Al-Insan

A long period of time has passed over man when he was non-existent and there was no mention of him.

I created man from a drop that was a mixture of the liquid of a man and a woman, to test him with the impositions I placed on him. I made him hearing and seeing to carry out the laws I imposed on him.

I showed him, through the tongues of My messengers, the path of guidance and by that the path of misguidance became clear to him. Thereafter he is either guided to the straight path and becomes a believing servant that is thankful to Allah, or he is misled from it and becomes a disbelieving servant who rejects Allah’s signs.

After Allah mentioned the two types, those who are guided and those astray, he mentioned the reward of each by saying: I have prepared for those who reject Allah and His messengers, chains by which they will be dragged into the fire, and iron collars that will be tied around their necks, and a blazing fire.

The believers who follow Allah will drink on the day of judgment from a filled cup of wine mixed with camphor because of its pleasant fragrance.

This drink that has been prepared for the people of obedience will be from a easily palatable, abundantly flowing spring which will not dry out. The servants of Allah will drink to their fill from it, and be able to cause it to flow and run wherever they wish.

The attributes of the servants who will drink from it, are that they fulfil the acts of obedience to Allah they have imposed upon themselves, and they fear a day of widespread calamity: The Day of Judgement.

They also feed food, despite being in the state of loving food due to being needy and desirous of it. They feed it to the poor, orphans and captives.

They conceal within themselves that they only feed them for the pleasure of Allah; not intending to receive any recompense from those whom they have fed, nor any praise.

We fear from our Lord a day on which the faces of the wretched will be gloomy due to its severity and horror.

So Allah will protect them through His grace from the harm of that great day, and will give them beauty and light on their faces in their honour, together with placing happiness in their hearts.

And Allah will reward them due to their endurance upon acts of obedience, patience upon the decrees of Allah, and resolve from committing sins, with a Paradise in which they shall live in luxury, wearing clothes made of silk.

They will be reclining in it on decorated couches. They will not see in this Paradise a sun to be inconvenienced by its rays, nor will they experience extreme cold; rather they will be in constant shade, without extreme heat or cold.

Its shade will be near to them, and its fruits will be made subservient to whoever eats them, making them easy to access and eat, such that a person lying down, sitting or standing will be able to eat them.

Servants will roam around them with silver utensils and clear glasses whenever they intend to drink.

In their clear colour, they will be like glass, yet they will be made of silver, and they will be measured to perfection: neither bigger or smaller than they intend.

These honoured people will be given a glass of wine to drink, mixed with ginger.

They will also drink from a spring in Paradise named Salsabīl.

And youthful children will roam around them in Paradise. When you see them you will think of them to be scattered pearls, because of the freshness in their faces, their beautiful complexions, their number and their distinction.

When you see what is in Paradise, you will see undescribable luxury and a magnificent kingdom that is unparalleled.

Magnificent green clothes will adorn their upper bodies, made of fine silk and silk brocade. They will also be made to wear silver bracelets, and Allah will give them to drink, a drink free of any spoiling.

It will be said to them in their honour: “Indeed, this luxury you have been given is a reward for you for your good deeds; your deeds were acceptable with Allah.”

O Messenger! Indeed, I have revealed the Qur’ān to you in segments; I did not reveal it to you all at once.

So be patient over what Allah decrees or legislates, and do not follow the sinner in the sin he calls towards, nor the disbeliever in the disbelief he invites towards.

And remember your Lord by performing the Fajr prayer at the starting of the day, and the Ẓuhr and ‘Aṣr prayers at its end.

And remember Him by performing the two prayers of the night: The Maghrib and ‘Ishā prayers, together with performing Tahajjud after them.

Indeed, these idolaters love the worldly life and are greedy for it, leaving behind them the Day of Judgement which is a burdensome day due to the difficulties and tests in it.

I have created them and strengthened their creation by giving strength in their joints, limbs etc. And if I wanted to destroy them and replace them with people like them, I would have done so.

Indeed, this Sūrah is a piece of advice and a reminder; whoever wishes to take it as a path to the pleasure of his Lord should do so.

You do not wish to take the path to the pleasure of Allah except that Allah also wishes that from you, because the matter is fully in His control. Indeed, Allah knows the requirements of His servants and what they do not require; He is wise in His creation, decree and legislation.

He enters whichever of His servants He wishes into His mercy, granting them the ability to bring faith and do good deeds. He has also prepared for those who oppress themselves by disbelieving and committing sins, a painful punishment in the afterlife: the punishment of the hellfire.