59:1. All that is in the heavens and all that is on earth glorifies Allah, for He is the Almighty, Most Wise.

59:2. It is He Who drove the disbelievers among the People of the Book from their homes at the time of the first banishment. You [O believers] did not think that they would leave, and they thought that their fortresses would protect them from Allah. But the decree of Allah came upon them from a direction they did not expect and He cast dread into their hearts. Their houses were destroyed by their own hands and the hands of the believers. So learn from this, O people of insight.

59:3. And were it not that Allah had decreed exile for them. He would surely have punished them in this world. And in the hereafter theirs will be the punishment of the fire.

59:4. That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger, and whoever opposes Allah, Allah is indeed severe in punishment.

59:5. Whatever you have cut down of their palm trees or left standing intact, it was by Allah’s leave, so that He might confound the evildoers.

59:6. Whatever gains Allah has bestowed upon His Messenger from them, you did not spur on either horses or camels for that. But Allah gives power to His Messengers over whomever He wills, and Allah has power over all things.

This refers to Banu an-Nadeer who were the first group to be banished from Madinah following their act of treachery and their plot to kill the

* This explains that these gains were given exclusively to the Prophet (ﷺ), because in this instance the believers did not ride towards the enemy on mounts; rather they walked, and did not engage the enemy in battle or go through the turmoil of fighting. Therefore these gains were exclusively for the Prophet (ﷺ), to distribute among the Muslims as explained in the following verse.

59:7. Whatever gains Allah has bestowed upon His Messenger from the people of the towns^{1The towns were Banu an-Nadeer, Banu Quraydhah, Khaybar and Fadak, which were captured without a fight.} belongs to Allah and His Messenger, and to his close relatives, orphans, those in need and wayfarers, so that wealth does not circulate only among those of you who are rich. Whatever the Messenger gives you [of the gains, or of instructions], accept it, and whatever he forbids to you, refrain from it. And fear Allah, for verily Allah is severe in punishment.

This soorah is also called Soorat Banu an-Nadeer; they were a large Jewish tribe who lived near Madinah at the time of the Prophet’s mission.

When the Prophet (ﷺ) was sent and migrated to Madinah, they disbelieved in him, along with other Jews who disbelieved in him. When the Prophet (jtjg) migrated to Madinah, he made peace with all the Jewish groups who were his neighbours in Madinah.

Approximately six months after the Battle of Badr, the Prophet (jgg) went out to meet them and ask them for help in paying the diyah of the two Kilabi men who had been killed by ‘Amr ibn Umayyah ad-Dumari. They said: We will do it, O Abul-Qasim; sit here until we bring you what you need. Then they went away and started discussing the matter in private, and the Shaytan incited them to follow the path of doom that had been decreed for them, so they conspired to kill the Prophet (ﷺ). They said: Which of you will take this millstone, then climb up and throw it on his head and smash it with it? The most wretched of them, ‘Amr ibn Jahhash, said: I will do it. Salam ibn Mashkam said to them: Do not do it, for by Allah he will be told about what you are planning to do, and what you are planning to do is going to break the covenant between us and him. The revelation came to him from his Lord immediately, telling him what they were planning to do.

He got up quickly and headed back to Madinah, and his Companions caught up with him and said: You got up and left, and we did not realise. Then he told them what those Jews had planned to do to him.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent word to those people, telling them (according to his biographers):

«Leave Madinah and do not stay near me. I will give you ten days to leave, then whoever I find in the city after that, I will strike his neck.» (Recorded by Ibn al-Qayyim)^{2All hadiths in this text have been checked and verified by llPH's researchers. It is rare, but it does happen that a hadith is not verifiable within the timeframe of researching and editing the book. In that case, a decision is made by the editorial board as to whether or not to include the hadith. It is llPH’s policy not to include weak hadiths or fabricated (fake) hadiths in our publications. If a weak hadith is included in any text, it is only because the author of the book discusses it as a weak hadith.}

They spent several days preparing themselves, and the hypocrite ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salool sent word to them, saying: Do not leave your homes, for I have two thousand men with me who will enter your fortresses with you and will fight to the death to protect you, and Ouravdhah and your allies from Ghatafan will come to your aid. His words raised the hopes of their leader, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, and he sent word to the Messenger of A1 lah (ﷺ) saying: We will not leave our homes; do as you see fit.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his Companions said takbeer and headed towards them, with ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiya Allahu anhu - may Allah be pleased with him) carrying the banner.

