord).
And the call of the unbelievers will end in vain.” *66
*66 jkj
SECTION 6
ALLAH (SWT) assists the apostles and the believers
ALLAH (SWT) assists the apostles and the belivers---Excuses from the
disbelievers on the Day of Judgment shall not be of any avail---Equal cannot be
the blind and the seeing, nor the believers and those who believe not---ALLAH
(SWT)’s promise to respond when called upon.
إِنَّا لَنَنْصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي
الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْأَشْهَادُ {40:51}
[Q40:51] Innaa
lanansuru Rusulanaa wallazeena aamanoo fil hayaatid dunyaa wa Yawma yaqoomul ashhaad,
[Q40:51] Most surely We help Our messengers, and those who believe, in this world's life and on the day when the witnesses shall stand
[Q40:51] Most surely We help Our messengers, and those who believe, in this world's life and on the day when the witnesses shall stand
[Q40:51] Sesungguhnya Kami tetap membela serta mempertahankan Rasul-rasul Kami
dan orang-orang yang beriman dalam kehidupan dunia ini dan pada saat bangkitnya
saksi-saksi (pada hari kiamat)
Refer to An-am 6:130 wherein it is stated
that every transgressor shall be a witness against himself; in Nur 24:24 his faculties will be
witnesses.
Zumar 39:69 THE PROPHETS AND THE CHOSEN REPRESENTATIVES
OF ALLAH (SWT) WILL BEAR WITNESS TO THE FACT THAT THEY ALWAYS SHOWED THE RIGHT
PATH TO THE PEOPLE.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:51) Surely We shall help Our Messengers and the
believers in the life of this world *67 and on the Day when witnesses
will rise to testify, *68
*67 For
explanation, see E.N. 93 of As-Saaffat.
*68 That is, when Allah's Court will be established and the witnesses will be produced before Him.
*68 That is, when Allah's Court will be established and the witnesses will be produced before Him.
يَوْمَ لَا يَنْفَعُ الظَّالِمِينَ مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ ۖ
وَلَهُمُ اللَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ {40:52}
[Q40:52] Yawma
laa yanfa'uz zaalimeena ma'ziratuhum wa lahumul la'natu wa lahum soooud daar.
[Q40:52] The day on which their excuse shall not benefit the unjust, and for them is curse and for them is the evil abode.
[Q40:52] The day on which their excuse shall not benefit the unjust, and for them is curse and for them is the evil abode.
[Q40:52] (Iaitu) pada hari yang tidak berguna bagi orang-orang yang zalim
dalihan-dalihan mereka untuk melepaskan diri dan mereka akan beroleh laknat,
serta mereka beroleh seburuk-buruk tempat tinggal.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:52) the
Day when the excuses offered by the wrong-doers shall not avail them. They
shall be victims of the curse and a woeful abode.
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْهُدَىٰ وَأَوْرَثْنَا
بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْكِتَابَ {40:53}
[Q40:53] Wa
laqad aatainaa Moosal hudaa wa awrasnaa Baneee Israaa'eelal Kitaab,
[Q40:53] And certainly We gave Musa the guidance, and We made the children of Israel inherit the Book,
[Q40:53] And certainly We gave Musa the guidance, and We made the children of Israel inherit the Book,
[Q40:53] Dan demi sesungguhnya! Kami telah memberikan Nabi Musa hidayat petunjuk
dan Kami berikan kaum Bani Israil mewarisi Kitab Taurat,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:53) We
surely guided Moses *69 and made the Children of Israel the heirs of the
Book
*69 That
is, "We did not just leave Moses alone when We sent him against Pharaoh,
but We gave him guidance at every step till success." This contains a
subtle allusion to the effect: "O Muhammad, We shall help you too in the
same manner. We have neither left you
alone after raising you as a Prophet in the city of Makkah and the tribe of
Quraish so that these wicked people may treat you as they like, but We Ourselves are at your back and are
giving you guidance at every step."
هُدًى وَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ {40:54}
[Q40:54] Hudanw wa zikraa li ulil albaab.
[Q40:54] A guidance and a reminder to the men of understanding.
[Q40:54] A guidance and a reminder to the men of understanding.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:54) which
was a guidance and good counsel to people endowed with understanding and
wisdom. *70
*70 That
is "Just as those who disbelieved Moses were deprived of this blessing and
the Israelites who believed in bite were made heirs to the Book, so will also
those who deny you be deprived and only those who blieve in you will have the
good fortune to inherit the Qur'an and rise in the world as the standardbearers
of guidance."
فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ
لِذَنْبِكَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ {40:55}
[Q40:55] Fasbir
inna wa'daL Laahi haqqunw wastaghfir lizambika wa sabbih bihamdi Rabbika
bil'ashiyyi wal ibkaar.
[Q40:55] Therefore be patient; surely the promise of ALLAH (SWT) is true; and ask protection for your fault and sing the praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning.
[Q40:55] Therefore be patient; surely the promise of ALLAH (SWT) is true; and ask protection for your fault and sing the praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning.
[Q40:55] (Setelah engkau mengetahui perihal Nabi Musa dan umatnya) maka
bersabarlah (wahai Muhammad, dalam perjuangan menegakkan Islam); sesungguhnya
janji ALLAH (SwT) (untuk menjayakanmu) adalah benar dan pohonlah ampun bagi
salah silapmu, serta bertasbihlah dengan memuji Tuhanmu pada waktu pagi dan
petang.
v Refer
to Nisa
4:106.
By isolating wastaghfir
lidhambika from its context the preconceived antagonism of the
Christian commentators led them to believe that the
HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) was not free
from sinning; so a sinner cannot purify other sinners.
