(Makki)

51:1. By the winds that scatter [the dust],^{1That is, before the initiation of cloud formation; clouds are formed by condensation of water vapour in the air, which is attracted to condensation nuclei such as dust particles.}

51:2. and by the winds that carry the heavily-laden clouds,

51:3. and by the stars that move gently,

51:4. and by the angels who distribute [blessings] by Allah’s command.

51:5. verily that which you are promised is true,

51:6. and verily judgement will surely come to pass.

This is an oath from Allah, Who speaks the truth, swearing by these mighty creations which He has made to be of great benefit andof service to people, to confirm that His promise is true and that the Day of Judgement, which is the day of requital and reckoning of deeds, will inevitably come to pass and no one can ward it off.

As the truthful Almighty has spoken of it, sworn an oath to confirm it and established proof and evidence for it, why do the disbelievers disbelieve in it and turn away from striving for it?

What is meant by the winds that scatter is winds that scatter the dust when they blow gently, and when they blow strongly and cause disturbance.

﴾fand by the winds that carry the heavily-laden clouds﴿ that is, clouds that carry a great deal of water by means of which Allah brings benefits to the land and the people.

﴾and by the stars that move gently﴿ that is, the stars that move easily, with which the heavens are adorned, and people navigate by means of them in darkness on land and sea, and may benefit from them by noticing signs from Allah in them.

tfand by the angels who distribute [blessings] by Allah’s command﴿ that is, the angels who distribute and control matters by Allah’s leave. Allah has appointed each of them to control some matter in this world and the hereafter, and none of them goes beyond the limits set for him, or falls short.

(‘t-VtOitjjUJI

51:7. By the heaven with its tracks,

51:8. verily you are confused in your beliefs,

51:9. because of which those who are diverted [away from the truth] are diverted.

﴾By the heaven with its tracks﴿ that is, the sky with tracks that look like the ripples made on sand or water by the wind

﴾verily you﴿ who reject Muhammad (ﷺ)

﴾are confused in your beliefs﴿ for some of you say that he is a magician, some say that he is a soothsayer, some say that he is a madman, and various other statements that are indicative of their confusion and doubt, and that what they follow is false.

﴾because of which those who are diverted [away from the truth] are diverted﴿ that is, they are diverted from faith and from the evidence and proof of Allah that gives certainty.

The differences in their views indicate that they are flawed and false; by the same token, the fact that the truth brought by Muhammad (ill) is harmonious, in that some parts of it confirm others and there are no differences or flaws in it, indicates that it is sound and that it is from Allah.

C..If it had been from anyone other than Allah, they would surely have found therein many contradictions.﴿ (an-Nisa'4: 82)

51:10. May those who base their beliefs on conjecture be doomed,

51:11. those who are steeped in ignorance and are heedless.

51:12. They ask [mockingly]: When will the Day of Judgement be?

51:13. It will be the day when they will be tormented with the fire.

51:14. [It will be said to them:] Taste your torment! This is what you were seeking to hasten.

﴾May those who base their beliefs on conjecture be doomed﴿ that is, may Allah destroy those who tell lies against Him, reject His signs and resort to falsehood in their attempts to refute truth, who say of Allah that which they do not know.

﴾those who are steeped in ignorance﴿ that is, they are immersed in disbelief, ignorance and misguidance, ﴾and are heedless﴿.

﴾They ask [mockingly]﴿ that is, by way of doubt and disbelief, when they will be resurrected, thinking it unlikely. So do not ask about their situation and their bad fate on ﴾the day when they will be tormented with the fire﴿ that is, they will be punished because of what they did of evil, both hidden and visible. And it will be said to them:

﴾Taste your torment!﴿ That is, the punishment and the fire that are the consequences of your disbelief.

﴾This﴿ punishment to which you have ultimately come ﴾fis what you were seeking to hasten﴿. So now enjoy all kinds of punishment, vengeance, chains, fetters, wrath and doom.

51:15. Verily the righteous will be amidst gardens and springs,

51:16. receiving what their Lord will bestow upon them, because before that they had been doers of good.

