Tafsir Surat an-Nur, al-Mulk, al-Ma�un

From Surat an-Nur (Light)

Ayats 35-39 (Warsh)

Ayats 35-40 (Hafs)

Tafsir

In the tafsir, or Qur'anic commentary below, the various tafsirs are coloured coded as follows:

Ibn Juzayy: at-Tashil fi 'ulum al-Qur'an

Jalalayn: Tafsir al-Jalalayn

As-Sawi: Hashiya (gloss) on the Jalalayn

Ibn Kathir: Mukhtasar Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Al-Qurtubi: Jam' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an

Al-Burusawi: Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan

Ibn Juzayy:

Light both designates a reality - the light which the eyes perceive, and is also a metaphor for the meanings which are perceived by the hearts. "Nothing is like Allah." So the interpretation of the ayat is that Allah possesses the light of the heavens and the earth, and He has described Himself as being Light as you say, "Zayd is generosity" when you want to stress the fact that he is generous. If He means the light which is perceived by the eyes, then the meaning of the "light of the heavens and the earth" is that He created the light which they contain - the sun, the moon and the stars, or He created them both and brought them into existence from non-existence. So they appear by Him as things appear by light. In this meaning, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib recited the verse as, "Allahu nawwara" (Form II) meaning He put light in them.

If by light He means the light which is perceived by the hearts, the meaning of the light of the heavens and the earth is that He placed the light in the hearts of the people of the heavens and the earth. This is why Ibn 'Abbas said, "The meaning is the Guide of the people of the heavens and the earth."

Al-Qurtubi:

In a metaphorical senses, the Arabs say that "the words have light" and "an illuminating (lit. light-giving) Book." It is permissible to say that Allah is Light in order to praise Him because He brought things into existence, and He began and originated the light of all things, but He is not one the physical lights that can be perceived by the senses. Nonetheless, the Prophet was asked, "Have you seen your Lord?" and he said, "I saw him as a Light."

As for it being guidance, Ubayy ibn Ka'b and others said, "He adorned the heavens and the earth with the sun, the moon, and the stars, and He adorned the earth with the Prophets, scholars and believers."

Ibn Kathir:

Anas ibn Malik said that Allah says, "My light is guidance." Ubayy ibn Ka'b said that it refers to the believer in whose breast Allah has put belief and the Qur'an.

Jalalayn:

Allah illuminates it by the sun and the moon.

[as-Sawi: Know that the reality of light, whether it is perceived by the eye or visible things are perceived by means of it, resembles the quality which emanates from the two light sources onto dense objects. This meaning cannot be applied to Allah. It is also said that the ayat means that Allah is the Creator of the light in the heavens by the sun, moon, stars, the Throne and the angels, and in the earth by lamps, lights, candles. Prophets, scholars and the righteous. This means that He illuminates them. It is said that it means that He manifests the heavens and the earth because the term "light" implies manifestation. In such a meaning, it can be applied to Allah Almighty, since He makes things appear in existence out of non-existence.Ibn 'Ata' says in the Hikam, "Phenomenal being is utter and total darkness. It is only the manifestation of the Real in it that gives it light." So the universe exists because Allah grants it existence. If it were not that Allah existed, none of the universe would have existed."]

Ibn Juzayy:

The niche is an opening in a wall which is not a window, and the lamp in it gives off a strong light. It is said that the niche is the post on which the lamp sits. The first is sounder and more well-known. The meaning is that the attribute of the light of Allah in its clarity is like that of the niche in which there is a lamp since it is the greatest of what the mortal can conceive of light and illumination. It is likened to the niche, even though the light of Allah is greater still because that is the limit of what people can perceive of lights. He made the example for them according to what they can perceive.

It is said that the pronoun in "His light" refers to Sayyiduna Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and it is said to refer to the Qur'an, and to the believer. These statements are weak because nothing precedes to which the pronoun could be referred. If it is asked: How can it be valid that Allah be called 'the Light of the heavens and the earth' while He reports that He is Light and then He ascribes light to Himself in His words, "the metaphor of His light" thus making the related the same as the one related to? The answer is that that is valid with the interpretation which we already mentioned about Allah being the Possessor of the light of the heavens and the earth, or as you say, "Zayd is generosity," and then you say that people are refreshed by His generosity.

Al-Qurtubi:

He means the quality of His proofs which He casts into the heart of the believer, and these proofs are called "light". Allah calls His Book a light when He says, "We sent down a clear Light to you," (4:174) He also called His Prophet light where He says, "A Light has come to you from Allah and a clear Book." (5:15) This is because the Book guides and makes clear, as does the Messenger. One reason that it is related to Allah is because He makes the proof firm and clarifies it.

There is another possible meaning for this ayat which is that the second sentence resembles the first if light is taken to mean guidance and the perfection of the brilliant evidence and proofs of Allah in His creation.

The pronoun in "his light" can also refer to the believer.

Jalalayn:

"The metaphor of His light" means the quality of light in the heart of the believer.

The lamp is the wick with its fire. The meaning is that it is in lamp made of glass because the light in it is more radiant because it is a transparent body.

Ruh al-Bayan: The purpose of the lamp in the glass and the glass in the niche is that when the place is more constricted, the light is more intense. If the place where the lamp is placed is an open area, then the light disperses.

Ibn Juzayy:

The metaphor of the glass in giving light is like a dazzling star. That can have two meanings. Either He means that it gives light because of the lamp which is in it, or He means that it in itself is strong in light because of its purity and the fineness of its body. This is more eloquent because it joins its light to the light of the lamp.