**If one sincerely wishes to criticise any Qur’anic point, let
him take it as the Holy Qur’an presents it, in its own context AND NOT as any
isolated words in any dictionary or a lexicon given, to confuse the mind of the
average man with the several variant meanings of one and the same word.**
v The
word ghafar means
to cover or protect, so istighfar means seeking protection. Zanb
means an act of inadvertence or an unintentional shortcoming which is quite
different from ithm (peculiarly intentional
sin).
v Wastaghfir lidhambika actually means "seek protection (of your Lord) against (any natural or
unintentional) shortcoming". Protection is
sought before any untoward or undesirable event takes place, not after a
calamity afflicts. When a sin is
committed forgiveness and pardon is sought, not
protection.
The HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad)
and his Ahlul Bayt were thoroughly purified by ALLAH (SWT) (Ahzab 33:33).
·
In Maryam 19:51 ALLAH (SWT) says that Musa was freed from all impurities. The
status of the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)
is much higher than Musa and all
other prophets. See commentary of Ali Imran 3:81; Baqarah 2:253, 285 and Bani Israil
17:1.
·
According to Hijr 15:39; Araf 7:16 and 17 and Ibrahim 14:22,
it is Shaytan who allures man unto sin, AND
·
Nahl 16:99 and Hijr 15:40 say that he has no authority over the
purified servants of ALLAH (SWT). SO ALL THE PROPHETS OF ALLAH (SWT) ARE INFALLIBLE. They always
sought the protection of their Lord against the efforts of Shaytan. As verse 21:27 of
Anbiya says: "They
speak not before He speaks; and they always act by His command."
EVERY PROPHET OF ALLAH (SWT) HAD A NATURAL INCLINATION TO SEEK GOODNESS
FROM ALLAH (SWT) FOR HIS FOLLOWERS. #He felt that their welfare was his
responsibility. #He
treated their happiness or salvation as his own. So he always sought pardon and forgiveness
for his people (Ummat) as he would do for his own self, AND THEREFORE he was addressed in person at many
places in the Qur’an instead of his followers; AND commandments intended for the people were
addressed to the prophet. FOR EXAMPLE in
Araf 7:150
and 151, although the people had worshipped the calf, Musa prays to seek protection for
himself and his brother Harun, using
the same words: Rabbigh-firli
wa li-akhi (O Lord grant protection to me and my brother).
Ø
In Baqarah 2:286, man has been taught to pray: "wa-fu anna waghfirlana warhamna (our
Lord, pardon us, and grant us protection, and have mercy on us)." For
pardon afu,
and for protection against sinning in future ighfir
have been used. In verse 17:25 of Bani Israil ghafar (protection) is promised for those who do deeds of righteousness,
not for those who do evil, so protection becomes reward.
Ø In
verse 7 of
this surah the angels who bear
the arsh seek protection (yastaghfiruna)
for the believers, OTHERWISE to seek pardon for
those who believe in ALLAH (SWT), do good and follow His religion becomes
meaningless.
Ø
In verse 66:8 of Tahrim
first the believers will be purified and freed from all traces of evil,
then they will be admitted into the paradise where they shall pray: "O Lord,
perfect for us our light and grant us protection." If instead of protection, pardon is used, then it carries
no meaning.
Ø Baqarah 2:129, 151 ; Ali Imran
3:164; Bara-at 9:103 and Jumu-ah 62:2 clearly make known that it is the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) who was sent by ALLAH (SWT) with a prerogative to purify mankind.
THE QURAN PROCLAIMS THE INFALLIBILITY OF ISA, BUT (ISA) JESUS OF THE BIBLE is presented as a
timid, frightened and despondent individual.
°
"Jesus cried aloud: "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, 'My ALLAH (SWT), my ALLAH (SWT), why has Thou forsaken me?' "(Matthew 27:46).
°
"He went on a little, fell on his face in
prayer, and said, 'My father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Yet
not as I will, but as Thou wills.'" (Matthew 26: 39)
When the ALLAH (SWT) of Christian church has
forsaken His own begotten son without any reason, for no fault has been ascribed
to him in the Bible, then He will definitely forsake the common sinners. A forsaken son of ALLAH (SWT) will never be able to save
the sinners from divine punishment; AND when he
himself did not surrender to the will of ALLAH (SWT), he could not ask others
to submit to the will of ALLAH (SWT).
THE TRUE INTERPRETATION OF THIS VERSE IS SEEKING PROTECTION OF ALLAH (SWT) AGAINST
ANY POSSIBLE ACT OF INADVERTENCE IN FUTURE FOR HIS FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS, NOT FOR HIMSELF.
As stated in Ali
Imran 3:41, evening and morning are the best time for celebrating
the praises and glory of ALLAH (SWT).
v All finite beings have the
inherent shortcoming of not owning anything of their own. A dark object receives light from an illuminating source,
BUT the light it receives never becomes its property. It is there so far the source is directed
towards it; and as soon as its direction is changed the inherent darkness
reappears. WHATEVER excellence a created being
owns is a gift from ALLAH (SWT). No finite being has an existence of its own.
Any degree of existence it has is a gift
bestowed on it by the eternal source of existence and the moment it is
withdrawn the existence of the finite being ceases to be.
AMONG THE FINITE BEINGS, MAN IS DISTINGUISHED
FROM OTHER FINITE BEINGS BY
THE ABILITY TO RECEIVE MORE AND MORE GIFTS OF EXCELLENCES FROM THE INFINITE
PROVIDENCE TO COVER INHERENT SHORTCOMINGS. TO OBTAIN IT HE HAS TO PRAY FOR IT. THIS
PRAYER IS CALLED ISTIGHFAR (TO SEEK A COVER).
THERE IS NO ONE AMONG THE FINITE BEINGS WHO IS EXEMPT FROM ISTIGHFAR. TO RECEIVE MORE AND MORE, CONTINUOUS ISTIGHFAR IS NECESSARY.
