بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
"Indeed whosoever purifies himself shall achieve success"
A suggested way, which is beneficial for teachers whenever they want to talk about a topic in the Qur'an:
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Allah revealed the Qur'an in order for it to be a purification of our souls. If you understand it, you will reach certainty in knowledge, and when you reach certain knowledge, you will take an action. This action indicates you have reached certainty, and is تزكية (Purification) in other words.
If you do not take an action after you ponder over the Qur'an, you have not fulfilled the purpose behind the revelation of the Qur'an - which is purification of your soul.
Allah said in Surah Al-A'la [87:14]:
And in Surah Ta-Ha [20:76], Allah promised Paradise for those who purify their souls:
"Gardens of perpetual residence beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. And that is the reward of one who purifies himself."
تزكية النفس (Purification of the Soul) includes two things:
1) Purifying yourself from bad characteristics
2) Developing good characteristics within yourself.
How do I purify myself with the Qur'an?
You could focus on one action of Allah, understand it from the interpretations of the Scholars in the Tafseer Books, and ponder over how you can apply it in your life.
E.g. ربطنا. It is also mentioned in Surah Al-Kahf, in the Story of the People of the Cave. Allah tied their hearts, because they needed it, especially when they seperated from their families. This is just like the mother of Musa عليه السلام when she threw her son into the river.
It could be a story you ponder over in the Qur'an and understand according to the Tafseer Books, or a Surah you ponder over the Qur'an.
E.g. Surah Maryam talks about the mercy of Allah with His worshippers. How would this purify your soul? If you understand this Surah very well, especially through the story of Maryam عليه السلام, it would purify your heart from despairing in the mercy of Allah and سوء الظن بالله (Bad Thinking about Allah). It teaches you that these people went through difficulties in their lives, and Allah was Merciful with them. No matter what distress you are going through, Allah is الرحمن الرحيم.
Surah Al-Anbiya Part 2
The word ذكر is mentioned 11 times in this Surah.
In [21:50]:
"And this is a blessed Reminder (the Quran) which We have sent down, will you then (dare to) deny it?"
Allah mentioned that this Qur'an is a blessed ذكر (Reminder) from Allah and in [21:48] He mentions that He gave Musa عليه السلام a ذكر (Reminder) as well - The Torah:
"And indeed We granted to Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) the criterion (of right and wrong), and a shining light [i.e. the Taurat (Torah)] and a Reminder for Al-Muttaqun"
And this ذكر (reminder) that was sent with the Prophets includes calling people to Tawheed - the oneness of Allah - and (as this Surah particularly mentions,) the Day of Judgement. In the first verse:
"Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness."
Another matter which this Surah particularly emphasizes are the Prophets and their دعاء (Supplications) All the Prophets went through distress, and Allah mentions what they did and said at the time of distress; how they invoked Allah.
دعاء (Supplication) is a special type of ذكر.
The Theme of the Surah: The Message of the Prophets was Tawheed and calling people to believe in the Day of Judgement.
In Verse 25:
"And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."
And in Verse 29:
"And whoever of them should say, "Indeed, I am a god besides Him"- that one We would recompense with Hell. Thus do We recompense the wrongdoers."
After this (in Verses 30 to 33), Allah mentions the signs of His وحدنية (oneness). Then, in Verse 108:
"Say (O Muhammad ﷺ): "It is revealed to me that your Ilah (God) is only one Ilah (God - Allah). Will you then submit to His Will (become Muslims and stop worshipping others besides Allah)?"
Allah also mentions the response of their people.
The Connection between the Beginning and the End of the Surah:
The Beginning of the Surah:
In Verse 1:
"Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness."
The Surah began mentioning the approach of The Hour, but how do people receive it? With heedlessness and aversion.
In Verses 2-3:
"Comes not unto them an admonition (a chapter of the Quran) from their Lord as a recent revelation but they listen to it while they play"
"With their hearts occupied (with evil things) those who do wrong, conceal their private counsels, (saying): "Is this (Muhammad ﷺ) more than a human being like you? Will you submit to magic while you see it?"
