Summaries from Tafseer Class

[Akhee-Abdullah]

Inshallah, from now on I'll be posting the tafseer of surah Baqarah from the trustworthy Scholar of Islam.

[Akhee-Abdullah]

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T A F S E E R O F S U R A T A L - B A Q A R A H
by sheikh Muhammad bin Saalih al-Utheimeen
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1.) Alif Laam Meem
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Scholars have differed, regarding these letters and the wisdom behind them , into many different opinions. But all those opinions can be summarized in the following 4:
[B]1. Those letters have a meaning. But, the proponent of such opinion differ as to what exactly those letters mean! Is it a name of Allah? a name of the Surah? or a hint to the lifetime of this Ummah?

2. Just alphabetical letters that don't have any meaning whatsoever.

3. It has a meaning that only Allah knows. So, we affirm that it has a meaning but Allah knows it best. They [those who hold this opinion] say that anything revealed in the Quran has to have a meaning.

4. We stop!!! We do not say if it has a meaning or not. So, we make Tawaqquf.

The most correct of these opinions is the second. And that is, that THOSE LETTERS DO NOT HAVE ANY MEANING WHATSOEVER. And this is related from Mujaahid [student of ibn Abbas]. And the proof for this opinion is that the Quran was revealed in the language of the Arabs. And those letters do not have any meaning in the language of the Arabs, just like when you say, Alif, Baa', Taa', etc. As to why Allah chose those letters (e.g. Alif, Laam, Meem) and put it in such an order, then this is what we do not have knowledge of.

This is regarding the letters themselves. As to the wisdom from it, then it is what ibn al-Qayyim, Sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah, his student al-Hafidh adh-Dhahabi, and a big number of scholars, have chosen. And that is to indicate the miraculous nature of the Great Quran. Those letters show that the Quran did not come with new supernatural letters that go beyond the scope of the human being. Rather, those letters don't go beyond what the human speaks, yet this Quran, which is made of those simple letters, is miraculous and no one can say or come-up with something like it. So, the wisdom is to hint to the miraculous nature of the Quran in the briefest way possible. The proponent of this opinion also used as a proof the fact that everytime those letters are mentioned in the beginning of a Surah, the topic of the Quran or some of its unique characteristics would be mentioned in the same Surah.

[Akhee-Abdullah]

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Surat al-Baqarah, a Brief Commentary
taken with some modification from
the tafseer of sheikh Muhammad bin Saalih al-Utheimeen
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2.) Dhaalika al-Kitaabu Laa Rayba Feehi

That Kitaab has no doubt in it

Kitaab (book) in Arabic means that which is written. Allah called the Quran a Kitaab, since it's written with Allah, written with the angels, and it's written in the Mushaf with the people. Allah used the word "Dhaalika" (that) which indicates farness, to show that this Book is far above any other book, since it's the greatest and the most honorable book. The word "Laa" is very strong in negation. So, "Laa Rayba" negates the smallest amount of Rayb, as if ones says: no Rayb whatsoever. The word "Rayb" means doubt, but not any kind of doubt. Rather, it's the doubt that is accompanied with worry either due to the strength of such doubts, or due to the discomfort that emanates from such doubts. So, whoever explained Rayb by doubt has made an approximate Tafseer.


So, "Laa Rayba Feehi" apparently means negation, i.e. there is no doubt in it. But, some say that negation here means prohibition, i.e. do not have doubt in it. What made them turn the plain negation into prohitbition is, what they said, that doubt in this Book did happen from the disbelievers and the hypocrites. But, we say that Allah here is speaking of the Quran according to what it really is, not according to those who are listening to it. This is like if I say to you, "this water is fresh" regardless of this water being not fresh according to the taste of some person. So, the fact that this water may taste bitter to some people does not affect the nature of this water being fresh. So, what does it concern us if some people have doubts in the Quran, when the Quran itself does not have any doubt? And Allah is describing the Quran as it is, or describing the true nature of the Quran, not what some people feel about it.

This is not forget that many who claimed such doubts, did so out of sheer rejection while knowing deep inside the falsehood of their claim. So many of them may not have real doubt in the Quran. Rather, they know deep inside that this is not the speech of the Prophet and that the Prophet cannot come-up with something like that from his own, yet they still deny and reject it in public.

In conclusion, the first explanation is the strong explanation that no one should abandon, and that is that Allah described Quran as it really is regardless of whether people are doubtfull or not.