Ordinary men are often unmindful of their shortcomings. The men of ALLAH (SWT) are constantly alive to the danger of
falling into the trap of shortcomings, so
they make use of continuous istighfar.
It is a virtue which all prophets of ALLAH
(SWT) proudly owned. It is also a way of life of the prophets to set an example
to their followers.
µ The HOLY PROPHET ((ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad)
as the foremost guide in the order of devotion, submission and worship seeks
protection against any remotest possibility of even an unintentional act of
inadvertence and includes his faithful followers in his prayer. HE IS WITNESS OVER
WITNESSES.
µ Refer
to Bani
Israil 17:1 for the prayer of all
the prophets behind the HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma
sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad).
µ On the Day of Judgment every person will be
worried for his own salvation BUT the HOLY PROPHET ((ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali
Muhammad)
will represent the whole mankind for their salvation before ALLAH (SWT).
**THEREFORE HIS ISTIGHFAR IS NOT
ONLY FOR HIMSELF BUT FOR ALL THE BELIEVERS. See Muhammad 47:19 and Fath 48:2.**
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:55) Be steadfast, *71 then,
(O Prophet), Allah’s promise is true. *72 Seek forgiveness for your
shortcomings, *73 and celebrate the praise of your Lord, evening
and morning. *74
*71 "Be
patient"; "Bear up with a cool mind against these hardships through
which you are passing."
*72 The allusion is to the promise made above in the sentence: "We do help Our Messengers and the Believers in the life of this world."
*73 A study of the context shows that here "error" implies the state of impatience that was being caused to the Holy Prophet on account of the severe antagonism, especially the persecution of his followers. He earnestly desired that either some miracle should be shown, which should convince the disbelievers, or something else should soon come down from Allah, which should quell the storm of opposition. Though this desire in itself was not a sin, which should have called for repentance, the high rank with which Allah had blessed the Holy Prophet demanded great grit and will power; so the little impatience shown by him was regarded as inconsistent with his high rank. Therefore, he was required to ask Allah's forgiveness for showing the weakness and was told to stand his ground like a rock as a man of a high rank like him should.
*74 That is, `Glorification of Allah with His praises is the only means by which those who work for the sake of Allah can get the strength to resist and overcome the hardships faced in the way of Allah. ° Glorifying the Lord morning and evening can have two meanings: (1) `Remembering Allah constantly and perpetually:" and (2) `performing the Prayers at the specific times." And in this second case, the allusion is to the five times of the Prayers, which were enjoined on all the believers as a duty some time after the revelation of this Surah. For the word 'ashiyy in Arabic is used for the time from the declining of the sun till the early part of nigh, which covers the times of the four Prayers from Zuhr to 'Isha': and ibkar is the time from dawn to the rising of the sun, which is the time of the Fajar Prayer. (For further details, see AI-Baqarah: 3, 43, 45, 238; Hud: 114; AI-Hijr: 98-99; Introduction to Bani Isra'il and vv. 78-79; Ta Ha: 130; AnNur: 56-58; AI-'Ankabut: 45; Ar-Rum: 17-18, 31 and the E.N.'s thereof).
*72 The allusion is to the promise made above in the sentence: "We do help Our Messengers and the Believers in the life of this world."
*73 A study of the context shows that here "error" implies the state of impatience that was being caused to the Holy Prophet on account of the severe antagonism, especially the persecution of his followers. He earnestly desired that either some miracle should be shown, which should convince the disbelievers, or something else should soon come down from Allah, which should quell the storm of opposition. Though this desire in itself was not a sin, which should have called for repentance, the high rank with which Allah had blessed the Holy Prophet demanded great grit and will power; so the little impatience shown by him was regarded as inconsistent with his high rank. Therefore, he was required to ask Allah's forgiveness for showing the weakness and was told to stand his ground like a rock as a man of a high rank like him should.
*74 That is, `Glorification of Allah with His praises is the only means by which those who work for the sake of Allah can get the strength to resist and overcome the hardships faced in the way of Allah. ° Glorifying the Lord morning and evening can have two meanings: (1) `Remembering Allah constantly and perpetually:" and (2) `performing the Prayers at the specific times." And in this second case, the allusion is to the five times of the Prayers, which were enjoined on all the believers as a duty some time after the revelation of this Surah. For the word 'ashiyy in Arabic is used for the time from the declining of the sun till the early part of nigh, which covers the times of the four Prayers from Zuhr to 'Isha': and ibkar is the time from dawn to the rising of the sun, which is the time of the Fajar Prayer. (For further details, see AI-Baqarah: 3, 43, 45, 238; Hud: 114; AI-Hijr: 98-99; Introduction to Bani Isra'il and vv. 78-79; Ta Ha: 130; AnNur: 56-58; AI-'Ankabut: 45; Ar-Rum: 17-18, 31 and the E.N.'s thereof).
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ
بِغَيْرِ سُلْطَانٍ أَتَاهُمْ ۙ إِنْ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ إِلَّا كِبْرٌ مَا هُمْ
بِبَالِغِيهِ ۚ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ {40:56}
[Q40:56] Innal
lazeena yujaadi loona feee AayaatiL Laahi bighairi sultaanin ataahum in fee
sudoorihim illaa kibrum maa hum bibaaligheeh; fasta'iz biLLaahi innahoo Huwas
Samee'ul Baseer.