In Verse 5:
"Nay, they say:"These (revelations of the Quran which are inspired to Muhammad ﷺ) are mixed up false dreams! Nay, he has invented it! Nay, he is a poet! Let him then bring us an Ayah (sign as a proof) like the ones (Prophets) that were sent before (with signs)"
The Quraish did not just receive the ذكر by turning away; they called the Qur'an magic and mixed up false dreams, as well as accusing the Prophet ﷺ of being a poet and a liar.
The End of the Surah:
In Verse 112:
"He (Muhammed ﷺ) said:"My Lord! Judge You in truth! Our Lord is the Most Beneficent, Whose Help is to be sought against that which you attribute (unto Allah that He has offspring, and unto Muhammad ﷺ that he is a sorcerer, and unto the Quran that it is poetry, etc.)!"
The Prophet ﷺ made a دعاء (supplication) when his people received the ذكر as mentioned in the beginning. Even the Prophet ﷺ made a دعاء in this Surah, and it is a type of ذكر.
When Allah taught the Prophet ﷺ this dua, it is as if He is saying: Say this Dua, and I will respond to you, and I will show the disbelievers the evil consequence of what they said. And this happened in the Battle of Badr.
The Surah began talking about the disbelievers disbelief of the Day of Judgement, them calling the Qur'an mixed up dreams and magic, and the Prophet ﷺ a poet. Allah ended the Surah defending the Qur'an and Muhammad ﷺ. In Verses 106-112:
"Verily, in this (the Quran) there is a plain Message for people who worship Allah"
هاذا = This Qur'an
البلاغ - The Qur'an is sufficient for you from everything else. With the Qur'an, you will attain your goal and reach your Lord as well as the Abode of Dignity;Paradise. With this Qur'an, you will attain every good.
But for whom? "لقوم عابدين" - For people who worship Allah.
If you notice, Allah particularly praises the Prophets in this Surah as being عابدين.
"And We have sent you (O Muhammad ﷺ) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)."
Allah did not send you O Muhammed ﷺ except to be a mercy to the world. But who will attain this mercy? Only who accept the Prophet ﷺ as their Messenger.
Allah then orders the Prophet ﷺ to say in Verse 108:
"Say (O Muhammad ﷺ): "It is revealed to me that your Ilah (God) is only one Ilah (God - Allah). Will you then submit to His Will (become Muslims and stop worshipping others besides Allah)?"
"But if they (disbelievers, idolaters, Jews, Christians, polytheists, etc.) turn away (from Islamic Monotheism) say (to them O Muhammad ﷺ): "I give you a notice to be known to us all alike. And I know not whether that which you are promised (i.e. the torment or the Day of Resurrection) is near or far."
ءاذنتكم - I will teach you about the consequence of your turning away, so that now your knowledge and my knowledge is سواء (the same). We both know the result if you turn away from Tawheed, so you have no excuse with Allah that you do not know.
And I do not know when the punishment will come to you, but I am sure that it will come.
"And I know not, perhaps it may be a trial for you, and an enjoyment for a while."
But I know that Allah delaying the punishment is a فتنة for you. Because when people do not see the punishment of Allah, they transgress in evil more.
Then Allah mentions the دعاء of Muhammed ﷺ in response to the turning away of his people in Verse 112:
""He (Muhammed ﷺ) said:"My Lord! Judge You in truth! Our Lord is the Most Beneficent, Whose Help is to be sought against that which you attribute (unto Allah that He has offspring, and unto Muhammad ﷺ that he is a sorcerer, and unto the Quran that it is poetry, etc.)!"
الرحمن
Allahs Mercy is shown in sending the Qur'an, sending the Prophet ﷺ as a mercy for mankind, in telling the people about the Day of Judgement. And of the Mercy of Allah is that there is a Day of Judgement. There should be a day for those who oppress in the Dunya. That is why the name of Allah الرحمن is so suitable in this context.
المستعان
I will not seek the help of anyone except Allah for what you forge of attributes.
-> Verses 51 to 93 are all about the Prophets.
Allah emphasizes the humanity of the Prophets in this Surah. They were humans and Allah afflicted some with prosperity (like Sulayman عليه السلام) so they showed gratitude, and afflicted others with adversity (like Ayyub عليه السلام), so they showed patience.
Allah praised their patience, when He said in Verse 85:
"And (remember) Isma'il (Ishmael), and Idris (Enoch) and Dhul-Kifl (Isaiah), all were from among As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.)."
