KHUTAB III - 3. COMMENTARY OF THE QUR’ĀN (1)

 

 3. COMMENTARY OF THE QUR’ĀN (1)

Sūrat al-Fātih.ah (Chapter 1)

 سُوْرَةُ الْفَاتِحَة

The word al-fātihah literally means "the Opening, namely, "the “introduction”. Sūrat al-Fātih.ah, then, is an introductory chapter of the Qur’ān, and by it the recitation in prayer begins. This chapter was revealed in Makkah (Mecca) according to some scholars, such as ‘Ibn ‘Abbās, Qatādah, Abū ‘l-‘Āliyah al-Riyāh.ī. Other scholars such as Abu Hurayrah, Mujāhid, ‘At.ā’, and al-Zuhrī, say that it was revealed in Medinah. Accepting the two views some scholars say that it was revealed twice, once in Mecca and then in Medinah. It is said that some verses of the Qur’ān were revealed more than once, to remind the Prophet to recite them as the answer to similar questions asked by the idolaters in Mecca and the Jews in Medinah.

Sūrat al-Fātih.ah has many other names:

1. Ummu’l-Kitāb (أُمُّ الْكِتاَبِ  “Mother of the Book”) and Ummu’l-Qur’ān (أُمُّ الْقُرْآنِ , “Mother of the Qur’ān”). It is said so, because it contains the summary of the contents of the Qur’ān. It is the summary of the Qur’ān. The Qur’ān teaches us the Oneness of God (tawh.īd). Verse 1, 2, and 3 of  al-Fātih.ah contain this teaching. The belief in the Hereafter where good and bad deeds will be accounted for, is mentioned in verse 4.  The acts of worship which should be performed by Muslims, such as prayer, fasting, paying zakāt, pilgrimage to Makkah etc. are the explanation of verse 5. Guidance, which is the fundamental requirement of human soul to gain salvation, is mentioned in verse 6. The Qur’ān itself is revealed as guidance to people. The last verse which is verse 7, contains moral teaching, the history of people in the past whom Allah gave blessings, whom Allah did not give His favour and those who went astray.

2.  Sab‘ al-Mathānī (سَبْعُ الْمَثاَنِيْ, Seven Oft-Repeated Verses). It contains seven verses that are repeated very often, especially in the prayer, even every rak‘ah of it. In one tradition; the prophet said the prayer of a Muslim is not valid until he or she recites the Fātih.ah. This is for people who can recite it. With regard to new Muslims who are still unable to recite it, the Prophet allowed them to recite whatever they can, until they become able to recite it.

3.    Sūrat al-H.amd ( سُوْرَةُ الْحَمْدِ, Chapter of the Praise), as it contains or starts with praising Allah, the Creator. A h.adīth (tradition of the Prophet) runs as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُعَلَّى قَالَ كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَدَعَانِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمْ أُجِبْهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي فَقَالَ أَلَمْ يَقُلْ اللَّهُ

"اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ "  ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي لَأُعَلِّمَنَّكَ سُورَةً هِيَ أَعْظَمُ السُّوَرِ

فِي الْقُرْآنِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ مِنْ الْمَسْجِدِ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ بِيَدِي فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ قُلْتُ لَهُ أَلَمْ

تَقُلْ لَأُعَلِّمَنَّكَ سُورَةً هِيَ أَعْظَمُ سُورَةٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ قَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

هِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنُ الْعَظِيمُ الَّذِي أُوتِيتُهُ (رواه البخاري و أحمد)

Abū Sa‘īd ibn al-Mu‘allā[1] said: “I was praying in the mosque

when the Messenger  of Allah, s.a.w., called me. I said to him, I was

 praying. Then he said, ’Did not  Allah say, to answer the call of

Allah and the Messenger if he calls you?’[2] Then he said, ‘Verily, I

 shall teach you a chapter which is the greatest one in the  Qur’ān

 before you go out of the mosque.’  Then he held my hand.  When

 he was on the point of going out of the mosque I said to him,

 ‘Did not you say to me that you would teach me the greatest

 chapter in the Qur’ān?’ He  said, ‘Al-H.amdu lillāh rabbil

‘ālamīn, is the seven oft-repeated and the Great

 Qur’ān which have been brought to me.’”

(Reported by Bukhārī, and Aḥmad)

4.  Al-Shifā’ (الشِّفَاءُ , “the Healing”).  In a tradition it is reported as follows:

عَنْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- :

« فَاتِحَةُ الْكِتَابِ شِفَاءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءٍ » (رواه الدارمي).

  ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Umayr said: ” The Messenger of Allah s.a.w.

 said: ‘There is in the Fātih.ah healing from every illness.’”

 (Reported by al-Dārimī).

In fact, the Qur’ān in general has a healing power to those who read the Qur’ān with understanding and faith.     

                   Is the basmalah (i.e. Bismillāhir Rah.mānir Rah.īm) part of the Fātih.ah? Scholars have different views on this issue.

