Surah Ar-Ra'd (13): Read Online and Download - English Translation

Commentary

Truth and Falsehood were explained through parables in verses appearing previous to those cited above. Now, in the present verses, there is a description of the distinguishing marks and attributes of the people of Truth and the people of Falsehood, along with a description of their good and bad deeds, and their reward and punishment.

The first verse (18) carries a description of the good return reserved for those who obey Divine injunctions and act in accordance with them, and conversely, of the severe punishment for those who disobey them and act negatively.

In the second verse (19), the two groups have been identified as the sighted and the blind through a parable and, at the end, it was said: إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ‌ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ that is, 'only the people of understanding respond to the advice.' It means what has been exemplified here is, though, fairly clear and obvious, yet it can only be understood and appreciated by those who have their essential reason intact with them. Those who have their faculty of reason all impaired by heedlessness and disobedience cannot understand a difference so great.

From the third verse (20) begins a description of particular deeds and marks which distinguish the two groups. Taken up first are the attributes of those who believe in and obey Divine injunctions. The initial at-tribute mentioned is:

الَّذِينَ يُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللَّـهِ (those who fulfill [ their ] pledge with Allah). It covers all promises and pledges taken by Allah Ta` ala from His servants, the very first of which was the Divine Covenant taken in eternity before an assembly of all spirits, that is: اَلَستُ بِرَبِّکُم (Am I not your Lord?) in answer to which, everyone had unanimously said: بَلٰی (Yes, why not? Surely, You are our Lord). Similarly, the different pledges taken by Allah Ta` ala regarding the obedience of Divine injunctions, fulfillment of assigned duties, abstinence from things impermissible as ordered by Allah have been mentioned in different verses of the Qur’ an.

The second attribute mentioned here is: وَلَا يَنقُضُونَ الْمِيثَاقَ (and they do not break the covenant). It includes all covenants, including pledges between Allah and His servants which have been pointed out right here in the first sentence as: عَهْدِ اللَّـهِ (their pledges with Allah). Also included here are the pledges given by the people of a religious community to their prophet or messenger, as well as the contracts and pacts which one human being enters into with the other.

Based on a narration by Sayyidna ` Awf ibn Malik ؓ ، Abu Dawud has reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ took a pledge (Ahd and Bay'ah) from the noble Sahabah that they would not associate anyone with Allah, and perform Salah punctually five times every day, and obey their authorities, and would never stretch their hands for anything before any human being.

People who were parties to this solemn pledge were so true to their word of honour that, should they happen to drop their whip from their hand while riding, they would never ask anyone to pick up and hand over that whip to them. Instead of that, they would get down from their mount and pick it up themselves.

That the noble Sahabah did so was the result of the great feeling of love and the passionate desire to obey their master in their hearts. Otherwise, it was fairly obvious that he had never intended to stop them from making a request of this nature. This is very much like what happened when Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ was entering the Masjid on a certain occasion. He saw that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was addressing a gathering. It was only by chance that, at the time he was entering the Masjid, the words: 'Sit down' happened to have been uttered by the Holy Prophet ﷺ as part of his address. Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ knew that this never meant that anyone, no matter where, should sit down on the street, passage way, or a spot not suitable for the purpose. But, such was his passion for obedience that it did not allow him to take even one step forward from outside the Masjid gate where he was. Just as these words of his master struck his ears, he sat down right there.

The third attribute of the obedient servants of Allah Ta’ ala stated here is: وَالَّذِينَ يَصِلُونَ مَا أَمَرَ‌ اللَّـهُ بِهِ أَن يُوصَلَ (and those who maintain the relations Allah has commanded to be maintained). According to the well-known explanation of this verse, it means that these people maintain relationships and keep doing what needs to be done in this matter as commanded by Allah Ta` ala. Some commentators have explained it by saying that these people conjoin righteous deeds with faith, or synchronize their initial faith in the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Qur’ an with faith in

past prophets and their books.

