Verses and Translation
يَوۡمَ تَرَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِ يَسۡعَىٰ نُورُهُم بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيہِمۡ وَبِأَيۡمَـٰنِهِم بُشۡرَٮٰكُمُ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ جَنَّـٰتٌ۬ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِہَا ٱلۡأَنۡہَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيہَاۚ ذَٲلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ (١٢)
“On the Day you see the believing men and believing women, their light proceeding before them and on their right, [it will be said], “Your good tidings today are [of] gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein you will abide eternally.” That is what is the great attainment.”
Commentary
Allah the Exalted states that the believers who spend in charity will come on the Day of Resurrection with their light preceding them in the area of the Gathering, according to the level of their good deeds.
As reported from `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, “their light running forward before them”, he said, “They will pass over the Sirat according to their deeds. Some of them will have a light as large as a mountain, some as a date tree, some as big as a man in the standing position. The least among them has a light as big as his index finger, it is lit at times and extinguished at other times.” Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir collected this Hadith.
Ad-Dahhak commented on the verse, “Everyone will be given a light on the Day of Resurrection. When they arrive at the Sirat, the light of the hypocrites will be extinguished. When the believers see this, they will be concerned that their light also will be extinguished, just as the light of the hypocrites was. This is when the believers will invoke Allah, `O our Lord! Perfect our light for us.'”
Allah’s statement, “and in their right hands.” Ad-Dahhak said: “Their Books of Records.”
As Allah said, “So whosoever is given his record in his right hand.” [Quran; 17:71]
Allah said, “Glad tidings for you this Day! Gardens under which rivers flow” meaning it will be said to them, “Receive glad tidings this Day, of gardens beneath which rivers flow to dwell therein forever!”
[Tafsir Ibn Kathir]
This and the following verses show that the Light on the Day of Judgment will be specifically meant for the righteous believers only. As for the disbelievers and the hypocrites and the wicked people, they will be wandering about in the darkness as they had been in the world. The light there will be the light of righteous deeds. The sincerity of the faith and the piety of the character and conduct will turn into light that will lend brightness to the personality of the virtuous. The brighter the deed the more luminous will be his person, and when he will walk towards Paradise, his light will be running forward before him. The best explanation of it is Qatadah’s mursal tradition in which he says; “The Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah’s peace and blessings) said: “The light of someone will be so .strong and sharp that it will be running on before him equal to the distance between Madinah and `Aden, of another equal to the distance between Madinah and San’a, and of another even less than that; so much so that there will be a believer whose light will Dot extend beyond his steps.” (Ibn Jarir). In other words, the intensity of the light of a person will be proportionate to the extent of the good done and spread by him in the world, and the beams of his light will be running on before him in the Hereafter extending as far as his good will have extended in the world.
Here, a question may arise in the mind of the reader “One can understand the meaning of their light running on before the believers but what does their light running on only on their right hand mean? Will there be darkness on their left side? The answer is: When a man is walking with a light on his right hand, his left side also will be bright, though the fact of the matter is that the light will be on his right hand. This has been explained by the Hadith, which Hadrat Abu Dharr and Abu Darda’ have reported, saying that the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah’s peace;) said: “I shall recognize the righteous people of my Ummah by their light which will be running on before them and on their right and on their left.” Hakim, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Marduyah).
Foundational Attributes
conviction
Verses and Translation
لِّيُدۡخِلَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتِ جَنَّـٰتٍ۬ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِہَا ٱلۡأَنۡہَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيہَا وَيُڪَفِّرَ عَنۡهُمۡ سَيِّـَٔاتِہِمۡۚ وَكَانَ ذَٲلِكَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ فَوۡزًا عَظِيمً۬ا (٥)
“[And] that He may admit the believing men and the believing women to gardens beneath which rivers flow to abide therein eternally and remove from them their misdeeds – and ever is that, in the sight of Allah, a great attainment.”
