(and all t he believing men and women.

) He supplicat ed for all of t he believing men and women, and t hat includes t hose of t hem who were living and t hose of t hem who were dead. For t his reason, it is recommended t o supplicat e like t his, in following t he example of Nuh, and t hat which has been report ed in t he narrat ions and well-known, legislat ed supplicat ions. Then, he said,

(And t o t he wrongdoers, grant You no increase but dest ruct ion!) As-Suddi said, "But dest ruct ion.'' Muj ahid said, "But loss.'' This means in bot h t his life and in t he Hereaft er.This is t he end of t he Tafsir of Surat Nuh. And all praise and t hanks are due t o Allah.

The Tafsir of Surat Al-Jinn (Chapter - 72) Which was revealed in Makkah

(In t he Name of Allah, t he Most Gracious, t he Most Merciful.

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(1. Say: "It has been revealed t o me t hat a group of Jinn list ened. They said: ` Verily, we have heard a wonderful Recit at ion!') (2. ` It guides t o t he right pat h, and we have believed t herein, and we shall never j oin anyt hing wit h our Lord.') (3. ` And He, exalt ed be t he Jadd of our Lord, has t aken neit her a wife nor a son.') (4. ` And t hat t he foolish among us used t o ut t er against Allah t hat which was an enormit y in falsehood.') (5. ` And verily, we t hought t hat men and Jinn would not ut t er a lie against Allah.') (6. ` And verily, t here were men among mankind who t ook shelt er wit h t he males among t he Jinn, but t hey increased t hem in Rahaq.') (7. ` And t hey t hought as you t hought , t hat Allah will not send any Messenger.')

The Jinns listening to the Qur'an and Their Belief in It

Allah commands His Messenger t o inform his people t hat t he Jinns list ened t o t he Qur'an, believed in it , affirmed it s t rut hfulness and adhered t o it . So Allah says,

(Say: "It has been revealed t o me t hat a group of Jinn list ened. They said: ` Verily, we have heard a wonderful Recit at ion! It guides t o t he right pat h''') meaning, t o what is correct and success.

(and we have believed t herein, and we shall never j oin anyt hing wit h our Lord.) This posit ion (t hat t hey t ook) is similar t o what Allah said,

(And when We sent t owards you a group of t he Jinns list ening t o t he Qur'an.) (46:29) We have already present ed t he Hadit hs t hat have been narrat ed concerning t his, so t here is no need t o repeat t hem here. Concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(And He, exalt ed be t he Jadd of our Lord,) ` Ali bin Abi Talhah report ed from Ibn ` Abbas t hat he said concerning Allah's st at ement ,


(t he Jadd of our Lord,) "This means, His act ions, His commands and His power.'' Ad-Dahhak report ed from Ibn ` Abbas t hat he said, "Allah's Jadd is His blessings, His power and His favor upon His creat ion.'' It has been report ed from Muj ahid and ` Ikrimah t hat t hey said, "It (Jadd) is t he magnificence of our Lord.'' Qat adah said, "Exalt ed is His magnificence, His great ness and His command.'' As-Suddi said, "Exalt ed is t he command of our Lord.'' It has been report ed from Abu Ad-Darda', Muj ahid and Ibn Jurayj t hat t hey said, "Exalt ed is His remembrance (Dhikr).''

The Jinns Affirmation that Allah does not have a Wife and Children
Allah says,

(He has t aken neit her a wife nor a son.) meaning, far exalt ed is He above t aking a mat e and having children. This means t hat when t he Jinns accept ed Islam and believed in t he Qur'an t hey professed Allah's magnificence above having t aken a spouse and a child (or a son). Then t hey said,

(And t hat t he foolish among us used t o ut t er against Allah t hat which was an enormit y in falsehood.) Muj ahid, ` Ikrimah, Qat adah and As-Suddi, all said,

(t he foolish among us) "They were referring t o Iblis.''