51:17. They used to sleep but little at night,

51:18. and before dawn, they would seek forgiveness,

51:19. and in their wealth, there was a due share for the beggar and the deprived.^{1The deprived is the needy person who refrains from asking others for help; =}

Here Allah says, mentioning the reward of the righteous and the deeds that brought them to that reward: ﴾Verily the righteous﴿ that is, those who feared Allah and were very pious and obedient ﴾will be amidst gardens﴿ containing all kinds of trees and fruit that have equivalents in this world, and those that have no earthly equivalent, such as eyes have never seen the like thereof, ears have never heard of them, and they have never crossed people’s minds, tfand springs﴿ that is, flowing springs that irrigate the gardens and from which people drink, making them flow as they please (76: 6).

﴾receiving what their Lord will bestow upon them﴿ - it may be that what is meant is that the Lord has given the people of paradise all that they wished for, of all kinds of delights, which they receive with contentment and which bring them joy and delight, and they do not ask for any alternative or seek any change. All of them will have attained bliss to such a degree that they will not ask for more.

Or it may be that this is a description of the righteous in this world; they accept what Allah gives of commands and prohibitions. In other words, they welcome them open-heartedly and submit to what Allah commands, complying with it in the most perfect manner, and they respond to His prohibitions by refraining for the sake of Allah, in the most perfect manner. For what Allah has given them of commands and prohibitions is the best gift, which deserves to be received with gratitude and submission to Allah.

The former meaning is more appropriate to the context, because the following verse gives a description of them and their deeds in this world, as Allah says: ﴾because before that﴿, before they attained that bliss, ﴾they had been doers of good﴿.

This includes their excellence in worship of the Lord, for they worship Him as if they could see Him, and although they cannot see

= people are therefore unaware of his need, and as a result he is deprived of charitable help.Him, He sees them; and it includes their kindness towards other people by benefitting them in terms of wealth or knowledge, or using their status to help them, or showing sincerity towards them, or enjoining what is right, or forbidding what is wrong, or other ways of showing kindness and doing good.

That also includes speaking kindly and gently, and showing kindness to slaves and to animals, whether they are owned by people or not.

One of the best kinds of doing good is worshipping the Creator by praying at night, which is indicative of sincerity and of harmony between what is in the heart and the words one utters. Hence Allah says: ﴾They﴿ namely the doers of good ﴾used to sleep but little at night﴿ that is, their sleep at night was little.

Most of the night was spent in devotion to their Lord, by praying, reading Qur’an, remembering Allah, calling upon Him and beseeching Him.

﴾and before dawn﴿ that is, the time just before dawn ﴾they would seek forgiveness﴿ from Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

So they would make their prayer last until the time just before dawn, then at the end of the night prayers, they would ask Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) for forgiveness in the manner of a sinner seeking forgiveness for his sin. Praying for forgiveness before dawn is an act that has a special virtue and character that is not present at other times, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, describing the people of faith and obedience: d...those who pray for forgiveness before dawn.﴿ (Al Imran 3:17)

﴾and in their wealth, there was a due shared whether obligatory or recommended

﴾for the beggar and the deprived﴿ that is, for the needy who ask of people and those who do not ask.

51:20. In the earth are signs for those whose faith is certain,

51:21. and also in your own selves. Will you not then see?

51:22. And in the heaven is your provision^{1All earthly provision stems from the rain, which comes from the heaven or sky.} and all that you are promised.

51:23. By the Lord of heaven and earth, this is certainly true, as true as the fact of your speaking.

Here Allah says, calling His slaves to think and reflect: ﴾In the earth are signs for those whose faith is certain﴿. That includes the earth itself, and all that is on it of mountains, seas, rivers, trees and plants that direct the attention of the one who reflects upon them and ponders their significance to the greatness of their Creator, the vastness of His power, the comprehensive nature of His generosity and how His knowledge encompasses all things, both visible and invisible. Likewise, in the individual himself there are lessons and signs of divine wisdom and mercy which indicate that Allah alone is the One, the Unique, the Eternal, and that no one creates but He.

﴾And in the heaven is your provision﴿ that is, the origin of your provision, in the form of rain and whatever decrees come down from heaven, provision both spiritual and worldly.