They lay siege to their fortresses, shooting arrows and hurling rocks.

Ouravdhah stayed away from them, and Ibn Ubayy and their allies from Ghatafan let them down. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) besieged them, and cut down and burned their palm trees. They sent wordto him, saying: We will leave Madinah. He allowed them to leave, themselves and their families, and permitted them to take with them whatever their camels could carry, except weapons. The Messenger of Allah Ogg) seized the remaining wealth and the weapons.

The booty of an-Nadeer was only for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), to meet his needs and to serve the interests of the Muslims. He did not just take one-fifth of it, because Allah granted it all to him, and because the Muslims did not spur on either horses or camels for that. He banished them to Khaybar, along with their leader Huyayy ibn Akhtab, and he took control of their lands and houses, and seized their weapons. In terms of weapons, he found fifty shields, fifty helmets, and three hundred and forty swords.

This is a summary of the story, as told by the biographers.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) begins this soorah by telling us that everyone in the heavens and on earth glorifies and praises their Lord, declaring Him to be far above anything that does not befit His Majesty; they worship Him and submit to His majesty because He is the Almighty, Who has subjugated all things, so nothing could resist His might and decree, and nothing is too difficult for Him.

He is the Most Wise in His creation and command. So He does not create anything in vain. He does not prescribe anything that serves no purpose, and He does not do anything but that which is in accordance with His wisdom.

That includes His supporting His Messenger (ﷺ) against those who disbelieved among the People of the Book, namely Banu an-Nadeer when they betrayed His Messenger (ﷺ). Therefore he banished them from their homes and the land that was familiar and dear to them.

Their banishment therefrom was the first banishment and exile that Allah decreed for them at the hands of His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ)- They were exiled to Khaybar, and the verse indicates that they would undergo a further banishment.

That happened when the Prophet (ﷺ) banished them from Khaybar, then ‘Umar (رضي الله عنه) banished their remnant from that place.

﴾You [O believers] did not think that they would leave﴿ their homes, because they were strongly fortified and they had established themselves there.

﴾and they thought that their fortresses would protect them from Allah﴿. They were proud of them and were deceived by them, and they thought that they would not be harmed and that no one could breach them. But the decree of Allah is inevitable, and no fortress or citadel could be of any avail, and no power or defences could save them.

Hence Allah says: ﴾But the decree of Allah came upon them from a direction they did not expect﴿ that is, in a way that never crossed their minds.

The way in which that happened was, as He tells us, that ﴾He cast dread into their hearts﴿, which refers to intense fear, which is one of the most significant of Allah’s troops, against which no great numbers, weapons, strength or toughness is of any avail.

What they had in mind was that if there was any weakness that could affect them, it would be in the fortresses in which they had fortified themselves and with which they were content. Whoever puts his trust in anything other than Allah will be let down, and whoever turns to anyone but Allah will be doomed.

So the divine decree came upon their hearts, for it is the heart that is the location of steadfastness and patience, or of fear and weakness. Allah took away their strength and toughness, and replaced it with weakness, fear and cowardice, with which no effort would be to any avail, and that was a help against them.

Hence Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾Their houses were destroyed by their own hands and the hands of the believers﴿. That was because they had made a deal with the Prophet (jgg) that they could keep whatevertheir camels could carry; for that reason, they demolished their roofs for something that they could take away with them, and because of their wrongdoing, they gave power to the believers to destroy their houses and their fortresses. It is they who brought it upon themselves and were the greatest help against themselves.

﴾So learn from this, O people of insight﴿ that is, people of deep insight and reasoning, for in this there is a lesson from which one may learn how Allah deals with those who oppose the truth and follow their whims and desires, those whose power did not benefit them and whose strength was to no avail. Their fortresses did not protect them when the decree of Allah came to them and the punishment became due because of their sins. In terms of lessons learned, it is the general meaning of the verse that counts, not the specific reason for its revelation.