Commentary
Consistently, when the Quran refers to battle, it doesn’t only mention men but also mentions women. As the men go to battle, the women are also being tested in their patience and faith. Having misdeeds removed and being admitted to these special gardens, then, is the ultimate success compared to mere victory on Earth. [NAK]
In the Qur’an generally mention of the rewards for the believers is made collectively and separate mention is not made of the rewards for the men and the women But here, since the general mention of giving the rewards could cause the doubt that this reward may perhaps be only meant for the men. Allah has made a separate mention of the believing women, saying that they too would be equal partners in this reward with the believing men. The reason is obvious. Those God-fearing women who encouraged their husbands, sons, brothers and fathers to proceed on the dangerous journey instead of stopping them from it and discouraging them by crying and wailing, who looked after their houses, their properties, their honor and children in their absence faithfully, who did not even feel the alarm lest at the sudden departure of 1,400 of the Companions the disbelievers and hypocrites of the surrounding areas would attack the city, should certainly have become equal partners with their men in the reward of Jihad although they stayed behind in their homes.
That is, that He may pardon whatever errors they might have committed because of human weaknesses, remove every trace and mark of the errors from them before admitting them into Paradise so that they may enter Paradise absolutely free from every evil that may cause them embarrassment. [Maududi]
Foundational Attributes
conviction
Verses and Translation
فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَيُدۡخِلُهُمۡ رَبُّہُمۡ فِى رَحۡمَتِهِۦۚ ذَٲلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡمُبِينُ (٣٠)
“So as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, their Lord will admit them into His mercy. That is what is the clear attainment.”
Commentary
Those whose hearts believed and their limbs performed good deeds, in sincerity to Allah and conforming with Islamic legislation, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) will admit them to His mercy; and that is Paradise.
In the Sahih, Allah said to Paradise, « أَنْتِ رَحْمَتِي، أَرْحَمُ بِكِ مَنْ أَشَاء » “You are My mercy, with which I grant mercy to whom I will” [Ibn Kathir]
Foundational Attributes
conviction, piety, character
Verses and Translation
إِنَّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ فِى مَقَامٍ أَمِينٍ۬ (٥١) فِى جَنَّـٰتٍ۬ وَعُيُونٍ۬ (٥٢) يَلۡبَسُونَ مِن سُندُسٍ۬ وَإِسۡتَبۡرَقٍ۬ مُّتَقَـٰبِلِينَ (٥٣) ڪَذَٲلِكَ وَزَوَّجۡنَـٰهُم بِحُورٍ عِينٍ۬ (٥٤) يَدۡعُونَ فِيهَا بِكُلِّ فَـٰكِهَةٍ ءَامِنِينَ (٥٥) لَا يَذُوقُونَ فِيهَا ٱلۡمَوۡتَ إِلَّا ٱلۡمَوۡتَةَ ٱلۡأُولَىٰۖ وَوَقَٮٰهُمۡ عَذَابَ ٱلۡجَحِيمِ (٥٦) فَضۡلاً۬ مِّن رَّبِّكَۚ ذَٲلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ (٥٧)
“Indeed, the righteous will be in a secure place; Within gardens and springs, Wearing [garments of] fine silk and brocade, facing each other. Thus. And We will marry them to fair women with large, [beautiful] eyes. They will call therein for every [kind of] fruit – safe and secure. They will not taste death therein except the first death, and He will have protected them from the punishment of Hellfire. As bounty from your Lord. That is what is the great attainment.”
Commentary
“A secure place”: A place safe from every kind of fear, grief, worry and danger, hardship and trouble. According to a hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “It will be proclaimed to the dwellers of Paradise: You will remain in good health, will never fall ill; will live for ever: will never die; will ever remain happy and prosperous and will never meet with a misfortune; will ever remain youthful, will never become old.” (Muslim, on the authority of Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa id Khudri).
Sundus and istabraq in the original are fine silk cloth and thick silk cloth respectively.
In the original, hur-un ‘in : fair complexioned, large-eyed women. (For further explanation, see E.N.’s 26,29 of As-Saaffat).
That is, they will order the attendants in Paradise to bring anything they would like in any measure they would demand, and it will be presented before them. In this world, a man cannot ask for a thing in a hotel, or even his own things in his own house, with the freedom and satisfaction as he will ask for these in Paradise, for in the world nothing is found anywhere in un-limited measure; whatever man uses here, he has to pay for it. In Paradise, things will belong to Allah, and the servants will enjoy full freedom to use them. Neither will there be the danger of the failure of the supply, nor the necessity of a bill to pay.
