The one who is safe from Hell fire is one who is not questioned on the Day of Judgment. If Allah begins to ask them, checks their accounts than that person is doomed.
In the language of the ancient language, the oath was taken to make people take your speech seriously, to grab their attention.
Allah wants us to reflect upon the things by which He is taking an oath. Before we take the lesson from the surah, He wants us to think about these things by which He is taking an oath by
وَالْفَجْرِ
to rip open completely, to tear until the light comes through it. The crack of night, the brightness of the morning starts.
A time when life begins. The creatures get up at this time and the sounds that they make are the tasbeeh of Allah.
The heart is the most closest and fearful of Allah at this hour. You have don't have to go to work or cook. So no task has come into your heart except that you have to stand before Allah.
By morning Allah is alluding to life after death. The dawn or fajr is proof that Allah can bring from dead (night), life (morning). The sleep is the sister of death. So this is a reminder of resurrection.
It is a reminder of the dawn of Islam. Islam will manifest itself, right now everything is dark and the future seems uncertain. This mission will certainly rip through and prevail.
وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ
And by 10 nights. If Allah is swearing by them, they must be something important and they are part of a point that Allah will make later in this surah. This refers to last 10 of Ramadan and the first 10 of Dhil Hajjah.
The first/last 10 days of any month, the shifting of the moon is visible, the major changes can be seen clearly.
When you see the partial moon on the first night, you know it will get thicker so you know what to expect. This alludes to the victory of Islam, that it is inevitable, if you want to know, then just look at the increasing of the month.
The last 10 days of Ramadan and last 10 days of Dhil Hajjah are the blessed days of ibadaah (fasts, duaa, salah), and these are days of salvation, earning paradise is easiest.
Revelation came in the last 10 days of Ramadan, Makkah was conquered in first 10 days of Dhil Hajjah. The entire seerah is captured in these nights.
The greatest sign of the last day is the coming of the prophet (s.a.w). the coming of the last day is guaranteed because he is the sign of the last day.
وَالشَّفْعِ وَالْوَتْرِ
intercession - you say 'this guy is with'. It literally means even, one part of another. To walk in a pair.
Allah takes the oath by the pair and by the odd.
Alludes to all of the creation of Allah - it is create in pairs, night/day, ocean/land, male/female, sweet/sour. Every one of His creation is unique by itself, but it is all created in pairs. The land itself is beautiful but its not the complete terrain, you have to look at the ocean. Allah is the only One Who doesn't have a pair. Sometimes the months are odd and even.
People didn't believe in the last day (in the previous surah). Don't be frustrated by the result. These people they have only looked at one part of the pair - this life is paired with the next world, without realizing this, without understanding the relationship between the creation and the Creator then you are causing is ruining to yourself. Allah as a creator is fair, and His fairness demands a day when He compensates His creation for hte good/bad they have done.
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ
so when the sun is gone what to speak of the moon and night.
To travel and to take a stroll at night time.
The night comes first and the fajr comes after. But Allah mentions the fajr first and the departing of the night later. Here the major sign is mentioned first. The major sign is the Day of Judgment. The fajr represents a sign for the Day of Judgment
هَلْ فِي ذَٰلِكَ قَسَمٌ لِّذِي حِجْرٍ
is there enough oath for people of rock solid oath.
hijr refers to intellect. people's intelligent has enormous restrain, its like their knowledge is a barrier for them. They stop and think before they move on. They hold their temptations back. Don't just move on, reflect on these oaths if you have intellect.
The only way to emphasize an oath is when Allah says I swear. Or when Allah says indeed it is an oath, if you had any idea of its enormity.
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ
Didn't you see how your Lord dealt with them? How did He do it to them.
Its like i see what you are saying, i finally see what you mean. It is deep reflection and thought. The words of the heart - its not a physical action, it takes place in the heart and the mind.
Genetically they are very strong people, Allah comments on their stature, their monuments. The Arabs would see their ruins. So not what happened but HOW is it possible. How could they be destroyed of all the people when they were so powerful. There are two things (1)encouragement ot the prophet (s.a.w). You think the Quraish are powerful, they can do with teh believers what they want and get away. There were people more stronger than them and Allah controlled them (2) threat to the kuffar.