This verse indicates that one should leam lessons by comparing one case with another, similar case and reflecting upon the meanings and wisdoms contained therein, which is something to be attained by reasoning and reflecting, as that will increase one’s power of reasoning, enlightenment, and faith, and will enable one to attain real understanding.

Then Allah (35) tells us that these Jews did not receive everything that they deserved of punishment, and that He reduced their punishment.

Were it not for the fact that He had decreed that they should be banished, which happened to them in accordance with His will and decree that cannot be altered or changed, they would have suffered a different punishment in this world.

But - even though they were spared severe punishment in this world - in the hereafter they will suffer the punishment of fire, the severity of which no one can know except Allah te).

So they should not think that their punishment is over and that nothing of it remains, for what Allah has prepared of punishment for them in the hereafter is greater and more overwhelming.

That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), and they showed enmity towards them, fought them and strove hard to disobey them. This is Allah’s way with those who oppose Him: ﴾-jand whoever opposes Allah, Allah is indeed severe in punishment﴿.

When Banu an-Nadeer criticised the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the Muslims for cutting down the palm trees and other trees, claiming that this was mischief, for which they started to condemn the Muslims, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) stated that whether they cut down their palm trees or left them standing intact, it was by His leave and command, 6(so that He might confound the evildoers﴿. In other words. He gave you the power to cut down and bum their palm trees, so that this would be a punishment and disgrace for them in this world, and humiliation by which it would be known that they were completely helpless and could not save their palm trees, which were their livelihood.

This is the story of Banu an-Nadeer and how Allah punished them in this world.

Then Allah tells us who took possession of their wealth and goods:

﴾Whatever gains Allah has bestowed upon His Messenger from them﴿ that is, from the people of these towns, namely Banu an-Nadeer, you, O Muslims, ﴾did not spur on either horses or camels for that﴿ that is, you did not exhaust yourselves or your mounts in order to acquire that booty. Rather Allah cast dread in their hearts, so that this wealth came to you with ease.

Hence Allah says: ﴾But Allah gives power to His Messengers over whomever He wills, and Allah has power over all things﴿. By His perfect power, no one can escape His decree and no strong person can protect himself from His punishment.

The definition of fay' (translated here as ﴾gains﴿) according to the fuqaha ’, is that of the disbelievers’ wealth which is taken lawfully, without fighting, such as this wealth, which was left behind when they fled for fear of the Muslims. The root meaning of the word is return, because it is returned from the disbelievers, who do not deserve to have it, to the Muslims, who are fully entitled to it.

The ruling concerning it is as Allah says: ﴾Whatever gains Allah has bestowed upon His Messenger from the people of the towns... (5; this is general in application, whether Allah bestows it at the time of His Messenger (ﷺ), or after that to whoever becomes the leader of his Ummah after him.

It ﴾belongs to Allah and His Messenger, and to his close relatives, orphans, those in need and wayfarers﴿. This is similar to the verse in al-Anfal in which Allah (is) says:

﴾Know that whatever spoils of war you acquire, one-fifth belongs to Allah and His Messenger, and to his close relatives, orphans, those in need and wayfarers... b (al-Anfal 8: 41)

Hence fay’ (gains) is to be divided into five portions:

One-fifth for Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), which is to be spent in the public interests of the Muslims.

One-fifth for the Prophet’s close relatives, namely Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib, wherever they may be. It is to be shared among them, with both males and females receiving equal shares.

Banu al-Muttalib are included with Banu Hashim among the recipients of the “one-fifth of one-fifth” (khums al-khums), although the rest of Banu ‘Abd Manaf are not included, because they joined Banu Hashim in the mountain passes when Quraysh made a pact to boycott and oppose them. Therefore they, unlike others, supported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Hence the Prophet (ﷺ) said concerning Banu al-Muttalib:«They never left me, either during the jahiliyah or in Islam.»(Recorded by an-Nasa’i; al-Albani graded it as sound)

One-fifth for poor orphans, who are children who have no father and have not yet reached puberty.

One-fifth for the needy.

And there is a share for wayfarers, who are strangers who are cut off in a foreign land.

Allah allocated these shares, and restricted the fay' to these specific groups, ﴾so that wealth does not circulate only among those of you who are rich﴿, for if He did not do so, the wealth would be limited to the rich and powerful, and those who were weak and poor would not have any of it. That would result in much mischief, the extent of which no one knows except Allah.

