Surah Zumar, Aayah 1-9

Transcript of Tafseer by Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Salejee Saheb

تَنزيلُ الكِتـٰبِ مِنَ اللَّـهِ العَزيزِ الحَكيمِ ﴿١﴾ إِنّا أَنزَلنا إِلَيكَ الكِتـٰبَ بِالحَقِّ فَاعبُدِ اللَّـهَ مُخلِصًا لَهُ الدّينَ ﴿٢﴾ أَلا لِلَّـهِ الدّينُ الخالِصُ وَالَّذينَ اتَّخَذوا مِن دونِهِ أَولِياءَ ما نَعبُدُهُم إِلّا لِيُقَرِّبونا إِلَى اللَّـهِ زُلفىٰ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَحكُمُ بَينَهُم فى ما هُم فيهِ يَختَلِفونَ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لا يَهدى مَن هُوَ كـٰذِبٌ كَفّارٌ ﴿٣﴾ لَو أَرادَ اللَّـهُ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا لَاصطَفىٰ مِمّا يَخلُقُ ما يَشاءُ سُبحـٰنَهُ هُوَ اللَّـهُ الوٰحِدُ القَهّارُ ﴿٤﴾ خَلَقَ السَّمـٰوٰتِ وَالأَرضَ بِالحَقِّ يُكَوِّرُ الَّيلَ عَلَى النَّهارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهارَ عَلَى الَّيلِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمسَ وَالقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجرى لِأَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى أَلا هُوَ العَزيزُ الغَفّـٰرُ ﴿٥﴾ خَلَقَكُم مِن نَفسٍ وٰحِدَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنها زَوجَها وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِنَ الأَنعـٰمِ ثَمـٰنِيَةَ أَزوٰجٍ يَخلُقُكُم فى بُطونِ أُمَّهـٰتِكُم خَلقًا مِن بَعدِ خَلقٍ فى ظُلُمـٰتٍ ثَلـٰثٍ ذٰلِكُمُ اللَّـهُ رَبُّكُم لَهُ المُلكُ لا إِلـٰهَ إِلّا هُوَ فَأَنّىٰ تُصرَفونَ ﴿٦﴾

This is a revelation of a book from Allah the Exalted in might, the One who is full of wisdom. Indeed We have sent down this book to you in truth and total precision, then worship Allah Ta’ala with total devotion. Behold! True devotion belongs to Allah Ta’ala alone and those who worship gods besides Allah Ta’ala (then they say that) We only worship them to bring us closer to Allah Ta’ala. Indeed Allah Ta’ala will decide between them in the matters that they differ presently.  And Allah Ta’ala does not guide those who lie and are ungrateful. Had it been the will of Allah Ta’ala to take a child, He could have taken (a child) from the things that He had created Himself. Glory be to Him! He is Allah the One and the Almighty. He has created the heavens and the earth with total precision. He causes the night to overlap the day and the day to overlap the night and He has subjected the sun and the moon (to your service). Each one flows (on its own course) for a period that (Allah Ta’ala) has appointed. Behold, He is Allah the One who is Exalted in might and the One who is forgiving all the time. He created you from a single soul then from this soul He has created its partner and sent down for you eight species of domestic animals. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers in stages one after the other in three layers of darkness. Such is Allah! Your Rabb. To Him belongs all the kingdom. There is none worthy of worship but He. Then how are you people being turned away from the truth?

n this ruku, these words are being repeated all the time. Then worship Allah Ta’ala with sincere and true devotion. With true devotion comes the perfection of Imaan. So the one whose Imaan is perfect, then his sincerity and his devotion will also be perfect. And in proportion to the weakness of his faith, then his sincerity will also be affected. And what is the very essence of Imaan? The very essence of Imaan is to have the conviction that Allah Ta’ala is in supreme control of every good and every harm. It is absolutely in His control. Nothing is out of His control and reach. So When everything is in His control, any good and any harm that we can think of and that we see and that we know of, everything is in His control, then the sensible thing is to hope in Him alone and to fear Him alone.