﴾fand all that you are promised﴿ of requital in this world and the hereafter; it comes down from Allah, like all other decrees.

Having pointed out the signs in such a way that the smart person would pay heed, Allah Os) now swears that His promise and requital are true, and He likens that to the most obvious thing to us, which is our speech. Hence Allah says: ﴾By the Lord of heaven and earth, this is certainly true, as true as the fact of your speaking﴿. So just as you do not doubt your speech, you should not doubt the resurrection after death.

pL Jli Ull— \J\ji3

51:24. Has there come to you the story of the honoured guests of Ibraheem?

51:25. When they came to him and said: Peace. He said: [And upon you be] peace; you are strangers [to me],

51:26. Then he went quietly to his household, and brought a fatted calf.

51:27. He placed it before them and said: Will you not eat?

51:28. He conceived a fear of them.^{1When they refrained from eating, he grew suspicious of them, because according to cultural norms, once a guest had eaten of the host’s food, he could not harm him. When they did not eat, he feared that they intended him harm.} They said: Fear not, and gave him the glad tidings of a son endowed with knowledge.

51:29. His wife cried out loud, struck her face and said: [How can that be, when I am] a barren old woman?

51:30. They said: Thus says your Lord. Verily He is Most Wise, All- Knowing.

﴾Has there come to you﴿ that is, has there not come to you ﴾the story of the honoured guests of Ibraheem?﴿ For it is a strange and wondrous story. They were angels whom Allah sent to destroy the people of Loot, and He commanded them to pass by Ibraheem, so they came to him in the form of (human) guests.

﴾When they came to him and said: Peace. He said﴿ in response to their greeting: ﴾f[And upon you be] peace; you are strangers [to me]﴿ that is, you are people unknown, and I want you to tell me who you are. He did not know who they were until after that.

Hence he went quietly to his family - in other words, he slipped away discreetly - to bring food for them.

﴾and brought a fatted calf. He placed it before them﴿ that is, he presented the food to them, *fand said: Will you not eat? He conceived a fear of them﴿ when he saw that their hands did not reach out for the food.

﴾They said: Fear not﴿, and they told him what they had come for, ﴾fand gave him the glad tidings of a son endowed with knowledge﴿

When his wife heard the glad tidings, she «fcried out loud﴿ with joy ﴾struck her face﴿ - which is something that women do when they are happy, and they say and do other things that are contrary to ordinary behaviour.

﴾and said: [How can that be, when I am] a barren old woman?﴿ That is, how can I have a child, when I am an old woman who is past childbearing age and, moreover, I am barren and my womb has never been fit to bear a child, so there are two impediments, each of which on its own is sufficient to prevent me having a child.

A third impediment is mentioned in Soorat Hood, where she said:﴾.. .and this husband of mine is an old man? That would be a strange thing indeed!﴿ (Hood 11: 72)

﴾They said: Thus says your Lord﴿) that is, it is Allah Who has decreed and ordained that, and there is nothing strange about the might and power of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

﴾Verily He is Most Wise, All-Knowing﴿ that is. He does what is appropriate, and encompasses all things by His knowledge. So submit to His decree and show gratitude to Him for His blessing.

51:31. Ibraheem said: Then what is your business, O messengers?

51:32. They said: We have been sent to a wicked people,

51:33. to unleash upon them [a shower of] stones of clay,

51:34. specifically marked and kept with your Lord for the transgressors.

51:35. We brought forth the believers who were in [the city],

51:36. but We found in it only one household of Muslims.

51:37. And We left it as a sign for those who fear the painful punishment.

﴾Ibraheem said﴿) to them: ﴾Then what is your business, O messengers?﴿) That is, what is your purpose and what do you want? Because he felt that they were messengers whom Allah had sent for some important purpose.

﴾They said: We have been sent to a wicked people﴿) namely the people of Loot, who had done evil deeds, associated others with Allah,rejected their Messenger and committed shameful deeds that were utterly unprecedented.

﴾to unleash upon them [a shower of] stones of clay, specifically marked and kept with your Lord for the transgressors﴿ that is, each one is marked for a specific person, because they had transgressed and overstepped all bounds.