A.Yes, according to the sah.ābah (companions of the Prophet, Abū Hurayrah, ‘Alī, Ibn ‘Abbās, Abdullah ibn ‘Umar r.a., and among the tābi‘īn (people of the following generation), such as Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, ‘At.ā’, al-Zuhrī and Ibn Mubārak, the jurists of Makkah, Ibn Kathīr, ‘Ās.im, al-Kisā’ī, the Shāfi‘ī and H.anbalī schools. Among their arguments are as follows:

1.  The following h.adīths

عَنْ أَنَس بْنِ مَالَك أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ص. م. قَالَ إِنَّهُ نَزَلَ إِليََّسُوْرَةً فَقَرَأَ

 بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم (رواه مسلم)

Anas ibn Mālik said that the Messenger of Allah, s.a.w.

said that a sūrah (chapter of the Qur’ān) had been revealed to

him, then cited Bismillāhir Rah.mānir Ra h.īm.

(Reported by Muslim)

عَن أَبِى هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ  صَلىَّ اللهُ عَلَيْه وَسلم  إِذَا قَرَأْتُمُ ( الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ) فَاقْرَءُوا (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ) إِنَّهَا أُمُّ الْقُرْآنِ وَأُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَالسَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِى وَ (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ) إِحْدَاهَا ».

(رواه الدارقطني والبيهقي)

 Abū Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah,

 s.a.w. said, “If you read al-Hamdu Lillāh recite first

Bismillāhir Rahmānir Rahīm, because this chapter is the

Mother of the Qur’ān, the Mother of the Book, the

Seven oft Read, and the Basmalah is part of it.”

(Reported by Dāraquṭnī and Bayhaqī)

عَنِ اْبنِ عَبَّاس َأنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ص. م. مَا عَرَفَ آخِرَ سُوْرَةٍ حَتَّى نَزَلَتِ اْلبَسْمَلَة (رواه أبو داءود)

 Ibn ‘Abbās said that the Prophet did not know the end of

 a sūrah until the basmalah was revealed to him.

 (Reported by Abu Dā’ūd).

2.  The companions of the Prophet and people of later generation had agreed that the basmalah is with every chapter of the Qur’ān except sūrat Barā’ah (al-Tawbah), and that āmīn would not be written with it because it is not part of the chapter.

3.  The Muslims in general have agreed that nothing in the Qur’ān but are the words of Allah, and the basmalah is part of it.

B. No, it is notpart of the Fātih.ah. This is the view of Imam Mālik and the scholars of Medinah, and some scholars in Syria. This is also the view of some followers of the Shāfi’ī school, the two Qur’ān reciters of Bas.rah, namely, Abū ‘Amr and Ya‘qūb. Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd says that the basmalah is not part of the Qur’ān and this view was adopted by the      H.anafī School. They say that the Basmalah was revealed only to separate the chapters from each other, and not part of any chapter. Among their arguments is the āh.ādith:  reported by Anas ibn Mālik that he prayed behind the Prophet who was reciting the Fātih.ah without reciting the basmalah.

The recitation of the basmalah slowly or loudly before reciting the Fātih.ah is not recommended, (makrūh) according to the Mālikī school. The H...anafī school recommend the reciting of the basmalah in low voice or in their heart, and do not recite āmīn after reciting the Fātih.ah, because it is not part of the Qur’ān. Other schools of law, such as the Shāfi‘ī recites āmīn loudly, basing their view on the h.adīth where it is reported that the Prophet himself recited āmīn after reciting the Fātih.ah.

            If the basmalah is not part of the Fātih.ah, does it not mean that one verse is missing? No, as the last verse consists of two verses, namely, صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ   (sirātal ladhīna an‘amta ‘alayhim) and غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ   (ghayril maghd.ūbi ‘alayhim   wa lā d.d.āllīn).

    We do not go into the details of these different views since they are only a very small part of religion. We practice what we feel convenient in these matters whether we read the basmalah or not, loudly or in a low voice, as according to some h.adīths the Prophet practiced both.

 بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

    It is important to recite the basmalah before we start doing something.  The Prophet says,   

كُلُّ كَلَامٍ أَوْ أَمْرٍ ذِي بَالٍ لَا يُفْتَحُ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَهُوَ أَبْتَرُ أَوْ قَالَ أَقْطَعُ (رواه أحمد)

Every important matter that I not begun with the remembrance

of Allah is deprived or cut of good.  (Reported by Aḥmad)

  By reciting the basmalah it is meant that the work is being done for the sake of Allah alone as an act of obedience to Him, not for our own sake.

          According to the Arabic grammarians, the word بِسْمِ اللَّهِ   which is originally written with alif, namely, بِإسْمِ اللَّهِ     the alif is dropped when it is written in the beginning of the sentence. But in the middle of the sentence it retains its alif, as in أَبْدَأُ بِإِسْمِ اللَّهِ  .