The Prophets are a good example for us. Whenever we go through any calamity in our lives, we should be like them. We should direct our hearts and our attention to Allah; invoking Him. Because no one can remove our distress except Allah. They sincerely supplicated to Allah and had full and complete submission to the Qadar of Allah. Allah mentioned their stories to us in this Surah to take them as an example in times of prosperity and adversity.
When you know the general meaning of the Surah, it will help you when you read verse by verse. There are so many matters in this Surah with which we can purify our souls - like Tawheed and the Day of Judgement. Also, following the Prophet is by itself a means of purification of our souls.
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Generally, if you want to study a certain topic or word in the Qur'an, what are the steps should you follow?
A suggested way, which is beneficial for teachers whenever they want to talk about a topic in the Qur'an:
E.g. The Word تزكية
#1 - Find the root word in Arabic
زكى
#2 - Go to the Qur'an Dictionary and find all the verses which mentioned this word in its different derivations
E.g. أزكى، زَكَّاهَا، تزكية،
#3 - Make a Table and arrange the word according to the sequence of the Qur'an
i.e. The Name of the Surah - Verse Number - Verse Itself - Tafseer
#4 - Come out with the statistics.
I.e. How many times it is mentioned in verb form, noun form, etc.
#5 - Notice the context (سياق) of the verses
Look at the context of every verse you have written - then you would know why it is mentioned.
#6 - Compile the Tafseer of the علماء
Check what As-Sa'di said, What Tabari said, What Ibn Katheer said, What Qurtubi said regarding that verse.
If you complete the table you would get the complete picture regarding that particular word in the entire Qur'an.
The Word تزكية:
Table Document: Table for the Word Zaka
You notice that it is mentioned in the beginning of the Qur'an, then not mentioned until you reach the middle of the Qur'an, then not mentioned until you reach the end of the Qur'an.
The word in the beginning Surahs of the Qur'an take a similar form (Allah uses the word يزكيهم), wheras towards the end of the Qur'an, it is mentioned in a different form (زَكَّاهَا, تزكى).
After you list the verses, go through the Tafseers of each verse one by one and write it down. Underline the part particular to that word, and you would come out with what the Scholars have said regarding that particular word.
Apply this to any word you want to study in the Qur'an.
If you want to study a word, the themes of the Surahs you list should revolve around this word.
E.g. Surah AlBaqarah teaches you how to attain تزكية النفس (Purification of the Soul) - through submission.
E.g. The Word تزكى in Surah Ta-Ha
Allah mentioned the word "تزكى" in [20:75-76]:
"But whoever comes to Him (Allah) as a believer (in the Oneness of Allah, etc.), and has done righteous good deeds, for such are the high ranks (in the Hereafter),"
"Adn (Edn) Paradise (everlasting Gardens), under which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever: such is the reward of those who purify themselves [(by abstaining from all kinds of sins and evil deeds) which Allah has forbidden and by doing all that which Allah has ordained)]."
Look at the Surah through the perspective of this word.The word تزكى is the theme of this Surah now.
In Verse 2 - 3:
"We have not sent down the Quran unto you to cause you distress"
"But only as a Reminder to those who fear (Allah)."
In Verses 4-8, Allah praises His Noble Self.
Then, in Verse 9 Allah mentions Musa عليه السلام; How Allah directly revealed to Musa عليه السلام, and there is a تزكية in that revelation. In Verses 13-16:
"And I have chosen you, so listen to what is revealed [to you]."
"Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance."
"Indeed, the Hour is coming - I almost conceal it - so that every soul may be recompensed according to that for which it strives."
"So do not let one avert you from it who does not believe in it and follows his desire, for you [then] would perish."
The Purification is in:
1) Establishing Prayer
2) Remembering the Hour
3) Do not let those who do not believe in the judgement and obey their divert you from the path, otherwise you will perish (تردى)
تردى is the opposite of تزكى; because you will be successful if you purify yourself.
This is the beginning of the Surah.
The Context of Verse 76 (Where Allah mentions the word تزكى)
In Verse 61:
"Musa (Moses) said to them: "Woe unto you! Invent not a lie against Allah, lest He should destroy you completely by a torment. And surely, he who invents a lie (against Allah) will fail miserably."