(t hat which was an enormit y in falsehood.) As-Suddi report ed from Abu Malik t hat he said, "This means a t ransgression.'' Ibn Zayd said, "A great inj ust ice.'' The foolish (Safih) also carries t he meaning of everyone in t he cat egory who claims t hat Allah has a spouse or a son. This is why Allah says here,

(And t hat t he foolish among us used t o ut t er) meaning, nd He, eeA ? The Jinns Affirmat ion t hat Allah does not have a Wife and Children Allah says,


(He has t aken neit her a wife nor a son.) meaning, far exalt ed is He above t aking a mat e and having children. This means t hat when t he Jinns accept ed Islam and believed in t he Qur'an t hey professed Allah's magnificence above having t aken a spouse and a child (or a son). Then t hey said,

(And t hat t he foolish among us used t o ut t er against Allah t hat which was an enormit y in falsehood.) Muj ahid, ` Ikrimah, Qat adah and As-Suddi, all said,

(t he foolish among us) "They were referring t o Iblis.''

(t hat which was an enormit y in falsehood.) As-Suddi report ed from Abu Malik t hat he said, "This means a t ransgression.'' Ibn Zayd said, "A great inj ust ice.'' The foolish (Safih) also carries t he meaning of everyone in t he cat egory who claims t hat Allah has a spouse or a son. This is why Allah says here,

(And t hat t he foolish among us used t o ut t er) meaning, before his accept ance of Islam.

(against Allah t hat which was an enormit y in falsehood.) meaning, falsehood and a lie. Thus, Allah says,

(And verily, we t hought t hat men and Jinn would not ut t er a lie against Allah.) meaning, ` we did not t hink t hat humans and Jinns would j oin each ot her in lying about Allah by at t ribut ing a spouse and a son t o Him. So when we heard t his Qur'an we believed in it and we knew t hat t hey (Jinns and men) had been lying about Allah in t his mat t er.'

Among the Causes of the Transgression of the Jinns were that Humans sought Refuge with Them
Allah says,

(And verily, t here were men among mankind who t ook shelt er wit h t he males among t he Jinn, but t hey increased t hem in Rahaq.) meaning, ` we used t o t hink t hat we had some virt uous st at us over mankind because t hey used t o seek refuge wit h us whenever t hey (men) would set t le in a valley or any place in t he wilderness, t he open count ry st eppes and ot her places.' This was t he cust om of t he Arabs in t he pre-Islamic days of ignorance. They used t o seek refuge wit h t he great est Jinn of a part icular place so t hat no harm or evil would afflict t hem. Like one would do if he ent ered int o t he land of his enemies, in t he vicinit y of a great and powerful man, he would seek t he prot ect ion and guardianship of t hat man. So when t he Jinns saw t hat t he humans were seeking refuge wit h t hem due t o t heir fear of t hem, t hey increased t hem in Rahaq which means fear, t error and fright . They did t his so t hat t he people would be more afraid of t hem and seek refuge wit h t hem even more. As Qat adah said concerning t his Ayah,

(but t hey increased t hem in Rahaq.) means, "t he Jinns were courageous and increased in insolence against t hem.'' As-Suddi said, "A man used t o set out wit h his family (on a j ourney) unt il he came t o a piece of land where he would set t le. Then he would say, ` I seek refuge wit h t he mast er (Jinn) of t his valley from t he Jinns, or t hat myself, my wealt h, my child or my animals are harmed in it .''' Qat adah said, "When t hey sought refuge wit h t hem inst ead of Allah, t he Jinns would overcome t hem wit h harm because of t hat .'' Ibn Abi Hat im recorded from ` Ikrimah t hat he said, "The Jinns used t o fear humans j ust like humans fear t hem, or even worse. So whenever humans would come t o a valley t he Jinns would flee. So t he leader of t he people would say, ` We seek refuge wit h t he leader of t he inhabit ant s of t his valley.' So t he Jinns said, ` We see t hese people fleeing from us j ust like we flee from t hem.' Thus, t he Jinns st art ed coming near t he humans and afflict ing t hem wit h insanit y and madness.'' Thus, Allah said,

(And verily, t here were men among mankind who t ook shelt er wit h t he males among t he Jinn, but t hey increased t hem in Rahaq.) meaning, in sin. Abu ` Aliyah, Ar-Rabi` and Zayd bin Aslam, all said,

