30:1. Alif. Lam. Meem.^{1Groups of letters (al-huroof al-muqaUa'ah) appear at the beginning of several soorahs. The most correct scholarly view states that we are required to believe in them as they appear to be, without delving into their meaning, knowledge of which we should leave to Allah. We believe that they were not revealed in vain, and that there is wisdom behind them of which we are not aware.}

30:2. The Romans [Byzantines] have been defeated,

30:3. in a nearby land. But they, after their defeat, will be victorious

30:4. within a few years. The power of decree belongs to Allah both before and after [that victory]. On that day, the believers will rejoice

30:5. at the victory granted by Allah. He grants victory to whomever He wills, and He is the Almighty, Most Merciful.

30:6. [This is] the promise of Allah. Allah does not break His promise, but most people do not realise.

30:7. They only know the superficial realities of the life of this world, but they are oblivious to the hereafter.

At that time, the Persians and the Romans (Byzantines) were among the strongest nations on earth, and there were wars and conflicts between them, such as occur between states with equal powers. The Persians were polytheists who worshipped fire, whereas the Romans were People of the Book who claimed to follow the Torah and Gospel, and they were closer to the Muslims than the Persians. So the believers liked for the Romans to prevail and defeat the Persians, whilst the polytheists - who had in common with the Persians polytheistic beliefs - liked for the Persians to defeat the Romans.

The Persians prevailed over the Romans and defeated them, but did not take over their lands except the areas closest to their borders. And the polytheists of Makkah rejoiced at that, whilst the Muslims were saddened by it. But Allah told them and promised them that the Romans would defeat the Persians,

﴾within a few years﴿ that is, eight or nine years, or thereabouts, but no more than ten and no less than three. The Persian defeat of the Romans, then the Roman defeat of the Persians, all happened in accordance with the will and decree of Allah. Hence He said: ﴾The power of decree belongs to Allah both before and after [that victory])﴿. Victory does not occur just because of worldly means; rather it must also be according to the divine will and decree.c﴾On that day﴿ that is, on the day when the Romans prevail over the Persians and defeat them, t’fOn that day, the believers will rejoice at the victory granted by Allah. He grants victory to whomever He wills)﴿ that is, they will rejoice at the Romans' victory over the Persians, for even though they are all disbelievers, some evils are less than others, and on that day the polytheists will grieve.

sfand He is the Almighty﴿ Who is possessed of might that subdues all creation; He grants power to whomever He wills and takes away power from whomever He wills; He honours whomever He wills and He humiliates whomever He wills c-fMost Merciful﴿ towards His believing slaves, for He has made available to them means by which they may attain bliss and victories such as never cross their minds.

c﴾[This is] the promise of Allah. Allah does not break His promise﴿ - so be certain of that and be sure of it, and know that it will inevitably come to pass.

When these verses which contained this promise were revealed, the Muslims believed in them and the polytheists disbelieved in them, to such an extent that some Muslims and some polytheists placed bets on the exact number of years involved. When the time decreed by Allah came, the Romans defeated the Persians and drove them out of their lands that they had taken over, and the promise of Allah was fulfilled.

This is one of the matters of the unseen which Allah foretold before it happened, and it came to pass at the time stated by Allah, and was witnessed by both Muslims and polytheists.

﴾but most people do not realise﴿ that what Allah promises is true. Hence there are some who disbelieve in the promise of Allah and reject His signs, and these are the ones who do not realise - that is, they do not see things in depth or understand the consequences thereof. Rather ﴾They only know the superficial realities of the life of thisworld^J. So they look at the causes and are certain that some evils happen because the causes thereof are present, and they are certain that some things are not going to happen if they do not see the causes thereof happening. They focus only on the causes, without thinking of the One Who makes these causes available and is in control of them.

﴾but they are oblivious to the hereafter﴿, for their hearts and their whims and desires are focused on this world and its worthless splendours, so they strive for that and focus all their efforts on it. And they neglect the hereafter, so they do not long for paradise or fear hell, and they do not fear standing before Allah, and the meeting with Him does not cause them any concern. This is a sign of doom and of being oblivious to the hereafter.

It is strange indeed that many of this type of people have a stunningly high level of smartness and intelligence with regard to superficial worldly matters. They have achieved amazing things in the fields of energy, electricity and means of transportation on land and sea and in the air. In that regard they have surpassed others, to the extent that they are filled with self-admiration for their own intelligence, and they regard others as incapable of achieving that which Allah has enabled them to achieve; therefore they look upon them with scorn and contempt. Yet despite that, they are the most unintelligent of people with regard to spiritual well-being, and they are more negligent than others with regard to the hereafter, and have the least knowledge of the ultimate consequences of matters. People with deep insight see them and realise how they are wandering blindly in their ignorance, misguidance and falsehood, for they have forgotten Allah, so He caused them to forget themselves. These are the evildoers.

Moreover, people of insight look at what Allah has granted to these disbelievers and has given them the ability to develop subtle ideas that have to do with this world and its superficialities, but they are deprived of sublime reasoning. Thus they (the people of insight) realise that all matters are in the Hand of Allah and it is He Who decrees concerningHis slaves; it is He Who grants help and guidance, or causes some to fail. So they fear their Lord and ask Him to perfect for them what He has granted them of the light of reason and faith, so that they may reach Him and draw close to Him. As for these achievements (of the disbelievers), if their achievements had been coupled with faith and based on faith, that would have led to sublime refinement and a good life, but because much of it was based on atheism, it only resulted in a decline in ethics and morality, and development of the means of total destruction and annihilation of the planet.

30:8. Have they not reflected within themselves: Allah has not created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, except for a true purpose and for an appointed term? But indeed many people deny the meeting with their Lord.

30:9. Have they not travelled in the land and seen what was the fate of those who came before them? They were more powerful than them; they dug the earth and built upon it more than these [people of Makkah] have built. Their Messengers came to them with clear signs. It was not Allah Who wronged them, but it was they who wronged themselves.

30:10. And utterly evil will be the fate of those who did evil, for they rejected the signs of Allah and used to ridicule them.

That is, have these people who reject the Messengers of Allah and denied the meeting with Him ﴾not reflected within themselves﴿, for in their own selves there are signs by which they may know that the One Who created them from nothing will recreate them after that, and that it is not appropriate that the One Who caused them to develop in stages - from a sperm drop, to a clinging clot, to a chewed lump of flesh, to a human being into whom the soul was breathed, to a child, to a young man, to an old man, to a senile man - should leave them aimless and neglected, not given any commands or prohibitions, and not rewarded or punished.