The fourth attribute has been identified as: وَيَخْشَوْنَ رَ‌بَّهُمْ (and fear their Lord). The use of the word: خَشیَہ (khashyah) rather than خَوف - (khawf) indicates that their 'fear' of Allah is not the kind of fear one naturally has when facing some beast or dangerous man. Instead of that, this fear is like the habitual fear children have of their parents, and students of their teacher, for that is no fear of being harmed or hurt by them. In-stead, such fear is grounded in love and esteem because of which one apprehends lest something said or done may become displeasing and repugnant in the sight of Allah Ta ala. Therefore, whenever the fear of Allah finds mention in an occasion of praise and glorification, generally the word used there is Khashyah because Khashyah is the name of the fear which emerges out of love and esteem. Therefore, in the next sentence, where the fear of strict reckoning has been mentioned, the word used is not Khashyah, instead the word used there is fear as such. It was said: وَيَخَافُونَ سُوءَ الْحِسَابِ (and they are frightful of evil reckoning). 'Evil reckoning' denotes reckoning which is strict and minute. Sayyidah A’ ishah ؓ has said: It is Divine Mercy alone which can bring salvation for human beings when things are forgone and forgiven summarily at the time the reckoning of deeds takes place. Otherwise, anyone who is made to account for everything said and done, cannot escape from punishment. It is virtually impossible because who is there to claim that he or she has never made a mistake or committed a sin? So, this fear of having to face strict reckoning of deeds is the fifth attribute of righteous and obedient people.

The sixth attribute has been stated as: وَالَّذِينَ صَبَرُ‌وا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَ‌بِّهِمْ (and those who observe patience in order to seek the pleasure of their Lord).

The meaning of: صَبر (Sabr) in the Arabic language is fairly general as compared with the sense which has become popular in the Urdu language (in which this Commentary was originally written). There it means to be patient under distress. (Regretfully, the common counterpart, patience, used for صَبر 'Sabr' in English is also not free of its limitations, and does not carry the full and rich sense of the original Arabic). The reason is that the real meaning of صَبر Sabr is that one does not become upset under the stress of what is temperamentally unpalatable and, in fact, keeps doing what must be done resolutely and steadfastly. Therefore, it is divided into two kinds. One of them is Perseverance with Obedience صَبر عَلَی اَلطَّاعَۃ ، that is, being steadfast while observing and implementing the injunctions of Allah Ta’ ala. The other kind is Perseverance against Disobedience and Sin صَبر علٰی الَمعصِیَۃِ , that is, being steadfast in refraining from and staying safe against sins.

The restriction of: اِبتِغَآءِ وَجہِ رَبِّھِم (in order to seek the pleasure of their Lord) tells us that Sabr or patience, in its general sense, is no matter of merit by itself because there comes a time when even the most impatient person somehow gets to become reconciled with his or her lot after all. So, Sabr or patience which is not willful has no worth or merit, nor does Allah Ta` ala ever obligate anyone with something which is beyond his control. Therefore, in Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said: اَلصَّبر عِندَ الصَّمَدۃِ , that is, 'the real and trustworthy Sabr is none but the one which is taken to immediately at the initial stage of shock. Otherwise, later on, sooner or later, one is left with no choice but to become reconciled and patient. As against this, the Sabr which is worthy of all praise is the Sabr under which one elects, by choice, to tolerate and be patient about what is contrary to his or her liking - whether it is the fulfillment of what one is obligated with, or is the abstinence from what is unlawful or reprehensible.

Therefore, if someone entered the house of somebody else with the intention of theft, but did not find the opportunity to do so, thus, having been left with no other choice but to observe patience, he returned back. Now, this Sabr or patience, non-voluntary as it is, is no act deserving praise or reward. It brings Thawab or reward only when one abstains from sin because of the fear of Allah and the desire to seek His pleasure.

The seventh attribute is: أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ (establish Salah). The Qur’ anic expression for 'establish Sa1ah means to perform Sa1ah with all its attending conditions and rules of etiquette and the essential humbleness of heart. It is not just the 'saying' of prayers as a matter of routine. Therefore, speaking generally, the command to perform, offer, or make prayers appearing in the Holy Qur'an has been given with the specific word: Iqamah, usually rendered as 'establish' in English, though still wanting.

The eighth attribute is: وَأَنفَقُوا مِمَّا رَ‌زَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّ‌ا وَعَلَانِيَةً (and spend from what We have given to them secretly and openly). The hint given here is that the amount of Zakah prescribed by Allah Ta` ala is not something He is asking of you, in fact, what He is asking for is a certain portion of what He has given to you, and that too is limited to the insignificant measure of 2-1/2 percent. Naturally, giving this much should naturally be no cause of reluctance for you.

The adverb of: سِرًّ‌ا وَعَلَانِيَةً (secretly and openly) with the command to spend wealth in the way of Allah tells us that concealment is not always the only Sunnah method in charities - instead, on occasions, doing it openly is also correct and sound. Therefore, religious scholars have said that the giving of obligatory Zakah and charities openly is better and more merit-worthy. Doing it secretly is not appropriate so that other people could be pursuaded and prompted to do the same. However, the giving of voluntary charities (Sadaqat) secretly is certainly better and more merit-worthy. Ahadith in which giving secretly has been commended are concerned with such optional and voluntary charities.