(in Rahaq) "This means in fear.'' Muj ahid said, "The disbelievers would increase in t ransgression.'' Concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(And t hey t hought as you t hought ,) means, "t he Jinns were courageous and increased in insolence against t hem.'' As-Suddi said, "A man used t o set out wit h his family (on a j ourney) unt il he came t o a piece of land where he would set t le. Then he would say, ` I seek refuge wit h t he mast er (Jinn) of t his valley from t he Jinns, or t hat myself, my wealt h, my child or my animals are harmed in it .''' Qat adah said, "When t hey sought refuge wit h t hem inst ead of Allah, t he Jinns would overcome t hem wit h harm because of t hat .'' Ibn Abi Hat im recorded from ` Ikrimah t hat he said, "The Jinns used t o fear humans j ust like humans fear t hem, or even worse. So whenever humans would come t o a valley t he Jinns would flee. So t he leader of t he people would say, ` We seek refuge wit h t he leader of t he inhabit ant s of t his valley.' So t he Jinns said, ` We see t hese people fleeing from us j ust like we flee from t hem.' Thus, t he Jinns st art ed coming near t he humans and afflict ing t hem wit h insanit y and madness.'' Thus, Allah said,

(And verily, t here were men among mankind who t ook shelt er wit h t he males among t he Jinn, but t hey increased t hem in Rahaq.) meaning, in sin. Abu ` Aliyah, Ar-Rabi` and Zayd bin Aslam, all said,

(in Rahaq) "This means in fear.'' Muj ahid said, "The disbelievers would increase in t ransgression.'' Concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(And t hey t hought as you t hought , t hat Allah will not send any Messenger.) meaning, Allah would never send a Messenger aft er t his long period of t ime. This was said by Al-Kalbi and Ibn Jarir.

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(8. ` And we have sought t o reach t he heaven; but we found it filled wit h st ern guards and flaming fires.') (9. ` And verily, we used t o sit t here in st at ions, t o (st eal) a hearing, but any who list ens now will find a flaming fire wat ching him in ambush.') (10. ` And we know not whet her evil is int ended for t hose on t he eart h, or whet her t heir Lord int ends for t hem guidance.')

The Jinns stealing Information from the Sky before the the Messenger was sent and striking Them with flaming Fire after His Coming
Allah informs about t he Jinns when He sent His Messenger Muhammad and revealed t he Qur'an t o him. Among t he ways He prot ect ed it (t he Qur'an) was by filling sky wit h st ern guards guarding it from all of it s sides. The devils were t hen expelled from t he places where t hey used t o sit prior t o t hat . This was so t hat t hey could not st eal anyt hing from t he Qur'an and t ell it t o t he soot hsayers, t hereby causing mat t ers t o be confused and mixed up. If t his happened it would not be known who was being t rut hful. Allah did t his out of His kindness t o His creat ion, His mercy upon His servant s and His prot ect ion of His Might y Book (t he Qur'an). This is why t he Jinns said,

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(And we have sought t o reach t he heaven; but found it filled wit h st ern guards and flaming fires. And verily, we used t o sit t here in st at ions, t o (st eal) a hearing, but any who list ens now will find a flaming fire wat ching him in ambush.) meaning, whoever would like t o st eal some informat ion by list ening, he will find a flaming fire wait ing in ambush for him. It will not pass him or miss him, but it will wipe him out and dest roy him complet ely.

(And we know not whet her evil is int ended for t hose on eart h, or whet her t heir Lord int ends for t hem guidance.) meaning, ` we do not know if t his -- t he mat t er which has occurred in t he sky -- is int ended for t hose who are in t he eart h or if t heir Lord int ends some guidance for t hem.' They st at ed t his in such a manner out of t heir et iquet t e in phrasing t heir speech,

because t hey did not at t ribut e t he doing of evil t o anyone and t hey at t ribut ed t he good t o Allah. Verily, it has been recorded in t he Sahih,

(And evil is not at t ribut ed t o You (Allah).) It used t o be t hat shoot ing st ars (met eors) occurred before t his, however it did not happen much, rat her only occasionally. As was report ed in t he Hadit h of Ibn ` Abbas when he said, "While we were sit t ing wit h t he Messenger of Allah a shoot ing st ar flashed in t he sky. So t he Prophet said,

(What did you all used t o say about t his) We replied, "We used t o say t hat a great person has been born and a great person has died.'' The Prophet said,

(This is not so, rat her whenever Allah decrees a mat t er in t he heaven...)'' and t hen he went on t o narrat e t he rest of t he Hadit h which we have already ment ioned in it s ent iret y in Surah Saba'. This is what caused t hem t o seek t he reason for t his occurrence. So t hey set out searching in t he east and t he west . Then t hey found t he Messenger of Allah recit ing (t he Qur'an) while leading his Companions in prayer. Thus, t hey knew t hat t his Qur'an was t he reason for t he sky being guarded. Therefore, some among t hem believed in it and t he ot hers became more rebellious in t heir t ransgression. A discussion of t his has preceded in a Hadit h of Ibn ` Abbas concerning Allah's st at ement in Surat Al-Ahqaf,