[Alouddin]

Lucky, assalamu alaykum brother.

could you plz look at this post and seek something on the net in regards of the issue? jazakallah khoyron.

http://www.forum.uz/viewtopic.php?t=14163

Muroqib

[Akhee-Abdullah]

Waalaykum salam wa rahmatullahi,

Ya akhee,

Please advise this:

12: Censure of Debating and Arguing

Debating, arguing and disputing are innovations which throw doubt into the heart, even if the person reaches the truth and the Sunnah[1].

NOTES
1. Allaah, the Most High says:

"None dispute about the signs of Allaah, except those who disbelieve." (Soorah Ghaafir 40:4)

At-Tirmidhee reports a hasan hadeeth from Abu Umaamah, who said: "Allaah's Messenger (saws) said, "A people never went astray after being upon guidance except through disputation." Then Allaah's Messenger (saws) recited this Ayah :

"This they set forth to you, only by way of argument. Nay, but they are a contentious people." (Soorah az-Zukhruf 43:58 )

Al-Aajurree reports in ash-Sharee'ah (p.57) that a man came to al-Hasan (al-Basree) and said, "O Abu Sa'eed! Let me debate with you about the Religion." Al-Hasan replied, "As for me, I know my religion, If you have lost your Religion then go and look for it."

'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez, rahimahullaah, said, "He who allows his Religion to be open to disputing will frequently change over." See Jaami' Bayaanil 'Ilm

[Akhee-Abdullah]

<><><><><><><><><><>
Friday Tafseer Class
August 22, 2003
Surat at-Tariq
Part One
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1. By the heaven, and At-Tariq (the night-comer, i.e. the bright star);

2. And what will make you to know what At-Tariq (night-comer) is?


Allah began Surat at-Tariq by an oath. He swore by Samaa' and Tariq. Samaa' in Arabic is anything above us. So, Samaa' could be a sealing, the clouds, the planets, the 7 Heavens, etc. But, it's usually translated as sky or heaven since this is most common usage of this word. Tariq on the other hand is the one that shows up at night at someone's door step.

3. (It is) the star of piercing brightness;

But here it means the star, as Aayah 3 mentions, since a star shows up to the human eye at night. Allah described the star as Thaaqib (something that penetrates) since it penetrates the darkness of the night with its light. Allah swears by His great creation, and the stars are one his great creations. In the Quran, He mentioned three main functions of the stars. They decorate and beautify the sky, they [the shooting star among them] burn the devils who try to steal the information that Allah conveys to His angels regarding what will take place in the future [the
Qadar], and they serve as guide to the travelers at night [such as in
the sea to tell directions].

4. There is no human being but has a protector over him (or her) (i.e. angels incharge of each human being guarding him, writing his good and bad deeds, etc.)
In Aayah 4, Allah tells us what He swearing on. He's swearing on the fact that every soul has a Haafidh [protector]. This is referring to the angles who protect our actions by writing them down and to the
angels who protect us from physical harm.

5. So let man see from what he is created!
6. He is created from a water gushing forth
7. Proceeding from between the back-bone and the ribs,
8. Verily, (Allah) is Able to bring him back (to life)!


In Aayahs 5-8, Allah orders us to ponder upon our beginning. What were we created from?? Were we created from metal, from iron, from steal? No, rather we were created from slowly-flowing water [the Quran uses water to avoid using what's not befitting its language], and it's belittled weak water [Maheen] and little [Nutfah] as Allah described it in different places of the Quran. So how can the human being brag about his power while he knows that he came from such a weak humiliated origin. And how can his heart become so hard while his beginning was flowing water? And how can he deny his resurrection, while he knows that Allah has created him from little water. Indeed Allah is able to bring him back, like He was able to create him the first place. As-Suyooti mentions in his "Asbaab an-Nuzool", that a strong man used to stand on a piece of leather then challenge his mates to remove him from his place. Then he would say, "Muhammad claims that the guards of the Fire are 19 [look in Surat al-Mudathir]. Well, I will take care of 10, and you all can take care of the remaining 9". So Allah revealed these verses, "Let the human see where he came from?".

[Akhee-Abdullah]

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Surat al-Baqarah, a brief commentary
taken with some abridgment
from the Tafseer of
Shiekh Muhammad bin Saalih al-Utheimeen
May Allah have Mercy on him
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A A Y A H 2 (continued)

That Book has no doubt, in it, a guidance to those who have Taqwaa

There are two ways to recite this verse. Some Qurraa' (plural of Qaaree, a scholar of Quran) has paused at "no doubt", while others have paused at "in it". So, the aayah is either read, "That Book has no doubt. In it [there is] a guidance to those who have Taqwaa". Or, "That Book has no doubt in it. a guidance to those who have Taqwaa".