Similarly, innumerable interests are served by following the commands and laws of Allah. Therefore Allah enjoined a basic guideline and general principle when He said: ﴾Whatever the Messenger gives you [of the gains, or of instructions], accept it, and whatever he forbids to you, refrain from itp. This includes both fundamental and minor issues of religion, whether they have to do with outward conduct or inward beliefs and attitudes. Whatever the Messenger (ﷺ) gives, it is obligatory for people to pay heed to it and follow it, and it is not permissible to go against it. If the Messenger (ﷺ) gives a ruling, it is like a ruling from Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), and no concession or excuse is granted to anyone to refrain from doing it. It is not permissible to give precedence to the view of anyone else over the view of the Prophet (ﷺ).

Then Allah enjoins us to fear Him, for that offers nourishment to hearts and souls, in this world and the hereafter, and leads to eternal happiness and ultimate triumph, whereas neglecting it leads to eternal doom and everlasting punishment. Allah says: ﴾And fear Allah, for verily Allah is severe in punishment]•) towards the one who fails to fear Him and gives precedence to following his own whims and desires.

59:8. It is for the poor Muhajiroon^ who have been driven from their homes and property, seeking grace from Allah and His good pleasure, and helping the cause of Allah and His Messenger. It is they whose faith is true.

59:9. And those who were already settled in the land [of Madinah] before them, and were sincere in faith, love the Migrants who came to them, and find no covetous desire in their hearts for what they have been given. Rather they give them preference over themselves, even if they too are poor. Those who are protected from their own covetousness - it is they who will be the successful ones.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us of the wisdom behind allocating the gains to those to whom He allocated them, and the reason for doing so, for they deserved help and deserved to have the gains allocated to them. They were:

Either Muhajiroon who had left the homes that they loved and were used to, and had left their loved ones, friends and wealth, for the sake of Allah, in support of the religion of Allah and out of love for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). These are the sincere ones who acted in accordance with their faith, and confirmed their faith withrighteous deeds and difficult acts of worship, in contrast to those who claimed to believe but did not prove it by striving in jihad, migrating and doing other acts of worship;

Or they were the Ansar, namely al-Aws and al-Khazraj, who willingly chose to believe in Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) out of love, and they welcomed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and protected him from all people. They were settled in the abode of migration and faith, so that it became a place to which the believers turned and took as a place of refuge, the place in which the Muhajiroon sought asylum and the Muslims lived under its protection, because all other lands were the lands of war, polytheism and evil.

The supporters of the faith kept joining the Ansar and seeking refuge in their land until Islam spread and grew strong, and began to increase little by little, and conquered hearts with knowledge, faith and the Qur’an, and conquered lands with the sword and the spear.

Among other good characteristics, they ﴾love the Migrants who came to them﴿. Because of their love of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). they loved His loved ones and they loved those who supported His religion.

﴾and find no covetous desire in their hearts for what they have been given﴿ that is, they did not envy the Muhajiroon for what Allah gave them of His bounty or for what He singled them out for of virtues and precedence that they deserved. This indicates that their hearts were free of ill feeling, grudges, resentment and envy.

It also indicates that the Muhajiroon are superior to the Ansar, because Allah mentioned them first, and stated that the Ansar did not find any covetous desire in their hearts for what they had been given. This means that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) had given the Muhajiroon that which He did not give to the Ansar or anyone else, because they had combined support for Islam with migration for the sake of Allah.

﴾Rather they give them preference over themselves, even if they too are poor)* that is, one of the characteristics of the Ansar in whichthey surpassed others and distinguished themselves is selflessness, which is the most perfect kind of generosity, for they give precedence to others with regard to that which they themselves loved of wealth and other things, and they gave it to others even though they themselves needed it, and even when they were in need and poor.

This can only be done by people of sublime character who love Allah (is) and give precedence to that over their own whims and desires and pleasures. An example of that is the story of the Ansari because of whom this verse was revealed, when he selflessly gave his food and the food of his family and children to his guest, and he and his family spent the night hungry.

