Та Ха 20:128–132

Commentary

The word ھُدٰی - (guidance) implied in the first sentence of verse 128 can refer either to the Qur'an or to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the meaning would be, "Did not the Qur'an or the Holy Prophet ﷺ direct them i.e. the people of Makkah and tell them about the nations and the societies who were destroyed because they disobeyed the commands of Allah and turned away from the message brought to them by the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، and whose houses and lands are now occupied by them?" It is also possible that the word ھُدٰی (guidance) may refer to God in which case the meaning would be "Did God not direct."

فَاصْبِرْ‌ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ (So endure what they say - 20:130) The people of Makkah offered various excuses to justify their rejection of the religion brought to them by the Holy Prophet and these included derogatory remarks against his person also, such as branding him as a sorcerer, a poet or even an untruthful person. The Qur'an suggested here two weapons to combat the torments aimed at him by the infidels of Makkah. One was to show patience and forbearance in the face of all provocation, and the other was to devote himself wholeheartedly to prayers, as the words وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَ‌بِّكَ (and proclaim the purity of your Lord) suggest.

Patience and prayers are the only remedies against aggressive hostility

Everyone in this world, whether he is big or small, good or bad, has enemies and these enemies, however weak and feeble they may be, can do harm to their opponents. If they are not strong enough, they will not hesitate to stab them in the back, and failing everything else they will use abusive language which is equally hurtful. Therefore everybody has to be on his guard to protect himself from the hostile designs of his enemies. The Qur'an has prescribed two very effective tools for use in such a situation. One is patience, forbearance and to eschew all thoughts of revenge, while the other is to occupy oneself in prayers and invocation of Allah. A person whose thoughts are full of revenge is often unable to exact it from his enemy despite his power and influence and is consumed with chagrin and frustration. On the other hand a person who devotes himself to prayers finds solace in the belief that nobody can harm him without the will of Allah and that whatever Allah wills has a hidden purpose behind it. This belief not only affords him satisfaction but also frees his mind from all thoughts of anger and revenge resulting from the hostile acts of his enemies. The words لَعَلَّكَ تَرْ‌ضَىٰ (So that you may be pleased) occurring at the end of the verse mean that "If you follow this advice, you will be able to lead a happy and contented life".

وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَ‌بِّكَ (And proclaim the purity and praise of your Lord - 20:130) Here the direction of proclaiming Allah's purity is followed by the direction of proclaiming His praise. It implies an indication that when a person is given taufiq to remember Allah by performing dhikr or any other form of worship, it should not make him proud of it. Instead, he should praise Allah, because without His taufiq (facilitation) he could not perform that worship. Then, proclaiming the purity and praise of Allah may mean invocation of Allah and His praise, and they may also mean the prescribed prayers. The subsequent fixed times which have been mentioned obviously refer to prayer timings. Thus قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ (before the sunrise) means early morning (fajr) prayer وَقَبْلَ غُرُ‌وبِهَا (before it sets) means midday prayers (zhur) and afternoon prayers (` asr) while وَمِنْ آنَاءِ اللَّيْلِ (and in some hours of night) means all prayers after sunset i.e. maghrib, ` isha' and tahajjud. The words أَطْرَ‌افَ النَّهَارِ‌ (the edges of the day) are intended to put additional emphasis on Fajr and Maghrib prayers.

Worldly wealth is a fleeting thing and is not an evidence of God's favour, and for good Muslims it is a danger signal

وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ (And never stretch your eyes - 20:13) The words are addressed to the Holy Prophet and are intended to provide guidance to his followers. They are told not to cast covetous eyes at the splendor and glitter of those who revel in the enjoyment of worldly pleasures, because all these things are fleeting and transient while the grace and blessings bestowed upon the Holy Prophet and through him upon his followers are everlasting and much more desirable than worldly luxuries.