﴾Allah has not created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, except for a true purpose﴿ which is to test you and show who among you is best in deed

﴾fand for an appointed term﴿ that is, a period that will last until a certain point at which this world will come to an end, then will come the resurrection, when the earth will be changed to another earth and so will the heavens (cf 14: 48).

﴾But indeed many people deny the meeting with their Lord﴿, therefore they have not prepared to meet Him and they did not believe His Messengers who told them of that. There is no evidence for this disbelief; rather the definitive evidence indicates that the resurrection and requital of deeds will take place. Hence Allah tells them to travel through the land and see the fate of those who rejected their Messengers and disobeyed their commands, among nations who were more powerful than them and who left more traces on the earth, such as huge fortresses and great works, and who planted trees, grew crops and dug channels for irrigation. Their strength and works did not avail them at all when they rejected their Messengers who came to them with clear signs that pointed to the truth and the soundness ofthe message they brought. When they look at what those nations left behind, they will not find anything but nations that vanished, people who were destroyed, dwellings that were left desolate and bad things that were said about them throughout the generations. This is the first stage of punishment, a foretaste of the punishment in the hereafter, and the beginning thereof.

Allah did not wrong any of these doomed nations by destroying them; rather they wronged themselves and brought about their own destruction.

c﴾And utterly evil will be the fate﴿ that is, the terrible situation ﴾of those who did evil, for they rejected the signs of Allah and used to ridicule them﴿. This is the punishment for their bad deeds and sins.

Moreover, their ridicule and rejection are the cause of the greatest punishment and ultimate vengeance.

30:11. Allah originates creation then repeats it, then to Him you will be brought back.

30:12. On the day when the Hour begins, the evildoers will be speechless with despair.

30:13. They will have no intercessors among their [so-called] partners [whom they associated with Allah], and they will deny those partners.

30:14. On the day when the Hour begins, on that day they will be divided.

30:15. As for those who believed and did righteous deeds, they will be honoured and made happy in a garden.

30:16. And as for those who disbelieved, and rejected Our signs and denied the meeting in the hereafter, they will be delivered up for punishment.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He alone originates the creation of all creatures, then He will repeat it, then to Him they will be returned after their recreation, so that He may requite them for their deeds. Hence He mentions the requital of the evildoers, then the requital of those who did good:

﴾On the day when the Hour begins)﴿ that is, when the people are resurrected to stand before the Lord of the worlds, and they see the Day of Resurrection with their own eyes. On that day, ﴾the evildoers will be speechless with despair﴿ that is, they will despair of all good, because they did not send ahead for that day anything but evil deeds, namely their sins of disbelief, ascription of partners to Allah and acts of disobedience.

Because they sent ahead that which incurs punishment, and they did not mix with it anything of that which brings reward, they will be filled with despair, speechless and helpless, and the (false gods) of their own invention - namely the so-called partners which they claimed would intercede for them - will be lost from them.

Hence Allah says: ﴾They will have no intercessors among their [so-called] partners﴿) whom they worshipped alongside Allah, ﴾fand they will deny those partners﴿) that is, these polytheists will disavow those whom they associated with Allah, and those whom they worship will disavow them and will say:

﴾f...We disavow them before You; it was not us they worshipped.﴿

They will trade curses and shun one another, and on that day the people of good and the people of evil will be divided and be separate, just as their deeds were separate in this world.

﴾As for those who believed and did righteous deeds﴿ that is, they believed in their hearts and confirmed that belief by doing righteous deeds ﴾they will be honoured and made happy in a garden﴿ in which there are all kinds of plants and desirable things. They will be happy, enjoying delicious food and drink, beautiful companions, servants, melodious voices, delightful sounds, wonderful views, gentle breezes, joy, delight and pleasure, such as cannot be described.

f°( And as for those who disbelieved﴿ and denied Allah’s blessings, responding to them with ingratitude ﴾and rejected Our signs﴿ which were brought to them by Our Messengers t-fand denied the meeting in the hereafter, they will be delivered up for punishment﴿ and hell will encompass them on all sides; their faces will be scalded with hot water which will pierce their bowels. What a great difference there will be between the two groups, so how can those who will enjoy bliss and those who will be punished be equal?

30:17. So glorify Allah in the evening and the morning -

30:18. To Him be all praise in the heavens and on earth - [and glorify Him] in the afternoon and when the sun begins to decline.

30:19. He brings forth the living from the dead, and brings forth the dead from the living. He gives life to the earth after its death, and in like manner you will be brought forth [from your graves].

Here Allah tells us that He is above all bad qualities and shortcomings, and He is above any of His creation being like unto Him. He commands His slaves to glorify Him in the evening and in the morning, in the afternoon and in the middle of the day.

These five times are the times of the five daily prayers. Allah commands His slaves to glorify and praise Him at these times, which includes that which is obligatory, such as the five daily prayers that are required at these times, and that which is recommended or encouraged, such as the adhkar that are to be recited morning and afternoon, and following the obligatory prayers, as well as supererogatory prayers that accompany the obligatory prayers. That is because these times that Allah has chosen for the obligatory prayers are better than other times.

Therefore glorifying and praising Allah, and worshipping Him, at those times is better than at other times. In fact worship, even if it does not include the phrase “Subhan Allah (glory be to Allah)”, is in fact - if it is done with sincerity - a kind of glorifying Allah in one’s actions, and declaring Him to be above having any partner and denying that any creature is deserving of what He deserves of sincere devotion.

﴾He brings forth the living from the dead﴿ as He brings forth the plant from the dead earth, the com from the seed, the tree from the seed, the chick from the egg, the believer from the disbeliever, and so on.

﴾and brings forth the dead from the living﴿ as in the opposite of the cases mentioned above.

﴾He gives life to the earth after its death﴿. So He sends down rain at the time when the earth is dead and lifeless, then when He sends down rain upon it, it stirs and swells, and brings forth beautiful plants of every kind (cf 22: 5).t﴾and in like manner you will be brought forth [from your graves])﴿. This offers definitive evidence and clear proof that the One Who gives life to the earth after its death will give life to the dead.

There is no difference, from a rational point of view, between the two matters, and there is no reason to regard one as unlikely when we can see the other.

iit

30:20. Among His signs is this: He created you from dust, then - behold! - you became human beings ranging far and wide.

30:21. Among His signs is this: He created for you from among yourselves spouses, so that you might find comfort in them, and He has instilled love and compassion between you. Verily in that there are signs for people who reflect.