They were third or fourth generation after Islam. They were from Yemen. The Prophet Hud was sent to them. They used to say who is more powerful than us? We are number 1. Who is going to take us on?
إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ
Iram is the name of the first man who set up their tribe. the name of their tribe itself
to make a sign out of rocks. their nation processed pillars (body strength like pillars and their ability to construct large townships like pillars).
they were in close proximity to the Aad in distance or time.
The Arabs have the examples of Aad and Iram. The see their ruins so they know that Allah has sovereignty over all.
الَّتِي لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي الْبِلَادِ
Bilaad/Balad - the city whose borders are defined and it is able to defend itself.
Misr - it has fortified walls, you have to go down to something to enter.
وَثَمُودَ الَّذِينَ جَابُوا الصَّخْرَ بِالْوَادِ
جَابُوا - jab open, drilling through, cracking open. They weren't just craving through rock, they were breaking rocks through, boring it open. They were doing it with bare hands.
لْوَادِ - not just valley, but any place where water flows. They were at a place where there is irrigation.
وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِي الْأَوْتَادِ
The pegs are means of holding the tent to the group. An ocean of tents means an army is camped out.
Pharaoh was the possessor of pegs because of large armies.
Pharaoh would peg their limbs into the limbs and crucify them. He did this to aasiya and the magicians who converted.
The Pharaoh prided themselves over construction so they hold the pegs in their depictions.
The pyramids are facinating but its terrifying.
الَّذِينَ طَغَوْا فِي الْبِلَادِ
Why did Allah destroy them? They rebelled - go beyond the limits in an act of defiance against the authority.
like the Thamud killed the she-camel as a mockery of their prophet's guidelines. They felt they had the muscle, they could do whatever they want. They rebelled in the lands so the evil consequenes was seen in the land/corruption the land.
فَأَكْثَرُوا فِيهَا الْفَسَادَ
There is a society that is fascinating, grandeur, and pomp but when they walk on its streets, they see ugliness, deterioration. Its crazy, you can't even believe, the abundance of rottenness and corruption. It is at this point that Allah releases His punishment.
فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ
فَصَبَّ - Allah drenched them. Dumped the entire bucket in one go on them. Don't think that the Prophet (s.a.w) that he has no backing. That he has no muscle so you do not have to fear his message.
سَوْطَ - leather whip, worst kind of torture. doesn't cause the bleeding inside, only hurts/rips the skin. once the skin is gone, the flesh is left than ....OUCCHHH
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ
Your Lord is sitting waiting in ambush for them
فَأَمَّا الْإِنسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ
One of the things that can undermine the warming is the diffusion of responsibility - they say they can handle it because they think they have each other's back. So if the warning is giving to the individual, it penetrates deeper. So the Quriash don't think that the Prophet (s.a.w) can bring down the very stability of the nation of Quraish. So Allah shifts the focus from the tribe to the individuals in the tribe, their personal actions. Because when enough of individuals become corrupt, the nation as a whole decays.
Imtahana - to test someone without putting them through pain. bala implies some difficulty
Ibteela - to test with really rigorous testing.
ikraam - to be called to honour. He has all these luxuries and comforts, his life is good. But Allah calls this a very difficult test. Allah gave some very bad people a lot of wealth. Allah also gave them prestige. The other test like poverty, unemployment, death, sickness is hard. People fail this tet because they cannot be patient, they complain to Allah. But this test of wealth, we forget that it is a test. Person thinks that he is entitled from all the favours. He feels that he is especially honoured so he is elite. So even when he mentions his Lord, it is out of arrogance not humility.
وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ
When he lost that money, it was written for him. Allah gave him and destined to take it back. It was part of qadr. This is what Allah wnats us to know, there is no exception to the rule, it happens and has to happen. But man thinks that some injustice has done to him. They do not want to hear it, they had made up their mind that Allah wronged them. They associate honour with wealth and having respect in society because of their wealth.
When you accept that Allah is the Master, you do not complain because you know that Allah gave you what you have as a gift. You aren't entitled to anything. You are grateful for whatever He gave you and still humble if He takes away from you. But shaytan ruins our relationship with Allah to make us thing that Allah has dishonoured you so you should go and do haram. It is fair. If Allah didn't give you, then go do whatever. Some of the wealthiest people in the world are the most disgraceful, like Barney Macdock.