 There are two views concerning the word Allah. It is the proper name of God among Muslims, according to one view. The other view is that the word is derived from al-ilāh(الإلَه)  meaning “the god”. Therefore, the term “goddess” is translated as الإلَهَة in the feminine gender. The first view retains the word Allah in any language, whereas the second view translates the word according to the language used.

The words al-Rah.mān and al-Rah.īm are derived from al-rah.mah meaning blessing. They have different meaning although each contains blessing. Muslim translators of the Qur’ān have different expression in translating these two worlds.

Translator            al-Rah.mān (الرَّحْمَنِ)         al-Rah.īm   (الرَّحِيْمِ)

Asad                  The Most Gracious      The Dispenser of Grace

A. Yusuf Ali        Most Gracious              Most Merciful

Pickthall             The Beneficent             The Merciful

          Muslim scholars tried to make distinction between the two words. One interpretation is that the word al-rah.mān implies Allah’s blessing and mercy upon the whole creation in this word, animals as well as humans, believers as well as non-believers, whereas al-rah.īm implies His blessings upon people in the Hereafter as rewards for their belief and good acts in this world. Another interpretation is that of Ibn al-Qayyim that al-Rah.mān is the inherent attribute of Allah’s grace and blessing, whereas al-Rah.īm is the manifestation of that grace.

  الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ

          “Praise be to Allah” Asad translates it with an explanation when he says: “All praise is due to God alone”. This expression implies thanks and gratitude. When we thank Allah we say al-h.amdu lillāh. It is said that the expression of praise (al-h.amd) is more general than that of thank (al-shukr).  The Qur’ān commentator al-Qurt.ubī, for example, says that the term al-h.amd implies an expression of praise and thanks to those who are praised for being praiseworthy without any condition of prior favour. On the other hand, the expression of shukr (thank) is only used after giving the favour. In other words, we always praise Allah, no mater what happens, whether favourable or unfavourable, as He is the One who deserves perpetual praise.  The term al-h.amd implies total praise and is the opposite of “blame”. Allah is beyond any blame for His own creation.

          Ibn ‘Abbās is reported to have said that the expression الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ is that of thankfulness by every grateful person, and that Prophet Adam (a.s.) said it when he sneezed. The Qur’ān which contains, among other things, historical and coming events as moral lessons, states that many prophets in the past used this formula in expressing their thankfulness. These are some examples:

a. Allah taught it to Prophet Noah a.s. when he said,

فَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي نَجَّانَا مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ (المؤمنون : ٢٨)

“…then say: Praise be to Allah Who hath saved

us from the wrongdoing folk!”  (Q. 23:28).

b. When Prophet Abraham was blessed with two sons, he praised Allah, saying,

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ (إبراهيم : ٣٩ )

“Praise be to Allah Who hath given me, in my

old age, Ishmael and Isaac!...” (Q. 14:39)

c. Allah mentioned that Prophet-king David (Dā’ūd) a.s. and Solomon (Sulaymān) a.s., thanked Him for His favour on them’

(النمل : ١٥)   وَقَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي فَضَّلَنَا عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ  

“… and they said: Praise be to Allah, Who hath preferred us

 above many of His believing slaves!” (Q. 27:15)

d.  Allah taught it to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.).

وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا(الإسراء :١١١) 

“And say: Praise be to Allah, Who hath not

 taken unto Himself a son…” (Q. 17:111)

e.   The people of Paradise will say it as an expression of thankfulness.

وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا الْحَزَنَ... (فاطر : ٣٤)

“And they will say: Praise be to Allah Who

 hath put grief away from us!...” (Q. 35:34)

f.    It will be the conclusion of the prayer of the people of paradise,

وَآَخِرُ دَعْوَاهُمْ أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (يونس : ١٠)

“…. And the conclusion of their prayer will be: Praise

 be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!” (Q. 10:10).

Since all of their prayer will be answered, they will express their thankfulness with praising Allah.

          Al-Qurt.ubī says that the word “praise” could be interpreted as “content” (الرِّضَى), as in the verse مَقَامًا مَحْمُوْدًا (الإسراء : ٣٩)  (lit. “a praised station”), translated as “a glorious station” (Asad), “a praised estate” (Pickthall), and “a station of praise and glory” (A.Y. Ali), namely, a station where Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. would be happy and content, after  suffering the persecution of the Makkan people. This sūrat al-Isrā’ (chapter 17) was revealed in Makkah.

 رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Asad: “the Sustainer of all the worlds”

Pickthall: “Lord of the worlds”

A.   Yusuf Ali: “the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds”

          The term rabb implies ownership. It means “master, lord”. The Arabic expression rabb al-bayt (رَبُّ الْبَيْتِ) means “the master (owner) of the house.”  It is in this sense when it is used in the Qur’ānic verse and the h.adīth as follows: Prophet Joseph (Yūsuf a.s.) said to his companion in prison  اذْكُرْنِي عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ (يوسف  : ٤٢)   Mention me in the presence of thy lord [i.e. master]” (Q. 12:42). When the Prophet was asked by the archangel Jibrīl (Gabriel) who disguised as a man to the sah.ābah (the Prophet’s companions) about the sign of the Hour, he answered, among others, وَأَنْ تَلِدَ الْأَمَةُ رَبَّتَهَا  “and that a slave-girl will give birth to her mistress”.[3]

          The commentators of the Qur’ān have different views of the root of the term rabb. One opinion says that it is derived from rabbá (رَبَّى) meaning “to raise, to teach and to educate” and al-tarbiyyah التَّرْبِيَّة)) meaning “upbringing, teaching and education”. Allah is called Rabb of the worlds because He created, Sustained and Cherishes His creatures.  The step-daughter is called rabībah (رَبِيْبَة) because it is the duty of her step-father to raise her up and educate her. Allah says in the Qur’an that among those who are not allowed to marry are  وَرَبَائِبُكُمُ اللَّاتِي فِي حُجُورِكُمْ (النساء  : ٢٣) “…and your step-daughters--who are your foster-children—“ (Asad), “… and your step-daughters who are under your protection…” (Pickthall), “…and your step-daughters who are under your guardianship” (A. Yusuf Ali)  (Q. 4:23)   

          There are many interpretation of the term al-‘ālamīn (الْعَالَمِين) which is the plural of al-‘ālam (الْعَالَم)  by mufassirīn (Qur’ānic commentators), among which are as follows:

1.      According to Qatādah, it means every existing thing other than Allah. It is a collective noun, like al-qawm (الْقَوْم , people), which has no singular.

2.      According to Ibn ‘Abbās, it means the human race and the jinn (demons).  He bases his view on the Qur’ānic verse in which the term means the human race and the jinn, as follows:

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا (الفرقان  : ١)

“Blessed is He Who hath revealed unto His slave [i.e. Prophet

 Muhammad s.a.w.] the Criterion (of right and wrong [i.e., the

Qur’ān]), that he may be a warner to the peoples” (Q. 25:1).

Ibn ‘Abbās contends that the term in this verse excludes animals, since no warner or prophet is sent to them. [4]

3.      According to Abū ‘Ubaydah in his Majāz al-Qur’ān (مَجَازُ الْقُرْآن) and al-Farrā’ in his Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān (مَعَانِي الْقُرْآن) the term means the four categories of intelligent beings; they are: the human beings, the jinn, the angels and the devils, and it excludes the animals. In this sense the poet al-A‘mash  says in his poem  …   مَا إِنْ سَمِعْتُ مِثْلَهُمْ فِي الْعَالَمِيْنَا * “I have not heard like them among people”

          The Qur’ānic commentator al-Qurt.ubī, after explaining these different views, said that the most correct view is the first one. It is because it includes the whole creature. To support this view he gives us the following evidence:

a. Qur’ānic verses as follows:

قَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَمَا رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ. قَالَ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ... (الشعراء : ٢٣-٢٤)

“Pharaoh said: ‘And what is the Lord of the Worlds?’ (Moses) said: ‘Lord

of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them...’” (Q. 26:23-24).

b.  The term ‘ālam (عَالَم) is derived from ‘alam (عَلَم) which means, among others, “sign, mark”, ‘alāmah (عَلامَة  “sign, mark”), and ma‘lam (مَعْلَم, “mark, landmark, distinguishing  mark, trace”), as the whole creature are signs of the existence of the Creator. The Arabic linguist al-Khalīl said that these terms indicate something, and the world   (الْعَالَم) indicates the existence of its creator, ruler and dispenser.

          If we go back to the basic meaning of the term ‘ālam (عَالَم) “world” is used to indicate kingdom, such as عَالَمُ الْحَيَوَان   (the animal kingdom), عَالَمُ الْنَّبَات  (the vegetable kingdom), and عَالَمُ الْمَعَادِن  (the mineral kingdom). 

          According to Qur’ānic commentators, there are two other possible readings of the word rabb in the verse in question:

a.       rabbul ‘ālamīn (رَبُُّالْعَالَمِيْن) on condition that we read as we start a sentence, or stop a while before we start citing it, so that it means “He is the Lord of the worlds”.

b.      Rabbal ‘ālamīn (رَبََّ الْعَالَمِيْن) to indicate praise, so that it means “I praise the Lord of the world”.

 الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

          This verse has been explained in the basmalah above. According to those who say that the basmalah is not part of the Fātih.ah, Allah would not repeat Himself by repeating al-Rah.mān al-Rah.īm in the same sūrah. However, repetition occurs in many places in the Qur’ān.

 ملِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

Asad: “Lord of the Day of Judgment”                              

Pickthall: “Owner of the Day of Judgment”

A.  Yusuf Ali: “Master of the Day of Judgment”

There are two main readings of ملك. One is māliki (مَالِكِ) meaning “the owner”, and the other is maliki ( مَلِكِ) meaning “the king”[5] These two readings have been reported from the Prophet, Abū Bakr and ‘Umar. Which of these two readings is more profound and deeper in meaning: the owner of the Day of Judgment, or the King of the Day of Judgment? Muslim scholars have different views:

1.  Maliki (“king”) is stronger, deeper and more general in meaning than māliki (“owner”). It is because every king is owner and not every owner is a king, Moreover, the order of the king has to be carried out by the owner with his possession, so that the owner will not have right of disposal over his possession except with the direction of the king. This is the view of the Qur’an commentators Abū ‘Ubaydah and the grammarian al-Mubarrad. A similar view is that of al-Rāghib al-Isafahānī that the term malik includes the sense that Allah designs the beings with His commands, prohibitions and punishments. Therefore, He calls Himself مَلِكِ النَّاس (الناس : ٢) “The King of mankind” (Q. 114:2), and not مَالِكِ النَّاس “Owner of mankind” or of any others.  Moreover, many Qur’ānic verses use this term, such as follows:

يَوْمَ هُمْ بَارِزُونَ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَيْءٌ لِمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ(غافر :  ١٦)

“The day whereon they will (all) come forth:  Not a single thing concerning

them is hidden from Allah. Whose will be the domination that Day?

That of Allah the One the Irresistible.” (Q. 40:16).

The term المُلْك (lit. “kingdom, domain”), is translated as “sovereignty” by both Asad and Pickthall.

2.  Māliki is deeper in meaning than maliki.  It is because the owner here (i.e., Allah) owns people as well as others. At the other part of the Qur’ān, this ownership is also mentioned, as in the following verse:

يَوْمَ لَا تَمْلِكُ نَفْسٌ لِنَفْسٍ شَيْئًا وَالْأَمْرُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِلَّهِ (الإنفطار : ١٩)

“A day on which no soul hath power at all for any (other) soul.

The (absolute) command on that day is Allah’s.” (Q. 82:19).

The key word here is تَمْلِكُ  which literally means “to possess” in the sense that the one has power and control over one’s possession. Apart of from the privilege of ownership, rules and religious regulations were originated from the owner.  Moreover, māliki has four letters, and has one letter more than maliki which has three letters. Since reading the Qur’ān has tenfold merit, the one extra letter gives ten merits more for those who read māliki than those who read maliki.

          In conclusion, both readings are good, acceptable, and taught by the Prophet. The term maliki (king) is the attribute of Allah’s essence, whereas   māliki (owner) is the attribute of His deed.[6]

يَوْم

          Yawm means “day”, “day time”, starting from dawn to sunset. In this verse, the use of the term “day” is to indicate the span of time between the beginning of the Doomsday till the settlement of people who are to enter Paradise and Hell in their respective places.

          Yawn (day) is also used to indicate a specific time.  For example, Allah says in the Qur’ān  الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ  (المائدة : ٣) “This day I have perfected your religion for you” (Q. 5:3).  “This day” here means “this time”, “now”.

الدِّيْن

          Al-Dīn means “recompense or requital of the deeds and the reckoning of them.” This is also the opinion of Ibn ‘Abbās, Ibn Mas‘ūd. Qatādah, Ibn Jurayh. and others.  The Prophet himself explains this term in the verses of the Qur’ān, as follows:

يَوْمَئِذٍ يُوَفِّيهِمُ اللَّهُ دِينَهُمُ الْحَقَّ (النور: ٢٥)

“On that day Allah will pay them their due” (Q. 24:25),

 namely, their reckoning.

أَئِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَئِنَّا لَمَدِينُونَ (الصافات : ٥٣ )

“[that] after we have died and become  dust and bones we shall,

 forsooth, be brought to judgment?” (Q. 37:53, Asad).

          In another verse Allah says,

الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (الجاثية : ٢٨)

“This day ye are requited for what ye used to do” (Q. 45:28).

          In this sense the pre-Islamic poet Labīd says in his poem as follows:

حَصَادَكَ يَوْمَاً مَا زَرَعْتَ وإِنَّمَا *  يُدانُ الفَتَى يَوْماً كَمَا هُوَ دَائِنُ

 What you grow you will reap one day; verily the young

man will only be requited one day on what he requites

          And again,

اعْلَمْ وَأَيْقِنْ أنَّ مُلْكَكَ زَائِلٌ  *  وَاعْلَمْ بِأَنَّ كَمَا تَدِيَنُ تُدَانُ

 And be surely informed that your kingdom will disappear,

 and know that you will requite as you are requited.

          Allah is called al-Dayyān (الدَّيَّان) meaning the One Who recompenses, “the Judge”. In one hadīth the Prophet says, الْكَيِّسُ مَنْ دَانِ نَفْسَه  “The good person is the one who accounts for himself”.