People have always wondered at the wealth and prosperity of the infidels and evil doers despite their being loathsome and contemptible in the eyes of Allah, while pious and obedient Muslims spend their lives in poverty and destitution. Even the great and highly respected Sayyidna ` Umar al-Faruq ؓ was made aware of this glaring disparity one day when he entered the private quarter of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and saw him lying on a mat of rough reeds which left their marks on his body. Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ stood there and wept. Then he said, "0 Prophet of Allah! The kings of Persia and Byzantium live in comfort and luxury whereas you who are the chosen prophet of Allah and also his beloved live such a harsh life." To this the Holy Prophet ﷺ replied, "0 son of Khattab! Has it not dawned upon you yet that Allah has given to these people everything that is dear to them in this world, but they will have no share of the good things in the Hereafter, only punishment and pain?" This is the reason why the Holy Prophet ﷺ chose for himself a life which was free from the pomp and vanity of this wicked world, even though he had the means of accumulating all the comforts and luxuries of life. Whenever he received share of wealth even without physical toil or exertion, he immediately distributed it among the poor and the needy and kept nothing of it for himself. Ibn Abi Hatim has related, quoting Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khadri ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ once said,

ان اخوف ما اخاف علیکم ما یفتح اللہ لکم من زھرۃ الدُّنا (ابن کثیر)

What I fear most about you is wealth and worldly splendor which will be arrayed before you. (Ibn Kathir)

In this Hadith the Holy Prophet ﷺ has foretold the Muslims about their conquests and the acquisition of vast territories which will bring them untold wealth and means of luxury. But there is no cause to feel satisfaction at these prospects; on the other hand there is every reason to fear such an eventuality because an excess of indulgence in luxuries may make people forget their duty to Allah.

Requiring one's relatives and associates to offer their prayers regularly and the philosophy behind it

وَأْمُرْ‌ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ‌ عَلَيْهَا (And bid your family to perform salah and adhere to it yourself - 132) Here the Holy Prophet has been asked to direct the members of his family to say prayers and that he himself should be very particular about his prayers. These appear to be two separate commands, i.e. one for the family and the other for himself but the fact is that for a person to be steadfast in saying prayers it is essential that his family and friends should be equally mindful of their duty in this matter. The word اھل ahl used for the family is quite comprehensive and includes a person's wife, children and his associates because all of them influence the environment and are an integral part of society. After this verse was revealed to the Holy Prophet ﷺ he used to go to the house of Sayyidna Ali and Sayyidah Fatimah ؓ every morning at the time of morning prayers and call out الصَّلَاةِ الصَّلَاةِ (Come to salah, come to salah). (Qurtubi)

It is reported that whenever Sayyidna ` Urwah ibn Zubair ؓ saw a display of wealth, he would at once return home, call his family to prayer and recite to them this verse. Also when Sayyidna ` Umar ibn Khattab ؓ got up for his midnight (tahajjud) prayers, he would awake the other members of his family and recite to them this verse. (Qurtubi)

Allah provides easy sustenance to a person who devotes himself to prayers and to His worship

لَا نَسْأَلُكَ رِ‌زْقًا (We ask no provision from you - 20:132) Allah does not demand of the people that they should provide sustenance to their families and dependants by their own power, because the responsibility for this is in His hands alone. Man is incapable of providing for himself, and the best that he can do is to plough the land and plant seeds in it, but he has no power to germinate it or to make a tree grow out of it. The role of man in all this is to protect the tree after it has grown to maturity and then to put its yield to his personal use. And for the person who spends all his time in prayer Allah makes even this labour bearable for him (Tirmidhi). Ibn Majah has quoted Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said,

یقول اللہ تعالیٰ : یا ابن آدم : تفرَّغ لعبادتی املأ صدرک غنی واسد فقرک، وان لم تفعل ملأت صدرک شغلا ولم اسد فقرک (ابن کثیر)

"Allah says: '0 son of 'Adam! You dedicate yourself to My worship and I will fill your chest with sufficiency and free you from want. But if you do not obey my commands, I will fill your chest with anxieties and worries and will not free you from want."' (Ibn Kathir)

The meaning of the words لم اسد فقرک (I will not free you from want) is that such a man will always remain poor because the more wealth he acquires the more his greed will increase. And Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Mas’ ud ؓ says that he heard the Holy Prophet ﷺ saying,

من جعل ھمومہ ھمّا واحدا ھمّ المعاد، کفاہ اللہ ھمّ دنیاہ، ومن تشعبت بہ الھموم فی احوال الدّنیا لم یبال اللہ وی ایّ اودیۃ ھلک [رواہ ابن ماجہ ] (ابن کثیر)

"A man who makes his concern for the Hereafter the focal point of all his efforts, Allah will take care of his concerns, but a person whose concerns are all about worldly affairs, Allah does not care in which valley he perishes."