(And (remember) when We sent t owards you (Muhammad) a group of t he Jinn (quiet ly) list ening t o t he Qur'an.) (46:29) There is no doubt t hat when so many shoot ing st ars began appearing in t he sky, it horrified humans and Jinns alike. They were very dist urbed and alarmed by it . They t hought t hat it was t he dest ruct ion of t he world. As-Suddi said, "The sky was never guarded except if t here was a Prophet in t he eart h or t he religion of Allah was vict orious and dominant in t he eart h.'' So t he devils before t he t ime of Muhammad had t aken sit t ing st at ions for t hemselves in t he heaven of t his world and t hey would list en t o t he mat t ers t hat occurred in t he heaven. But when Allah sent Muhammad as a Prophet and Messenger, t hey were suddenly pelt ed one night (wit h t he flaming, shoot ing st ars). So t he people of Ta'if were fright ened because of t his and t hey began t o say, ` The dwellers of t he sky have been dest royed.' This was because t hey saw t he severe fires in t he sky and t he shoot ing flames. They began freeing t heir servant s and abandoning t heir luxuries. So ` Abd Yalayl bin ` Amr bin ` Umayr said t o t hem and he was referred t o for j udgement among t hem "Woe t o you O people of Ta'if! Hold on t o your wealt h and look at t hese guiding st ars in t he sky.If you see t hem remaining in t heir place, t hen t he dwellers of t he sky have not been dest royed, rat her t his has

happened because of Ibn Abi Kabshah (-- meaning Muhammad ). And if you look and see t hat you can no longer see t hese st ars, t hen verily t he dwellers of t he sky have been dest royed.'' So, t hey looked and saw t hat t he st ars st ill remained, and t hus, t hey kept t heir wealt h. The devils also were fright ened during t hat night . They went t o Iblis and informed him of what happened t o t hem. So he (Iblis) said, "Bring me a handful of dirt from every land so t hat I may smell it .'' So t hey brought it and he smelled it and said, "It is your friend in Makkah.'' Then he sent a group of seven Jinns t o Makkah, and t hey found t he Prophet of Allah st anding in prayer in AlMasj id Al-Haram while recit ing t he Qur'an. They drew near t o him eager t o hear t he Qur'an, unt il t heir chest s almost pressed against him. Then t hey accept ed Islam and Allah revealed t heir mat t er t o His Messenger . We have ment ioned t his chapt er in it s ent iret y in t he first sect ion of t he Kit ab As-Sirah wit h lengt hy discussion. Allah knows best and unt o Him is all praise and blessings.

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(11. ` There are among us some t hat are right eous, and some t he cont rary; we are groups having different ways.') (12.` And we t hink t hat we cannot escape Allah in t he eart h, nor can we escape Him by flight .') (13. ` And indeed when we heard t he Guidance, we believed t herein, and whosoever believes in his Lord shall have no fear, eit her of a decrease in t he reward of his good deeds or an increase in t he punishment for his sins.') (14. ` And of us some are Muslims, and of us some are Al-Qasit un. And whosoever has embraced Islam, t hen such have sought t he right pat h.' '') (15. And as for t he Qasit un, t hey shall be firewood for Hell.) (16. If t hey had believed in Allah, and went on t he way, We would surely have best owed on t hem wat er in abundance.) (17. That We might t ry t hem t hereby. And whosoever t urns away from t he Reminder of his Lord, He will cause him t o ent er in a Sa` ad t orment .)

The Jinns testify that among Them there are Believers, Disbelievers, Misguided and Guided
Allah says t hat t he Jinns said about t hemselves,

(There are among us some t hat are right eous, and some t he cont rary;) meaning, ot her t han t hat .