This is the beginning of a list of Allah’s signs that point to His oneness. His perfect greatness. His will that is always done. His mighty power, the beauty of His creation, and the vastness of His mercy and kindness.

﴾Among His signs is this: He created you from dust﴿ this refers to the creation of the origin of humankind, namely Adam (عليه السلام). ﴾then - behold! - you became human beings ranging far and wide﴿ that is, the One Who created you from a single origin and one substance scattered you far and wide throughout the earth. In that there are signs that the One Who created you from this origin and scattered you throughout the earth is the Lord Who is deserving of worship, theSovereign Who is deserving of praise, the Most Merciful and Most Loving, Who will bring you back by resurrecting you after death.

﴾Among His signs﴿ that point to His mercy and care for His slaves, and His great wisdom and all-encompassing knowledge ﴾is this: He created for you from among yourselves spouses﴿ who feel in harmony with you and you feel in harmony with them, and you are compatible with one another.

t﴾so that you might find comfort in them, and He has instilled love and compassion between you﴿ because of what results from marriage of love and compassion.

Thus a man will find physical pleasure in his wife, and the benefit of having and raising children, and he will find comfort in his spouse. Usually you will not find between any two people what you find between spouses of love and mercy.

﴾Verily in that there are signs for people who reflect﴿ and use their minds to reflect upon the signs of Allah, and in one thing they find an indication of another.

30:22. Among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours. Verily in that there are signs for those who have knowledge.

Those who have knowledge are people who understand and learn lessons, and who reflect upon the signs. There are many such signs, one of which is the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. That is indicative of the greatness of Allah’s authority and the perfect nature of His might, for He brought into being these mightycreations. It is also indicative of His perfect wisdom, because of what they contain of precision; and of the vastness of His knowledge, because the Creator must inevitably know what He has created.

C‘(How could He Who created not know His own creation?...﴿ (al-

It also points to the vastness of His mercy and grace, because of what His creation contains of great benefits, and it indicates that He is the One Who chooses whatever He wills, because of what it contains of variations and distinguishing features. And it highlights the fact that He alone deserves to be worshipped and His oneness affirmed, for He alone creates, so He alone must be worshipped.

Allah draws our attention to all of this rational evidence and instructs us to reflect upon it and learn lessons from it.

t﴾fand﴿ likewise there is a sign in ﴾the diversity of your languages and colours﴿, of which there is such a great variety, despite having a single origin, and despite the fact that the sounds made by human voices come from the same place. Even though that is the case, you will not find two voices that are similar in all ways, or two colours that are similar in all ways. Rather you will find differences between them so that you can tell them apart. This is indicative of the perfect nature of His might and shows us that His will is always done.

One aspect of His care and mercy towards His slaves is that He has decreed these differences lest things resemble one another too closely, which would lead to confusion and would be detrimental to people's interests.

30:23. Among His signs is your sleep at night and in the daytime, and your seeking of His bounty. Verily in that there are signs for people who listen [attentively].

That is, they listen attentively by way of reflecting upon the meanings and reflecting upon the signs.

This is indicative of Allah’s mercy, as He says elsewhere:

﴾By His mercy He has made for you night and day, so that you may rest therein and seek His bounty, and so that you may give thanks.﴿

It is also indicative of His perfect wisdom, for His wisdom dictates that people should rest sometimes and go about their business sometimes, taking care of their religious and worldly interests. That can only be achieved with the alternation of night and day for them, and the only One Who does that is the only One Who is deserving of worship.

30:24. Among His signs. He shows you the lightning, giving rise to both fear and hope, and He sends down water from the sky whereby He gives life to the earth after its death. Verily in that there are signs for people of understanding.

That is, one of His signs is that He sends down to you the rain by means of which the land and the people are revived. Before the rain comes. He shows them its precursors, namely the thunder and lightning which give rise to both fear and hope.4Verily in that there are signs of the all-encompassing nature of His kindness, the vastness of His knowledge, the perfect nature of His precision, and the greatness of His wisdom. It indicates that He will give life to the dead, just as He gives life to the earth after its death, ﴾for people of understanding﴿ that is, those who have minds with which to understand what they hear, see and remember, and are able to understand what the signs point to.

30:25. Among His signs is this: the heaven and the earth are maintained by His command, then when with one call He summons you to come forth from the earth, you will immediately come forth.

30:26. To Him belong all those who are in the heavens and on earth; all are subservient unto Him.

30:27. It is He Who originates creation then repeats it, and that is [even] easier for Him. To Him belong the most sublime attributes [as confirmed by all those who are] in the heavens and on earth, and He is the Almighty, the Most Wise.

That is, one of the greatest of His signs is the fact that the heavens and earth are maintained and remain stable and steady by His command. Therefore they do not shake, and the sky does not fall upon the earth. His great might, by means of which He sustains the heavens and the earth lest they decline, is also the means by which, when He summons them to come forth from the earth, they will immediately emerge.﴾Indeed, the creation of the heavens and the earth is a greater matter than the creation [or recreation] of humankind...﴿ (Ghafir 40: 57)

﴾To Him belong all those who are in the heavens and on earthy all are His creation and slaves, and He controls them without anyone else to dispute with Him, help Him or oppose Him. They are all subservient to His majesty, submitting to His perfection.

﴾It is He Who originates creation then repeats it﴿ that is, repeating creation after they die will be ﴾f[even] easier for Him﴿ than their original creation. This is as far as human minds are concerned. So just as you affirm that He is able to originate creation, it is more appropriate that you should affirm that He is able to repeat it, which is easier.

Having mentioned these great signs from which those who are willing may learn lessons, the believers may be exhorted and those who are guided may increase in insight, Allah now mentions an important issue:

4jo Him belong the most sublime attributes [as confirmed by all those who are] in the heavens and on earth﴿. This refers to all attributes of perfection, for His is the most perfect degree of every attribute, and with regard to His slaves, the most perfect love and the most perfect subservience to Him is in the hearts of His sincere slaves, and the highest level of veneration is when they remember and worship Him.

Hence when the scholars speak of the divine attributes, they use the analogy of what is most appropriate. So they say: whatever perfect attribute may be found in created beings, the Creator of that attribute is more deserving of possessing it in a manner that no one shares with Him; whatever shortcomings may be found in created beings, it is more appropriate to declare the Creator to be far above them.

﴾and He is the Almighty, the Most Wise﴿ that is, to Him belong the perfect might and great wisdom. By His might He created all things and issued His commands, and by His wisdom He perfected all that He created and He issued the best laws and decrees.

