An-Najm 53:32–37

Allah Forgives the Small Faults, Al-Lamam

الَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ‌ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ إِلَّا اللَّمَمَ (those who abstain from the major sins and from shameful acts, except minor involvements....53:32) The preceding verse praises those who follow the right guidance of Allah and do good deeds. In the present verse, it is stated that the good-doers are those who avoid major sins and, especially immoral sins and shameful deeds. There is one exception made by the expression lamam [ which will be elaborated upon later ].It means that they sometimes do commit minor sins [ lamam ] but that does not exclude them from the category of being muhsinin [ good-doers ].

The Companions and their followers interpret the word لَمَم lamam in two different ways:

[ 1] Some commentators are of the view that it refers to small faults and minor errors which in Surah An-Nisa' has been described as sayyi'at: إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ‌ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ‌ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ " (if you abstain from the major (sins) out of what you have been forbidden from We shall write off your minor sins - 4:31". Ibn-Kathir has reported this from Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas and Abu Hurairah ؓ

[ 2] Some other scholars have held that lamam means, a sin that a person commits incidentally and then repents. After repentance, he never repeats it. Ibn Kathir has reported a narration from Ibn Jarir, first through Sayyidna Mujahid, and again through Sayyidna ` Ata', from Ibn ` Abbas ؓ and through Hasan Basri (رح) from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ . The gist of that narration too is that even if a person were to commit a major sin incidentally and repents, he will not be excluded from the ranks of the God-fearing people. Verse [ 135] of Surah 'Al-` Imran:

[ 3]

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُ‌وا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُ‌وا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ‌ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّ‌وا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿135﴾

And those who, when they happen to commit a shameful act or wrong themselves, remember Allah, then, seek forgiveness for their sins - and who is there to forgive sins except Allah? - and do not persist in what they have done, knowingly. [ 3:135]

It should be noted that overwhelming majority of scholars concur that if a person persists in a minor sin and continues to do it in a determined way so that it becomes a habit, it will no longer be a minor sin, but will turn into a major sin. Therefore, Maulana Ashraf ` Ali Thanawi (رح) has explained the word lamam as those small sins in which the doer does not persist.

Definition of Major and Minor Sins

This subject is taken up in full detail in Surah An-Nisa' in this book Vol. 2/pp 404-410, under verse [ 31] إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ‌ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ "If you abstain from major [ sins ] out of what you have been forbidden from, We shall write off your minor sins..." , [ q.v.].

هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْ‌ضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ (He knows you more than anyone else [ from a time ] when He created you from the earth and when you were embryos in the wombs of your mothers...53:32) The word ajinnatun is the plural of janin which means embryo or foetus. This verse purports to say that man does not have knowledge of himself as much as Allah knows him. When he went through the various phases of his creation in his mother's womb, he did not have any knowledge or sense. But his Creator knows fully well how wisely He was creating him. Thus he is made aware of his inability and lack of sufficient knowledge. Having said this, he is further made aware of the fact that any good he does is not his personal accomplishment. The ultimate source of his achievement is Allah: It is Allah who has given him limbs, organs and other parts of the body to perform the righteous deeds; it is He who has equipped him with the ability to move his limbs; then He has created the urge, will and determination to perform righteous actions. Hence, not even the greatest righteous, pious and God-fearing person has the right to pride upon his works and behave arrogantly. Besides, no one yet knows what the end result of his activities will be. Yet the end result is the most important factor in our life. Therefore, pride and arrogance is meaningless.

The concluding part of the verse puts it thus:

فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ

So, do not claim purity [ from faults ] for your selves. He knows best who is God-fearing... (53:32).

In other words, the merit of a person lies not only in his outer actions, but in taqwa in one's heart and in his inner moral excellence and uprightness which endures till his death. Only Allah knows who is perfect in this quality.

Sayyidah Zainab bint Abi Salamah ؓ was named by her parents as Barrah which means 'righteous or upright'. The Holy Prophet ﷺ recited the concluding part of this verse فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ (Do not claim purity for your selves.) and suggested the name be changed. Therefore, they changed her name to 'Zainab'. Imam Ahmad records on the authority of ` Abdur-Rahman Ibn Abi Bakrah ؓ that a person praised another person in the presence of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . He stopped him and said "If you have to praise a person, then say, 'according to my knowledge the person appears to be upright and God-fearing وَلَا اُزَکِّی عَلَی اللہِ - and I cannot say that he is so` in the sight of Allah as well'.

Background of Revelation

Ad-Durr-ul-Manthur reports from Ibn Jarir that a person embraced Islam and one of his friends rebuked him for having abandoned his forefather's religion. He responded that he fears Allah's chastisement. The friend told him to make a certain payment to him, and he will take upon himself his punishment of the Hereafter. Thus he [ the new Muslim ] will be spared from the chastisement, and consequently he made the payment to him. The friend demanded more payment. After a scuffle, he made the additional payment to him, and for the balance a document was drawn up with signatures of witnesses. That person, according to Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani, was Walid Ibn Mughirah who was inclined towards Islam. But his friend reproached him and took the responsibility of punishment upon his own shoulders.