This is the very essence of Imaan, that we hope and fear Allah Ta’ala alone and we don’t have expectations with people, nor do we have any fears about people that, if they stop a certain work, then it won’t happen, and if they permit it, then it will happen. Thus, for as long as one is in this type of a rut, and this type of a state of mind, then he will be agonising himself, he will be causing grief to himself, he will be causing pain to himself. Furthermore, that is an indication that his Imaan is not right. His Imaan is deficient; there is a weakness in his Imaan, for he considers things to happen through people. So as long as he feels that Allah Ta’ala has the supreme control, He will make things happen, then his expectations will be in Allah Ta’ala. He will thereby bring happiness within himself and he will expel all type of misery, agony and grief from his heart.  So this is the very gist of Imaan; that you hope in Allah Ta’ala alone, you fear Allah Ta'ala alone and you expect from Allah Ta’ala alone. For this to be achieved, you should worship Allah Ta’ala alone with sincere devotion. When He is in total control and when everything is in His power then we need to ensure that we offer our devotion sincerely to Him.

And then Allah Ta’ala goes on to say,​

إِن تَكفُروا فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنكُم وَلا يَرضىٰ لِعِبادِهِ الكُفرَ وَإِن تَشكُروا يَرضَهُ لَكُم وَلا تَزِرُ وازِرَةٌ وِزرَ أُخرىٰ

If you disbelieve, then Allah Ta’ala doesn't need you. (But by the same token), Allah Ta’ala is not pleased with ingratitude from His servants. And if you are grateful, then Allah Ta’ala is pleased with you. And (remember on the day of Qiyaamat), no bearer of burdens will bear the load of the other.

Each person is responsible for his own burden, for his own baggage. Each person is responsible, so you ensure that your baggage is right, that you don’t have anything that is going to amount to a crime in the court of Allah Ta’ala.

ثُمَّ إِلىٰ رَبِّكُم مَرجِعُكُم فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِما كُنتُم تَعمَلونَ إِنَّهُ عَليمٌ بِذاتِ الصُّدورِ ﴿٧﴾​

Then at the end, your return is to your Rabb (Allah Ta’ala) and He will tell you the truth of all that you have done. Indeed, Allah Ta’ala is the Knower of the secrets of the heart.

But mankind is forgetful and his worship to Allah Ta’ala is a worship of convenience.

وَإِذا مَسَّ الإِنسـٰنَ ضُرٌّ دَعا رَبَّهُ مُنيبًا إِلَيهِ ثُمَّ إِذا خَوَّلَهُ نِعمَةً مِنهُ نَسِىَ ما كانَ يَدعوا إِلَيهِ مِن قَبلُ وَجَعَلَ لِلَّـهِ أَندادًا لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبيلِهِ قُل تَمَتَّع بِكُفرِكَ قَليلًا إِنَّكَ مِن أَصحـٰبِ النّارِ ﴿٨﴾أَمَّن هُوَ قـٰنِتٌ ءاناءَ الَّيلِ ساجِدًا وَقائِمًا يَحذَرُ الـٔاخِرَةَ وَيَرجوا رَحمَةَ رَبِّهِ قُل هَل يَستَوِى الَّذينَ يَعلَمونَ وَالَّذينَ لا يَعلَمونَ إِنَّما يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُوا الأَلبـٰبِ ﴿٩﴾

When any harm touches man, then he turns to Allah Ta’ala crying for assistance and help. But the moment Allah Ta’ala bestows a favour to him, then he forgets all the favours for which he used to be calling (all the types of worship that he used to offer to Allah Ta’ala, he forgets everything,the sacrifices, the promises, the devotion, the sincerity that he had, all of it is totally forgotten) and further taking partners to Allah Ta’ala that they may mislead from the path of Allah Ta’ala. (Allah Ta’ala says): Say (to them): Then enjoy your disbelief for a short while. Indeed you are from the dwellers of jahannum. Then (who is better), one who devotes himself during the night and day (in the hours of the night and in the hours of the day he is devoting himself) in prostration and standing before Him concerned about the hereafter and hoping in the mercy of his Lord.  Say those who know and those who do not know, can they both be alike? It is only the people of understanding that take heed.

So one is the person that stands up in obedience to Allah Ta’ala during the hours of the night in prostration and standing before him, fearing the hereafter and expecting and longing for the mercy of Allah Ta’ala, his Rabb. So who is better? Is this person or the one that is totally forgetful of standing before Allah Ta’ala, and he is heedless of having to stand before Allah Ta’ala for the reckoning. So whose plight is better?

2011-04-01_Surah_39_Ayah_01_LD.mp3

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