30:28. He makes this comparison, drawn from your own lives: do you have partners among those slaves whom you own, who share as equals in the wealth We have bestowed on you, so that you fear them^{1What is meant by fearing one another is when two free men have equal shares of some wealth, and one fears that the other may take more than his due share, thus depriving him of his portion of that wealth.} as you fear one another? Thus We explain the revelations in detail for people of understanding.

30:29. Nay, the wrongdoers follow their own desires, without any knowledge. But who can guide those whom Allah has caused to go astray? And they will have no helpers.

This is a likeness that Allah gives of the abhorrent nature of polytheism. It is a likeness that is drawn from their own lives, which does not require much effort to understand.

c﴾do you have partners among those slaves whom you own, who share as equals in the wealth We have bestowed on you﴿ that is, do any of your slaves share your provision with you in such a way that you think that you and they have equal rights concerning it?

﴾fso that you fear them as you fear one another)﴿ that is, like free men who are partners in reality, who dread dividing the wealth, and each one takes his own share? That is not the case; none of your slaves is a partner in the wealth that Allah has bestowed upon you.

Moreover, you are not the ones who created those slaves or granted them provision, and they are slaves to Allah like you, so how can you accept to ascribe a partner to Allah from among His creation whom you regard as equal to Him and equally worthy of worship, when you do not accept for your slaves to become equal to you?

This is something that is most strange and is most indicative of the foolishness of those who ascribe partners to Allah, and it indicates that what he takes as a god is false and will diminish; it is not equal to Allah and it has no right to be worshipped.

﴾Thus We explain the revelations in detail﴿ by means of comparisons ﴾for people of understanding﴿ who understand and recognise the realities of things. As for those who do not understand, even if the revelations are explained to them and proof is presented to them, they have no rational minds with which to understand what is presented to them. It is people of reason and understanding who should be addressed.

Once it is established, from this comparison, that the one who regards others as partners with Allah whom he worships and puts his trust in is utterly wrong, then it becomes clear that the foundation on which he based this notion is wrong. Rather what led him to adopt this false notion is following his whims and desires. Hence Allah says:

﴾Nay, the wrongdoers follow their own desires, without any knowledge﴿. Those who are lacking in rational thinking went along with their whims and desires, and they adopted an idea that is clearly flawed and contrary to rational thinking and will be rejected by sound human nature, without any knowledge or any proof that led to that idea.

﴾But who can guide those whom Allah has caused to go astray?﴿ That is, do not be surprised by the fact that they are not guided, for Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has caused them to go astray because of their wrongdoing, and there is no way to guide those whom Allah has caused to go astray.because no one can oppose Allah or dispute with Him concerning His dominion.

﴾And they will have no helpers﴿ to help them when the decree of punishment comes to pass and their connections with others are severed.

30:30. Adhere exclusively and sincerely to the true faith of monotheism, the natural disposition that Allah instilled in humankind. There can be no change in what Allah has created. This is the right religion, but most people do not realise.

30:31. Turn to Him and fear Him; establish prayer, and do not be among those who ascribe partners to Allah,

30:32. those who differed concerning their religion and divided into sects, each group rejoicing in what it has.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) enjoins sincere devotion to Him alone in all situations and exclusive adherence to His religion.

﴾ Adhere exclusively and sincerely to the true faith of monotheism﴿ that is, turn to and focus on the true religion, which is Islam, eemdn (faith) and ihsan,^{1Ihsan is referred to in the well-known hadith in which it was narrated that kUmar said:} by focusing with all your heart and devoting allyour efforts to establishing the outward commands of the faith, such as prayer, zakah, fasting, Hajj and so on, and its inward commands such as loving Allah, fearing Him, putting one’s hopes in Him, and turning to Him, and striving to perfect everything you do, both outwardly and inwardly, with regard to religion, and worshipping Allah as if you can see Him, for if you do not see Him, verily He sees you.

This that We have enjoined upon you is ﴾the natural disposition that Allah instilled in humankind﴿) and has instilled in their minds the inclination to find it beautiful and to find anything else ugly. Allah has instilled in the hearts of all people an inclination towards all the rulings of Islam, both outward and inward, so they are naturally inclined to love truth and give precedence to it. This is the true nature of man.

If anyone does not conform to this principle, it is because of something that happened to his natural disposition and caused it to be changed, as the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

= «We were sitting with the Prophet (jig) when a man came to him whose clothes were intensely white and whose hair was intensely black; no signs of travel could be seen upon him, and none of us knew him. He sat down facing the Prophet (ﷺ), with his knees touching his, and he put his hands on his thighs, and said: O Muhammad, what is Islam? He said: To testily that there is no god except Allah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah; to establish regular prayer; to pay zakah; to fast in Ramadan; and to perform pilgrimage to the House (the Kaaba). He said: You have spoken the truth. We were amazed by him: he asked a question then told him that he had spoken the truth. Then he said: O Muhammad, what is faith? He said: To believe in Allah, His angels. His Messengers, His Books, the Last Day, and the divine decree (al-qadr), both good and bad. He said: You have spoken the truth. We were amazed by him: he asked a question then told him that he had spoken the truth. Then he said: O Muhammad, what is ihsan (right action, goodness, sincerity)? He said: To worship Allah as if you see Him, for even though you cannot see Him, He sees you.» This version was narrated by I bn Majah; the hadith was also narrated by Bukhari, Muslim and others.«Every child is bom in a state of Jit rah (the natural state of man, that is, Islam), then his parents make him into a Jew or a Christian or a Magian.» (Bukhari)

﴾There can be no change in what Allah has created﴿ that is, no one can change the creation of Allah and alter the nature of any created being and make it something other than what Allah created. fc(This﴿ that We have enjoined upon man ﴾is the right religion﴿ that is, the straight path that leads to Allah and to His paradise. Whoever adheres exclusively and sincerely to the true faith of monotheism is following the straight path in all its prescriptions and details

﴾but most people do not realise﴿ so they do not recognise the right religion, and if they do recognise it, they do not follow it.

﴾Tum to Him and fear Him﴿ this is an explanation of what is meant by adhering exclusively and sincerely to the true faith of monotheism. What is meant is turning in the heart and developing emotions that prompt one to do that which pleases Allah Ofc), for that will lead to carrying out physically what is in the heart. This includes acts of worship both outward and inward. That cannot be perfected except by refraining from acts of disobedience, both outward and inward. Hence Allah says 6fand fear Him﴿, which includes doing that which is enjoined and refraining from that which is prohibited.