The ninth attributes stated here is: وَيَدْرَ‌ءُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ (and repel evil with good). The sense is that these people repel evil with good, enmity with friendship and injustice with forgiveness, and do not retaliate by doing what is evil in return for evil done. Some commentators have explained the meaning by saying that these people repel sin by acting righteously, that is, if some sin gets to be committed by them, they follow it up by repentance, obedience and worship so punctually and abundantly that the past sin is obliterated. According to Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ advised Sayyidna Mu’ adh ؓ : If, after evil, you do good, it will obliterate evil. It means that should a person reflect, feel ashamed of having committed a sin, repent and make amends by following it up with a good deed, then, this good deed will wash off his or her past sin. Just going ahead and doing something good without first having felt ashamed and having repented after the commitment of sin is not sufficient for the forgiveness of that sin.

After having recounted these nine attributes of the obedient servants of Allah Ta` ala, the reward promised for them is: أُولَـٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ (Those are the ones for whom there is the ultimate abode). The word: الدَّارِ (ad-dar: abode, home) refers to the abode of the 'Akhirah or Hereafter, that it, the prosperity and success of the 'Akhirah is for them. Some com-mentators have said that 'abode' at this place means the abode of the mortal world the sense of which is that good people, though they have to face hardships too in this mortal world, but, finally, they are the ones who succeed in this mortal world as well.

Onwards from this point there comes the description of the same 'ultimate abode' when it is said that these shall be eternal gardens they shall enter. The word: عَدن ('Adn) means to abide, settle down permanently. The sense is that no one shall ever be expelled from these gardens, instead, they shall be there eternally. Some commentators have said that ` Adn is the name of the midmost of the Paradise which is also the most superior of its many stations.

After that, mentioned there is yet another reward for these people and this reward shall not remain restricted to those people in person. In fact, even their fathers, wives and children shall get their share in it - subject to the condition that they be good in deeds, the lowest degree of which is that they be Muslims. It means that the personal conduct of their fathers and wives was, though not good enough to have enabled them to arrive at this level of success, yet it would be because of the consideration and barakah of the accepted servants of Allah that they too shall be admitted to that high station.

After that, the text states the additional honour they shall have in their 'ultimate abode' of the Hereafter when the angels emerge from each of its doors greeting them with Salam and telling them that their Sabr brings to them eternal security from all hardships and that they can themselves see how good is the ultimate abode of the 'Akhirah.

Commentary

At the beginning of the section, human beings were divided into two kinds - those who are obedient to Allah Ta’ ala and those who are disobedient to Him. Then, enumerated there were some attributes and signs of the obedient servants of Allah and mention was made of the best of rewards for them in the Hereafter.

Now, in the present verses, stated there are the attributes and signs, and punishments, of the other kind of people. One trait of character these disobedient and contumacious people have been reported to have الَّذِينَ يَنقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللَّـهِ مِن بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ (And those who break [ their ] pledge with Allah after it has been made binding). Included here is the pledge out of the pledges given to Allah concerning His unshared Lordship and Oneness by all spirits created by Him. The disbelievers and polytheists broke this pledge when they came into this world and consequently took to hundreds and thousands of lords and objects of worship all joined up with the pristine divinity of Allah Ta` ala.

And also included here are all pledges faithfulness to which becomes binding on human beings as part of the great pledge of: لا إلہ إلا اللہ (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah). The reason is that the Kalimah Tayyibah, that is: لا إلہ إلا اللہ محمد الرسول اللہ ( La' Ilaha Illallahu Muliammadur Rasulullah : There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah - Muhammad is the messenger of Allah) is, indeed, the symbol of a great pledge under which fall the obedience to all injunctions and rules of conduct taught by Allah Ta’ ala and His Messenger, and it also covers the pledge to abstain from things which have been prohibited. Therefore, when a human being deviates from any injunction made binding by Allah or deviates from the command given by His Messenger, he or she commits a breach of trust by breaking this pledge to have faith.

The second trait of these disobedient people has been identified as: وَيَقْطَعُونَ مَا أَمَرَ‌ اللَّـهُ بِهِ أَن يُوصَلَ (and cut off relations Allah has commanded to be joined). Included here is the relationship human beings have with Allah Ta` a1a and His Messenger, may peace be upon him, and the blessings of Allah. The cutting of this relationship simply means the contravention of their commands. And, of course, included here are connections based on relationships the maintenance of which and the fulfillment of whose rights has been stressed upon time and again in the Holy Qur’ an.