Ibraheem started to argue with them for the people of Loot, in the hope that Allah might ward off the punishment from them. But Allah said:

﴾0 Ibraheem, cease your pleading, for verily the decree of your Lord has gone forth; verily there is coming to them a punishment that cannot be averted.﴿ (Hood 11: 76)

﴾We brought forth the believers who were in [the city], but We found in it only one household of Muslims﴿ namely the household of Loot, apart from his wife, for she was one of the doomed.

﴾ And We left it as a sign for those who fear the painful punishment﴿ so that they might learn a lesson from it and know that Allah is severe in punishment, and that His Messengers are honest and trustworthy.

What this story includes of wisdom and rulings

The wisdom and rulings seen in this story include the following:

• It is wise that Allah tells His slaves the stories of both good and evil people, so that they may learn from their stories and the fate of each group.

• The virtue of Ibraheem al-Khaleel (عليه السلام), because Allah begins his story with that which sheds light on its importance and how He paid special attention to it.

• It is prescribed to be hospitable, for this is the way of Ibraheem al-Khaleel (عليه السلام), which Allah enjoined this Prophet and his Ummah to follow. Allah mentions it here by way of praising it.

• The guest is to be honoured in various ways, in word and deed, because Allah describes the guests of Ibraheem as honoured. Inother words, Ibraheem honoured them, and Allah describes the hospitality that he offered them in word and deed. They were also honoured by Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

• The house of Ibraheem was a place that was frequented by passers-by and visitors, because they entered upon him without seeking permission; rather they followed the etiquette of initiating the greeting of salam, and Ibraheem responded with a more complete greeting, because his greeting (as indicated by the Arabic wording) was indicative of a wish that peace be upon them all the time.

• It is prescribed to ask people who come to you or with whom contact takes place to introduce themselves, because there are many benefits in doing so.

• We see Ibraheem’s politeness and gentleness in speech, as he said: ﴾you are strangers [to me]'p (51: 25), rather than saying, “I do not know you”. The difference between the two phrases is obvious.

• One should hasten to offer hospitality, because the best good deed is that which is done without delay. Hence Ibraheem hastened to prepare a meal for his guests.

• If meat that has already been prepared is offered to a guest, this is not disrespectful in the slightest; rather it is an honour, as Ibraheem (عليه السلام) did that, and Allah tells us that his guests were honoured.

• Allah tells us of what He blessed His close friend Ibraheem with of great generosity, as this food was ready to be served, and his house was in a state of constant readiness to welcome guests, so he did not need to go and fetch food from the market or from his neighbours and the like.

• Ibraheem was the one who served his guests, even though he was the close friend of the Most Gracious. The man of dignity and honour is the one who serves his guests.• He brought the food to them, to the place where they were sitting, and he did not put it somewhere else and tell them to come and have some food, because this is easier for them and is better.

• One should speak gently and show politeness to one’s guest, especially when offering him food. Ibraheem offered the food to them and requested them to eat in a very gentle manner, saying: ﴾Will you not eat?﴿ (51: 27). He did not say “You have to eat” and other such phrases that are not the most preferable; rather his approach was that of requesting them to eat.

• The one who wants to follow his example should use nice words, as appropriate to the situation, such as saying to his guests: Will you not eat? Or: Please do us the honour of eating with us, and the like.

• If a person is afraid of someone for any reason, that person should reassure him, and say things to put his mind at rest and calm him down, as the angels said to Ibraheem, when he was afraid of them: ﴾Fear not﴿ (51: 28) and they told him of those glad tidings after he had been afraid of them.

• We see the great joy of Sarah, the wife of Ibraheem, to the extent that she struck her face and cried out loud, which was not usual behaviour on her part.

• Allah honoured Ibraheem and his wife Sarah with the glad tidings of a knowledgeable son.

51:38. And [there is another sign in the story of] Moosa, when We sent him to Pharaoh with compelling proofs.

51:39. But he and his people turned away, and he said [of Moosa]: A magician, or a madman.

51:40. So We seized him and his troops and flung them into the sea, and he was to blame.