Among the deeds that are enjoined, Allah singles out prayer, because it calls one to turn to Him and fear Him, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

..and establish prayer, for verily prayer keeps [one] away from obscenity and wickedness... (aI-‘Ankaboot 29: 45)

This helps one to attain piety or fear of Allah. Then Allah says:

e°f...And indeed your remembering Allah [in prayer] is of greater merit [than other acts of worship]... ﴿ (al- ‘Ankaboot 29: 45)

This is encouraging us to turn to Him.

And Allah mentions specifically the essential element of that which is prohibited, with which no good deed is acceptable, namely the ascription of partners to Him: ﴾and do not be among those who ascribe partners to Allah﴿, because ascription of partners to Allah is contrary to the idea of turning to Allah, the essence of which is sincerity to Him alone in all aspects.

Then He describes the nature of those who ascribe partners to Him, criticising and condemning them, as He says: ﴾those who differed concerning their religion﴿ even though the religion is one, and its foundation is devotion of worship to Allah alone. But these polytheists differed concerning it; some of them worship idols and images, some of them worship the sun and moon, some of them worship saints and righteous people; some of them are Jews and some of them are Christians.

Hence Allah says: t﴾and divided into sects﴿ that is, each group came together, bonded and united on the basis of their efforts to support what they have of falsehood, and opposing and fighting others.

﴾each group rejoicing in what it has﴿ of beliefs and ideas that are contrary to what the Messengers taught. They rejoice in it and deem what they have to be the truth and what others have to be false. This is a warning to the Muslims against becoming divided and splitting into groups, each group blindly supporting what it has of truth and falsehood, lest they become like the polytheists in their division. Rather the religion is one, the Messenger (ﷺ) is one and the God is one.

With regard to most matters of religion there is consensus among the scholars and imams, and Allah has created the ties of brotherhood and made them strong among the believers. So why is all of that overlooked or cancelled out, and why is there division and dissent among the Muslims caused by subtle and very minor differences because of which they regard one another as misguided and they become distinct from one another?

Is this anything but the result of the Shaytan’s efforts to achieve one of his greatest aims, by means of which he is scheming against the Muslims? Is the effort to unite the Muslims and overcome the divisions among them that are based on those false principles anything but the best jihad in Allah’s cause and the best of deeds that bring one closer to Allah?

As Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) commanded the believers to turn to Him - and the manner of turning to Him that is enjoined is that which is done voluntarily and should be done in times of both hardship and ease, times of plenty and of constraint - He now goes on to refer to the kind of turning to Him that occurs when one has no choice but to do so, which only happens when people are faced with calamity and distress, then once the calamity is over, they forget all about turning to Him. And that is not good:

30:33. When misfortune befalls people, they call upon their Lord [alone], turning to Him in repentance. Then when He grants them relief by His mercy, some of them ascribe partners to their Lord,

30:34. showing their ingratitude for what We have given them. Take your pleasure now, but you will soon know the consequences.

30:35. Or have We sent down to them any authority which speaks in support of their ascription of partners to Allah?

﴾When misfortune befalls people﴿ such as sickness, fear of death, and the like

﴾they call upon their Lord [alone], turning to Him in repentance﴿ and at that moment they forget all that they ascribed as partners to Him, because they know that none can grant relief from misfortune except Allah.

﴾Then when He grants them relief by His mercy﴿ and heals them from their sickness and delivers them from that which they feared ﴾some of them ascribe partners to their Lord﴿ that is, they cancel out that repentance, and they ascribe as partners to Him those who did not protect them or avail them anything, and cannot make them poor or rich. All of that is ingratitude for what Allah gave them and the blessings that He bestowed upon them, when He saved them and delivered them from hardship, and relieved them of difficulty. Should they not have responded to this immense blessing by giving thanks and remaining devoted to Him alone in all situations?

﴾Or have We sent down to them any authority﴿ that is, clear proof ﴾which speaks in support of their ascription of partners to Allah﴿ and tells them: be steadfast in your ascription of partners to Him and persist in your doubts, for what you are following is the truth and what the Messengers call you to is falsehood?

Do they have that authority, so that they should adhere strongly to their ascription of partners to Allah? Or is it not the case that the rational and textual evidence, the divinely revealed Books, the noble Messengers and the most prominent of people have emphatically forbidden that and warned against following the path that leads to that, and they ruled that the one who does that is corrupt in his thinking and in his beliefs?

The ascription of partners to Allah by these people, without any proof or evidence, is based only on their own whims and desires and the promptings of the Shaytan.

30:36. If We bestow upon the people mercy [prosperity], they rejoice in it; but when misfortune befalls them because of the deeds which their own hands have wrought, they fall into despair.

30:37. Do they not see that Allah grants abundant provision to whomever He wills, or gives it in scant measure? Verily in that there are signs for people who believe.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us about the nature of most people at times of both ease and hardship: if Allah gives them a taste of mercy in the form of good health, wealth, victory and the like, they rejoice inordinately in that, but it is not the rejoicing of gratitude and appreciation for the blessings of Allah.

﴾but when misfortune befalls them﴿ that is, anything that saddens them, which is

﴾because of the deeds which their own hands have wrought﴿ namely acts of disobedience and sin

﴾they fall into despair﴿ and think that poverty, sickness and so on will never end. This is reflective of ignorance on their part and a lack of knowledge.

﴾Do they not see that Allah grants abundant provision to whomever He wills, or gives it in scant measure?﴿ Despairing after knowing that both good and bad come from Allah and provision, whether abundant or otherwise, comes by His decree, is inappropriate. So the wise person does not look only at the causes; rather he looks at the One Who created the causes. Hence Allah says: ﴾Verily in that there are signs for people who believe﴿, for they see Allah’spurpose in giving abundantly or withholding for whomever He will, and in that they see the wisdom, mercy and generosity of Allah and how He wants people to turn to Him and ask Him for all kinds of provision.

30:38. Give kinsfolk their due, and those in need, and wayfarers. That is best for those who seek the pleasure of their Lord. It is they who will be successful.

30:39. And that which you give of your surplus wealth [as gifts to others], in order that it may increase [your wealth, by expecting to get better gifts in return] from other people’s wealth, will bring no increase [in reward] with Allah. But that which you give as charity, seeking the pleasure of Allah [will increase in reward]. It is those [who seek Allah’s pleasure in this manner] who will have multiple reward.