Two things are worthy of notice in this verse.
First, after mentioning the blessings of Paradise special mention has been made of being secure from Hell separately whereas a person’s entry into Paradise by itself amounts to his being safe from Hell. This is because man can feel the worth of the reward of obedience fully only when he is informed what end the disobedient people have met and from what evil end he himself has ban saved.
Secondly, Allah is mentioning those people’s safety from Hell and their entry into Paradise as a result of His own grace. This is meant to warn man of the truth that this success cannot be achieved by any person unless he is blessed by Allah’s grace. Although man will be rewarded for his own good deeds, in the first place he cannot do good unless favored by Allah’s succor; then even the best deed that man is able to perform, cannot be absolutely perfect and none can claim that it is flawless and faultless. It is only Allah’s bounty that He should overlook the servant’s weaknesses and defects in his actions and accept his services and bless him with rewards; otherwise if He resorts to minute accountability no one can dare claim to win Paradise only on the strength of his own deeds. The same thing has been said by the Holy Prophet in a Hadith to the effect: “Act and try to act as righteously as you possibly can, but know that the action of a person alone will not make him enter Paradise. It was asked: What about your own action, O Messenger of Allah? He replied: Yes, even I won’t enter Paradise on the strength of my actions, unless of course, my Lord covers me up in His mercy.” [Maududi]
Foundational Attributes
piety
Verses and Translation
وَقِهِمُ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِۚ وَمَن تَقِ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ يَوۡمَٮِٕذٍ۬ فَقَدۡ رَحِمۡتَهُ ۥۚ وَذَٲلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ (٩)
“And protect them from the evil consequences [of their deeds]. And he whom You protect from evil consequences that Day – You will have given him mercy. And that is the great attainment.”
Commentary
[This a continuation from the previous verse of this chapter that mentions a prayer by the angels that carry the throne make for the believers.]
The word sayyi’at (evils) is used in three different meanings and all three arc implied here: (I) False beliefs, perverted morals and evil deeds; (2) consequences of deviation and evil deeds; and (3) calamities, disasters and suffering in this world, or in barzakh, or on the Day of Resurrection. The object of the angels’ prayer is that they be saved from everything which may be evil for them.
“Evils on the Day of Resurrection” implies the dread and terror of the Day. deprivation of the shade and every other comfort, severity of accountability, the ignominy of exposing every secret of life before all mankind, and other humiliations and hardships which the guilty ones will experience in the Hereafter. [Maududi]
Foundational Attributes
repenting
Verses and Translation
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُواْ قَوۡلاً۬ سَدِيدً۬ا (٧٠) يُصۡلِحۡ لَكُمۡ أَعۡمَـٰلَكُمۡ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡ ذُنُوبَكُمۡۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۥ فَقَدۡ فَازَ فَوۡزًا عَظِيمًا (٧١)
“O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.”
Commentary
In other words, it means: “O Muslims, do not behave like the Jews. You should not behave towards your Prophet as the children of Israel behaved towards the Prophet Moses. ” The Israelites themselves admit that the Prophet Moses was their greatest benefactor. Whatever they achieved as a nation was only due to him: otherwise in Egypt they would have been doomed to a worse fate than that of the Shudras in India. But how the Israelites treated the greatest benefactor of theirs can be judged by a cursory glance at the following places of the Bible: Exodus, 5: 20-21, 14: 12, 16: 2-3, 17: 3-4. Numbers, 11:1-15,14:1-10, 16 (the whole chapter), 20: 1-5.