﴾And [there is another sign in the story of) Moosa﴿ and what Allah sent him with to Pharaoh and his chiefs of clear signs and dazzling miracles. This is another sign to those who fear the painful punishment. When Moosa came with that compelling proof, Pharaoh and his people ﴾turned away﴿ that is, they turned away from the truth and paid no attention to it, and they criticised it in the worst manner, saying of Moosa that he was ﴾A magician, or a madman﴿. In other words, they thought that Moosa was either a magician, and what he had brought was charlatanry that had nothing to do with the truth at all, or he was a madman who was not to be blamed for what he said or did, because he was not sane.

However they - especially Pharaoh - knew that Moosa was telling the truth, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

﴾They rejected the signs, although in their hearts they were certain that they were true, out of wickedness and arrogance...﴿ (an-Naml 27:14) Moosa said to Pharaoh:

^...You know full well that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has sent down these [signs] as clear evidence...﴿ (al-lsra' 17:102) ﴾So We seized him and his troops and flung them into the sea, and he was to blame﴿, for he was a sinner and transgressor who disobeyed Allah, so Allah seized him with the vehement grip of One Who is Almighty, Omnipotent.

51:41. And [there is another sign in the story of] ‘Ad, when We sent against them the [devastating] wind that was devoid of all good;^{1There are usually some benefits in the wind, such as pollination of trees or bringing rain, but this wind brought no benefits at all; rather it brought utter destruction.}

51:42. It spared nothing it came upon, but it reduced it to ruin and decay.

﴾And [there is another sign in the story of] ‘Ad﴿ that is, there was another mighty sign among ‘Ad, a well-known tribe,

﴾when We sent against them the [devastating] wind that was devoid of all good﴿ that is, there was nothing good in it. That was when they rejected their Prophet Hood (عليه السلام).

﴾It spared nothing it came upon, but it reduced it to ruin and decay﴿. Allah destroyed them despite their strength and power, which is indicative of His perfect might and omnipotence, for nothing is beyond Him, Who wreaks vengeance on those who disobey Him.

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51:43. And [there is another sign in the story of] Thamood, when it was said to them: Enjoy life for a little while.

51:44. But they insolently transgressed the command of their Lord, so the devastating punishment overtook them whilst they were looking on.

51:45. They could not withstand [the punishment] and could not ward it off.

﴾And [there is another sign in the story of] Thamood﴿ when Allah sent Ṣalili to them, but they slubbomly rejected him. Allah sent him the she-camel as a visible sign, but that only increased them in stubbornness and aversion.

So it was said to them: ﴾Enjoy life for a little while. But they insolently transgressed the command of their Lord, so the devastating punishment﴿ namely the destructive blast ﴾overtook them whilst they were looking on﴿, and saw the punishment with their own eyes.

﴾They could not withstand﴿ that is, they could not be saved from [the punishment] and could not ward it off﴿ from themselves.

51:46. And the people of Nooh [were destroyed by a devastating punishment] before them. They were indeed a rebellious and wicked people.

That is, Allah did likewise to the people of Nooh when they rejected Nooh and rebelled against the command of Allah.

Allah sent against them the heaven and the earth, pouring and gushing forth with water, and He drowned them all, and did not leave any of the disbelievers alive. This is the way of Allah in dealing with those who disobey Him.

51:47. We built the heaven with might and verily We are [still] expanding it.

51:48. And We spread out the earth. How gracious is He Who smoothed it out.

51:49. And of all things We have created pairs, so that you may pay heed.

51:50. So flee to Allah. Verily I am a clear warner to you from Him.

51:51. Do not associate with Allah any other god. Verily I am a clear warner to you from Him.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, highlighting His great might: ﴾We built the heaven﴿ that is, We created it and built it well, and We made it a roof for the earth and all that is on it.

﴾with might﴿ that is, with immense power and strength ﴾S(and verily We are [still] expanding it﴿ in all directions.

And We also bestow expensive and abundant provision upon Our slaves. Allah does not leave any creature in the midst of the wilderness or the depths of the sea, or in the upper or lower realms, but He causes provision to reach it as it needs, and He sends it blessings to suffice it.