(We are groups having different ways.) meaning, on numerous differing pat hs and having different t hought s and opinions. Ibn ` Abbas, Muj ahid and ot hers have said,

(We are groups having different ways.) "This means among us are believers and among us are disbelievers.'' Ahmad bin Sulayman An-Naj j ad report ed in his (book of) Amali t hat he heard AlA` mash saying, "A Jinn came t o us, so I said t o him, ` What is t he most beloved food t o your kind' He replied, ` Rice.' So we brought t hem some rice and I saw t he morsels being lift ed but I did not see a hand lift ing it . So I asked him, ` Do you have t hese desires (religious innovat ions) among your kind as we have among ours' He replied, ` Yes.' Then I said, ` Who are t he Rafidah among you' He said, ` They are t he worst of us.''' I present ed t his chain of narrat ion t o our Shaykh, Al-Hafiz Abi Al-Haj j aj Al-Mizzi and he said it s chain is aut hent ic t o Al-A` mash.

The Jinns confess to Allah's Perfect Power

Concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(And we t hink t hat we cannot escape Allah in t he eart h, nor can we escape Him by flight .) meaning, ` we know t hat t he power of Allah is decisive over us and t hat we cannot escape Him in t he eart h. Even if we t ry t o flee, we know t hat He has complet e cont rol over us and t hat none of us can escape Him.'

(And indeed when we heard t he Guidance, we believed t herein,) They were proud of t his, and it is somet hing for t hem t o be proud of, as well as a great honor for t hem and a good charact erist ic. Concerning t heir st at ement ,

(and whosoever believes in his Lord shall have no fear, eit her of a decrease in t he reward of his good deeds or an increase in t he punishment for his sins.) Ibn ` Abbas, Qat adah and ot hers said, "This means, he should not fear t hat t he reward for his good deeds will be decreased or t hat he will be burdened wit h anyt hing ot her t han his sins.'' This is as Allah says,

(Then he will have no fear of inj ust ice, nor of any curt ailment .) (20:112)

(And of us some are Muslims, and of us some are Al-Qasit un.) meaning, ` among us t here is t he Muslim and t he Qasit .' The Qasit is he who behaves unj ust ly wit h t he t rut h and deviat es from it . This is t he opposit e of t he Muqsit , t he one who is j ust .

(And whosoever has embraced Islam, t hen such have sought t he right pat h.) meaning, t hey sought salvat ion for t hemselves.

(And as for t he Qasit un, t hey shall be firewood for Hell.) meaning, fuel, for t hey will be used t o kindle it (t he Fire). Concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(If t hey had believed in Allah, and went on t he way, We would surely have best owed on t hem wat er in abundance. That We might t ry t hem t hereby.) The comment at ors have differed over t he explanat ion of t his. There are t wo views concerning it . The First View That if t he deviant ones would st and firmly upon t he pat h of Islam, being j ust upon it and remaining upon it ,

(We would surely have best owed on t hem wat er in abundance.) meaning, a lot . The int ent behind t his is t o say t hat t hey would be given an abundance of sust enance. Wit h t his, t he meaning of Allah's st at ement ,

(That We might t ry t hem t hereby.) is t hat , ` We will t est t hem.' As Malik report ed from Zayd bin Aslam, he said, "That We might t ry t hem - means, so t hat We may t est t hem t o see who will remain upon t he guidance from t hose who will t urn back t o sin.''

Mentioning Those Who held this View

Al-` Awfi report ed similar t o t his from Ibn ` Abbas, and likewise said Muj ahid, Sa` id bin Jubayr, Sa` id bin Al-Musayyib, ` At a, As-Suddi, Muhammad bin Ka` b Al-Qurazi, Qat adah and Ad-Dahhak. Muqat il said, "This Ayah was revealed about t he disbelievers of t he Quraysh when t hey were deprived of rain for seven years.'' The Second View

(If t hey had believed in Allah, and went on t he way,) meaning, of misguidance.

(We would surely have best owed on t hem wat er in abundance.) meaning, ` t hen We would have increased t heir sust enance t o allow a gradual respit e.' As Allah says,

(So, when t hey forgot t hat wit h which t hey had been reminded, We opened for t hem t he gat es of everyt hing, unt il in t he midst of t heir enj oyment in t hat which t hey were given, all of a sudden, We t ook t hem, and lo! They were plunged int o dest ruct ion wit h deep regret s and sorrows. ) (6:44) Allah also says,