The Qur’an by referring to this ingratitude of the children of Israel, warns the Muslims, so as to say: “Refrain from adopting this same attitude towards Muhammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace); otherwise you should be ready to face the same fate as the Jews. ”
This same thing was said by Holy Prophet himself on several occasions. Once he was dividing some goods among the Muslims. When the people dispersed, a man said; “Muhammad in this division has shown no regard for Allah and the Hereafter. ” Hadrat ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud heard this remark and told the Holy Prophet what had been said concerning him that day. He replied, “May Allah show mercy to Moses: he was maligned even more severely, but he showed patience.” (Musnad Ahmad, TIrmidhi, Abu Da’ud). [Maududi]
Foundational Attributes
conviction, justice
Verses and Translation
هُدً۬ى وَرَحۡمَةً۬ لِّلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ (٣) ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤۡتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَهُم بِٱلۡأَخِرَةِ هُمۡ يُوقِنُونَ (٤) أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ عَلَىٰ هُدً۬ى مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡۖ وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ (٥)
“As guidance and mercy for the doers of good. Who establish prayer and give zakah, and they, of the Hereafter, are certain [in faith]. Those are on [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.”
Commentary
“These verses give guidance to the Right Way and have been sent down as a mercy from God. But the people who can profit by this mercy and guidance are only those who adopt a righteous attitude, who wish to become good, who crave for their own well-being, whose quality is that they avoid the evil when they are warned of it, and follow the good when they are shown the ways to it. As for the wicked and mischievous people, they will neither profit by this guidance nor receive any share from this mercy. ”
3It does not mean that “the righteous people” bear only these three qualities. By using the common epithet of “righteous” for them, it has been pointed out that they refrain from all those evils which this Book forbids and practice all those good things which this Book enjoins. Then, the three qualities of the “righteous” have been especially mentioned in order to show that all other good acts depend on these three things. They establish the Salat which engenders God-worship and piety as a permanent habit with them; they pay the Zakat which strengthens the spirit of sacrifice in them, subdues the love of the world and arouses a desire for the goodwill of Allah; and they believe in the Hereafter, which instills the sense of responsibility and answerability, which does not allow them to live like an animal, which is free to graze at will in the pasture, but like a man who is fully conscious of the fact that he is not independent but the slave of a Master before Whom he is answerable for all his activities of life. Owing to these three qualities, these “righteous” people are not the kind of the righteous persons who happen to do good just by chance, who may commit evil as often and as freely as they would do good. Contrary to this, these qualities inculcate in them an enduring system of thought and morality owing to which goodness issues forth from them in a regulated and systematic manner, and the evil, if at all committed, is committed just by chance. They do not have any deep-rooted motives, which might be arising from their own system of thought and morality and leading them on to the evil way under their own nature impulse.
4At the time when these verses were sent down, the disbelieves of Makkah thought, and said so openly, that Muhammad (upon whom be Allah’s peace) and those who accepted his message were wasting and ruining their lives. Therefore, it was rejoined with full force and emphasis: “..these are the ones who will attain true success.” That is, ‘They will not ruin themselves as you seem to dunk in your ignorance, but they in fact are the ones who alone will attain true success, and the utter failures will be those who have refused to adopt this way.”
Here the one who regards ‘true success” as confined to the world, in the sense of material prosperity, will be wholly missing the Qur’anic concept of it. [Maududi]
Foundational Attributes
conviction, piety, charity
Verses and Translation
أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَبۡسُطُ ٱلرِّزۡقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقۡدِرُۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يُؤۡمِنُونَ (٣٧) فَـَٔاتِ ذَا ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰ حَقَّهُ ۥ وَٱلۡمِسۡكِينَ وَٱبۡنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِۚ ذَٲلِكَ خَيۡرٌ۬ لِّلَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ وَجۡهَ ٱللَّهِۖ وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ (٣٨)
“Do they not see that Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]? Indeed, in that are signs for a people who believe. So give the relative his right, as well as the needy and the traveler. That is best for those who desire the countenance of Allah, and it is they who will be the successful.”
Commentary
The person who sincerely believes Allah and looks upon Him as the Master of the treasure-houses of provisions, can never be involved in meanness, in which those forgetful of God are involved. If he is given abundantly he will not be puffed up; he will rather be grateful to Allah, will treat his fellowmen generously and benevolently, and will expend ‘his God-given wealth for His sake. On the other hand, he will exercise patience; he will never gamble away his honesty and self-respect, but will have hope of Allah’s bounty till the last. Such a moral excellence can neither fall to the lot of an atheist nor of a polytheist.