By "dazzling star," He means one of the luminous bodies like Jupiter, Venus, Suhayl and the like. It is said that He means Venus, but there is no indication of this specification. Nafi' reads it as durriyyun. That reading has can mean that the star is ascribed to durr (pearls) by its whiteness and purity. It is also read with hamza which is derived from dar', meaning being pushed [i.e. stars that are pushed from one place to another].

Al-Qurtubi:

Ka'b al-Ahbar makes the entire ayat refer to Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, i.e. the metaphor of the light of Muhammad. The Messenger of Allah is the niche, the lamp is prophethood, the glass is his heart, the blessed tree is the revelation and the angels who brought it, the oil are the proofs and evidence which contain the revelation. If it is taken to mean the believer, as Ubayy says, then the niche is his chest, the lamp is belief and knowledge, the glass is his heart, and the oil are the proofs and evidence it contains.

Jalalayn:

"Dazzling" means that it drives away the darkness. The word is derived from "pearls" because of its purity.

Ibn Juzayy:

It is read as yuqadu and tawaqqada in the past tense. The verb refers to the lamp. If it is read as tuqdau in the present tense, then it refers to the glass. It means that it is kindled from the oil of a blessed tree. It is described as "blessed" because of the great number of its benefits or because it grows in a blessed land, which is Syria.

Al-Qurtubi:

This can also be taken to refer to the Prophets, in which case Adam would be the blessed tree, or Ibrahim because Allah called him "blessed".

Ibn Juzayy:

It is said that it means it in Syria, so it is neither of the east of the land nor the west. The best olives are the olives of Syria. It is said that it is exposed and the sun strikes it all day, so it is not purely of the east so as to be called eastern, nor of the west so as to be called western. Rather it is eastern-western because the sun revolves around it from the east to the west. It is said that it is a central tall tree which is neither to the direction of the east of the tree nor the direction of the west. It is is said that it is from a tree of the Garden which, had it been in this world, would have eastern or western.

To stress the description of its purity and excellence.

Ibn Kathir:

Ibn 'Abbas went to Ka'b al-Ahbar and said, "Tell me about His words, 'its oil all but giving off light even if no fire touches it.'" He said, "Muhammad almost makes things clear to people without even saying that he is a Prophet, even as the oil almost shines."

Or the proofs of the Qur'an almost make things clear before they are recited.

Ibn Juzayy:

i.e. joining the light of the lamp, the excellence of the glass and the excellence of the oil. By that He means the perfection of the light used as the example.

Ibn Kathir:

Ibn 'Abbas says that it means the belief and actions of the slave of Allah. Ubayy ibn Ka'b said, "The believer is transformed into five lights: his words are light, his actions are light, his going in is light, his going out is light, and he will go to light on Day of Rising to the Garden."

It is also said that "light upon light" is the light of the Qur�an and the light of belief when they are joined together.

Jalalayn:

The light itself with the light of the fire. Allah's guidance of the believers is light on top of the light of faith.

[As-Sawi: The proofs of Allah in the heart of the believer are proof on top of proof. If you were to ask why did He use the light of olive oil as a metaphor here and not the light of the sun,the moon, and cangles, the answer is that oil contains many uses and is easy for everyone. In the same way the perfect believer finds many uses in faith. There is some disagreement about whether this metaphor is a compound one, including what is mentioned at the beginning of the ayat and thus describes guidance, or whether it is one in which each image corresponds to something, e.g. the believer is the niche, the glass his heart, his knowledge the oil, and his faith the lamp.]

Ruh al-Bayan: al-Qushayri says that they obtain one light by their effort and investigation and reflection while they find the other light by Allah's grace in this words and actions. Allah says, "As for those who do jihad in Our Way. We will guide them to Our Paths." (29:69)

i.e. Allah gives success to whomever He will in finding the truth, i.e. Islam.

Ibn Kathir:

It has come in hadith, "Allah Almighty created creation in darkness and then on that day He cast to them some of His light. Whoever got some of His light on that day is guided, and whoever missed is misguided." So it is said that He knows the one who deserves to be guided from the one who deserves misguidance.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah said, "There are four kinds of hearts: a divested heart which is like the lamp and shines; a covered heart which is tied up in its covering; an inverted heart, and a doubled heart. The divested heart is the heart of the believer which is his lamp in which is his light. The covered heart is the heart of the unbeliever. The inverted heart is the heart of the hypocrite who recognised and then denied. The doubled heart is the heart which contains both belief and hypocrisy. The likeness of belief in it is like the plant which good water extends, and the example of hypocrisy in it is like the wound which is spread by blood and pus. It is dominated by whichever of them is dominant."

Ruh al-Bayan: the source of control and direction of guidance is divine will, even though other causes appear to be involved.

Jalalayn:

He makes things clear for them so that they reflect and believe.

[as-Sawi: Thus no doubt will affect the believer. He will see with insight as he sees with his actual eyes. Allah makes both bear witness. In hadith, "Fear the perspicacity of the believer. He sees by the light of Allah."

Ibn Juzayy:

i.e. mosques. It is said to mean the houses of the people of belief - mosques or dwellings. The first is sounder. The genitive is connected to what is before it: i.e. like a niche in houses, or kindled in houses. It is said that it is what is counted, and is glorification (tasbih). The genitive is repeated after that for stress. It is said that it is by an elision, i.e. they glorify in houses which Allah has permitted to be raised up. What is meant by idhn (permission) is the command. Its structure makes it nominative. It is said it is to esteem them.

al-Qurtubi:

Five things are said about "houses". The first is that they are the mosques dedicated to the worship of Allah and that they give light to the people of heaven as the stars give light to the people of the earth. Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid and al-Hasan said that. The second is that they are the houses of Jerusalem, and al-Hasan stated that. The third is that they are the houses of the Prophet, and Mujahid said that. The fourth is that they are all houses, and 'Ikrima stated that. The first statement is strengthened by that fact that He says, "they proclaim his glory morning and evening." The fifth is that they are four mosques which were built by Prophets: the Ka'ba, Jericho, the mosque of Madina, and the mosque of Quba'.