That is, give relatives their due - according to how closely they are related, and according to their need - as enjoined or encouraged by the Lawgiver, such as spending on obligatory maintenance, giving charity, giving gifts, showing kindness, greeting with saldm, honouring, overlooking mistakes and overlooking offensive words and deeds. It also includes giving to the one who is in need, who is subdued by his poverty and want, that which will meet his needs for food, water and clothing.

﴾fand wayfarers﴿ - the wayfarer is the stranger who is cut off in a foreign land and is most likely to be in a desperate situation because he has no wealth with him and cannot earn anything, unlike the one who is in his own land who, even if he has no wealth, will usually be able to practice his profession, trade or craft and earn enough to meet his needs. Hence Allah has allocated a share of zakah to those who are in need and to wayfarers.

﴾That﴿ namely giving kinsfolk, the needy and wayfarers their due c»fis best for those who seek)﴿ thereby ﴾(the pleasure of their Lord﴿ that is, it will bring about a great deal of good and much reward, because it is one of the best of righteous deeds and an act of charity that benefits others when it is done in the right time and place, and accompanied by sincerity.

If it is not done to seek the pleasure of Allah, then it is not good for the giver, even though it is good and beneficial for the recipient. As Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

﴾There is no good in much of their private conversations, except for one who enjoins charity and good deeds, or seeks to bring about reconciliation between people...﴿ (an-Nisd'4: 114)

What this means is that the particular deeds mentioned here are good because they bring some benefit to others, but whoever does that seeking the pleasure of Allah, We will bestow upon them a great reward.

c﴾It is they﴿ namely those who do these deeds and others for the sake of Allah c﴾who will be successful﴿, for they will attain the reward of Allah and be saved from His punishment.

Having mentioned the deeds - namely types of spending - that are done in pursuit of His pleasure, Allah now mentions those deeds that are done for the sake of worldly gain:

cf And that which you give of your surplus wealth [as gifts to others], in order that it may increase [your wealth, by expecting to getbetter gifts in return] from other people’s wealth﴿ that is, whatever you give of your wealth that is surplus to your needs, with the aim of increasing your wealth thereby, in the sense that you give it to those who you hope will recompense you by giving you more, such actions do not lead to reward with Allah, because they do not fulfil the necessary condition, which is sincerity. Such deeds, that are done with the intention of increasing status and showing off to people, bring no reward with Allah.

﴾But that which you give as charity [zakah]﴿ that is, charity that purifies you from bad manners and attitudes, and purifies your wealth of stinginess, and helps to meet the needs of the recipient ﴾seeking﴿ thereby ﴾the pleasure of Allah [will increase in reward]. It is those [who seek Allah’s pleasure in this manner] who will have multiple reward﴿ that is, the reward will be multiplied for them, for what they spend brings reward with Allah and He will multiply the reward for them until it becomes great indeed.

﴾But that which you give as charity [zakah]﴿ - if charity is given when the giver has dependents who are in desperate need, or he has a debt that he has not yet paid off, but he gives precedence instead to giving charity, that charity is not zakah (in the sense of charity that purifies the individual and his wealth, as the word zakah comes from a root meaning purification) for which he may be rewarded, and charity in such cases is invalid according to Islamic teachings and does not fulfil the purpose of self-purification as mentioned elsewhere in the verse in which Allah says, praising such charitable giving:

﴾Who gives his wealth seeking generous reward [with his Lord].﴿ (al-Lavl 92: IS)

Merely giving money is not something good in and of itself, unless it is given in that manner, which is giving it for the purpose of selfpurification.

30:40. It is Allah Who created you, then He gave you provision, then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you back to life. Is there any among your [so-called] partners who can do any one of these things? Glorified and exalted be Allah far above the partners they ascribe to Him!

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He alone created you and provides for you; He causes you to die and gives you life, and none of the so-called partners upon whom the polytheists call have any share with Allah in any of these matters. So how can they associate with the One Who alone does all of these things, others who have no control over them at all? May He be glorified and sanctified, and exalted far above their so-called partners. That does not harm Him; rather the bad consequences thereof will come to them.

30:41. Corruption and disorder have appeared on land and sea^{1This refers to the widespread occurrence of troubles such as drought, fires and floods, poor yield of crops, decline of fish stocks, market stagnation and difficulty in earning a living. That is because of people’s sins, including neglect and abuse of the natural environment.} because of what people’s hands have earned. Thus Allah causes them totaste the consequences of some of what they have done, so that they may turn in repentance.

That is, corruption has appeared on land and sea, meaning that their livelihood has declined, with blight damaging the crops, sicknesses and epidemics sweeping over the people, and so on. That is because of what their hands have wrought of corrupt deeds that spread corruption far and wide.

The things mentioned have occurred so that Allah might cause them ﴾fto taste the consequences of some of what they have done﴿ that is, so that they might realise that He is the One Who requites people for their deeds, so He gives a foretaste of the requital for their deeds in this world,

﴾so that they may turn in repentance﴿ from their evil deeds, which have resulted in so much corruption and harm, and they may set their affairs straight.

Glory be to the One Who brings about blessings through His trials and tests, and Who bestows grace through His punishment. Otherwise, if He caused them to taste the consequences of all that they have earned. He would not leave any living creature on the face of the earth.

30:42. Say: Travel through the land and see what was the fate of those who came before you; most of them ascribed partners to Him.

The command to travel through the land includes both physical travel and mental or intellectual travel in the sense of pondering the fate of earlier nations.

﴾most of them ascribed partners to Him﴿, and you will find that their fate was the worst of all, namely a punishment that eradicated them all, and criticism and curses from the people who followed them, as well as ongoing disgrace. So beware of doing what they did, lest you meet the same fate, for the justice and wisdom of Allah are applicable in all times and places.

30:43. Adhere exclusively and sincerely to the right religion, before there comes from Allah a day which no one can avert. On that day, they [humankind] will be separated.^{1They will be separated into two groups: one will be admitted to paradise and the other to hell.}

30:44. Whoever disbelieves will suffer the consequences of his disbelief, and whoever does righteous deeds, then it is for themselves that they are preparing [a place in paradise].

30:45. so that He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds, by His grace. Verily He does not love the disbelievers.

That is, focus with your heart, turn with your face and strive with your efforts in order to establish the true religion; comply with its commands and prohibitions with utmost seriousness, carry out its duties both inwardly and outwardly, and hasten to make the most of your time, your life and your youth,

﴾before there comes from Allah a day which no one can avert﴿ namely the Day of Resurrection, for when it comes it cannot be averted andpeople will not be given any extra time to start doing good deeds. Rather the time for deeds will be over, and there will be nothing left but requital of deeds.