Those who disobey Allah Ta` ala would not hesitate in sundering even these relations and rights built around them - for instance, they would not fulfill the rights of their mother, father, brother, sister, neighbour, and others in that category while they are rights which must be fulfilled by all human beings as commanded by Allah Ta` ala and His Messenger.

The third trait of such people has been stated as: (and make mischief on the earth). This third trait is actually the outcome of the first two, that is, they disregard pledges given, whether given to Allah or to His servants, just have no consideration of anyone's rights or relationships. It is obvious that such deeds of these people will cause pain and loss to others, even become the cause of mutual fighting and killing. This is the worst 'Fasad' or disorder or mischief they inflict on this earth.

After having described these three traits of the disobedient and contumacious people, the punishment identified for them is: أُولَـٰئِكَ لَهُمُ اللَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ (those are the ones for whom there is the curse, and for them there is the evil abode). The word: اللَّعْنَةُ (al-la'nah: translated here as 'curse' ) means to be removed far away from the mercy of Allah, and become deprived of it. And it goes without saying that being far removed from His mercy is the most punishing of all punishments and certainly the hardest of all hardships.

Injunctions and Rules of Guidance

Special injunctions and rules of guidance concerning many departments of human life appear in the verses 20 to 24. Either explicit or implied, they are as follows:

1. From: الَّذِينَ يُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللَّـهِ وَلَا يَنقُضُونَ الْمِيثَاقَ those who fulfill [ their ] pledge with Allah and do not break the covenant - 20) it stands established that abiding by a pledge given or contract made with someone is a binding obligation which must be fulfilled, and any contravention of which is حَرَام Haram (forbidden, unlawful) - whether that pledge be related to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ ، as the pledge of Faith and the pledge to maintain re-lationships with those created by Allah, or it may be a pledge related to any Muslim or Kafir. Pledge-Breaking is حَرَام Haram under all conditions.

2. From: وَالَّذِينَ يَصِلُونَ مَا أَمَرَ‌ اللَّـهُ بِهِ أَن يُوصَلَ (and those who maintain the relations Allah has commanded to be maintained - 21) we learn that Islam does not teach abandonment of relationships in some monastic manner. Instead of that, maintaining necessary relations and fulfilling their due rights has been made necessary in Islam. As for the rights of parents, children, wife, sisters, brothers and the rights of other relatives and neighbours, these have been made obligatory by Allah Ta ala on every human being. They cannot be ignored in favour of voluntary acts of worship, not even to devote time for some religious service needed by the community. This is not permissible. How could it become permissible to forget them and get busy doing other things?

As for maintaining the bonds of family relationships, taking care of them, and fulfilling their due rights, these have been stressed upon in many verses of the Holy Qur an.

In a Hadith of Al-Bukhari and Muslim based on a narration of Sayyidna Anas ؓ ، it has been reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: A person who hopes to have extended means of living and barakah in things done must maintain relations (Silatur-Rahim). It simply means that one should take care of those he is closely related with and help and support them within personal capability.

And Sayyidna Abu Ayyub al-Ansari ؓ says that a rustic Arab villager called upon the Holy Prophet ﷺ at his home and asked him: 'Just tell me what should I do to come closer to Paradise and stay away from Hell.' He said: 'Worship Allah. Take no partners with Him. Establish Salah. Give Zakah. And maintain relations.' (Al-Baghawi)

According to a narration of Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ appearing in the Sahih of al-Bukhari, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said: 'Silatur-Rahim' (maintaining relations) does not simply mean that you return the favour done by a relative, that is, if he has done a favour to you, you do a favour to him. Instead, real Silatur-Rahim (the ideal form of maintaining relations) is that even if your relative fails to maintain relations with you, yet you, on your part, only for the sake of Allah, maintain relations with him, and do favours to him.'

It was due to the importance of fulfilling the rights of relatives and maintaining relations with them that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: 'Preserve your family trees through which you would preserve your family ties and you would be able to fulfill their rights.' Then he said: 'This rule of maintaining relations has its advantages. It generates mutual love, puts barakah in wealth which increases, and puts barakah in years of life too.' (Tirmidhi)

It appears in a IIadith of Sahih Muslim that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: 'Most commendable is the act of maintaining relations when a person maintains the same relations with the friends of his dead father, as they were during his lifetime.

3. The statement: وَالَّذِينَ صَبَرُ‌وا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَ‌بِّهِمْ (in order to seek the pleasure of their Lord - 22) makes us realize that the merits of Sabr (patience) which have appeared in the Qur’ an and Hadith and which tell us that the patient person has the good fortune of having Allah Ta’ a1a with him, and of His help and support, and that countless returns and rewards wait for him or her. But, all this happens only when one observes patience for the good pleasure of Allah Ta` ala - otherwise, everyone reaches a point in time when, sooner or later, one gets to become reconciled to his or her lot.