Anas ibn Malik related from the Messenger of Allah said, "Whoever Allah loves should love me. Whoever loves me should love my Companions. Whoever loves my Companions should love the Qur'an. Whoever loves the Qur'an should love the mosques, for they are the courtyards of Allah which were built with the permission of Allah that they be raised up and He has blessed them what is in them. Its people are are blessed, and its people are protected while they are in their prayers. Allah is seeing to their needs while they are in their mosques and Allah is before them."

As-Sawi: Physical esteem for the mosques is to purify them of filth and impurities. Al-Qurtubi mentioned that some people dislike teaching children in the mosques because they are not careful about dirt and impurity and that would lead to the mosques not being clean The Prophet commanded that they be clean. He said, "Keep away from the mosques your small children, mad people, unsheathing swords in them, carrying out the hadd-punishments, raising voices and quarrelling. Burn incense in all and put wash-rooms at their doors." Spiritual respect involves no playing or games, or worldly talk and the like.

al-Qurtubi:

"Glorification" means the prayer as it contains glorification.

It is related from Abu Umama that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever leaves his house in a state of purity for a prescribed prayer has the reward of the hajji in his ihram." Burayda said that the Prophet said, "Give the good news to those who walk in the darkness to the mosques of complete light on the Day of Rising." Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet said, "If anyone goes to the mosque in the morning or the evening, Allah will prepare for him hospitality in the Garden."

Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab was asked, "Which do you prefer, attending the funeral or sitting in the mosque?" He replied, "Whoever prays the funeral prayer has one qirat. Whoever is present at the burial has two qirats. I prefer sitting in the mosque because the angels say, 'O Allah, forgive him! O Allah, show mercy to him! O Allah! turn to him!'"

Al-Hakim ibn 'Umayr reported that the Prophet , may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Be like guests in this world and take the mosques as houses. Make your hearts accustomed to gentleness. Reflect often and weep often. Do not allow passions to make you disagree, You are building that in which you will not live, and gathering that which you will not consume and hoping for that which you will not obtain." Abu'd-Darda' said to his son,"Let the mosque be your house for I heard the Messenger of Allah say, 'The mosques are the houses of those who fear of Allah.'"

It is related that the Prophet said, "At the end of time will be men who come to the mosques and sit in circles discussing this world and its love. Do not sit with them. Allah has no need of them." Ibn al-Musayyab said, "Whoever sits in the mosque, sits with his Lord, so he must only seek what is good."

"Men" are mentioned because they have to attend the group prayers and Jumu'a.

i.e. morning and evening. It is said that He means Subh and 'Asr, and it is said the prayers of Duha and 'Asr.

[NOTE: Ayat numbering differs from the point in Warsh and Hafs.]

Ibn Juzayy:

i.e. it does not distract them. The ayat was sent down about the people of the markets who, when they heard the call to prayer, would leave off all business and set out to it. Bay' is part of commerce, but it was singled out to be mentioned alone like His words, "fruits" for palm-trees and pomegranates. By commerce he means buying.

as-Sawi: "remembrance of Allah" means its duties like the prayer or other things.

al-Qurtubi:

Ibn 'Abbas said that "zakat" here means obeying of Allah and sincerity since not every believer has wealth.

as-Sawi: He means performing the prayer at its times with all its preconditions and essential elements.

Ibn Juzayy:

i.e. agitated due to the intensity of terror and fear. It is said that the hearts will understand and the eyes will see after haveing been blind because the realities will be unveiled at that time. The first is sound by His words, "When your eyes rolled and your hearts rose to your throats." (33:10)

Al-Qurtubi:

That is the Day of Rising. The hearts will be physically in the throats due to intense terror, and blind eyes made to see. It is said that the hearts will be moving between desire for salvation and fear of destruction, and the eyes will be looking about to see from which side they will receive their books which contain the record of their actions. It is said that the doubts will be removed as Allah says, "We have stripped you of your covering and today your sight is sharp." (50:22)

It is said that they will be turned over on the coals in Jahannam as it says, "On the day when their faces are rolled over (tuqallibu) in the Fire." (33:66)

as-Sawi: Even though those men do a lot of dhikr and pious actions, they still fear Allah Almighty because they know that they have not worshipped him as he should be worshipped. On the Day of Rising, they will be in absolute, not knowing where to turn.

Ruh al-Bayan: This continues the description of the men mentioned in the ayat. Fear is the opposite of security. Taqallub is to change from one state to another. Qalb (heart) is derived from this verb, because of the changeability of the heart.. Basar is used for the the eye itself and the faculty of sight. When the heart is agitated and distressed like this, it feels like it is rising to the throat. People are like this because they do not know where they will be saved or destroyed.

"Rewar" is connected to what is before it, or to a verb in the meaning of what is before it. "The best of what they did" implies the repayment of the best of what they were doing.

as-Sawi: He will repay them for their good actions, but will not be paid back for their ugly deeds.

i.e. increase beyond the reward they deserve for their actions, one good action being counted ten or more.

as-Sawi: His giving is not confined to repaying their actions, but He gives them things which had never occurred to their minds.

Al-Qurtubi:

i.e. without reckoning what He gives since there is no limit to His giving.

as-Sawi: This is a promise that He will give to them beyond the wages for their actions. This alludes to the fact that Allah will give them "what the eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and what has not occurred to the heart of man."