﴾On that day, they [humankind] will be separated﴿ that is, they will go in different directions on that day and will be separated into different groups, to be shown their deeds.

﴾Whoever﴿ among them ﴾disbelieves will suffer the consequences of his disbelief﴿ and will be punished himself, for no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.

﴾and whoever does righteous deeds﴿, which includes duties towards Allah and towards other people, both obligatory and recommended deeds

﴾then it is for themselves)?and no one else ﴾that they are preparing [a place in paradise]﴿. They are preparing their dwelling place in the hereafter and are preparing to attain high status and lofty abodes. Nevertheless, the reward will not be limited to the size of their deeds; rather Allah will bestow upon them reward by His unlimited grace and generosity, such that could not be attained by their deeds alone. That is because He loves them, and when Allah loves a person. He bestows upon him precious gifts in abundance and grants him many blessings, both visible and hidden.

This is in contrast to the disbelievers; because Allah despises them and is angry with them. He will punish them, but He will not give them any more than they deserve, in contrast with the reward of the believers. Hence He says: Verily He does not love the disbelievers﴿.

30:46. Among His signs is this: He sends forth the winds as harbingers, so that He may let you taste of His mercy, the ships may sail by His command, and you may seek His bounty, in order that you may give thanks.

That is, one of the signs that point to His mercy and the fact that He will resurrect the dead and that He is the only God Who is deserving of worship, the Sovereign Who is worthy of all praise, is that ﴾He sends forth the winds﴿ ahead of the rain,

C“(as harbingers)﴿ as the wind stirs up the clouds then gathers them together, so people are cheered before the coming of the rain.

﴾so that He may let you taste of His mercy﴿ for by His mercy He sends the rain to you, so as to revive the land and people, and give them a foretaste of His mercy so that they may know that it is His mercy that may save people and grant them provision, thus you may be motivated to do a lot of righteous deeds, by means of which the treasure of His mercy may be opened up for you.

﴾the ships may sail﴿ on the sea ﴾by His command﴿ and decree, ﴾and you may seek His bounty﴿ by going about seeking your livelihood and taking care of your interests

﴾in order that you may give thanks﴿ to the One Who has caused the means to be available to you and has made things easy for you. This is the purpose of blessings, so that you may respond by giving thanks to Allah, so that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) may give you more and continue to bestow His blessings upon you.

As for responding to blessings with ingratitude and disobedience, this is the attitude of those who repay Allah’s blessings with ingratitude (cf 14:28). His blessing is a test, and ingratitude increases the likelihood of the blessing being taken away and bestowed elsewhere.

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30:47. Indeed We sent Messengers before you [0 Muhammad] to their own peoples and they came to them with clear signs. Then We exacted retribution upon the evildoers, for it was incumbent upon Us to help the believers.

﴾Indeed We sent Messengers before you [O Muhammad]﴿ to the previous nations. Messengers who were sent c﴾to their own peoples﴿ when they denied the oneness of Allah and rejected the truth. So their Messengers came to them, calling them to affirm the oneness of Allah and devote their worship to Him alone, and to accept the truth and reject that which they were following of disbelief and misguidance. They brought clear proof and evidence to that effect, but the people did not believe and they did not give up their misguidance and arrogance.

t°(Then We exacted retribution upon the evildoers﴿ and We granted victory to the believers, the followers of the Messengers ﴾for it was incumbent upon Us to help the believers﴿ that is, that was necessary, and We made it one of their due rights which We promised to them, so it inevitably came to pass.

If you, O disbelievers in Muhammad (ﷺ), continue to disbelieve, the punishment will befall you and We will grant victory (to the believers) over you.

30:48. It is Allah Who sends forth the winds to stir up clouds, then He spreads them in the sky as He wills, or He causes them to break up. Then you see the rain coming forth from their midst, and when He makes it fall upon whomever He wills of His slaves, they rejoice.

30:49. even though before it was sent down to them, before that [sending of the wind and stirring up of the cloud], they had lost all hope.

30:50. Look then at the effects of Allah’s mercy, how He gives life to the earth after its death; verily it is He [the Giver of life to the dead earth] Who will give life to the dead, for He has power over all things.

Here Allah fe) tells us of His perfect might and complete blessings, for He ﴾sends forth the winds to stir up clouds﴿ from the earth ﴾then He spreads them in the sky as He wills﴿ that is, in whatever manner He wants, c﴾or He causes them to break up)﴿ that is. He causes the vast cloud to break up into thick clouds, piled on top of one another.

﴾Then you see the rain coming forth from their midst﴿ in small scattered drops, not all coming in one go, because that would lead to destruction of crops.

﴾and when He makes it﴿ namely that rain ﴾fall upon whomever He wills of His slaves, they rejoice﴿ giving one another the glad tidings of its arrival, because of their great need for it. Hence Allah says:

﴾Even though before it was sent down to them, before that [sending of the wind and stirring up of the cloud], they had lost all hope﴿ thatis, they had despaired utterly, because of the delay in the arrival of the rain. In other words, when rain comes in such circumstances, it has a great impact upon them and they rejoice more.

﴾Look then at the effects of Allah's mercy, how He gives life to the earth after its death﴿ and it stirs and swells, and brings forth beautiful plants of every kind (cf 22: 5).

﴾verily it is He [the Giver of life to the dead earth] Who will give life to the dead, for He has power over all things'﴿ for nothing is beyond His power, even though it is beyond the power of people and is beyond their comprehension and understanding.

30:51. But if We send a [damaging] wind and they see [their crops] turn yellow, they become ungrateful thereafter.

30:52. Verily you cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear your call, [especially] if they turn their backs and walk away.

30:53. Nor can you guide the blind out of their error. You cannot make anyone hear you except those who believe in Our revelations, for they are ready to submit [to the truth].

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us how people are: despite these blessings that are bestowed upon them, with the revival of the earth after its death, and Allah's bestowing mercy upon them, if We sent upon these plants that grew after the rain, and upon their crops, a damaging wind that destroyed all of them or some of them.﴾and they see [their crops] turn yellow﴿, having been spoiled and ruined,

﴾they become ungrateful thereafter﴿, and they forget the past blessings and quickly become ungrateful.

No exhortation or rebuke could benefit them, for ﴾Verily you cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear your call, [especially] if they turn their backs and walk away﴿. All impediments are present in their case that prevent them from listening in a way that could benefit them, just as all these impediments mentioned here prevent them from hearing the physical sound.