As explained earlier, the real meaning of Sabr (translated here as 'to observe patience' ) is to control one's self and remain steadfast which can take different forms. First of all, one should observe patience, not become upset under the stress of hardship and pain, not become disappointed, rather keep Allah Ta ala in sight and keep hoping. Secondly, one should observe patience in carrying out acts of obedience to Allah in a way that one remains sure of staying on that track steadfastly, even if the adherence to Divine injunctions appears to be hard on one's self. Thirdly, one should observe patience against what is evil and sinful - even if the desiring self demands that the road to evil be taken, but one should resist and refuse to take the road to evil because of the fear of Allah.

4. From: وَأَنفَقُوا مِمَّا رَ‌زَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّ‌ا وَعَلَانِيَةً (and spend from what We have given to them secretly and openly - 22), we learn that spending in the way of Allah secretly and openly is correct whichever way it is done. However, it is better that obligatory charities (wajib sadaqat) such as Zakh and Sadaqatul-Fitr etc., be paid openly so that other Muslim are also prompted to do the same. As for voluntary charities (nafl sadaqat) which are not obligatory should be paid secretly so that one can stay safe from scruples of hypocrisy and pulls of recognition.

5. The statement: يَدْرَ‌ءُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ (and repel evil with good) tells us that getting rid of evil is certainly a rational and physical imperative, but evil for evil is not the method practiced in Islam. Instead, the teaching of Islam is: Repel evil with good. Whoever has inflicted injustice upon you, on your part you deal with him justly. Whoever has not fulfilled your due right, on your part you fulfill his right. Whoever releases his anger on you, on your part you respond to him with forbearance and tolerance. The inevitable result of this pattern of response would be that enemies would turn into friends and the wicked into the righteous before you.

Another sense of this sentence is that one should make amends for a sin by performing an act of obedience, that is, if you ever get to commit some sin, repent immediately and then get busy with the ` Ibadah of Allah Ta` ala. This will cause your past sin to be forgiven.

As reported by Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari ؓ ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When a sin happens to have been committed by you, follow it up with a good deed. This will wash that sin off (narrated by Ahmad with sound authority, Mazhari). The condition attached to this good deed is that one must first repent from the past sin and then do the good deed.

Said in the next verse (23) is: جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ يَدْخُلُونَهَا وَمَن صَلَحَ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَذُرِّ‌يَّاتِهِمْ. It means that servants of Allah who are righteous and accepted will certainly have the honour of being in Jannah, and it will be in consideration of them that their parents, wives and children will also share the honour with them. However, the condition is that these people should be righteous, that is, believers and Muslims - not Kafir, though not at par with such pious elder in their good deeds. But, because of the barakah of this pious elder, Allah Ta’ ala shall make these people reach the same station in Paradise which is the station of this pious elder as said in another verse: أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّ‌يَّتَهُمْ that is, 'We shall make the progeny of Our righteous servants be with them - 52:21'

This tells us that relationship with pious elders, whether of lineage, kinship or friendship, shall be of benefit in the Hereafter as well - of course, subject to the condition of 'Iman (Faith).

6. From verse 24: سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُم بِمَا صَبَرْ‌تُمْ ۚ فَنِعْمَ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ‌ (Peace be upon you for the patience you observed. So, good is the ultimate abode) we find out that the salvation of the Hereafter and the high ranks of the Paradise are all the outcome of man's patient handling of the trials of life in this mortal world where he keeps insisting on fulfilling all rights of Allah Ta ala and His servants due on him or her and keeps compelling one's de-siring self to abstain from acting disobediently to Him.

Finally, if we consider the statement in verse 25, that is: أُولَـٰئِكَ لَهُمُ اللَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ (those are the ones for whom there is the curse, and for them there is the evil abode), we would recall that verses previous to it told us about the reward of His obedient servants - that their home will be in Paradise, angels would greet them with Salam, and tell them that the eternal blessings of Paradise are the direct result of their patience, fortitude and obedience. Similarly, in the verse cited above, announced is the end of the disobedient and the contumacious - that they are under the curse of Allah, that is, they are far removed from His mercy and that they have waiting for them an evil abode in Hell. This helps us realize that the breaking of pledges given and the severance of the bonds of kinship is the cause of Divine curse and consignment to Hell. May Allah keep all of us protected from such a fate.