Giving precedence to others is the opposite of selfishness; selflessness is praiseworthy, whereas selfishness is blameworthy, because it is one of the characteristics of stinginess and covetousness. Whoever is blessed with selflessness is protected from his own covetousness, and ﴾Those who are protected from their own covetousness - it is they who will be the successful ones﴿. Being protected from one’s own covetousness includes being protected from covetousness with regard to all that one is instructed to do. If a person is protected from his own covetousness, he will be at ease with the commands of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), and will comply with them obediently and willingly, with an open heart, and he will be at ease with refraining from what Allah forbids, even if it is dear to him and his heart longs for it.

He will be at ease with spending his wealth in Allah’s cause, seeking His pleasure. Thus he will attain success and triumph.

This is in contrast to the one who is not protected from his own covetousness; rather he has the bad characteristics of being covetous and unwilling to do good, and this is the foundation and essence of evil.

These two noble groups are the Ṣahabah and prominent scholars who attained precedence, virtues and sublime characteristics thatmade them surpass those who came after them and catch up with those who came before them. Thus they became the most prominent believers, leaders of the Muslims and foremost among the righteous. The highest level of virtue that those who come after them can attain is to follow in their footsteps and take them as an example. Hence Allah mentioned, of those who come after them, those who emulate them and follow in their footsteps, as He says:

59:10. And those who come after them say: Our Lord, forgive us and our brethren who believed before us, and do not let there be any ill feeling in our hearts towards those who believe. Our Lord, verily You are Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

t-(And those who come after them﴿ that is, after the Muhajiroon and Ansar c-(say﴿ by way of sincerity towards themselves and towards all the believers: ﴾Our Lord, forgive us and our brethren who believed before us﴿.

This supplication includes all the believers, the Sahabah and those who came before them and after them. This is one of the virtues of faith, that the believers seek to benefit from one another and pray for one another because of their shared faith which creates the bond of brotherhood between the believers. One of the branches of that brotherhood is that they pray for one another and love one another.

Hence Allah tells us that this supplication is a sign that there is no resentment in their hearts, small or great. A thing is ruled out when its opposite is proven, which in this case is love, friendship and sincerity between the believers, for such things are the rights of the believers over one another.

Moreover, Allah describes those who came after the Sahabah as believers, because their words c-jour brethren who believed before us﴿ are indicative of shared faith and of their following the Sahabah in their beliefs and basic principles. Such people are the ahl as-Sunnah wat-jama'ah, for this description does not apply to anyone except them.

He also describes them as admitting their sin, seeking forgiveness for it, seeking forgiveness for one another and striving to remove resentment and grudges towards their believing brothers from their hearts, because their offering that supplication implies what we have mentioned, and it implies their love for one another, and that one of them loves for his brother what he loves for himself, and that he is sincere towards him in his presence and in his absence, during his life and after his death.

This verse indicates that all of this is part of the duties that the believers have towards one another.

Then they end their supplication with two divine names that are indicative of the perfect mercy of Allah, and His great compassion and kindness towards them, part of which and indeed one of the most sublime manifestations of His mercy - is that He enabled them to carry out their duties towards Allah and towards other people. These three categories are the categories of this Ummah; it is they who are entitled to the fay’, which is to be spent in the general interests of the Muslims, and these are the people of Islam. May Allah make us among them, by His grace and kindness.

59:11. Have you not seen those who are hypocrites saying to their fellow disbelievers among the People of the Book: If you are expelled, we will leave with you, and we will never obey anyone concerning you, and if you are attacked, we will surely come to your aid? But Allah bears witness that they are indeed liars.

59:12. If they are expelled, they will not leave with them, and if they are attacked, they will not come to their aid. Even if they do come to their aid, they will turn and flee, then they [the People of the Book] will not prevail.

59:13. Indeed, the fear they have of you in their hearts is greater than their fear of Allah, for they are a people devoid of understanding.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) expresses amazement at the situation of the hypocrites who raised the hopes of their brethren among the People of the Book, of their support and alliance against the believers. He tells us that they said to them: ﴾lf you are expelled, we will leave with you, and we will never obey anyone concerning you j﴿ that is, we will not obey anyone who tells us not to support you, and who tries to interfere between us and you or tries to scare us.

tjand if you are attacked, we will surely come to your aid ? But Allah bears witness that they are indeed liars﴿ in the promise with which they deceived their brethren.