أَفَرَ‌أَيْتَ الَّذِي تَوَلَّىٰ (Did you see the one who turned away,… 53:33 word tawalla literally means 'to turn the face away', and it connotes in this context a person who turns away from Allah's obedience.

وَأَعْطَىٰ قَلِيلًا وَأَكْدَىٰ (and gave a little, and stopped? ...53:34) The word akda is derived from kudyah which refers to a hard or stony piece of ground or clod that appears in the course of digging a well or a trench. As a result, the digger cannot dig any further. Thus the meaning of the verse is that at first he gave a little, then he stopped giving. In view of the incident narrated under the heading of "Background of Revelation", the meaning is quite clear. [ For the person in that incident paid a little amount and then stopped payment.] Apart from this meaning, Sayyidna Mujahid, Said Ibn Jubair, ` Ikrimah, Qatadah and others interpret this word to imply that a person spent a little in Allah's way, then stopped it; or at first he was somewhat inclined towards Allah's obedience, and he obeyed Him for a while, and then gave it up [ vide Ibn Kathir ].

أَعِندَهُ عِلْمُ الْغَيْبِ فَهُوَ يَرَ‌ىٰ (Does he have knowledge of the Unseen whereby he sees [ what he believes ]?...53:35) According to the story recounted in connection with the occasion of revelation, the verse means: The person who embraced Islam and later abandoned it because his friend assured him that he would bear the punishment in the Hereafter on his behalf, and spare him the pain. The fool believed him and took for granted the assurance given to him. Does he have the knowledge of the Unseen, so that he is able to see that the chastisement he deserves for disbelief will be taken over for sure by his friend? This is wholly a make-believe situation. He neither has the knowledge of the Unseen, nor can he take on the punishment of somebody else and save him. Apart from the story recounted in connection with the occasion of revelation, the verse would mean: Does this person, who stopped giving for fear of poverty and ended his acts of charity have knowledge of the Unseen and thus knows that if he does not stop spending, his wealth will go away? No. This is absolutely false. Such a person has neither the knowledge of the Unseen so that he is able to see that if he goes on spending, his wealth wi11 be depleted and not replenished. He stopped spending in charity for righteous causes, and did not keep relations with kith and kin because of his miserliness, being stingy and out of fear of poverty. The Qur'an makes plain in [ 34:39]

مَا أَنفَقْتُم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُ ۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ‌ الرَّ‌ازِقِينَ

And whatever thing you spend, He replaces it. And He is the best of the sustainers. [ 34:39]

أَمْ لَمْ يُنَبَّأْ بِمَا فِي صُحُفِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّىٰ (Has he not been told of what was [ revealed ] in the scriptures of Musa and of Ibrahim who fulfilled [ his covenant ]?... 53:36- 37) In verse [ 37], the Prophet Ibrahim I has been described by the expression waffa which is derived from the root word wafa' and it means to fulfill faithfully the covenant one has made with someone.

Special Characteristic of Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) : fulfillment of Covenant

Holy Prophet Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had a covenant with Allah that he will obey Him and convey His Message to all the people. He fulfilled faithfully the covenant: He obeyed Allah and delivered His Message to His creatures. As a result, he was made to pass through severe trials and tribulations. This is the interpretation placed upon the expression waffa (fulfilled) by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir and others.

Several narratives describe particular works of Holy Prophet Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) as a purport of the expression waffa, but the two versions are not contradictory, because fulfillment of covenant is general. It comprehends acting upon all the Divine injunctions, obeying Allah in all actions, fulfilling the duties of Prophet-hood and messenger-ship and reforming the creation of Allah.

Let us consider the narrative which Ibn Abi Hatim has reported on the authority of Sayyidna Abu 'Umamah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ recited the verse 37, and asked: Do you know what is the meaning of waffa (fulfilled)? Sayyidna Abu 'Umamah ؓ replied: Allah and His Rasul know best. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

وَفّٰی عَمَلَ یَومِیہٖ بِاَربَعِ رَکعَاتِ فِی اَوَّلِ النَّھَارِ ۔ (ابن کثیر)

"He fulfilled the day's work by starting it with the performance of four rak'at [ that is, salat-ul-ishraq ]."

This is supported by the Tradition recorded in Tirmidhi on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Dharr ؓ ، according to whom the Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

اِبنَ آدَم ارکَع لِی اَربَعَ رَکعَاتِ مَّن اَوَّلِ النَّھَار اَکفِکَ اٰخِرَہ، (ابن کثیر)

"0 Son of 'Adam! Perform four rak’ at of prayer in the early part of the day, I shall take of you in all your affairs till the end of the day."

Ibn Abi Hatim reports another Tradition from Sayyidna Muadh Ibn Anas ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: "Do you know why Allah gave Ibrahim علیہ السلام the title of al-ladhi waffa (the one who fulfilled)? Then, he said, 'Because he used to recite the following dhikr every morning and evening:

فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ حِينَ تُمْسُونَ وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُونَ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ وَعَشِيًّا وَحِينَ تُظْهِرُ‌ونَ (ابن کثیر)