Ruh al-Bayan: Many of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, said that this ayat was revealed about the people of the markets who, went they heard the call to prayer, left their work and went to the prayer. It was not revealed about the Ahl as-Suffa and those like them who had abandoned trade and clung to the mosques.

This ayat does not forbid work and trade or dislike it, but it forbids being distracted by it so that one forgets the prayers and other acts of worship.

If it is asked why men are mentioned here and not women, the answer is that the Jumu'a prayer and group prayers in the mosques are not obligatory for women.

Ibn Juzayy:

After Allah mentioned the state of the believers, He followed that with two examples of the actions of the unbelievers. The first necessitates that their actions in the Next World they will not benefit them. Indeed, their reward will vanish like the mirage vanishes. The second refers the state of their actions in this world where they are in extreme of corruption and misguidance, like darknesses one on top of another. Here the mirage is what is seen in the deserts from the light of the sun in the heat so that it seems as if it were flowing over the land. Qi'a is the plural of q�', which is land which is stretched out, and it is said that it means qa' and is not plural.

Ruh al-Bayan: He mentions their good actions like freeing slaves, giving to relatives, giving water to pilgrims and those in distress: these actions will vanish like the mirage.

Zam'an means thirsty, i.e. the thirsty man supposes that the mirage is water and so he comes to bring it. When he comes to it, his hopes are dashed and what he thought proves false. It is like that with the unbelievers who think that their actions will benefit them. On the Day of Rising they will not benefit them. They are like the mirage which fades away.

The pronoun of the subject refers to the thirsty man and the pronoun of the object to the mirage, or the pronoun of the subject to the unbeliever and the pronoun of the object to his action.

(he finds it to be nothing) i.e. nothing to help him because it is non-existent. It is possible that the pronoun of the subject refers to the thirsty man and the pronoun of the object to the mirage, or the pronoun of the subject to the unbeliever and the pronoun of the object to his action.

Al-Qurtubi:

Allah makes this a metaphor for the rejectors who rely on their actions, and when they come to Allah, they find the reward of their actions is nothing because of their disbelief.

as-Sawi: just as the thirsty man is desperately disappointed when he find that there is no water, so the unbeliever will be full of regret when he does not find the reward he expected on the Day of Rising, but rather finds a painful punishment.

The pronoun in "he finds" refers to the unbeliever and the pronoun in "'indahu" to his action. The meaning is that He finds Allah there with the repayment, or he finds the Zabaniyya of Allah.

al-Qurtubi:

"He finds Allah there" means that he finds Allah's promise to repay him for his actions. It is said that that he finds the command of Allah when he is gathered, and this is close to the other meaning.

Ruh al-Bayan: He finds Allah's judgement and Decree.

Ibn Juzayy:

This is the second metaphor. It is joined to His words, "like a mirage." The actions of the unbeliever are likened to darkness, i.e. they are part of misguidance and confusion in the darkness gathered together in the sea under a wave under the cloud.

Al-Qurtubi:

Al-Jurjani said that the first ayat is about the actions of rejectors, and the second is about their disbelief.

Jalalayn:

This ayat is about their evil deeds.

As-Sawi: The first ayat about the mirage refers to their righteous actions and this ayat refers to their evil actions.

Ibn Juzayy:

Related to lujj, which is an immense expanse of water. Some of them believe that the parts of this example refer the parts of that to which it is likened, so the darkness are the actions of the unbeliever, the sea is his breast and the wave is his ignorance and the cloud is the covering which is over his heart. Some of them believe that it a simple example which these qualities do not correspond to the description of the clouds for stress, as He described light before this for emphasis.

al-Qurtubi:

Lujja is that whose bottom cannot be reached, and it is an immense body of water. The verb is used for a sea when its waves crash together. It also conveys a sense of turmoil and confused noise.

There is a wave above that great sea, and another wave above that wave, and above this second wave is a cloud, and so there is combined fear of the wave, fear of the wind and fear of the cloud. It is said to be wave on top of wave, or wave after wave. There is fear because the stars are blotted out and there is no guidance, and there is fear because of the wind is moving everything.

There is the darkness of the cloud, the darkness of the wave, the darkness of the night and the darkness of the sea, so that one cannot see a thing.

It is said that what is meant by these darknesses are the actions of the unbeliever, and the bottomless sea is his heart. The wave over wave which covers his heart is ignorance, doubt and confusion. The cloud is dust and the seal on his heart.

Ubayy ibn Ka'b said, "The unbeliever is transformed into five darknesses: his words are darkness, his actions are darkness, his going in is darkness, his going out is darkness, and he will go to darkness on Day of Rising to the Fire, an evil end."

Ibn Juzayy:

The meaning is to stess the intensity of the darkness. The pronoun "he" and what follows it refers to the man who falls into the darkness described. They disagree about the interpretation of the words. It is said that the meaning is: when he puts out his hand, he can not see it. So He negated seeing and its approximation. It is said that he sees it after great difficulty because "he can scarcely" negates the positive. If it is positive, it demands the negation. Ibn 'Atiyya said: that is when the letter of negation enters the verb after it.

Ibn Juzayy:

i.e. the one whom Allah does not guide is not guided. Light is an allusion to guidance and belief in this world. It is said that He means in the Next World, i.e. the one to whom Allah shows no mercy has no mercy. The first is more in keeping with what preceded it.

Al-Qurtubi:

Ibn 'Abbas said, "The one for whom Allah does give a deen has no deen, and the one for whom Allah does not make a light by which he will walk on the Day of Rising will not be guided to the Garden." As He says, "He will grant you a light by which to walk" (57:28). Az-Zajjaj said that that is in this world, so that one whom Allah does not guide is not guided.