﴾Nor can you guide the blind out of their error)﴿ because it is not possible for them to see, so they have no aptitude for seeing things. ﴾You cannot make anyone hear you except those who believe in Our revelations, for they are ready to submit [to the truth]p. These are the ones who will benefit from hearing right guidance and are the ones who will truly believe in Our revelations, comply with Our commands and submit to Us, because they have a strong motive to accept advice and exhortation and are ready to believe in every revelation from Allah and to do whatever they are able to do of complying with the commands and prohibitions of Allah.

30:54. It is Allah Who created you in a state of weakness, then after weakness He gave you strength, then after strength, weakness and grey hair. He creates as He wills, and He is the All-Knowing, Omnipotent.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us of the vastness of His knowledge, the greatness of His might and the perfect nature of His wisdom, and the beginning of the creation of human beings in a state of weakness. This refers to the first stage of their creation, from a sperm drop to a clinging clot, to a chewed lump of flesh, until they become living beings in the wombs, then the human being is bom as an infant, very weak, with no strength or ability. Then Allah increases his strength little by little, until he reaches the pinnacle of his physical strength and all his faculties, hidden and apparent, reached their peak. Then he moves on from this stage, and returns to weakness, grey hair and old age.

﴾He creates as He wills'﴿ according to His wisdom. By His wisdom, he shows man his weakness and that his strength is preceded by weakness and followed by weakness, and weakness is inherent in him. Were it not for the help of Allah, he could not have reached any level of power or ability, and if his strength continued to increase, he would transgress, overstep the limits and become arrogant.

People should understand the perfect might of Allah which is constant and ongoing, by means of which He creates things and controls them, and He never grows weary or weak, and never falls short in any way.

30:55. On the day when the Hour begins, the evildoers will swear that they had not remained [in this world] for longer than an hour. Thus they were ever diverted [from the truth]!

30:56. Those who were given knowledge and faith will say: You remained, according to the decree of Allah, until the Day of Resurrection, and this is the Day of Resurrection, but you did not know.

30:57. On that day, no excuse will benefit those who did wrong, nor will they be allowed to make amends.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us about the Day of Resurrection and how quickly it will come. When the Hour begins, ﴾the evildoers will swear﴿ by Allah ﴾that they had not remained [in this world] for longer than an hour﴿. This is the excuse they will give in the hope that it will benefit them, because they feel that the duration of this world was very short.

Because their words are false and have no real meaning to them, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾Thus they were ever diverted [from the truth]﴿ that is, in this world they were constantly diverted from the truth and always told lies. In this world they rejected the truth that was brought by the Messengers and in the hereafter they will deny something tangible, which is their lengthy stay in this world. This reflects their bad attitude, for each person will be resurrected as he died.

﴾Those who were given knowledge and faith﴿ that is, those whom Allah blessed with these favours, which became part of their nature, namely knowledge of the truth and faith that leads to giving precedence to the truth. As they had knowledge of the truth and gave precedence to it, what must result from that is that their words must match reality.

Hence they will say what is correct: ﴾You remained, according to the decree of Allah﴿ that is, according to the decree that Allah ordained for you, subject to His rulings:

﴾until the Day of Resurrection﴿ that is, you lived long enough for anyone to pay heed to the reminder, reflect upon it and learn lessonsfrom it, until the Resurrection came and you found yourself in this situation.

﴾fand this is the Day of Resurrection, but you did not know﴿, therefore you deviated in the previous world and denied the true length of your stay, and you denied that you lived long enough to have been able to repent. So you remained in a state of ignorance, disbelief and loss.

﴾On that day, no excuse will benefit those who did wrong﴿ for if they tell lies and claim that no proof was established against them, or that they did not have the chance to believe, their lies will be exposed by the testimony of the people of knowledge and faith, and by the testimony of their own skin, hands and feet. If they seek to be excused and be given another chance, saying that they will never go back to what they were told not to do, they will not be given that opportunity, because the time for excuses has ended and their excuses will not be accepted,

﴾nor will they be allowed to make amends﴿.

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30:58. Verily We have presented to humankind, in this Qur’an, every kind of example. But if you [O Muhammad] were to come to them with a sign, those who disbelieve would surely say [to the believers]: You follow nothing but falsehood.

30:59. Thus does Allah seal the hearts of those who have no knowledge.

30:60. So be patient, for verily the promise of Allah is true; do not let those who lack certainty of faith discourage you.

﴾Verily We have presented﴿ because We care. We are merciful and kind, and We educate in the best way

﴾to humankind, in this Qur’an, every kind of example﴿ in order to clarify realities and so that things will be known and proof will be established. This is general in meaning and applies to all the examples that Allah gives, so that ideas may be clarified by means of tangible examples, and by telling that which will come to pass and explaining its true nature as if it has already happened. An example of that is seen here, where Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us what will happen on the Day of Resurrection, what the situation of the sinners will be on that day, how regretful they will be, and how no excuse will be accepted from them, nor will they be able to make amends.

But the wrongdoers and disbelievers insist on opposing the clear truth, hence Allah says:

﴾But if you [O Muhammad] were to come to them with a sign!﴿ that is, with any sign that points to the truth of the message you have brought, ﴾those who disbelieve would surely say [to the believers]: You follow nothing but falsehood﴿ that is, they will say that the truth is false.

This stems from their disbelief and audacity, and is because Allah has placed a seal on their hearts, and because of their extreme ignorance. Hence Allah says:

(﴾Thus does Allah seal the hearts of those who have no knowledge﴿, so nothing good enters their hearts and they do not understand things as they really are; rather they see truth as falsehood and falsehood as truth.

﴾So be patient﴿ in adhering to what is enjoined upon you and in calling them to Allah, and even if you see them turning away, that should not make you give up.

(﴾for verily the promise of Allah is true﴿ that is, there is no doubt concerning it. This is something that should help one to be patient, for if he knows that his effort will not be wasted and he will in factfind it rewarded in full, what he encounters of hardship will become insignificant, and it will become easier for him to bear every difficulty. ﴾fdo not let those who lack certainty of faith discourage you﴿ that is, their faith is weak and their certainty is lacking, therefore they are lacking in reason and patience. So beware lest they discourage you, for if you are not cautious and do not take precautions, they will discourage you and cause you to not be steadfast in adhering to the commands and prohibitions, and your own inclinations may help them in that, because one may be inclined to be like them and be in agreement with them. This indicates that if a believer has certain faith and a mature outlook, it will be easy for him to remain steadfast, but whoever is lacking in certainty will have an immature outlook.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat ar-Room.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), his family, and his C ompanions abundant!) until the Day of Judgement.