(Do t hey t hink t hat in wealt h and children wit h which We expand t hem. We hast en unt o t hem wit h good t hings. Nay, but t hey percieve not .) (23:55,56) This is t he view of Abu Mij laz and it agrees wit h t he opinion of Ibn Humayd. For verily, he (Ibn Humayd) said concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(If t hey had believed in Allah, and went on t he way,) "This means t he pat h of misguidance.'' Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hat im bot h recorded t his. Al-Baghawi also ment ioned it from Ar-Rabi` bin Anas, Zayd bin Aslam, Al-Kalbi and Ibn Kaysan. It seems t hat he (Al-Baghawi) t ook t his posit ion. And it is support ed by Allah's saying, "That We might t ry t hem t hereby.'' Concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(And whosoever t urns away from t he Reminder of his Lord, He will cause him t o ent er in a Sa` ad t orment .) meaning, a harsh, severe, agonizing and painful punishment . Ibn ` Abbas, Muj ahid, ` Ikrimah, Qat adah and Ibn Zayd, all said,

(in a Sa` ad t orment .) "This means harsh having no relaxat ion in it .'' It has also been report ed from Ibn ` Abbas t hat he said, "It is a mount ain in Hell.'' It has been relat ed from Sa` id bin Jubayr t hat he said, "It is a well in Hell.''

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(18. And t he Masj ids are for Allah, so invoke not anyone along wit h Allah.) (19. And when t he servant of Allah st ood up invoking Him in prayer t hey j ust made round him a dense crowd as if st icking one over t he ot her.) (20. Say: "I invoke only my Lord, and I associat e none as part ners along wit h Him.'') (21. Say: "It is not in my power t o cause you harm, or t o bring you t o t he right pat h.'') (22. Say: "None can prot ect me from Allah's punishment , nor can I find refuge except in Him.'') (23. "(Mine is) but conveyance from Allah and His Messages, and whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, t hen verily, for him is t he fire of Hell, he shall dwell t herein forever.'') (24. Till, when t hey see t hat which t hey are promised, t hen t hey will know who it is t hat is weaker concerning helpers and less import ant concerning numbers.)

The Command to worship Allah Alone and shun Shirk

Allah commands His servant s t o single Him out alone for worship and t hat none should be supplicat ed t o along wit h Him, nor should any part ners be associat ed wit h Him. As Qat adah said concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(And t he Masj ids are for Allah, so invoke not anyone along wit h Allah.) "Whenever t he Jews and Christ ians used t o ent er t heir churches and synagogues, t hey would associat e part ners wit h Allah. Thus, Allah commanded His Prophet t o t ell t hem t hat t hey should single Him out alone for worship.'' Ibn Jarir recorded from Sa` id bin Jubayr t hat he said concerning t his verse,

(And t he Masj ids are for Allah, so invoke not anyone along wit h Allah.) "The Jinns said t o t he Prophet of Allah , ` How can we come t o t he Masj id while we are dist ant - meaning very far away - from you And how can we be present for t he prayer while we are far away from you' So Allah revealed t his Ayah,

(And t he Masj ids are for Allah, so invoke not anyone along wit h Allah.)'' The Jinns crowding t oget her t o hear t he Qur'an Allah said,

(And when t he servant of Allah st ood up invoking Him in prayer t hey j ust made round him a dense crowd as if st icking one over t he ot her.) Al-` Awfi report ed from Ibn ` Abbas, "When t hey heard t he Prophet recit ing t he Qur'an t hey almost mount ed on t op of him due t o t heir zeal. When t hey heard him recit ing t he Qur'an t hey drew very near t o him. He was unaware of t hem unt il t he messenger (i.e., Jibril) came t o him and made him recit e,

(Say: "It has been revealed t o me t hat a group of Jinn list ened.'') (72:1) They were list ening t o t he Qur'an.'' This is one opinion and it has been report ed from Az-Zubayr bin Al-` Awwam. Ibn Jarir recorded from Ibn ` Abbas t hat he said, "The Jinns said t o t heir people,

(when t he servant of Allah st ood up invoking Him in prayer t hey j ust made round him a dense crowd as if st icking one over t he ot her.) )'' This is t he second view and it has also been report ed from Sa` id bin Jubayr. Al-Hasan said, "When t he Messenger of Allah st ood up and said none has t he right t o be worshipped except Allah, and he called t he people t o t heir Lord, t he Arabs almost crowded over him t oget her (against him).'' Qat adah said concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(when t he servant of Allah st ood up invoking Him in prayer t hey j ust made round him a dense crowd as if st icking one over t he ot her.) "Humans and Jinns bot h crowded t oget her over t his mat t er in order t o ext inguish it . However, Allah insist ed upon helping it , support ing it and making it vict orious over t hose who opposed it .'' This is t he t hird view and it has also been report ed from Ibn ` Abbas, Muj ahid, Sa` id bin Jubayr and Ibn Zayd. It was also t he view preferred by Ibn Jarir. This view seems t o be t he most apparent meaning of t he Ayah due t o Allah's st at ement which follows it ,