So Glory be to the One Who bestows His generosity upon all creatures, and blessed be the One Whose mercy encompasses all of creation.

﴾And We spread out the earth﴿ that is. We have made it spread out for people, so that they will be able to do whatever they have to in order to meet their needs, such as building dwellings, planting, cultivating, tilling the soil, settling, and following routes that lead to their destinations.

Because the earth has been spread out, one may think that it may be beneficial in all respects, or it may be beneficial in some ways but not others. Therefore Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He has smoothed it out in the best way, and He praises Himself for that, saying: ﴾Howgracious is He Who smoothed it out﴿ for His slaves, as dictated by His wisdom, mercy and generosity.

﴾And of all things We have created pairs﴿ that is, two genders, male and female, of all types of animals

﴾so that you may pay heed﴿ to the blessings of Allah that He has bestowed upon you, as He has decreed that on the basis of wisdom, making the pairs (male and female) the means of the perpetuation of all types of animals, so that you will raise them, take care of them and look after them, and thus attain many benefits.

Having called people to look at His signs, which would lead them to fear Him and turn to Him, Allah now enjoins that which is the purpose of all these things, which is to flee to Him. What is meant is to flee from that which Allah hates, both outwardly and inwardly, to that which He loves, both outwardly and inwardly, fleeing from ignorance to knowledge, from disbelief to faith, from sin to obedience, and from heedlessness to remembrance of Allah.

Whoever does all of that has done all that religion requires of him; he will be spared all that he fears and he will attain all that he seeks.

Allah describes turning to Him as fleeing, because turning to anyone other than Him will result in all kinds of fearful outcomes and troubles, whereas turning to Him leads to all that one loves, security, joy, happiness and triumph.

You would flee from everyone you fear, except Allah (سبحانه وتعالى); the more you fear Him, the more you flee to Him.

﴾Verily I am a clear warner to you from Him﴿ that is, I am a warner to you of the punishment of Allah, bringing a clear message of warning.

﴾Do not associate with Allah any other god﴿. This is part of fleeing to Allah; rather this is the basis of fleeing to Him, for a person to flee from taking any other god among the idols, rivals, graves and so on, things that are worshipped besides Allah, and devoting his worship, fear, hope, supplication and repentance to his Lord alone.

51:52. Likewise, no Messenger came to those before them, but they said: [He is] a magician, or a madman.

51:53. Have they [the earlier and later generations] come to an agreement concerning this accusation? Rather they are a people transgressing beyond bounds.^{1This refers to the accusation that the disbelievers made against every Messenger throughout the ages, labelling him a magician or madman. But it is not possible for them to have made such an agreement, because they never met. Rather what they have in common is a mindset based on transgression, which prompted them to say the same thing whenever a Messenger came to them.}

Here Allah consoles His Messenger (ﷺ) for the rejection of the polytheists who disbelieved in him and said abhorrent things concerning him that were blatantly untrue. Such views reflect the constant attitude of the evildoers who disbelieved in the Messengers. Allah never sent any Messenger but his people accused him of witchcraft or insanity.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: Are these views which were expressed by the disbelievers - both earlier and later generations - something concerning which they have come to an agreement and instructed one another to say, and therefore there is nothing strange in the fact that they agree on this? ﴾Rather they are a people transgressing beyond bounds﴿ for their mindset and actions were similar, based on disbelief and overstepping the bounds, therefore the views that stemmed from their transgression were similar.

This is the reality concerning them, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:﴾Those who have no knowledge say: If only Allah would speak to us or some sign would come to us. The people who came before them said something similar; their hearts are all much the same...﴿

By the same token, the mindset of the believers is similar, because they have submitted to the truth, and they seek it and strive for it; they hasten to believe in, venerate and respect their Messengers, and they address them in an appropriate manner.

51:54. So turn away from them; you are not to blame.

51:55. But continue to exhort them, for exhortation benefits the believers.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) enjoins His Messenger (ﷺ) to turn away from those who reject his message and disbelieve:

f[So turn away from them﴿ that is, do not pay any attention to them and do not rebuke them; rather focus on your own affairs, for you are not to blame for their sin. All you are required to do is convey the message, and you have discharged your responsibility and conveyed the message with which you were sent.