Taqwaa is to take a precaution from the punishment of Allah by following His orders and avoiding His prohibitions.

[I]Some Benefits from this Aayah

1. The highness of the Quraan because He said, "That Book". And "That" refers to farness which indicates its high status. And, if the Quran is high in status, then it will bring highness of status to the one who holds on to it. In fact, Allah says about the [status/position] of the Quran, "In order to make it overcome/be above all the other religions" [Tawbah:33]. Likewise, whatever the Quran was described with such as generosity, praise, and greatness, is also a description for the one who upholds to it.


2. The highness of the Quran from another aspect, and that it's written and well taken care of [so it does not get changed like other books]. In fact, it's written in three places, in al-Lawh al-Mahfoodh, the Suhuf in the hands of the angels, and in the Masaahif [plural of Mushaf] in the hands of people.

3. The Quran came down from Allah for certain, since He said, "No doubt in it".

4. The one who is guided by this Quran is the one who has Taqwaa. So, the stronger the Taqwaa the stronger the guidance through the Quran.

5. The virtue of Taqwaa, and the fact that it is one of the means of attaining guidance from the Quran. This includes the two kinds of guidance, the guidance to knowledge and the guidance to actions.

Question and Answer

Q. How do we reconcile between this Aayah which restricted guidance-through-the-Quran to the people of Taqwa and Aayah 185 of the same Surah which says that Quran is a guidance to all the people?

A. Guidance is two kinds, general and specific. The general guidance is for all people. It is the guidance to knowledge [the Quran shows and clarifies the truth to all people]. The specific guidance is only for those who have Iman, Taqwa, etc. It's the guidance to actions. That is, Allah guides you to act upon what you know.

[Akhee-Abdullah]

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Surat al-Baqarah, a brief commentary
Taken with some abridgment
from the Tafseer of
Sheikh Muhammad bin Saalih al-Utheimeen
Rahimahu Allah
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A A Y A H 3

"The ones who believe in the unseen, they establish the Salaat, and from what We have given them they spend"

After Allah had mentioned that the people of Taqwa are the ones who get benefit and guidance from the Quran, He now clarifies the attributes of those people. So he mentioned six of them [three in this Aayah].

1. To believe in the Ghayb [unseen]: everything that Allah has told us about Himself, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, His decree good and bad, and anything else that Allah has told us about that we cannot see.

2. To establish the Salaat [prayer]: in a correct manner exactly as was related from the Prophet. This includes the Fareedah [obligatory prayer] and the Naafilah [voluntary prayer].

3. To give from what Allah has given them: from money or anything they own. There should be more clarification about the word "from", whether it is here used to mean "a part of" or just to clarify what is to be given, under the benefits section.

[Akhee-Abdullah]

<><><><><><><><><><>
Friday Tafseer Class
August 22, 2003
Surat at-Tariq
Part Two
(Mainly taken from
shiekh Utheimeen's)
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In Aayah 9, Allah mentions the Day of Judgement as the day when the secrets [hearts] are tested and exposed. Since the accountability in
the Hereafter is based on what is in the hearts whereas the accountability in this life is based on the apparent actions. This is why the Prophet treated the hypocrites like he treated the believers. So what is considered in this life is the apparent actions, and what is considered in the Hereafter is the hidden actions. This is why we have to care of the actions of the heart more than we take care of the actions of the limbs. The Prophet, addressing the Companions, said about the Khawaarij, "One of you will belittle his prayer next to their prayers, and his fast next to their fast [meaning that they will exert their effort in the outward
actions but their hearts are empty], their Islam won't go beyond
their throats, they will exit Islam just like an arrow would come out
of the prey". And al-Hassan used to say, "I swear by Allah, Abu Bakr
did not exceed others by prayer of fasting, rather he exceeded them
by the belief that settled in his heart". So, if Eemaan settles in
the hearts, then it will incite the person to do good actions while
the outward action may not incite the person to correct his heart.

In Aayah 10, Allah says that on the Day of Judgement, a human being will not have any power nor any help. So he will be deprived from
his own power and he won't have access to any external power that
will come to his aid. So, he is in a complete state of weakness
where he cannot defend himself nor can anyone else defend him.

In Aayahs 11-12, Allah makes another oath, this time by the sky with the rain and the earth which cracks so plants can come out.