This is not something unexpected of them, for lying is typical behaviour on their part, and deceit and treachery, hypocrisy and cowardice, are second nature to them. Therefore Allah stated that they were lying, and what He said came to pass exactly as He said: ﴾lf they are expelled﴿ and banished from their homes ﴾they will not leave with them﴿ because they love their land and are not steadfast in fighting, and they are not faithful to their promise.

﴾and if they are attacked, they will not come to their aid﴿; rather they will be overcome with cowardice and their courage will fail them; they will forsake their brethren when they need them most. ﴾Even if they do come to their aid﴿ - assuming that they do that - ﴾they will turn and flee, then they [the People of the Book] will not prevail﴿ that is, they will turn away from fighting and giving aid, and they will not be helped by Allah.

The reason why they will behave in that manner is that the fear they have of you O believers - ﴾in their hearts is greater than their fear of Allah﴿. So they fear you more than they fear Allah, and they give precedence to fear of created beings, who cannot benefit or harm themselves or anyone else, over fear of the C reator Who does possess the power to harm or benefit, give or withhold.

﴾for they are a people devoid of understanding﴿. They do not understand the order or true nature of things, and they cannot imagine the consequences. Rather true understanding is to fear the Creator, put one’s hope in Him and love Him, and to give precedence to that over all other matters, which are secondary to that.

{J*

59:14. They will not fight you all together [on an open battlefield], except in fortified towns or from behind walls. Their valour is great among themselves; you think they are united, but their hearts are divided, for they are a people devoid of reason.

59:15. They are like those shortly before them who tasted the evil consequences of their deeds, and theirs will be a painful punishment.

59:16. They are like the Shaytan when he says to a man: Disbelieve, then when he disbelieves, he says to him: I have nothing to do with you, for verily I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

59:17. So the outcome for both of them is that they will be in the fire, to abide therein forever; such is the recompense of the wrongdoers.

﴾They will not fight you all together [on an open battlefield]﴿ that is, they will not engage you in battle ﴾except in fortified towns or from behind walls]j that is, they will not be steadfast in fighting and they will have no resolve, unless they are fortified in towns or behind walls.

In that case, they will resist, relying on their fortresses and walls, not on real courage. This is the greatest criticism.

﴾Their valour is great among themselves’p that is, their valour is great only among themselves. There is nothing wrong with them in terms of physical ability or strength; rather the problem is their weak faith and lack of unity. Hence Allah says:﴾you think they are united﴿ when you see them gathered together and supporting one another

﴾but their hearts are divided﴿ that is, there is mutual hatred, discord and a lack of harmony among them, and that is what led to them being described in the terms mentioned above,

﴾for they are a people devoid of reason﴿ that is, they possess no reason or mature thinking. If they did possess reason, they would have given precedence to that which is superior over that which is inferior, and they would not have chosen for themselves the worse of the two options, and they would have been united and in harmony. Thus they would have supported one another, helped one another and cooperated in that which was in their interests and benefited them in both spiritual and worldly terms.

The likeness of these failures among the People of the Book over whom Allah caused His Messenger (ﷺ) to prevail and caused them to taste disgrace in the life of this world, and not to be supported by those who had promised them help, is that of those who came ﴾shortly before them﴿, namely the disbelievers of Quraysh to whom the Shaytan made their misdeeds fair-seeming and said:

﴾.. .No one among men can overcome you this day, for I will be your protector. But when the two troops came in sight of one another, he turned on his heels and said: I am done with you, for verily I see what you do not. Indeed, I fear Allah, for Allah is severe in punishment.﴿

Thus they deceived themselves and were deceived by others who neither helped them in any way nor warded off the punishment from them, until they came to Badr in all their pride and arrogance, thinking that they would achieve their wishes to defeat the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and the believers. But Allah caused His Messenger (ﷺ) and the believers to prevail over them, so they killed their leaders and prominent figures and took some of them captive, and the rest of them fled.

Thus they tasted the evil consequences of their deeds and the outcome of their polytheism and wrongdoing.