[Q40:56] Surely (as for) those who dispute about the communications of ALLAH (SWT) without any authority that has come to them, there is naught in their breasts but (a desire) to become great which they shall never attain to; Therefore seek refuge in ALLAH (SWT), surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
[Q40:56] Surely (as for) those who dispute about the communications of ALLAH (SWT) without any authority that has come to them, there is naught in their breasts but (a desire) to become great which they shall never attain to; Therefore seek refuge in ALLAH (SWT), surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
[Q40:56] Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang membantah mengenai maksud ayat-ayat
Tuhanmu dengan tidak berdasarkan sebarang bukti yang sampai kepada mereka (dari
pihak yang diakui benarnya), tidak ada dalam dada mereka melainkan perasaan mahukan
kebesaran (untuk mengatasimu), kemahuan yang mereka tidak sekali-kali akan
dapat mencapainya. Oleh itu mintalah perlindungan kepada ALLAH (SwT) (dari
angkara mereka); sesungguhnya Dialah jua Yang Maha Mendengar, lagi Maha
Melihat.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:56) Verily
those who dispute regarding the Signs of Allah without any evidence that might
have come to them, nothing but vain pride fills their hearts. Yet they shall
never be able to satisfy the pride *75 with which they are puffed
up. *76 So seek refuge with Allah. *77 Verily He is All-Hearing,
All-Seeing.
*75 That
is, `The real cause for their opposition without any argument and Their
irrational, crooked argumentation is not that they do not understand the myths
and the themes of goodness and reform being presented before there in the form
of the Revelations of Allah; therefore, they dispute about them in good faith
in order to understand them; but the actual reason for their wrong attitude is
that Their self-conceit dces not permit them tolerate that while they are
living in Arabia the guidance and leadership of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's
peace) be accepted and acknowledged and ultimately one day they themselves
should have to accept the leadership of the person as against whom they think
they have a greater right to be the chiefs and leaders. That is why they are
straining every nerve not to let Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) have his
way, and they do not hesitate to use any mean device whatever for the
purpose.
*76 In other words it means: `He whom Allah has made great, will remain great, and the efforts of the small people who are trying to establish their superiority, will ultimately end in failure."
*77 That is, `Just as Moses had become free from fear and anxiety after invoking Allah Almighty's help and refuge against Pharaoh's threats, so should you also seek His help and refuge against the threats and conspiracies of the chiefs of the Quraish, and then should busy yourself in raising His word being free from every anxiety."
*76 In other words it means: `He whom Allah has made great, will remain great, and the efforts of the small people who are trying to establish their superiority, will ultimately end in failure."
*77 That is, `Just as Moses had become free from fear and anxiety after invoking Allah Almighty's help and refuge against Pharaoh's threats, so should you also seek His help and refuge against the threats and conspiracies of the chiefs of the Quraish, and then should busy yourself in raising His word being free from every anxiety."
لَخَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ
خَلْقِ النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ {40:57}
[Q40:57] Lakhalqus
samaawaati wal ardi akbaru min khalqin naasi wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa ya'lamoun.
[Q40:57] Certainly the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of the men, but most people do not know.
[Q40:57] Certainly the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of the men, but most people do not know.
[Q40:57] Demi sesungguhnya, menciptakan langit dan bumi (dari tiada kepada ada)
lebih besar (dan lebih menakjubkan) daripada menciptakan manusia dan
menghidupkannya semula (sesudah matinya); akan tetapi kebanyakan manusia (yang
mengingkari hari kiamat) tidak mengetahui.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:57) Surely *78 the creation of the heavens and
the earth is a greater act than the creation of human beings. But most people
do not know. *79
*78 After
reviewing the conspiracies and plots of the chiefs of the Quraish in vv. 21-56,
the address is now being directed towards the common people, and they are being
made to understand that the truths to which Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's
peace) is inviting them, are absolutely rational, as if to say: "Your own
good and well-being lies in accepting them and rejecting them is ruinous for
your own selves." In this connection, first of all arguments have been
given for the doctrine of the Hereafter, for the disbelievers regarded this
very doctrine as most bewildering and incomprehensible.
*79 This is an argument for the possibility of the Hereafter. The disbelievers thought it was impossible for man to be resurrected after death. In answer to this, it is being said: "Those who talk like this are, in fact, ignorant. If they use their common sense, they will easily understand that for that God Who has created this wonderful Universe it cannot at all be difficult to create men once again."
*79 This is an argument for the possibility of the Hereafter. The disbelievers thought it was impossible for man to be resurrected after death. In answer to this, it is being said: "Those who talk like this are, in fact, ignorant. If they use their common sense, they will easily understand that for that God Who has created this wonderful Universe it cannot at all be difficult to create men once again."
وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَلَا الْمُسِيءُ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَا
تَتَذَكَّرُونَ {40:58}
[Q40:58] Wa
maa yastawil a'maa walbaseeru wallazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati wa lal
museee'; qaleelam maa tatazakkaroon.
[Q40:58] And the blind and the seeing are not alike, nor those who believe and do good and the evil-doer; little is it that you are mindful.
[Q40:58] And the blind and the seeing are not alike, nor those who believe and do good and the evil-doer; little is it that you are mindful.
[Q40:58] Dan sememangnya tidaklah sama orang yang buta dan orang yang melihat
dan juga tidaklah sama orang-orang yang beriman serta beramal soleh dengan
orang yang melakukan kejahatan. (Meskipun hakikat ini jelas nyata, tetapi)
sedikit sangat kamu beringat dan insaf.
This is another figurative verse of guidance towards the right persons one has to follow. THE BLIND HERE IS THE BLIND AT HEART AND SEEING STANDS FOR THOSE ENDOWED WITH KNOWLEDGE. For
similar guiding factors in the Holy Qur’an --- see commentary of verses 39:9 and
67:22.
Refer to the commentary
of Yunus
10:35 and Hud 11:24 for those who are
endowed with the divine wisdom. THE DIVINELY ENLIGHTENED AHLUL BAYT ARE NOT EQUAL TO THE
IGNORANT COMPANIONS even if they happen to be rulers or
self-appointed leaders.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:58) Never can the blind and the seeing be equal;
nor those that believe and act righteously and those that do evil. Little do
you understand? *80
*80 This is an argument for the necessity
of 'the Hereafter. In
the preceding sentence it was said that the Hereafter can take place, and its
occurrence is not impossible; in this it is being said that the Hereafter
should take place; it is the demand of both reason and justice that it should
occur, and its nonoccurrence is against reason and justice, not its occurrence.