(Say: "I invoke only my Lord, and I associat e none as part ners along wit h Him.'') meaning, when t hey harmed him, opposed him, denied him and st ood against him in order t o t hwart t he t rut h he came wit h, and t o unit e against him, t he Messenger said t o t hem

(I invoke only my Lord,) meaning, ` I only worship my Lord alone, and He has no part ners. I seek His help and I put my t rust in Him.'


(and I associat e none as part ners along wit h Him.)

The Messenger does not have Power to harm or give Guidance

Concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(Say: "It is not in my power t o cause you harm, or t o bring you t o t he right pat h.'') meaning, ` say: I am only a man like you all and I have received revelat ion. I am only a servant among t he servant s of Allah. I have no cont rol over t he affairs of your guidance or your misguidance. Rat her all of t hese t hings are referred t o Allah.' Then he (t he Prophet ) says about himself t hat no one can save him from Allah eit her. This means, ` if I disobey Allah, t hen no one would be able t o rescue me from His punishment .'

(and nor can I find refuge except in Him.) Muj ahid, Qat adah and As-Suddi all said, "No place t o escape t o.''

It is only obligatory upon the Messenger to convey the Message

Concerning Allah's st at ement ,

((Mine is) but conveyance from Allah and His Messages,) This is an except ion relat ed t o t he previous st at ement ,

(None can prot ect me from Allah's punishment ,) meaning, ` not hing can save me from Him and rescue me except my conveyance of t he Message t hat He has obligat ed me t o carry out .' This is as Allah says,


(O Messenger! Proclaim which has been sent down t o you from your Lord. And if you do not , t hen you have not conveyed His Message. Allah will prot ect you from mankind.) (5:67) Then Allah says,

(and whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, t hen verily, for him is t he fire of Hell, he shall dwell t herein forever.) meaning, ` I will convey unt o you all t he Messages of Allah, so whoever disobeys aft er t hat , t hen his reward will be t he fire of Hell wherein he will abide forever.' This means, t hey will not be able t o avoid it nor escape from it . Then Allah says,

(Till, when t hey see t hat which t hey are promised, t hen t hey will know who it is t hat is weaker concerning helpers and less import ant concerning numbers.) meaning, unt il t hese idolat ors from t he Jinns and humans see what has been promised t o t hem on t he Day of Judgement . Then on t hat day, t hey will know who's helpers are weaker and fewer in number -- t hem or t he believers who worship Allah alone. This means t hat t he idolat ors have no helper at all and t hey are fewer in number t han t he soldiers of Allah.

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(25. Say: "I know not whet her t hat which you are promised is near or whet her my Lord will appoint for it a dist ant t erm.'') (26. "The All-Knower of t he Unseen, and He reveals t o none His Unseen.'') (27. Except t o a Messenger whom He has chosen, and t hen He makes a band of wat ching guards t o march before him and behind him.) (28. Till he knows t hat t hey have conveyed t he Messages of t heir Lord. And He surrounds all t hat which is wit h t hem, and He keeps count of all t hings.)

The Messenger of Allah does not know when the Hour will be
Allah commands His Messenger t o say t o t he people t hat he has no knowledge of when t he Hour will be and he does not know whet her it s t ime is near or far.