That was in this world, and in the hereafter theirs will be the punishment of the fire. And the likeness of the hypocrites who deceived their brethren among the People of the Book is that of ﴾the Shaytan when he says to a man: Disbelieve﴿ that is, he makes disbelief fair-seeming to him and calls him to it, but when he is deceived by it and disbelieves, and is thus doomed, the Shaytan who took him as a friend and called him to that does not help him; rather he disavows him and ﴾says to him: I have nothing to do with you, for verily I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds!﴿ that is, I have no power to ward off the punishment from you and I cannot avail you even an atom’s worth of good.

﴾So the outcome for both of them﴿ that is, for the caller, namely the Shaytan, and the one who is called, namely the human who pays heed to him, ﴾is that they will be in the fire, to abide therein forever﴿. This is like the verse in which Allah fe) says:

﴾f...He only calls his followers so that they may become inhabitants of the raging fire.:) (Fatir 35. 6)

﴾such is the recompense of the wrongdoers﴿ who were partners in wrongdoing and disbelief, although they differ with regard to the intensity and strength of the punishment.

This is the way of the Shaytan with all his allies; he calls them and leads them to that which will harm them, by means of his deceit, then when they fall into the trap and their doom becomes imminent, he disavows them and abandons them.

The blame is entirely upon the one who obeys him, for Allah has warned him against him and told him of his aims and goals, and the fate of the one who obeys him. Therefore the one who obeys him is sinning knowingly, and has no excuse.

59:18. O you who believe, fear Allah, and let every soul consider what it has sent forth for tomorrow.^{1This is urging all people to reflect on their deeds and what the outcome thereof may be on the Day of Judgement.} And fear Allah, for verily Allah is well aware of all that you do.

59:19. Do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He caused them to forget themselves.^{2They failed to do their duty towards Allah and turned away from His message, and as a consequence Allah caused them to fail to do deeds that could be of benefit to them in this world and the hereafter.} It is they who are the evildoers.

59:20. Not equal are the inhabitants of the fire and the inhabitants of paradise. It is the inhabitants of paradise who will triumph.

59:21. If We had sent this Qur’an down to a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and rent asunder out of fear of Allah. Such are the comparisons We set forth for humankind so that they may reflect.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) enjoins His believing slaves to do that which is dictated by faith and fear of Him, secretly and openly, in all situations, and to pay attention to what Allah enjoins upon them of commands, laws and limits, and to think of what they have achieved and where they failed, and what they have attained of deeds that will benefit them or harm them on the Day of Resurrection.

If they make the hereafter their main concern and primary focus, and concentrate their intentions on it, they will strive hard in doing a lot of good deeds that will help them to reach it, and they will rid themselves of distractions and obstacles that will halt or hinder their efforts, or divert them.

If they also know that Allah is aware of what they are doing, and that their deeds are not hidden from Him and no good deed will go unnoticed by Him, that will make them strive hard.

This verse offers a guideline with regard to taking stock of oneself, and reminds the believer that he should continue to check on himself and if he sees any lapse, he must take action by giving it up, repenting sincerely and turning away from any means that may lead to it. If he sees himself falling short with regard to any divine command, he should strive hard and seek the help of his Lord in completing it, perfecting it and doing it properly.

He should compare the blessings that Allah has bestowed generously upon him with his shortcomings, for that will undoubtedly make him feel embarrassed.

The ultimate deprivation is for a person to pay no attention to this matter and to behave like people who forgot Allah, were heedless about remembering Him and fulfilling their duties towards Him, and focused on their own inclinations and whims and desires, and therefore they did not prosper or attain any good. Rather Allah caused them to forget that which was in their best interests and He caused them to fail to notice that which was good for them and was of benefit to them. Thus they ended up in ruin and disarray, and became losers in both realms; their loss was so great that it could not be made up, because they were the evildoers who drifted away from obedience to their Lord and persisted in disobeying Him.

Are they equal, those who consistently feared Allah and considered what they had sent forth for tomorrow - and thus deserved the gardensof bliss and a sound life with those whom Allah has blessed of the Prophets, the strong and true in faith, the martyrs and the righteous - and those who neglected the remembrance of Allah and forgot their duties towards Him, so they lived a life of misery in this world and deserved punishment in the hereafter?

The former are the victors and the latter are the losers.