After all, how can a reasonable man
believe it to be right that those who live like the blind in the world and fill
God's earth with mischief by their immoral and wicked deeds, should not see the
evil end of their misdeeds and wrong conduct; likewise, those people who pass
their lives in the world with open eyes, and believe and do good works, should
be deprived of seeing a good result of their righteousness? If THIS IS
EXPRESSLY AGAINST REASON AND JUSTICE, THEN THE BELIEF OF DENYING THE HEREAFTER
ALSO SHOULD BE AGAINST REASON AND JUSTICE, FOR THE NON-OCCURRENCE OF THE
HEREAFTER MEANS THAT THE GOOD AND THE BAD SHOULD BOTH BECOME DUST AFTER DEATH
AND MEET WITH ONE AND THE SAME END. For in this case, not only are reason
and justice destroyed but morality also is proved to be meaningless and absurd.
For if good and evil have one and the same end and destiny, then the evildoer
would be highly wise, because he gratified all his desires before his death,
and the good man highly foolish because he kept himself subjected to every sort
of moral restoration without any reason.
إِنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَآتِيَةٌ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ
أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ {40:59}
[Q40:59] Innas
Saa'ata la aatiyatul laa raiba feehaa wa laakinna aksaran naasi laa yu’minoon.
[Q40:59] Most surely the hour is coming, there is no doubt therein, but most people do not believe.
[Q40:59] Most surely the hour is coming, there is no doubt therein, but most people do not believe.
[Q40:59] Sesungguhnya hari kiamat tetap akan datang, tidak ada sebarang syak
tentang kedatangannya; akan tetapi kebanyakan manusia tidak beriman (akan
hakikat itu).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:59) The
Hour will indeed come; there is no doubt about that. Yet most people do not
believe. *81
*81 This
is the absolute assertion about the occurrence of the Hereafter, which can be made only on the basis of knowledge
and not on the basis of reasoning, and in no other discourse than of Revelation this assertion can be made
with such absoluteness. That which can be said without Revelation only on the
basis of intellecual reasoning is that Resurrection can take place and it
should take place. Beyond this, to assert that Resurrection will certainly take
place, can be said only by that Being Who knows that Resurrection will occur,
and that Being is none but Allah. It is here that it becomes explicit and
evident that if Religion can be based on pure knowledge, instead of speculation
and reasoning, it can only be on the knowledge obtained through Divine
Revelation.
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ
دَاخِرِينَ {40:60}
[Q40:60] Wa
qaala Rabbukumud 'ooneee astajib lakum; innal lazeena yastakbiroona an
'ibaadatee sa yadkhuloona jahannama daakhireen.
[Q40:60] And your Lord says: Call upon Me, I will answer you; surely those who are too proud for My service shall soon enter hell abased.
[Q40:60] And your Lord says: Call upon Me, I will answer you; surely those who are too proud for My service shall soon enter hell abased.
[Q40:60] Dan Tuhan kamu berfirman: Berdoalah kamu kepadaKu nescaya Aku
perkenankan doa permohonan kamu. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang sombong takbur
daripada beribadat dan berdoa kepadaKu, akan masuk Neraka Jahannam dalam
keadaan hina.
THIS INDICATES THAT NO PRAYER FROM MAN IS WITHOUT
THE RESPONSE FROM ALLAH (SWT). [1] The response may be in complete accord to what man
has prayed for OR [2] it may be a
blessing in other shape and form depending upon, and in ALLAH (SWT)’s knowledge what is advantageous to the supplicant.
·
On this basis, the Fifth Holy Imam’s
‘Du-a’ itself is one of the best forms of devotion to ALLAH (SWT)---and he
said that:
‘there is nothing more loved by ALLAH (SWT) than man's asking and
beseeching Him for His bounties and there is nothing which is disliked by ALLAH
(SWT) more than the one who refrains from such devotion and does not beseech
for His bounties.’
Refer to the commentary
of Baqarah
2:186. The Arabic word du-a means #call, #request, #supplication,
#invitation, #invocation
or #prayer. ALLAH (SWT) HAS GIVEN MAN PERMISSION TO
INVOKE HIM. IN ALL DU-AS REQUEST IS
MADE TO ALLAH (SWT) ALONE, BUT THROUGH THE WASILAH (MEANS OF APPROACH)
--- THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala
Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad)
AND HIS AHLUL BAYT.
Ø
Du-as taught by the HOLY
PROPHET (ALLAHuma sali ala
Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and his holy Ahlul Bayt, particularly Imam Ali ibne Abi Talib and Imam Ali bin Husayn Zayn al Abidin, are
twice blessed. FIRSTLY they provide for us the most suitable words and
proper form to approach and beseech the merciful ALLAH (SWT). SECONDLY, if the meanings are understood they
leave a profound impression of the oneness of ALLAH (SWT) and His attributes on
our minds and souls, and as a result our character formation takes after and
follows the pattern laid down by the religion of ALLAH (SWT), Islam.
These Dua-as are also a proof of our pure faith in the
"One and Only" ALLAH (SWT). THEY MAKE [*] clear relationship between man and ALLAH
(SWT), and [*] reciprocal
relations between human beings, and
[*]
build up a collective discipline which can be used to set up the much desired
ideal society based
upon love, peace, harmony, fair play, justice and freedom-the good free from
evil.
FAITHFUL SERVANTS OF ALLAH (SWT) TURN REPENTANT TO ALLAH (SWT), [1] seek His forgiveness, [2] take
refuge with Him, [3] look for His mercy, [4] ask for His blessings, and [5] put
forward their legitimate needs and wants for fulfillment.