          According to the grammarian Tha‘lab the term dāna (دَانَ)  belongs to the category of الأضْدَاد  (a word which has opposite meanings). He says,

دَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا أَطَاعَ، وَدَانَ إِذَا عَصَى، وَدَانَ إِذَا عَزَّ، وَدَانَ إِذَا ذَلَّ، وَدَانَ إَذَا قَهَرَ

“The man becomes dāna if he obeys, and becomes dāna if he disobeys,

 and he becomes dāna if he is glorious, becomes dāna if he is

humiliated, and becomes dāna if he conquers.”

          It is worthy to mention that the term dīn which is usually translated as “religion” originally means “habit” and “affair”.

 إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

Asad: “Thee alone do we worship; and unto Thee alone do we turn for aid.”

Pickthall: “Thee (alone) we worship; Thee alone we ask for help.”

A.  Yusuf Ali: “Thee do we worship and Thine aid we seek.”

There is إِلْتِفَات   (transition of address) starting from this verse until the end of the sūrah. Previously, Allah is addressed in the third person singular, namely, “Him”, and now in the second person singular, “Thee”.  This kind of style is peculiar to the Qur’ān. Another example for this iltifāt is as follows:

      وَسَقَاهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ شَرَابًا طَهُورًا (الدهر : ٢١)

“…Their Lord will slake their thirst with a pure drink” (Q. 76:21).

Here Allah addressed the people blessed with Paradise in a third person plural “their”.  In the next verse Allah addresses them in the second person plural “you” and “your”, as follows:

إِنَّ هَذَا كَانَ لَكُمْ جَزَاءً وَكَانَ سَعْيُكُمْ مَشْكُورًا (الدهر : ٢٢)

“(And it will be said unto them) Lo! This is a reward for you. Your

endeavour (upon earth) hath found acceptance.” (Q. 76:22).

          One has to be careful in reading the Qur’ān with correct pronunciation in order to maintain its true meaning.  Otherwise, wrong pronunciation will lead to wrong meaning.  One example is reading iyāka (إيَاكَ) means “thy light” rather than iyyāka (إيََّاكَ) meaning “thee (alone)”.  The expression  إيَاةُ الشَّمْس  means “sunlight”, and it is said that الْإِيَاةُ لِلشَّمْسِ كَالْهَالَةِ لِلْقَمَر   “the light for the sun is like the halo for the moon”.

          The expression نَعْبُدُ  (“we worship”) implies obedience, worship, and  humbleness. The way of worship is different from one religion to another, based on time, place and the condition of that religion.  However, the purposes are the same: remembering the Creator, His Greatness and Kingdom, as well as to perfect morality and to purify human souls. Prayer prevents us from doing bad things.  Allah says,

إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ (العنكبوت  : ٤٥)

“… for prayer refrains from shameful and unjust deeds” (Q. 29:45).

 وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

Here Allah teaches us to ask His help to obtain the perfection of whatever we do in all the walks of life. His assistance can never be disregarded.

          Instead of the usual reading نَسْتَعِينُ (nasta‘īn) some Arab tribes, namely, Tamīm, Asad, Qays and Rabī‘ah read nista‘īn (نِسْتَعِينُ) with kasrah to indicate that the word is derived from ista‘āna (إِسْتَعَانَ) where its alif al-was.l, namely, إِ , is also kasrah. This is also the reading of Yah.yá ibn Waththāb and al-A‘mash.

 اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

Asad: “Guide us the straight way”.

Pickthall: “Show us the straight path”.

A.   Yusuf Ali: “Show us the straight way”.

          What is the straight path? According to Muh.ammad al-H.anafiyyah, it is the religion of Islam, which is the only one accepted by Him. Why should we keep asking Allah to guide us the straight path when we have already been embracing Islam? There is no guarantee that any Muslim would remain so till the end of his life. He might change his religion, and his faith could decrease instead of increasing by the passing of time. He could go astray and follow the wrong way. Guidance is the only request and supplication from Allah. The next verse explains the nature of the straight path we keep asking Allah to give us.

          Guidance is exclusively from Allah. Allah says:

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ (القصص : ٥٦)

“Lo! Thou (O Muhammad) guidest not whom thou lovest,

 but Allah guideth whom He will.” (Q. 28:56).

          And again,

لَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ (البقرة : ٢٧٢)

“The guiding of them is not thy duty (O Muhammad), but

 Allah guideth whom He will” (Q. 2:272)

          Guidance is divided into four categories: a) instinct, b) the five senses, c) the reason, as instinct and the five senses are not sufficient enough as guidance. We need reason to correct their misjudgment; and finally d) religion and its laws based on revelation.  

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ

Asad: “the way of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings”

Pickthall: “the path of those whom Thou hast favoured”

A.  Yusuf Ali: ”the way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy grace”

          The commentators of the Qur’ān say that those whom Allah gives grace are those mentioned in the Qur’ān, chapter 4, verses 69, as follows:

وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ

 وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَئِكَ رَفِيقًا (النساء : ٦٩)

 All who obey God and the M\esseger are in the company of those

 on whom is the Grace of God,-- of the prophets (who teach) the

 sincere (lovers of Truth), the witnesses (who testify) and the

 Righteous (who do good): Ah! What a beautiful

 fellowship. (Q. 4:69, A. Yusuf Ali).