Anas said that the Prophet said, "Allah created me from light and He created Abu Bakr from my light, and He created 'Umar and 'A'isha from the light of Abu Bakr, and He created the male believers of my community from the light of 'Umar and He created the female believers of my community from the light of 'A'isha, Whoever does not live me or love Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'A'isha has no light."

As-Sawi: one can infer from this that light is not by strength nor power, but it is a blessing which Allah grants to whomever He wishes. It means that whoever Allah does not appoint a deen for and faith has no deen.

Surat al-Ma'un

[Tafsir of al-Ma'un taken from a number of traditional sources]

107

Al-Ma'un � Helping Others

In the name of Allah, All-Merciful, Most Merciful

1 Have you seen him who denies the deen?

2 He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan

3 and does not urge the feeding of the poor.

4 So woe to those who pray,

5 and are forgetful of their prayer.

6 Those who show off

and deny help to others.

Al-Iklil of as-Suyuti:

He only has one page on this sura. This is very much a tafsir bi'r-riwaya. As-Suyuti (d. 911/1505) was a famous Egyptian Shafi'i scholar. He takes a very simple approach, looking for any judgements contained in the ayats or any hadiths about it. He starts with the meaning

2. "Harshly rebuffs" means "he is hard to him and wrongs him," according to Ibn Abi Hatim.

4. "those who are forgetful of their prayer." The Prophet said that "they are those who delay the prayer beyond its time." (at-Tabari, at-Tabarani and Abu Ya'la from the hadith of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas. Al-Firyabi has it mawquf and al-Hakim and al-Bayhaqi considered it sound.) Mus'ab, Sa'd's son, asked him about this, "Which of us does not forget? Which of us does not have his self speak to him?" He replied, "That is not what it is about. It is about missing the time." (Ibn Abi Hatim) Abu'l-'Aliyya said, "It is reciting this and that, looking to his right and his left."

6 "those who show off" criticises showing off.

7. "deny help to others." This is encouragement for making the 'ariyya - the loan of the use of something. An-Nasa'i transmitted from Ibn Mas'ud, "We considered the ma'un in the time of the Messenger of Allah to be the lending of a bucket or pot." Al-Bazzar added, "Or an axe." Ibn Abi Hatim transmitted it with "Loans means pots, scales, and buckets." Ibn Jarir said, "We said that denying help was to refuse to lend a bucket and the like." Ibn Abi Hatim transmitted from the hadith of 'A'id ibn Rabi'a an-Namiri said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "So not deny help." They asked, "And what is denying help?" He said, "It is in [lending] stones, iron and water." Sa'id ibn Mansur reported that Ibn 'Abbas said, "That it is the lending of things." It is, however, reported from 'Ali that it is refusing to pay zakat. Ibn 'Umar said, "Ma'un is the property whose right is paid." 'Ikrima said, "The head of ma'un is the zakat on property and the least of it is a shovel, bucket and needle.' Muhammad ibn Ka'b said that is an act of charity (ma'ruf).

Ibn Juzayy

Ibn Juzayy is a little earlier than as-Suyuti. He was from Granada and a Maliki (d. 741/1340). His tafsir is entitled at-Tahsil fi 'Ulum at-Tafsir (Making Things Easy in the Sciences of Tafsir). Instead of immediately starting with the meanings, he begins by telling us when it was sent down, and then deals with each individual ayat:

The first three ayats are Makkan and the rest Madinan. It has 7 ayats. and it was sent down after al-Takathur.

"Have you seen him who denies the deen?" It is said that this was sent down about Abu Jahl and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. It was said that it is general. Here the deen can mean the religion or the repayment.

"He is the one who rebuffs the orphan" i.e. repels him with harshness. This repelling can be in not feeding him and not being good to him or about his property and rights. This is stronger criticism than "and does not urge feeding the poor". He does not feed him "properly". This sentence is the apodosis of "Have you seen?" because its meaning is: "Inform me". It is as if it is a question. The meaning is: look at the one who denies the deen and you will find these ugly questions and evil actions. That is because the deen moves the one who has it to do good actions and abandoning evil actions. So the aim of the words is to censure the rejectors and their states, who were doing all of these things.

"So woe to those who pray, who are forgetful of their prayer" It is said that this was sent down about 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the famous hypocrite in Madina. According to this, half of the sura is Makkan and half of it is Madinan. Abu Zayd as-Suhayl said that. That is because that the mention of Abu Jahl and other rejectors comes mostly in the Makkan suras. Unmindfulness in the prayer and showing off in it are part of the attributes of those who were in Madina, especially according to the words of the one who says that it is about 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy. It is also said that it is all Makkan, which is the most well known view. According to this, the end of it was sent down about a man who became Muslim in Makka and did not have sound belief. It is also said that it is Madinan and that unmindfulness of the prayer means abandoning it and delaying it beyond its time. 'Ata' ibn Yasar said, "Praise be to Allah who said, 'unmindful of their prayer' and did not say 'in their prayer.'"

"those who show off"  It comes from showing off, i.e. their prayer is to show off to people, not for Allah.

"and deny help" He describes them as being miserly and not helping people. Four things are said about ma'un. The first is that it is zakat. The second is that it means wealth in the dialect of Quraysh. The third is that it is denying water. The fourth is that it refers to what people give to one another, like vessels, axes, buckets and scissors. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked, "What is it lawful to refuse to give?" He replied, "Water, fire, salt," and it adds in some versions, "needles and yeast."