WHOLEHEARTED DEVOTION TO THE "LORD OF THE
WORLDS" BRING FAVOURABLE RESULTS, [1] purifies the soul, [2] gives
joy and confidence to the heart and [3] sense of
direction to the mind, [4] cultivates
refinement, [5] builds up high-mindedness, [6] self-control,
[7] understanding and [8] mental
equilibrium.
MAN
IS FREE TO MAKE LAWFUL EFFORTS, DAY IN AND DAY OUT, IN THE SPHERE OF WORLDLY
AFFAIRS, BUT SHOULD SET APART WHATEVER TIME MAY BE
SPARED, TO TURN TO THE CREATOR, THE MOST MERCIFUL AND OFT-FORGIVING ALLAH
(SWT), NEVER FORGETTING THAT UNTO ALLAH (SWT) IS THE RETURN.
Choose and pray that which is feasible.
The minimum shall benefit beyond expectations.
What the maximum has in store is beyond
imagination.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(40:60) Your *82 Lord said: “Pray to Me, and I
will accept your prayers. *83 Surely those who wax too proud to worship Me
shall enter Hell, utterly abased.” *84
*82 After the
Hereafter the discourse now turns to Tauhid which was the second point of
dispute between the Holy Prophet and the disbelievers.
*83 That is, "all the powers to answer our prayers vest in Me only; so you should not pray to others but pray to Me." To understand the spirit of this verse well, three points should be comprehended properly: First, man prays only to that being whom he regards as all-Hearing and all-Seeing and Possessor of supernatural powers. And the real motive of prayer for man is the internal feeling that the natural means and resources of the material world are not enough to remove any of his troubles and to fulfil any of his needs, or are not proving to be enough, Therefore, it is inevitable that he should turn to a being who is possessor of supernatural powers and authority. Man invokes that Being even without having seen Him; he invokes Him at all tithes, at all places, and under all circumstances; he invokes Him in solitude, aloud as well as in a low voice, and even in the depths of his heart. He does so inevitably on the basis of the belief that that Being is watching him everywhere, is also hearing whatever he has in his heart, and possesses such absolute powers that, it can come to the help of the supplicant wherever he is, and can help him out of every trouble and difficulty. After having known this truth about the prayer, it remains no longer difficult for man to understand that the one who invokes another than Allah for help, commits shirk absolutely and purely and clearly, for he believes those attributes to be belonging to the other being, which only belong to Allah. Had he not believed the other being to be an associate of Allah in the Divine attributes, he would never have even thought of invoking it for help. Second, one should fully understand that man's merely thinking about a being that it is the possessor of powers and authority, does not necessitate that it should actually become possessor of the powers and authority. Being possessor of powers and authority is a factual matter, which is not dependent on somebody's understanding or not understanding it. The one who is actually the Possessor of the powers will in any case remain the Possessor whether man regards Him so or not. And the one who is not in reality the possessor, will not be able to have any share whatever in the powers only because man has believed it to be possessing the powers Now, the fact of the matter is that the Being Who is all-Powerful, all-Hearing, All-Seeing, and Who is actually controlling the whole Universe is only Allah, and He alone is Possessor of alI powers and authority. There is none else in this Universe, who may have any power to hear the prayers and to answer them or reject them. As against this factual matter if some people of themselves start entertaining the belief that some prophets, saints, angels, jinns, planets or imaginary gods also are share-holders in the powers, the reality will not change in any way whatever. The Owner will remain the Owner and the helpless servants the servants. Thirdly, the one who invokes others than AIlah behaves like the supplicant who takes his petition to a government office, but leaving aside the real officer who has authority, presents it before one of the other supplicants who may be present there with his petition, and then starts imploring him humbly, saying Sir, you possess all the powers, and yours is the only authority here; so, you alone can fulfil my needs. "Such a conduct, in the first place, is in itself highly foolish, but in a case like this it also amounts to high insolence, because the real officer who has the authority, is present and before his very eyes applications and petitions are being made before another, apart from him. Then this ignorance and folly reaches its height when the person before whom the petition is being presented makes the petitioner understand over and over again that he himself is a petitioner like him and possesses no power at all, and that the real officer who has the powers is present, and he should make his petition before him. But in spite of this counsel and warning, the foolish person goes on saying: `Sir, you are my lord: you alone can fulfil my need." Keeping these three things in view, one should try to understand what Allah has said here: `Call upon Me: I shall answer your prayers: it is for Me to accept them."
*84 Two things deserve special attention in this verse: (1) Du'a (prayer) and 'ibadat (worship) have been used as synonyms here. The "prayer" of the first sentence has been called `worship" in the second. This makes it explicit that prayer itself is worship, rather the essence of worship; and (2) the words they disdain My worship on account of pride" have been used for those who do not pray to Allah. This shows that praying to Allah is the very requirement of one's servitude to Him, and turning away from Him amounts to being vain and arrogant. **According to Hadrat Nu'man bin Bashir, the Holy Prophet said: The prayer is the very essence of worship. Then he recited this verse." (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Abu Hatim, Ibn Jarir). **According to Hadrat Anas, the Holy Prophet said. "Prayer is the marrow of worship." (Trimidhi) **Hadrat Abu Hurairah says that the HolyProphet said: 'Allah becomes angry with him who does not ask Him for anything." (Tirmidhi) IN THE LIGHT OF THE ABOVE, the enigma that often causes confusion in the minds is also resolved. In connection with prayer, people say that when the evil or the good destiny is in the control of Allah, and whatever He has already decreed in accordance with His dominant wisdom and expedience has to take place inevitably what is then the use of the prayer? This is a serious misunderstanding which destroys the importance of prayer from the heart of man, and with this false notion even if man prays, his prayer would be soulless. The above verse of the Qur'an removes this misunderstanding in two ways: In the first place, Allah says in clear words: °Call upon Me: I will answer your prayers." This proves that fate or destiny is not something which. God forbid, might have tied the hands of Allah Himself also, and the powers to answer the prayer might have been withdrawn froth Him. The creatures have no doubt no bower to avert or change the decrees of Allah: but Allah Himself certainly has the power to change His decrees and decisions on hearing a servant's prayer and petition. The other thing that has been stated in this verse is that whether a prayer is accepted or not, it is never without an advantage. The servant by presenting his petition before his Lord and by praying to Him acknowledges His Lordship and Supremacy and admits his own servitude and helplessness before Him. This expression of servitude is in itself "worship", rather the essence of worship of whose reward the servant will in no cast be deprived, irrespective of whether he is grained the particular thing for which he had prayed or not. We get a full explanation of these two themes in the Sayings of the Holy Prophet. The following Traditions throw light on the first theme: **Hadrat Salman Farsi (relates that the Holy Prophet said: 'Nothing can avert destiny but the prayer." (Tirmidhi) that is, no one has the power to change the decisions of Allah but AIlah Himself can change His decisions, and this happens when the servant prays to Him.