As Allah has explained this to His slaves, and issued commands and prohibitions to them in His holy Book, this requires them to hasten towards that to which He has called them and urged them to do, even if they are rough and hard-hearted like great mountains, for if this Qur’an was to have been sent down to a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and rent asunder out of fear of Allah. That is because of its powerful effect on people’s hearts, for the exhortations of the Qur’an are the greatest of all exhortations.

Its commands and prohibitions are full of wisdom and serve many interests; they are very easy on people’s souls and also in a physical sense; they are straightforward; there are no contradictions or flaws in them; and they are not too difficult or too burdensome. They are suitable for all times and places, and are appropriate for everybody.

Then Allah tells us that He sets forth comparisons for humanity and explains to His slaves in His Book what is lawful and what is prohibited, so that they may ponder and reflect upon His revelations, for reflecting upon them opens up for the individual the treasures of knowledge, shows him the paths of good and evil, encourages him to attain the best of manners and characteristics, and deters him from bad manners and characteristics. Hence there is nothing more beneficial for a person than reflecting upon the Qur’an and pondering its meanings.

59:22. He is Allah; there is no god but He, Knower of the unseen and the seen; He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

59:23. He is Allah; there is no god but He, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Most Perfect, the Granter of security, the Watcher over all, the Almighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah, [far exalted is He] above having the partners they ascribe to Him.

59:24. He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the most beautiful names. All that is in the heavens and on earth glorifies Him, for He is the Almighty, Most Wise.

These verses include many of the beautiful names and sublime attributes of Allah, which are of great significance and contain wondrous meanings. Allah tells us that He is the only One Who deserves to be loved and worshipped, for there is no god but He, because of His great perfection, all-encompassing kindness and universal control.

Any god other than Him is false and does not deserve an atom’s weight of worship, for it is needy, helpless and imperfect, and has no power to do anything for itself or for anyone else. Then Allah describes Himself as completely omniscient, for He knows what is hidden from people and what they see. And he tells us of the comprehensive nature of His mercy, which encompasses all things and reaches every living being. Then He repeats that He is the only Lord and God of all, andthat He is the Sovereign and owner of all things; both the upper and lower realms, and all who dwell in them, belong to Allah, are in need of Him and are under His control.

﴾the Holy, the Most Perfect﴿ that is, He is holy and free from all faults, defects and shortcomings, Who is venerated and glorified. His name the Holy (al-Quddoos) indicates that He is above all shortcomings and that veneration is due to Allah for His attributes and majesty.

﴾the Granter of security, the Watcher over all, the Almighty﴿ Who is not overcome or resisted; rather He has subjugated all things and everything submits to Him.

﴾the Compeller﴿ Who has subjugated all people, and all creatures submit to Him. The word translated here as ﴾Compeller﴿ may also mean the One Who consoles the broken-hearted and makes the poor independent of means.

﴾the Supreme﴿ to Whom belong all pride and greatness, and He is far above all faults, wrongdoing and injustice.

﴾Glory be to Allah, [far exalted is He] above having the partners they ascribe to Him﴿. This is declaring Him, in general terms, to be above all that is ascribed to Him by those who associate others with Him and stubbornly disobey Him.

﴾He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper﴿ of all that is created, made and given shape. These names have to do with creating, controlling and measuring; all of that is for Allah alone, and no partner shares in that with Him.

﴾To Him belong the most beautiful names﴿ that is. He has very many names, that cannot be counted and are not known to anyone except Allah Himself. But despite that, they are all beautiful; in other words, they all refer to attributes of perfection and they are all indicative of the most perfect and greatest of attributes, with no shortcomings of any kind.

Part of their beauty is that Allah loves these names, and He loves those who love them and He loves those of His slaves who call upon Him and ask of Him by them. Part of His perfection, and proof that to Him belong the most beautiful names and the most sublime attributes, is the fact that everyone in the heavens and on earth is in constant need of Him, they glorify and praise Him, and they ask Him for what they need, and by His grace and kindness, He gives to them in accordance with His mercy and wisdom.

﴾for He is the Almighty, Most Wise﴿; no sooner does He will a thing but it happens, and nothing happens except for a reason and purpose.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat al-Hashr.

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