Ahkam al-Qur'an: Qadi Ibn al-'Arabi

"The Judgements of the Qur'an" This is clearly about legal rulings as is the casee with many tafsirs. Qadi Ibn al-'Arabi (d. 543/1148) came from Seville and was qadi there for the Murabitun, and finished his life in Morocco after the Muwahhidun came to power where he eventually died.

There are three points in "those who are forgetful of their prayer".

1. Forgetfulness is abandoning, and that can be either intentional or unintentional. It is is intentional, that is deliberate, If it is unintentional, it is forgetfulness (sahw) for which there is no responsibility.

2. It is impossible for the forgetful person to be responsible because he does not understand the requirement. If it is asked, "How can the one who does not understand criticism be criticised or the one who is not responsible be charged with responsibility?" there are two aspects to the answer. One is that if the person had an intention to leave the prayer, he is censured when the time of the prayer comes, whether if he was heedless at that actual moment or if it is simply his habit to omit it. Then censure is always connected to him. This does not include the one who overlooks something in his prayer.

3. It is impossible to be completely free of forgetfulness. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forgot in his prayer as did the Companions. If someone does not ever forget in his prayer, that is a person who does not reflect and does not understand his recitation. His concern is for the number of rak'ats. This is a man who eats the husk and leaves the core. The only thing that made the Prophet forget in his prayer was reflecting on what was greater than it. O Allah, may a person who forgets in his prayer not be the one who turns to the whispering of shaytan when he tells him, "Remember this. Remember that," until he does not remember how much he has prayed.

"Those who show off and deny help to others."

Ibn Wahb said that Malik said that these are the hypocrites who make a show of their prayer. A hypocrite shows people that he is praying in obedience to Allah, but he is praying out of taqiyya (dissimulation). A fasiq prays so that he will be accepted as someone who prays.

The reality of riya' is to seek this world by worship. Its basis is to seek to enjoy a position in people's hearts. The beginning of it is good reputation, and he desires to obtain rank and praise by that. The second level is showing off by wearing short clothes and coarse clothes to give an appearance of asceticism in this world. The third is to show off by verbal expression by displaying anger against the people of this world and admonition while he actually regrets not having wealth and their worship. The fourth is making a public display of the prayer and sadaqa or making the prayer appear good so that people will see it. It is also making the prayer long.

"deny help to others" has 3 points.

1. The first is the definition of the word. Ma'�n is derived from the verb help (a'ana). It means to assist with strength, tools and means to make something easy.

2. The second point refers to the positions of scholars on it. Scholars have 6 views on the meaning of ma'�n.

1. Malik says that it refers to zakat, and that it means that the hypocrite refuses to pay it. Abu Bakr ibn 'Abdu'l-'Aziz reported that Malik said, "I have heard that this is meaning of the words of Allah, 'So woe to those who pray, who are forgetful of their prayer. Those who show off and deny help to others.' The hypocrite is the one who, when he prays, does so to show off. If he misses the prayer, he feels no regret. They refuse to pay the zakat which Allah has obliged on them." Zayd ibn Aslam said, "If the prayer had been lightened for them like zakat, they would not have prayed."

2. Ibn Shihab says that it means wealth.

3. Ibn 'Abbas said that it is what people lend to one another.

4. It is pots, buckets, axes and the like.

5. It is water and pasturage.

6. It is water alone.

3. The third point is that since it is clear the ma'un is part of help, that is why the commentators have mentioned all types of help. The greatest of them is zakat. The level of censure is compensurate with the extent of refusal to pay. Lending something is not a personal obligation, but a general one, and Allah knows best.

"Woe" can only be used for someone who denies the obligation, and that is how they define it.

Al-Qurtubi:

Al-Qurtubi (d. 671/1273), as his name shows, was from Cordoba. He is a famous mufassir and his 20 volume tafsir is called al-Jami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an. He delights in the meanings of the various qira'at and the diversity of views of different commentators which produce layered meanings. As the title implies, he particularly concentrates on the legal rulings in the text.

He says that there are six points in this sura.

"The one who denies the deen" is the one who denies that there will be repayment and reckoning in the next World. There is disagreement about whom it was revealed. It is reported from Ibn 'Abbas that it was revealed about al-'As ibn Wa'il as-Sahmi. Al-Kalbi and Muqatil also said that. It is reported that ad-Dahhak said, "It was revealed about a man of the hypocrites." As-Suddi said that it was revealed about al-Walid ibn al-Mughira. It is also said that it was revealed about Abu Jahl. Ad-Dahhak also said that it was revealed about 'Amr ibn A'idh. Ibn Jurayj said it was about Abu Sufyan who used to slaughter a camel every week. When an orphan asked him for some of it, he hit him with a stick, Ibn 'Abbas says that it means he drives the orphan away from what is his right. Qatada said he wrongs him. The Prophet said about the orphan, "If someone takes care of a Muslim orphan until he becomes independent, the Garden is mandatory for him."

2. "He does not does not urge the feeding of the poor" because of his miserliness and denying the final repayment in the Next World. That is like the words of Allah, "nor did he urge the feeding of the poor." (69:34). Censure is not general and so it does not apply to someone who is unable to do it. Rather it is those who were miserly and made excuses for themselves. They say, as in Yasin (36:47), "Why should we feed someone whom, if He willed, Allah would feed Himself?" This ayat was revealed about those people. It means: They do not do it when they are able to do, and they do not urge if when they are unable to do it.

3. Then about "woe to those who pray" ad-Dahhak reported from Ibn 'Abbas that this is about the one who prays without hoping for a reward, and if he leaves off doing it, he does not fear a penalty for not doing it. He also said that it is those who delay the prayer beyond its time." Ibrahim said that it is delaying it beyond the time, saying that "sahun" means "missing the moment". Abu'l-'Aliyya said that they do not pray the prayer at its time and do not fully complete the ruku' and prostration."