It has not been said, “Give charity to the relative, the needy and the wayfarer”, but “their due” because this is their right (due to them from you), which you must give them in any case. You will not do them any favor if you part with a part of your wealth for their sake. You should remember it well that if the real owner of the wealth has given you more than others, your extra wealth is, in fact, the right of others, which has been given to you for your trial so that your Lord may see whether you recognize the rights of others and render their rights to them or not.
Anyone who reflects over this Divine Command and its real spirit cannot help feeling that the way proposed by the Qur’an for man’s moral and spiritual development inevitably envisages the existence of a free society and economy. This development is not possible in a social environment in which the people’s rights of ownership are set aside and stifled. The system in which the state assumes ownership of aII resources and the government machinery the entire responsibility of distributing provisions among the people, so much so that neither can an individual recognize the right of the other and render it, nor a person develop a feeling of goodwill for the other after he has received help, is a purely communist system. Such an economic and social system suppresses the development of individual morality and formation of character altogether.
The Qur’anic scheme can operate and function only in a society where the individuals own some resources of wealth, possess rights to expend it freely, and then render willingly and sincerely the rights of God and His servants. In such a society alone there can arise the possibility that, on the one hand, the people may develop individually the virtues of sympathy, kindliness and affection, sacrifice, recognition of the rights of others and rendering those rights in the right spirit, and on the other, the beneficiaries may develop in their hearts pure feelings of well-wishing, gratitude and thankfulness for the donors. This system only can produce the ideal conditions in which the elimination of evil and the promotion of goodness does not depend on the intervention of a law-enforcing authority but the people’s own purity of the self and their own good intentions take up this responsibility.
This does not mean that true success can be attained just by rendering the rights of the needy and the wayfarer and the relative and nothing else is needed to be done for this. But it means that those who do not recognize these rights of others nor render them, will not attain true success. It will be attained by those who render the rights sincerely only for the sake of Allah’s goodwill and pleasure. [Maududi]
Start by giving the ones closest to you as they have the most right, then extend the circle outwards to extended family and others in need. [NAK]
Foundational Attributes
justice, charity,
Verses and Translation
فَأَمَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحً۬ا فَعَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحِينَ (٦٧)
“But as for one who had repented, believed, and done righteousness, it is promised by Allah that he will be among the successful.”
Commentary
The first part of this verse, “But as for him who repented, believed, and did righteous deeds” refers to this world and the latter part, “then perhaps he will be among those who are successful” refers to the Day of Resurrection.
And the word “perhaps” (Asa), when used in reference to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) implies that the thing described will inevitably come to pass, and this will undoubtedly happen by the grace and mercy of Allah. [Ibn Kathir]
Foundational Attributes
conviction, piety, repenting
Verses and Translation
تُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَتُجَـٰهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِأَمۡوَالِكُمۡ وَأَنفُسِكُمۡۚ ذَالِكُمۡ خَيۡرٌ۬ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ (١١) يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡ ذُنُوبَكُمۡ وَيُدۡخِلۡكُمۡ جَنَّـٰتٍ۬ تَجۡرِى مِن تَحۡتِہَا ٱلۡأَنۡہَـٰرُ وَمَسَـٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةً۬ فِى جَنَّـٰتِ عَدۡنٍ۬ۚ ذَتلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ (١٢)
“[It is that] you believe in Allah and His Messenger and strive in the cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives. That is best for you, if you should know. He will forgive for you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence. That is the great attainment.”
Commentary
When the believers are asked to believe, it automatically gives the meaning that they should become sincere Muslims: they should not rest content with oral profession of the Faith but should be ready and willing to make every sacrifice in the cause of their Faith.
That is, this bargain is far superior for them to every worldly bargain. The actual profits of the bargain that they will attain in the eternal lift of the Hereafter are: (1) Immunity from the punishment of Allah; (2) forgiveness of sins; and (3) entry into the Paradise the blessings of which are eternal and everlasting.
Foundational Attributes
conviction, persistence, perseverance, charity