كَلَّا بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ
The reason they should be humiliated because they do not honour the orphan.
We don't know the orphans in the community, when their parents passed, their problems. They have no backing. This is a crime, we are suppose to know. They go through tremendous suffering. Same with new Muslims who are ostracized from their non-Muslim family. They have no where to go, nothing to eat. No idea from where to begin to learn about Islam.
It is easy to respect the people above u, the teacher, boss, landlord etc. But we don't honour the people who do manual labour. We look at them as less than human. The guy who does plumbing, waiter, gardener. We have a deeply rooted racism, bigotry, even in the Masjid when we are the people whose books says that all humans are equal. So why should Allah have any regard for us when we treat people like trash. Why should Allah treat us like royalty? Look how disgusting we are. We disrespect all of Allah's creation.
وَلَا تَحَاضُّونَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ
Respect the people less fortunate than you, different from you and feed them.
وَتَأْكُلُونَ التُّرَاثَ أَكْلًا لَّمًّا
You don't see human beings anymore you see money. The only time you visit your relatives is when they are dying, and you go there not to care for them or make duaa for them but to confirm your name is on their will.
You want to pile other people's wealth. It is spread out and they want to stack up for themselves. Where does the donation money go? Billions of dollars that pour in for aid for Palestine and Kashmir - where does it go? How can, after 64 years of donations and charity work, there still be poverty in Palestine?
وَتُحِبُّونَ الْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا
They love money
Jamm in arabic is used when you have ruler or scale and you fill it to the brim, as far as it goes. Loaded.
كَلَّا إِذَا دُكَّتِ الْأَرْضُ دَكًّا دَكًّا
The earth is so fast, and it is pegged in place with mountains. And Allah is completely destroying the earth. All the wealth on the earth, wherever it is saved/hidden - it will be crushed.
وَجِيءَ يَوْمَئِذٍ بِجَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنسَانُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ الذِّكْرَىٰ
Jahnaam - torture chamber, it will be dragged forward.
يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِي
O My God what have I done. Its like when you realize how badly you messed up and how messed up where your thoughts about the Day of Judgment.
فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُ أَحَدٌ
On that day, no one will torture the likes of His torture. No one can imagine a more intensive punishment that Allah has prepared.
وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُ أَحَدٌ
No one is going to tie them like Allah is going to tie them.
يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ
This talk is taking place in Jannah. Imagine being addressed by Allah.
O you satisfied person, calm and tranquil person. You can never have this in dunya. You can have this for only 10 seconds or 5 minutes when you breath the sigh of relief then you remember you have their urge to get more, or you remember you haven't done something.
This surah was about a person who was only happy when he had wealth, and when it was taken away, he was disturbed. So this person stopped himself from chasing his desires. So he was the real slave of Allah. He abandoned sleep, prayed fajr, took advantage of doing more good deeds 10 of Ramadan and Dhil Hajjr. When the night came, he was doing qiyam al layl, doing suhoor to fast. Everyone else was running after their desires, wealth and he was running after Allah so Allah takes it upon Himself to satisfy them.
ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً
When you return to Allah, you face a lot of difficult (in sin or enter Islam). As soon as you become serious in Deen, and really living like a slave - everything around you gets in the way, your job, family, friends. You suffer so much. You are lonely, disdained. All of this is connected with dissatisfaction in life. But the satisfaction you get with Allah, the high that you get - nothing compares to it anywhere. The hellenistic world cannot offer you that. So you will still have this contentment in your heart and in the Hereafter Allah is pleased with you and Allah makes you pleased. You enter Paradise. You enter the company of Allah, Allah and His prophets, and their companions. No yellow tape, no security.
وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي
This is mentioned last, that as compared to returning to Allah, finding satisfaction in Jannah, getting Allah's pleasure, being pleased with Allah - Jannah is mentioned last.
And Allah speaks to the person, individually. And He says, enter My Jannah.
Allah forcing us to see ourselves in Jannah.