This also refers to the words of Allah, "An evil generation succeeded them who neglected the prayer." (19:59) Ibrahim also said that it refers to someone who, when he prostrates, moves his head as if he were turning. Qutrub says, "He does not recite nor remember Allah." The reading of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud had "those who are diverted from their prayer" (lah�n instead of sah�n). Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas said that it refers to delaying it beyond its time because they think little of doing so.

Ibn 'Abbas said that it is the hypocrites who abandon the prayer secretly while they pray it openly. They are described in "When they get up to pray, they get up lazily, showing off to people, and only remembering Allah a little." (4:142) This indicates that the hypocrites are meant here. Ibn Wahb reported that from Malik. Ibn 'Abbas pointed out that if it had been about the believers, Allah would have said, "those who are heedless in their prayer." 'Ata' said, "Praise be to Allah! He said 'of their prayer' and not 'in their prayer!'" Az-Zamakhshari discussed this difference and says that "of" means about doing it, and lack of concern for it, which is the action of the hypocrites or the impious Muslims. "In' is forgetfulness which occurs due to the whispering of shaytan or the chatter of the self of which no one is free. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forgot in his prayer and this is why fuqaha' have established the topic of the prostration of forgetfulness.'

[Then he quotes Ibn al-'Arabi in the Ahkam, already mentioned.]

4. The fourth point is on "those who show off." This is the point of Ibn al-'Arabi about the reality of showing off. He points out that he already mentioned the reality and rules of hypocrisy in other suras.

5. The fifth point is that a man is not showing off by displaying righteous action if it is obligatory. It is part of the right of obligations to made public and well known since the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "There is no veiling in the obligations of Allah" because they are the signs of Islam and hallmarks of the deen, and because someone who abandons them deserves to be censured and hated. So one removes suspicion by making them public. If the actions are voluntary, then a person should conceal those actions because he is not censured for leaving them or suspect in that. If he displays them with the intention that he will be imitated, then it is good. Showing off is when he intends to show them so that people will see him and praise him for righteousness. It is reported from one of them that he saw a man in a mosque who performed the prostration of thankfulness and made it long. He remarked, "How much better this would be if it had been done in your house!" He said this because he noticed in him the showing off and the desire for reputation.

The sixth point is about ma'un, and he says that there are 12 views about it:

1. Zakat on property as related by Ibn 'Abbas, 'Ali and Malik. What is meant is that the hypocrite refuses to pay it. Malik said, "I have heard that the words of Allah (quoting the ayat) mean that when the hypocrite prays, he prays to show off. If he misses the prayer, he does not regret it. Their denial of help means the zakat which Allah has obliged on them."

2. It means "wealth" in the dialect of Quraysh. Ibn Shihab and Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab stated that.

3. It is a generic noun for all household tools, like axes, pots, fire and the like. Ibn Mas'ud said that and it is also reported from Ibn 'Abbas.

4. Az-Zajjaj, Abu 'Ubayd and al-Mubarrad said that in the Jahiliyya ma'un designated all that contains some use, even an axe, pot, bucket and flint, and anything else which has a use, small or large. They said that ma'un in Islam is obeidence and zakat.

5. It is a loan ('ariyya). That is also reported from Ibn 'Abbas.

6. It is all forms of charity (ma'ruf) which people give to one another. Muhammad ibn Ka'b and al-Kalbi said that.

7. It is water and pasturage.

8. It is just water. Al-Farra' said that he heard some Arabs use ma'un to mean water.

9. It is refusing hand over to someone his right. 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said that.

10. It is the yield from the use of property, derived from ma'n (scarce) which means what is scarce. At-Tabari related that as did Ibn 'Abbas. Qutrub said that the root of ma'�n is scantness, ma'n. The Arabs say, "His property is ample, not scant (ma'na)." Allah referred to zakat, sadaqa and similar charity as ma'un becaue it is a little taken from a lot. Some people say that the root of ma'un is ma'�na, as al-Jawhari says. Ibn al-'Arabi says that ma'�n is a passive form from a'ana, yu'in, and 'awn means helping with strength, tools and the means to bring something about.

11. It is obedience and submission. Al-Akhfash reported a verbal usage of it when referring to a camel.

12. It is said that it is what unlawful to refuse, like water, salt and fire because 'A'isha said, "I said, 'Messenger of Allah what is it unlawful to refuse?' He replied, "Water, fire and salt." I said, "Messenger of Allah, I understand water, What about fire and salt?' He said, ''A'isha, if someone gives fire, it is as if he were giving as sadaqa all that is cooked with that fire. If someone gives salt, it is as if he is giving as sadaqa for all that is made tasty by that salt. If someone gives a drink of water when there is water available, it is as if he had set free sixty souls. If he gives a drink of water where there is no water available, it is as he gave life to soul. Whoever gives life to a soul, it is as if he had given life to all mankind." Ath-Tha'labi mentioned this in his tafsir and Ibn Majah transmitted it in the Sunan. There is some looseness in its isnad.

Al-Mawardi said that it is possible that it is helping with what is easy to do but which Allah has made heavy. Allah knows best. 'Ikrima was asked, "Will someone who refuses any goods to use have woe?" "No," he replied, but whoever combines all three will have woe: abandoning the prayer, showing off, and being miserly with help."