Allah mentions the story of the magicians of Pharoah and how Musa عليه السلام talked to them; The magicians and Musa عليه السلام met behind the scenes before they were out with the people.
When Musa عليه السلام threatened them with the torment of Allah, his words reached their hearts, because they were on the فطرة (natural disposition). Some of them became afraid, and they began to dispute with each other, then resolved to stay firm and stand in one line against Musa عليه السلام. In Verses 62 to 64:
"Then they debated with one another what they must do, and they kept their talk secret."
"They said: "Verily! These are two magicians. Their object is to drive you out from your land with magic, and overcome your chiefs and nobles."
"So devise your plot, and then assemble in line. And whoever overcomes this day will be indeed successful."
When Musa عليه السلام threw his stick it turned into a snake. The magicians knew that no one is able to turn a stick into a snake except Allah; what they were doing was just an illusion. So they immediately submitted and believed in the oneness of Allah. After they believed, Pharoah threatened them, but they responded in Verses 72-73 saying:
"They said: "We prefer you not over the clear signs that have come to us, and to Him (Allah) Who created us. So decree whatever you desire to decree, for you can only decree (regarding) this life of the world."
"Verily! We have believed in our Lord, that He may forgive us our faults, and the magic to which you did compel us. And Allah is better as regards reward in comparison to your [Fir'aun's (Pharaoh)] reward, and more lasting (as regards punishment in comparison to your punishment)."
Allahs punishment is forever and His reward is forever.
Them the magicians admonitioned Pharoah in Verse 74:
"Verily! Whoever comes to his Lord as a Mujrim (criminal, polytheist, disbeliever in the Oneness of Allah and His Messengers, sinner, etc.), then surely, for him is Hell, therein he will neither die nor live."
And encouraged him to believe in Verses 75-76:
"But whoever comes to Him (Allah) as a believer (in the Oneness of Allah, etc.), and has done righteous good deeds, for such are the high ranks (in the Hereafter),"
"Adn (Edn) Paradise (everlasting Gardens), under which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever: such is the reward of those who purify themselves"
If you believe you will have high ranks in Paradise under which rivers flow, and this is the reward of those who تزكى.
So what is the description of the one who تزكى?
The one who purifies himself:
1) Believes in the Oneness of Allah.
مؤمن = مؤحد
2) Performs righteous good deeds.
What are the righteous deeds mentioned in the beginning of the Surah?
1) Establishing the Prayer
2) Belief in the Judgement Day
3) Do not follow and obey the one who does not believe in the Day of Judgement and who follows his desires.
In the beginning of the Surah, Allah mentioned those who perished:
1) Mujrim; The one who does not believe
2) Follows his lusts and desires
He is the one who has not purified himself; he is تردى.
After this, Allah mentions how he destroyed Pharoah, then warns Bani Israeel in Verse 81:
"(Saying) eat of the Taiyibat (good lawful things) wherewith We have provided you, and commit no oppression therein, lest My Anger should justly descend on you. And he on whom My Anger descends, he is indeed perished."
هوى = Went in the هاوية (As Allah says in Surah AlQariah [101:9]:
"He will have his home in Hawiyah (pit, i.e. Hell).")
And in Verse 82:
"And verily, I am indeed Forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them, (till his death)."
After this Allah mentions the Story of As-Samiri and what he did in Verse 95 and 96:
"Musa (Moses)] said: "And what is the matter with you. O Samiri? (i.e. why did you do so?)"
"(Samiri) said: "I saw what they saw not, so I took a handful (of dust) from the hoof print of the messenger [Jibrael's (Gabriel) horse] and threw it [into the fire in which were put the ornaments of the Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) people, or into the calf]. Thus my inner-self suggested to me."
"و كذالك سوّلت لي نفسي" - This is what my self suggested me
Samiri is an example of a person who followed his desires; therefore he perished.
The Magicians are an example of those who تزكى (purified themselves) by not following the threat of Pharoah.
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Next Week: The Story of Adam عليه السلام in Surah Ta-Ha
Homework:
Read Surah Shams and write the statements of As-Sa'di and Ibn Katheer of the verse in Surah Shams which contains the word زكى
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