﴾But continue to exhort them, for exhortation benefits the believers﴿. Exhortation is of two types, the first of which is telling that of which the details are not known, although it is known in general terms through common sense and reasoning. Allah has caused everyone, on the basis of common sense, to love good and give precedence to it, and to hate evil and keep away from it, andHis laws are in accordance with that. Therefore all that He enjoins or forbids comes under the heading of exhortation. Proper exhortation is to mention the goodness and benefits in what is enjoined, and the harm in what is prohibited.

The second type of exhortation is to remind the believers to do what is known to them, but they have grown careless and heedless about it. For that reason they should be reminded repeatedly, so that the exhortation will take root in their minds and they will begin to pay attention to what they are reminded of. Thus their energy, motivation and resolve will be renewed, which will make them try to benefit from the exhortation and achieve progress.

Allah tells us that exhortation benefits the believers, because what they have of faith and fear of Allah, and their constant turning to Him and seeking His pleasure, allows them to benefit from the reminder and makes the exhortation more effective in this case. This is like the verses in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾So remind people, if the reminder will be of benefit. The one who fears Allah will pay heed while the wretched one will avoid it.p (al-

As for those who do not have faith and are not prepared to pay heed to the exhortation, they will not benefit from it. This is like the salty ground that does not benefit at all from the rain; even if every sign were to come to this type of people, they would not believe until they see the painful punishment with their own eyes.

51:56. I have not created the jinn and humans except to worship Me.

51:57. I seek no provision from them, nor do I want them to feed Me.

51:58. Indeed, it is Allah Who is the Provider, Lord of Might, the Powerful.

This is the purpose for which Allah created the jinn and humankind, and sent all the Messengers to call to it, namely to worship Him alone, which implies knowing Him, loving Him, turning to Him and turning away from all others.

That implies knowing Him, for worshipping properly depends on knowing Allah; in fact the more a person knows his Lord, the more perfect his worship will be. This is the purpose for which Allah created those who are accountable; He did not create them out of any need for them on His part.

Allah does not want any provision from them and He does not want them to feed Him; exalted be Allah, the Self-Sufficient, Who has no need of anyone in any way. Rather all creatures are in need of Him for all their needs and essential necessities. Hence He says: ﴾Indeed, it is Allah Who is the Provider﴿ that is, He gives abundant provision, and there is no creature that lives on the earth but its sustenance is guaranteed by Allah. He knows its dwelling place and its resting place (cf. II: 6).

﴾Lord of Might, the Powerful﴿ that is, the One Who possesses all strength and might. Who brought all great entities, in the upper and lower realm, into being. By that power all affairs, both apparent and hidden, are controlled and His will is done in all realms. Whatever Allah wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen. No one can flee from Him or escape His authority. By His might He causes His provision to reach all the worlds. By His might and strength. He will resurrect the dead after their bodies have disintegrated and their dust has been scattered by the winds, or they have been devoured by birds and wild animals and scattered in the far reaches of the wilderness and in the depths of the sea. No one can escape Him;He knows what the earth consumes of them. Glory be to the Most Strong, the Powerful.

51:59. Verily those who do wrong will have a share [of punishment] like that of their counterparts [among the earlier nations], so let them not ask Me to hasten it.

51:60. So woe to the disbelievers from that day of theirs which they are promised.

That is, those who do wrong and reject Muhammad (ﷺ) will have a share of punishment like that which was sent upon their counterparts among earlier wrongdoers and disbelievers.

﴾fso let them not ask Me to hasten it﴿ namely the punishment. For the way of Allah in dealing with the nations is always the same. Every disbeliever who persists in his disbelief without repenting and turning back to Allah will inevitably be afflicted with the punishment, even if it is delayed for a while. Hence Allah warned them of the Day of Resurrection, saying:

﴾So woe to the disbelievers from that day of theirs which they are promised﴿ for that is the Day of Resurrection, on which all kinds of punishment, vengeance, chains and fetters are promised. Then they will have no helper and no one to save them from the punishment of Allah B?). We seek refuge with Allah from it.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat adh-Dhariyat.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.