In this verse these people are divided into four categories, starting from the highest rank, as follows:

1.      prophets

2.      al-s.iddīqīn (“the sincere lovers of truth”, Ali; “those who never deviated from the truth”, Asad; “the saints’, Pickthall; one example is given by commentators of the Qur’ān is Abū Bakr whose was called al-S.iddīq after his giving his statement that all that the Prophet said about his ascension to heaven was true;

3.      al-shuhadā’, literally translated by Y. Ali as “the witnesses (who testify)” above, and “those who [with their lives] bore the witness to the truth” by Asad; “the martyrs”, Pickthall; the examples of martyrs are ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān and ‘Alī.

4.    al-s.ālih.īn,” the righteous”, ”those who keep doing good deeds.”

These are the kind of people who are given grace by Allah, and whose path should be followed.

          The relative pronoun plural  الَّذِيْنَ in all cases is the language of the Qur’ān.  The Hudhayl tribe used الَّذُوْنَ ; some others use الَّذِيْ both are singular and plural and in all cases.

          There are ten variant readings of عَلَيْهِمْ  , six of them are traced back to the leaders of the qurrā’ (Qur’ān reciters).  They are   عَلَيْهِمْ, عَلَيْهُمْ , عَلَيْهِمِي , عَلَيْهِمُوْ , عَلَيْهُمُو , and عَلَيْهُمُ .  The other four readings used by the Arabs but not reported to have been from the qurrā’, are:  عَلَيْهُمِيْ , عَلَيْهُمِ , عَلَيْهِمُ , and عَلَيْهِمِ .  All these variant readings, according to the linguist Ibn al-Anbārī, are correct.

 غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ  

Asad: “not of those who have been condemned [by Thee], nor of those who go astray”

Pickthall: “Not (the path) of those who earn Thy anger nor of those who go astray”

A. Yusuf Ali: “Those whose (portion) is not wrath and who go not astray”.

          Who are those who earn Allah’s anger, and those who go astray?  According to the commentator al-Qurt.ubī, it has been the opinion of the ‘ulamā’ (Muslim scholars) in the mass, that those who earn Allah’s anger are the Jews, whereas those who go astray are the Christians. They base their view on the Qur’ānic verses, among which as follows:

a.      وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ (البقرة : ٦١)  “And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah.  That was because they disbelieved in Allah’s revelation and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” Q. 2:61).

b.     ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوا إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَسْكَنَةُ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآَيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ (آل عمران : ١١٢)

 “Ignominy shall be their portion wheresoever they are found save (where they grasp) a rope from Allah and a rope from man. And they have incurred anger from their Lord, and wretchedness is laid upon them. That is because they used to disbelieve the revelation of Allah, and slew the Prophets wrongfully. That is because they were rebellious and used to transgress.” (Q. 3:112).

c.       بِئْسَمَا اشْتَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ أَنْ يَكْفُرُوا بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بَغْيًا أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ  مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَبَاءُوا   بِغَضَبٍ عَلَى غَضَبٍ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ  (البقرة : ٩٠)  “Evil is that for which they sell their souls: that they should disbelieve in that which Allah hath revealed, grudging that Allah should reveal of His bounty unto whom He will of His bondmen.  They have incurred anger upon anger.  For disbelievers is a shameful doom.” (Q. 2:90).[7]

d.        أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا قَوْمًا غَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا هُمْ مِنْكُمْ وَلَا مِنْهُمْ وَيَحْلِفُونَ عَلَى الْكَذِبِ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ (المجادلة : ١٤) “Have you not seen the ones [i.e., hypocrites of Medinah] who have befriended those people who are under the wrath of Allah  [i.e., the Jews of Medinah]? They are neither of you [i.e., Muslims] nor of them [i.e., the Jews], and they swear a false oath knowingly.” (Q. 58:14).

          With regard to the Christians Allah says in the Qur’ān,

قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا أَهْوَاءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ

ضَلُّوا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَضَلُّوا كَثِيرًا وَضَلُّوا عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ (المائدة : ٧٧)

“Say: ‘O followers of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds

 [of truth] in your religious belief; and do not follow the errant views

 of people who have gone astray aforetime, and have led many [others]

 astray, and still straying from the right path.’” (Q. 5:77; Asad).

          Commenting on this verse, Muhammad Asad says:

 This passage, like the preceding ones is obviously addressed to

 the Christians whose love for Jesus has caused them to ‘overstep

 the bounds of truth’ by elevating him to the rank of divinity;

 therefore, my rendering in this context, of ahl

 al-kitab as ‘followers of the Gospel’.

This term is usually translated as “People of the Book”, or “People of the Scripture”, meaning the Jews and the Christians.