(Say: "I know not whet her which you are promised is near or whet her my Lord will appoint for it a dist ant t erm.'') meaning, a long period of t ime. In t his noble Ayah is an evidence t hat t he Hadit h t hat many of t he ignorant people oft en circulat e, which says t hat t he Prophet will not remain under t he eart h more t han one t housand years (i.e., t he Hour will be before t hat period) is a baseless lie. We have not seen it in any of t he Books (of Hadit h). Verily, t he Messenger of Allah was asked about t he t ime of t he Hour and he would not respond. When Jibril appeared t o him in t he form of a bedouin Arab, one of t he quest ions he asked t he Prophet was, "O Muhammad! Tell me about t he Hour'' So t he Prophet replied,

(The one quest ioned about it knows no more t han t he quest ioner.) On anot her occasion when a bedouin Arab called out t o t he Prophet in a loud voice saying, "O Muhammad! When will be t he Hour'' The Prophet said,

(Woe unt o you. Verily, it will occur so what have you prepared for it ) The man replied, "I have not prepared much for it of prayers and fast ing, but I love Allah and His Messenger.'' The Prophet t hen replied,

(Then you will be wit h whomever you love.) Anas said, "The Muslims were not happier wit h anyt hing like t hey were upon (hearing) t his Hadit h.'' Concerning Allah's st at ement ,

(The All-Knower of t he Unseen, and He reveals t o none His Unseen. Except t o a Messenger) This is similar t o Allah's st at ement ,

(And t hey will never compass any t hing of His knowledge except t hat which He wills.) (2:255) Similarly, Allah says here t hat He knows t he unseen and t he seen and t hat no one of His creat ion can at t ain any of His knowledge except t hat which Allah allows him t o have. Thus, Allah says,

(The All-Knower of t he Unseen, and He reveals t o none His Unseen. Except t o a Messenger whom He has chosen,) This includes t he angelic Messenger and t he human Messenger. Then Allah says,

(and t hen He makes a band of wat ching guards t o march before him and behind him.) meaning, He part icularly gives him addit ional guardian angels who prot ect him by t he command of Allah and t hey accompany him wit h t hat which is wit h him of Allah's revelat ion. Thus, Allah says,

(Till he knows t hat t hey have conveyed t he Messages of t heir Lord. And He surrounds all t hat which is wit h t hem, and He keeps count of all t hings.) The pronoun ` he' which is in His st at ement ,

(Till he knows) refers t o t he Prophet . Ibn Jarir recorded from Sa` id bin Jubayr t hat he said concerning t he Ayah,

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(The All-Knower of t he Unseen, and He reveals t o none His Unseen. Except t o a Messenger whom He has chosen, and t hen He makes a band of wat ching guards t o march before him and behind him.) "These are four guardians among t he angels along wit h Jibril,

(Till he knows) This means Muhammad ,

(t hat t hey have conveyed t he Messages of t heir Lord. And He surrounds all t hat which is wit h t hem, and He keeps count of all t hings.)'' This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hat im. It has also been report ed by Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi and Yazid bin Abi Habib. ` Abdur-Razzaq report ed from Ma` mar, from Qat adah,

(Till he knows t hat t hey have conveyed t he Messages of t heir Lord.) "So t hat t he Prophet of Allah would know t hat t he Messengers had conveyed t heir Messages from Allah and t hat t he angels have prot ect ed t hem and defended t hem.'' This has also been report ed by Sa` id bin Abi ` Arubah from Qat adah, and Ibn Jarir preferred t his int erpret at ion. Al-Baghawi said, "Ya` qub recit ed it as, ( ) (in order t o be known) t his means, so t hat t he people may know t hat t he Messengers had conveyed t he Message.'' It also could carry t he meaning t hat t he pronoun refers t o Allah (i.e., So t hat He (Allah) may know). This opinion has been ment ioned by Ibn Al-Jawzi in Zad Al-Masir. The meaning of t his is t hat He prot ect s His Messengers t hrough His angels so t hat t hey will be able t o convey His Messages. He prot ect s what He reveals t o t hem of revelat ion so t hat He will know t hat t hey have indeed conveyed t he Messages of t heir Lord. This is like His st at ement ,

(And We made t he Qiblah which you used t o face, only t hat We know who followed t he Messenger from t hose who would t urn on t heir heels.) (2:143) Allah also said,

(Verily, Allah knows t hose who believe, and t hat He knows t he hypocrit es.) (29:11) It should be added t o t hese examples t hat from Allah's knowledge is t hat He knows all t hings before t hey occur, and t his is somet hing definit e and cert ain. Therefore, He says aft er t his,

(And He surrounds all t hat which is wit h t hem, and He keeps count of all t hings.) This is t he end of t he Tafsir of Surat Al-Jinn, and all praises and t hanks are due t o Allah.

The Tafsir of Surat Al-Muzzammil (Chapter - 73) Which was revealed in Makkah

(In t he Name of Allah, t he Most Gracious, t he Most Merciful.

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