In Aayah 13, the target of this oath is the Quran. So, Allah is
swearing by some of His amazing creation that the Quran is a decisive
word. It's decisive between truth and falsehood, between the pious
and the transgressor. The word "Fasl" does not only mean decisive,
but it also has the meaning of cutting. This is because it cuts its
enemies. This is why we see that when the Muslims used the Quran
they were able to overcome the disbelievers whereas when they left
the Quran behind they became humiliated and defeated. And, the more
one draws farther from the Quran, the more he/she would suffer from
humiliation and defeat.

Aayah 14: Quran is not a joke. It's not a matter of play, vanity or
in unseriousness. Rather all of it is truth. Its facts are true and
its rules are just.

Aayah 15: They are plotting indeed plotting. Enemies of Allah are
always plotting against Islam and its followers. This was most
manifested in the many incidents of Quraysh pagans plotting against
Prophet Muhammad and his companions.

Aayah 16: Allah plots also in a manner that befits His Majesty.

Aayah 17: So give the disbelievers a respite, a little respite.
This last verse contained a threat to the Quraish disbelievers, and a
promise to the Prophet that the victory from Allah was near. And all
this came true, since soon after the Prophet migrated to Madinah, the
Muslims became strong, and in the second year after Migration, the
Battle of Badr took place, and the Muslims killed the main oppressors
of Quraish. Then, within 8 years, the Prophet was able to re-enter
Makkah as a winner and a victor.

~~~~~ T H E E N D ~~~~~~

[Akhee-Abdullah]

SISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISI
Tafseer of Surat al-Inshiqaaq (Surah #84)
Summary of Friday Halaqa on 10/3/03SISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISISI

Pls note: I don't provide a direct translation of each Aayah, so it
would help if you have a copy of the Quran in your hand, when you
read the summary.

In this Surah, Allah has clarified some of the great events that will
take place on the Day of Judgment.

Aayah 1. The splitting and going-away of the sky. As with all
matters of the Unseen, we only have the ability to understand the
meaning but not the reality of it. So, this splitting will happen in
a way that we can never imagine or comprehend. This splitting is
mentioned in several places in the Quran such as Surat al-Infitaar
(another word for Inshiqaaq), where the fall and destruction of the
stars is mentioned as well.

Aayah 2. This shows that the sky listens to Allah and obeys His
orders. So, the sky makes the Inshiqaaq following Allah's order, and
this is totally expected from the sky which is nothing but one of the
creations of Allah.

Aayah 3. The earth will spread-out on that Day so all mountains and valleys will be gone, and it will be flat, with no ups or downs, to
accomodate all the people that will stand on it for reckoning.

Aayah 4. The earth will also throw the human bodies burried in it,
and will abandon them, after it was their place of dwelling, shelter,
residence and peace in the First Life.

Aayah 5. Likewise, the earth does so as an obedience to the order of its Lord, and rightly so.

Aayah 6. The nature of the human being is such that he strives hard in this life. But, let him remember that he will meet his deeds on
the Last Day. And he will have to face the consequences of his
actions. This is why Allah divides the people into two categories in
the following Aayahs.

Aayah 7. If the person is given his book of deeds in his right hand, then that is a sign that he will be from the people of Jannah
(Paradise).

Aayah 8. The Prophet clarified the meaning of Easy Reckoning. He said in a hadith that on that Day, Allah will bring close his
believing slave and he will have him acknowledge all his sins, till
the slave thinks that he will be destroyed, then Allah will
say, "Just like I have covered your sins in the First Life, I will
forgive your sins today".

Aayah 9. Then this person will turn to his family in Jannah. His
family includes his family in this life if they were believers and
all new creations that Allah creates for his slave in Jannah, such as
al-Hoor al-Een.

Aayah 10. The second category will receive its book of deeds in
their left hands from behind their backs, since the right hand will
be tied to their necks. And this is a sign that they will be from
the people of the Fire, may Allah save us from it.

Aayah 11. Out of despair, he will make a du'a against himself. So, he will invoke destruction upon himself.

Aayah 12. And indeed so, he will be punished in the Sa'eer, one of the names of the Hell Fire.

Aayah 13. Allah clarifies what has made him reach this miserable
place. He used to be happy out of arrogance and disbelief (thinking
that the Hour will not happen, and that all pleasure was in the First
Life). Pls note, happiness in it itself is not blameworthy.

Aayah 14. The disbeliever thinks that he is not going to return to
Allah, nor is he going to meet Him.

Aayah 15. But the reality is that everyone will meet Allah, and
Allah knows and sees every person inside out, and He records their
actions and counts them.

To be continued ...