          Asad states further that the literal translation of  وَضَلُّوا عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِis     “have gone astray from the right path”. However, following the interpretation of the Qur’ānic commentator Fakhr al-Rāzī that the Christians are persisting in this condition until now, he gives his rendering as “and are still straying”. This is “an allusion to the many communities who, in the course of time, have come to attribute divinity to their spiritual leaders – a phenomenon frequently encountered in the history of religion.”

          There are many other kinds of people who are considered astray, such as those who disbelieve and hinder others from the way of Allah (see Q.4:167) and the pagan Arabs who slew their infants (see Q. 6:140).

          The term الضَّالِّيْن  (al-d.āllīn) is originally الضَّالِلِيْن (al-d.ālilīn).Some Arabs read it differently according to their tribal language. The grammarian Ayyūb al-Sijistānī read it as الضَّأَلََِّّيْن (al-d.a’allīn). Similarly, Abū Zayd heard ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubayd read  فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَا يُسْأَلُ عَنْ ذَنْبِهِ إِنْسٌ وَلَا جَأَنٌّ (الرحمن : ٣٩) (ja’ann instead of  jānn) and thought that the man had made إِنْسٌ وَلَا جَأَنٌّ  a grammatical mistake, until he heard the Arabs say دَأََبَّة (da’abbah) instead of دَا بَّة (dābbah) and شَأََبَّة (sha’abbah) instead of شَابَّة (shābbah). The difference is only in repeating the short vowel a (fath.ah) instead of a long vowel (māddah).

          After reciting al-Fātih.ah we say āmīn (آمِيْن) although it is not part of the Qur’ān. It means “accept (the prayer)”. It is mentioned in a h.adīth that the Prophet said  لَقَّنَنِيْ جِبْرِيْلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ آمِيْن عِنْدَ فَرَاغِيْ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَقَالَ إِنَّهُ كَالْخَتْمِ عَلىَ اْلكِتَابِ    “Gabriel dictated me āmīn after I have finished reading the Fātih.ah and said that it is like the seal of the book.”

          Scholars have different opinions about the term āmīn. It means, according to al-H.asan al-Bas.rī, is a kind of du‘ā’ (supplication). According to al-Shāfi‘ī āmīn is recited clearly based on the report of Wā’il ibn H.ajar that the Prophet did so after reciting وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ   . However, the well-known opinion is that of Abū H.anīfah who says that the imām recites it secretly based on the h.adīth reported by Anas ibn Mālik. According to Shaykh al-Marāghī (the former rector of al-Azhar) in his tafsīr, it is possible that the word āmīn is derived from the word “Amon”, the God of the ancient Egyptian, so that āmīn means “Allah”.

Bibliography:

Tafsīr al-Qurt.ubī

Tafsīr al-Marāghī

Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’ān

A. Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur’ān

Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Qur’ān

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[1] Abu Sa‘īd ibn al-Mu‘allā was one of the Ans.ār (lit. “helpers”, i.e., the companions of the Prophet among the people of Medinah). He was the first Muslim who prayed toward the Qiblah in Makkah after it had been turned from Jerusalem in Palestine. See Tafsīr al-Qurt.ubī, vol. 1, pp. 108-9).

[2] The Prophet is citing the Qur’ānic verse which means, "O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life…" (Q. 8:24)

[3] The term  rabbah   رَبَّة is the feminine of  rabb. There are two interpretations of the above h.adīth given by Muslim scholars. One is that of al-Nawawī in his commentary of this h.adīth. He said that among the signs of the Hour (Doomsday) is that slave-girls will give birth to sons and daughters who will become free and masters to their mothers. The other interpretation is that the term “a slave-girl” means woman in general.  Therefore, the meaning of the h.adīth is that among the signs of the Hour is that children will no longer respect their parents and treat them like servants.

[4] The term ‘ālam meaning people is common among the Arabs, such as the expression yā ‘ālam   (يَا عَالَم) meaning “O people”. The French tout le mond, the Italian tutto il mondo, and the Spanish todos el mundo, (all literally mean “all the world”) are used to mean “all people” or “everybody”.

[5] The other readings are: malki (مَلْكِ) which is the easing of the reading of مَلِكِ , and malīki (مَلِيْكِ) .

[6] Al-Qurt.ubī mentions a person named Muh.ammad ibn al-Sumayqa‘ read mālika yawmiddīn, which means “O, owner of the Judgment Day”. Here, he starts addressing Allah directly in this verse instead of addressing Him in the next verse, namely, iyyāka na‘budu (“Thee alone we worship”)

[7] In order to further understand this verse, please read verses 87 till 91. Allah’s wrath was not only incurred upon the Jews who rejected the truth and killed many prophets, but also Muslims who deserted the battlefield during the holy war, as mentioned in Q. 8:16). Allah’s wrath is incurred also upon, among others, a person who kills a believer intentionally (see Q. 4:93), and hypocrites and idolaters who think an evil thought concerning Allah (see Q.48:6).