**Hadrat Jabir bin 'Abdullah says that the Holy Prophet said: "Whenever man prays to Allah, Allah either gives him the same which he prayed for, or prevents a calamity of the same degree from befalling him provided that he does not pray for a sin or for severing relations with the kindred." (Tirmidhi) **Another Hadith on the same subject has been reported by Hadrat Abu Said Khudri in which the Holy Prophet said: "Whenever a Muslim prays, unless it be a prayer for a sin or for severing relations with a kindred, AIlah grants it in one of the three ways: Either his prayer is granted in this very world, or it is preserved for rewarding him in the Hereafter, or a disaster of the same degree is prevented from befalling him." (Musnad Ahmad)
**Hadrat Abu Hurairah says that the Holy Prophet said: "When-ever one of you prays, he should not say: O God, forgive me if You so please, show me mercy if You so please, grant me provisions if You so please, but he should say definitely: O God, fulfil my such and such need." (Bukhari). **According to another Tradition from Abu Hurairah, the Holy Prophet said: `Pray to Allah with the certainty that He will answer it." (Tirmidhi). In still another Tradition **Hadrat Abu Hurairah has reported that the Holy Prophet said: "The servant's prayer is granted provided that he does not pray for a sin or for severing connections with the kindred, and is not hasty. It was asked: What is being hasty, 0 Messenger of Allah? He replied: Being hasty is that man should say: I have prayed much, too much, but I see that my prayer is nor being answered. Then he should be tired of it and give up praying." (Muslim). The other theme is explained by the following Traditions: **Hadrat Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: "Nothing is as praiseworthy in the sight of AIlah as the prayer." (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah). **Hadrat Ibn Mas'ud says that the Holy Prophet said: "Ask of Allah His bounty, because Allah likes that He should be asked." (Tirmidhi) **Hadrat Ibn 'Umar and Hadrat Mu'adh bin Jabal state that the Holy Prophet said: "The prayer is in any case beneficial, both with respect to those calamities which have descended and with respect to those which have not yet descended. So, O servants of AIlah, you must always pray." (Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad). **Hadrat Anas says that the Holy Prophet said: `Each one of you should ask his every need of Allah; so much so that even if his shoe-lace breaks, he should pray for it to Allah." (Tirmidhi).
*83 That is, "all the powers to answer our prayers vest in Me only; so you should not pray to others but pray to Me." To understand the spirit of this verse well, three points should be comprehended properly: First, man prays only to that being whom he regards as all-Hearing and all-Seeing and Possessor of supernatural powers. And the real motive of prayer for man is the internal feeling that the natural means and resources of the material world are not enough to remove any of his troubles and to fulfil any of his needs, or are not proving to be enough, Therefore, it is inevitable that he should turn to a being who is possessor of supernatural powers and authority. Man invokes that Being even without having seen Him; he invokes Him at all tithes, at all places, and under all circumstances; he invokes Him in solitude, aloud as well as in a low voice, and even in the depths of his heart. He does so inevitably on the basis of the belief that that Being is watching him everywhere, is also hearing whatever he has in his heart, and possesses such absolute powers that, it can come to the help of the supplicant wherever he is, and can help him out of every trouble and difficulty. After having known this truth about the prayer, it remains no longer difficult for man to understand that the one who invokes another than Allah for help, commits shirk absolutely and purely and clearly, for he believes those attributes to be belonging to the other being, which only belong to Allah. Had he not believed the other being to be an associate of Allah in the Divine attributes, he would never have even thought of invoking it for help. Second, one should fully understand that man's merely thinking about a being that it is the possessor of powers and authority, does not necessitate that it should actually become possessor of the powers and authority. Being possessor of powers and authority is a factual matter, which is not dependent on somebody's understanding or not understanding it. The one who is actually the Possessor of the powers will in any case remain the Possessor whether man regards Him so or not. And the one who is not in reality the possessor, will not be able to have any share whatever in the powers only because man has believed it to be possessing the powers Now, the fact of the matter is that the Being Who is all-Powerful, all-Hearing, All-Seeing, and Who is actually controlling the whole Universe is only Allah, and He alone is Possessor of alI powers and authority. There is none else in this Universe, who may have any power to hear the prayers and to answer them or reject them. As against this factual matter if some people of themselves start entertaining the belief that some prophets, saints, angels, jinns, planets or imaginary gods also are share-holders in the powers, the reality will not change in any way whatever. The Owner will remain the Owner and the helpless servants the servants. Thirdly, the one who invokes others than AIlah behaves like the supplicant who takes his petition to a government office, but leaving aside the real officer who has authority, presents it before one of the other supplicants who may be present there with his petition, and then starts imploring him humbly, saying Sir, you possess all the powers, and yours is the only authority here; so, you alone can fulfil my needs. "Such a conduct, in the first place, is in itself highly foolish, but in a case like this it also amounts to high insolence, because the real officer who has the authority, is present and before his very eyes applications and petitions are being made before another, apart from him. Then this ignorance and folly reaches its height when the person before whom the petition is being presented makes the petitioner understand over and over again that he himself is a petitioner like him and possesses no power at all, and that the real officer who has the powers is present, and he should make his petition before him. But in spite of this counsel and warning, the foolish person goes on saying: `Sir, you are my lord: you alone can fulfil my need." Keeping these three things in view, one should try to understand what Allah has said here: `Call upon Me: I shall answer your prayers: it is for Me to accept them."
