Tafseer

Why is emphasis important? It proves truthfulness. For example, if you says “Khalid stopped by today” and your friend says “Khalid didn’t stop by today,” and you say “I swear by Allah that he stopped by today,” that proves your truthfulness. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) doesn’t need any emphasis–what He says is always true! Yet He still emphasizes. Whenever He emphasizes something, pay close attention, and realize that what He says immediately afterward is very important.

Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) was a great companion and a great scholar. In fact, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) made du’a for him, that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) grants him knowledge of the deen. Even more amazing then this, Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) once made du’a and said, “O Allah! teach him wisdom (i.e. the understanding of the knowledge of Qur’an).” [Bukhari 5/57/100] This is why his tafseer carries a heavy weight, even today, more then a millenium after his death.

Whenever Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) mentions the Fire, He (سبحانه وتعالى) always mentions a fire exit–usually immediately afterwards. There’s always a chance to escape. But once you die, there’s no fire exit. For example, in Surah Baqarah, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ وَلَن تَفْعَلُواْ فَاتَّقُواْ النَّارَ الَّتِي وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِين آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَار Translation: But if you cannot–and you can never do it–then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and the stones, prepared for the Unbelievers.

In Surah Fatiha, Allah Almighty says: غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ Translation: Not of those who earned your anger, nor of those astray. From this verse, scholars mention that we identify three levels of practice. First, there are those who don’t know–they don’t know about Islam. They don’t know about the truth. Or they don’t know enough–for example, how to pay zakaah. These are the ones mentioned as gone astray (الضَّالِّينَ).

On the authority of Abu al-‘Abbas Sahl bin Sa’d al-Sa’idi (رضي الله عنه) who said: A man came to the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, direct me to an act which if I do it, [will cause] Allah to love me and people to love me.” He (صلي الله عليه وسلم) answered: “Be indifferent to the world and Allah will love you; be indifferent to what people possess and they will love you.

Most of the ayat in the Qur’an that are directed to non-Muslims, are directed to mushrikeen–those who commit shirk. In fact, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) spells out, in painful detail, just how dangerous shirk is. Read and remember. The Unforgivable Sin Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, in Surah Nisaa: إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا Translation: Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.

In many places in the Qur’an, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) makes this statement: لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُون Transliteration: Laa khawfun `alayhim wa laa hum yahzanuwn Translation: No fear upon them and they will not grieve. You can locate this in many ayat of the Quran, such as: Surah Baqarah verse 38, Surah al-An’aam verse 48, and Surah Yunus verse 62, and others. We’ll break this statement into two parts inshaAllah: the first part, it deals with fear (laa khawfun `alayhim), and the second deals with grief (wa laa hum yuhzinuwn).

In Surah Ibrahim, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) gives us the metaphor of the kalimah (la ilaha ilallah) as a beautiful tree. The verse is: أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللّهُ مَثَلاً كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاء Translation: Have you not seen how Allah has given the parable of a beautiful kalimah, like a beautiful tree, whose roots are firmly established, and whose branches tower in the sky? (Surah Ibrahim, verse 24)1

Tabaarak (تَبَارَك) has many meanings. The root word (ba-ra-kaf; like barakah) means: To Remain/Linger. This is why a pool of water is called birkah in Arabic. Same word. To Nurture/Generate. Connotations are that it increases. Under Shari’ah, the divine law of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), tabaarak means: the presence of divine blessings in an object, and an increase of those blessings. It also means: an increase in the amount of good in something.

19) Ease and Light Crossing the Sirat Towards the end of Judgement Day–a day that will last 50 000 years (Surah Al-Maarij, verse 4)1, after the judgement has been decreed, the people will have to cross the Sirat–a bridge sharper then a sword and thinner then a hair2, that runs over Hell–in order to get to Jannah. People will fall off–there will be hooks like thorns of a size known only to Allah, to snag people into the Fire.