That is more applicable to the hypocrites because they have all three of these attributes. Allah says, "When they get up to pray, they get up lazily, showing off to people, and only remembering Allah a little." (4:142) and He says, "They only give reluctantly." (9:54) These are their states. It is unlikely that all of these will exist in a true Muslim. If some of them exist, he is rebuked: denying help when he is asked and abandoning the prayer, and Allah knows best. It is an ugly denial in good character when that is not necessary. Allah knows best.

Ruh al-Bayan

This Ruh al-Bayan is not the famous one, by one by a Turkish Shaykh, Isma'il Baqqi al-Burusawi, (d. 1123/1711). This is more of a Sufi tafsir.

"He does not urge": He does not encourage his family and other wealthy people. If he does not encourage others, how can be himself do it? "Feeding of the poor" ascribes "feeding" to the poor and indicates that the poor have a right and share in the property of the wealthy and that he is denying the poor his right to which he is entitled: this is extreme miserliness and hard-heartedness. If someone says, "A person may not encourage in many states and that is not considered a sin, so how can he be blamed for it?" The answer is, "Because his lack of urging it is due to his lack of belief in the reward. So his lack of urging indicates his miserliness and denying charity to the needy. This is why it is followed by "woe", because it denotes denial of the deen.

Forgetfulness is negligence. There are two types of that. One is that it does not have a cause and is not a result of something else, like a madman cursing a person. The second is that it is due to a cause, like someone drinking wine and then doing something objectionable which he did not intend to do. The first is overlooked but he is punished for the second. Part of it is what Allah has censured in this ayat. By "being forgetful of their prayer," what is meant is abandoning it, lack of concern for it, and paying little attention to it. That is the action of the hypocrites and believers who are fasiq. Anas said, "Praise be to Allah who said, 'unmindful of their prayer�'and did not say 'in their prayer.'" If He had said, "in their prayer", forgetfulness afflicts them while they are praying, either by the whispering of Shaytan or the chatter of the nafs, and a Muslim is not free of that and it is extremely difficult to be free of it. When this ayat was revealed, the Prophet said, "This is better for you than each of you being given the equivalent of the entire world."

Was there any forgetfulness (sahw) on the part of the Prophet? Yes, as he said, "They distracted us from the 'Asr prayer," meaning on the day of the Battle of the Ditch. "May Allah fill their hearts with fire!" He also forgot the Fajr prayer on the night when he overslept. He prayed Dhuhr with two rak'ats and then said the salam. Abu Bakr said to him, "You prayed two rak'ats." He stood and prayed two rak'ats. His forgetting in what we mentioned was not like the forgetfulness of the rest of people. The Prophet was constantly in absorption and attraction. He said, "My eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep." In it he indicates forgetfulness due to witnessing the subtle meanings of the prayer and heedlessness to its secrets and knowledges, Ibn Mas'ud recited lahun in place of sahun. If an intelligent person misses the prayer inasmuch as it is part of ascent and intimate conversation, he must not be careless in it by fiddling with the beard and clothes nor yawning a lot and looking about and the like. Some of those who pray do not how how much they have done or recited.

"Show off" They show off their actions to people so that they see them and are praised for them. Then one must combine the reality and the metaphor because praise is not connected to simply seeing something. It is applied to metaphors in general or to gnosis. It says in al-Kashshaf: "If a righteous action is fard, part of the right of obligations is that they are made public and known since the Prophet said, "There is no veiling in the obligations of Allah" because they are the signs of Islam and hallmarks of the deen, and because someone who abandons them deserves to be censured and hated. So he removes suspicion by making them public. If it is voluntary, then he should conceal them because he is not censured for leaving them or suspect in it. If he displays them with the intention that he will be imitated, then it is good. Showing off is when he intends to show them so that people will see him and praise him for righteousness." [Qurtubi]

It is difficult to avoid showing off because it is more hidden than the tiny black ant in a dark night on a black stone. The difference between the show off and the hypocrite is that the hypocrite conceals disbelief and makes a show of faith. The show off displays increased humility and the signs of righteousness so that those who see him will believe that he is one of the people of righteousness. The reality of showing is to seek this world through worship. It indicates that a person who attributes his actions and advancement to himself shows off.

"Denies help" From ma'n, which is the scant thing. Zakat is called ma'un because it is 2.5% of property which is little from a lot. Abu'l-Layth said, "Ma'un means wealth in the dialect of the Abyssinians."

The meaning is: they refuse to pay zakat, as is indicated because it follows mention of the prayer. Or it refers to what people normally lend to one another. If there is lack of concern for orphans and the poor, that comes from lack of belief in the reward and as such deserves censure and rebuke. Even more worthy to rebuke is lack of concern for the prayer which is the pillar of the deen and showing off which is a branch of kufr and refusing zakat which is the supporting arch of Islam and constitutes bad behaviour with people. How many do you see among those call themselves Muslim? Indeed, there are scholars among them who are like this. What a misfortune!

What is meant by what people normally lend to one another is what they lend to help one another, lending things like axes, pots, buckets, needles, plates, spindles, fire, water, and salt and the like, even if your neighbour asks to cook in your oven or leave his goods with you for a day and a half. 'A'isha said, "Messenger of Allah, what is it unlawful to refuse?' He replied, "Water, fire and salt." I said, "Messenger of Allah, I understand water, What about fire and salt?' He said, 'Humayra', if someone gives fire, it is as if he were giving as sadaqa all that is cooked with that fire. If someone gives salt, it is as if he is giving as sadaqa for all that is made tasty by that salt. If he gives a drink of water where there is no water, it ia as he gave life to soul. " This is in the Kashf al-Asrar. It is forbidden to refuse thee things in the Shari'a when they are borrowed because of need. It is ugly in good character when it is not a case of need.