*84 Two things deserve special attention in this verse: (1) Du'a (prayer) and 'ibadat (worship) have been used as synonyms here. The "prayer" of the first sentence has been called `worship" in the second. This makes it explicit that prayer itself is worship, rather the essence of worship; and (2) the words they disdain My worship on account of pride" have been used for those who do not pray to Allah. This shows that praying to Allah is the very requirement of one's servitude to Him, and turning away from Him amounts to being vain and arrogant. **According to Hadrat Nu'man bin Bashir, the Holy Prophet said: The prayer is the very essence of worship. Then he recited this verse." (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Abu Hatim, Ibn Jarir). **According to Hadrat Anas, the Holy Prophet said. "Prayer is the marrow of worship." (Trimidhi) **Hadrat Abu Hurairah says that the HolyProphet said: 'Allah becomes angry with him who does not ask Him for anything." (Tirmidhi) IN THE LIGHT OF THE ABOVE, the enigma that often causes confusion in the minds is also resolved. In connection with prayer, people say that when the evil or the good destiny is in the control of Allah, and whatever He has already decreed in accordance with His dominant wisdom and expedience has to take place inevitably what is then the use of the prayer? This is a serious misunderstanding which destroys the importance of prayer from the heart of man, and with this false notion even if man prays, his prayer would be soulless. The above verse of the Qur'an removes this misunderstanding in two ways: In the first place, Allah says in clear words: °Call upon Me: I will answer your prayers." This proves that fate or destiny is not something which. God forbid, might have tied the hands of Allah Himself also, and the powers to answer the prayer might have been withdrawn froth Him. The creatures have no doubt no bower to avert or change the decrees of Allah: but Allah Himself certainly has the power to change His decrees and decisions on hearing a servant's prayer and petition. The other thing that has been stated in this verse is that whether a prayer is accepted or not, it is never without an advantage. The servant by presenting his petition before his Lord and by praying to Him acknowledges His Lordship and Supremacy and admits his own servitude and helplessness before Him. This expression of servitude is in itself "worship", rather the essence of worship of whose reward the servant will in no cast be deprived, irrespective of whether he is grained the particular thing for which he had prayed or not. We get a full explanation of these two themes in the Sayings of the Holy Prophet. The following Traditions throw light on the first theme: **Hadrat Salman Farsi (relates that the Holy Prophet said: 'Nothing can avert destiny but the prayer." (Tirmidhi) that is, no one has the power to change the decisions of Allah but AIlah Himself can change His decisions, and this happens when the servant prays to Him.
**Hadrat Jabir bin 'Abdullah says that the Holy Prophet said: "Whenever man prays to Allah, Allah either gives him the same which he prayed for, or prevents a calamity of the same degree from befalling him provided that he does not pray for a sin or for severing relations with the kindred." (Tirmidhi) **Another Hadith on the same subject has been reported by Hadrat Abu Said Khudri in which the Holy Prophet said: "Whenever a Muslim prays, unless it be a prayer for a sin or for severing relations with a kindred, AIlah grants it in one of the three ways: Either his prayer is granted in this very world, or it is preserved for rewarding him in the Hereafter, or a disaster of the same degree is prevented from befalling him." (Musnad Ahmad)
**Hadrat Abu Hurairah says that the Holy Prophet said: "When-ever one of you prays, he should not say: O God, forgive me if You so please, show me mercy if You so please, grant me provisions if You so please, but he should say definitely: O God, fulfil my such and such need." (Bukhari). **According to another Tradition from Abu Hurairah, the Holy Prophet said: `Pray to Allah with the certainty that He will answer it." (Tirmidhi). In still another Tradition **Hadrat Abu Hurairah has reported that the Holy Prophet said: "The servant's prayer is granted provided that he does not pray for a sin or for severing connections with the kindred, and is not hasty. It was asked: What is being hasty, 0 Messenger of Allah? He replied: Being hasty is that man should say: I have prayed much, too much, but I see that my prayer is nor being answered. Then he should be tired of it and give up praying." (Muslim). The other theme is explained by the following Traditions: **Hadrat Abu Hurairah relates that the Holy Prophet said: "Nothing is as praiseworthy in the sight of AIlah as the prayer." (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah). **Hadrat Ibn Mas'ud says that the Holy Prophet said: "Ask of Allah His bounty, because Allah likes that He should be asked." (Tirmidhi) **Hadrat Ibn 'Umar and Hadrat Mu'adh bin Jabal state that the Holy Prophet said: "The prayer is in any case beneficial, both with respect to those calamities which have descended and with respect to those which have not yet descended. So, O servants of AIlah, you must always pray." (Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad). **Hadrat Anas says that the Holy Prophet said: `Each one of you should ask his every need of Allah; so much so that even if his shoe-lace breaks, he should pray for it to Allah." (Tirmidhi).
That is, even in matters which
man feels are in his own power, he should invoke Allah's help for it before
planning his own devices for it, for in no matter can man succeed only on the
basis of his own devices without the help and succour of Allah, and praying
before devising plans means that the servant is at all times acknowledging the
supremacy of Allah and admitting his own helplessness.
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