بسم االله الرحمن الرحیم Tafseer Surah Al-Imraan Surah (Chapter) Al-Imran is a Surah Madaniyyah. There are two types of chapters; The Surah Makkiyyah and the Surah Madaniyyah. The chapters Makkiyah are those chapters that were revealed in Makkah before the migration to Madinah (hence the name Makkiyyah). The main characteristic of these chapters is that they establish belief in Allah, belief in Paradise and Hell-fire, and belief in the testimony of faith "la ilaha illa Allah." (There is no one worthy of worship truly except Allah). There are not many verses pertaining to rulings/legislations and manners in this category. As for the Madaniyyah chapters, they were revealed after the migration of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to Madinah and they are largely made up of legislations, rulings, and manners. Surah Al-Imran is a Madaniyyah chapter. قال االله تعالى: الم (1 (Verse Alif laam meem. The Scholars have agreed that these letters, like Ta-Ha and Ya-sin, have no linguistic meaning, yet have a wisdom behind them. The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not tell us the intent of Allah regarding these letters, but we know that He includes nothing in the Quran that is without purpose. One explanation is that Allah is confronting the disbelievers with the fact that the Quran verses consists of these alphabet letters, and challenging them to bring even one verse similar to them. This challenge remains open, and no one has been able to bring even one verse similar to that which is found in Allah s Book! قال االله تعالى: ا الله لا إ ل ه إ لا ه و ال ح ي ال ق ی وم Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, The Ever Living, The One Who sustains and protects all that exists. (Verse 2) Allah means The Deity. In Arabic ilah means The Only One Who deserves to be worshipped lovingly with glorification. - The Ever-Living, The Self-Sustainer: Al-Hayy, The Ever Living: There was never a time that Allah did not exist. He is hayy, meaning always ever-living. We, on the other hand, did not exist, then Allah brought us into existence and one day we will die. Allah is not like this. He is The Ever-Living and He is Al-Qayyum, The Self-Sustainer. He sustains Himself out of 1
His richness, power and might. The Deity al-ilah should be one, The Creator; Because every one of us, every creature, needs a creator, a provider and a protector, and to be The ilah [The Only One Who is worthy of being worshipped] means that no one at all can create Him, benefit Him, or harm Him, and that He has no need of anyone [this is qayyum], but the creation is in need of Him for their existence. قال االله تعالى: ن زل ع ل ی ك ال ك ت اب ب ال ح ق م ص دق ا ل م ا ب ی ن ی د ی ه و أ نز ل الت و ر اة و الا نج یل It is He Who has sent down the Book (the Quran) to you (O Muhammad) with truth, confirming what came before it. And He sent down the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), (Verse 3) Nazzala (نزل) means Allah revealed from above to below. Yanzilu is from above the heavens down to the earth and nazala gives the meaning that it was revealed gradually. The Quran was revealed to you with the truth. We must believe that the Quran was truly revealed by Allah - Al-Haqq - and that Allah has guaranteed that no one will ever be able to alter it, omit or add anything to it, so it is Truth; Every word in the Quran is true and preserved. The Quran tells us what has already happened or what will happen in the future, so when Allah tells us about something, it matches reality exactly and this is truth, and it is just in its legislation. With every ruling there is a wisdom and justice, so all the rulings are haqq. The truth always matches reality and is based upon wisdom and justice. :(م ا ب ی ن ی د ی ه ( it Confirming what came before In Arabic means that which is between one s hands and the things between one s hands precede him, meaning, they are in front of him. So here Allah is affirming that He is The One Who revealed what came before the Quran i.e. The Pages of Ibrahim, the Tawrah that was revealed to Musa [Moses] and the Injil [Ghospel] which was revealed to Isa [Jesus]. The Quran affirms that which the Prophets and Messengers unanimously agreed upon and confirms the Message of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who was also mentioned in the Tawrah and Injil. Therefore their books prove the truthfulness of Quran. The People of the Book cannot have true faith in their own books until they believe in the Quran because their denial of the Quran would negate faith in their own Books. انت ق ام قال االله تعالى:م ن ق ب ل ه د ى ل لن اس و أ نز ل ال ف ر ق ان إ ن ال ذ ین ك ف ر وا ب ا ی ات ا الله ل ه م ع ذ اب ش د ید و ا الله ع ز یز ذ و Aforetime, as a guidance to mankind, and He sent down the Criterion [of judgement between right and wrong (this Quran)]. Truly, those who disbelieve in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, for them there is a severe torment; And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Able of Retribution. ( Verse 4 ) He revealed all of these Books to guide the people. This is the general guidance, wherein Allah shows us Who our Creator is, It also shows the aim of our existence in this world, who 2
we should worship, why Allah is the one who is deserving of worship, and how to worship him. He shows us all of this through proofs and evidences, and you will find that whenever you have any questions you will surely find the answers in the Quran. :(و أ نز ل ال ف ر ق ان ( wrong And He sent down the criterion [of judgement between right and What is meant by Al-Furqan: It is to differentiate between truth and falsehood. In English it is called the criterion. The Quran is full of instances of furqan. Shaikh ibn Al-Uthaymin says you need to understand and implement this furqan in your life. The more you know and differentiate (furqan), the more you will have knowledge and thus be able to act accordingly, to live this life with a clear aim through a clear path, to know how to make decisions, to know the correct thing to do and say, and to weigh out the possible harms and benefits in all that you encounter. Allah distinguished between belief and disbelief, between the pleasure of the Paradise and the torture of the Hellfire, between good and bad manners, between what is harmful and what is beneficial, and much, much more. By understanding the Quran and Sunnah, one is able to know about this in detail. For example, he will understand what is beneficial and what would be even more beneficial for him, or he may need to understand what is more or less harmful in order to choose that which is less harmful. The only way to attain this quality (of criterion) is to read the Quran and Prophet s sayings with their explanations. In this way you will find that it will come to you spontaneously; While reading the Quran you will be able to differentiate between the ones who Allah loves or hates, and that which Allah loves and what He loves more. (Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said: Although one of the names of the Quran is Al-Furqaan, in this context it does not mean the Quran, because Allah would not repeat the Quran again for no reason.) Truly, those who disbelieve in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, :(إ ن ال ذ ین ك ف ر وا ب ا ی ات ا الله ) signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah In Arabic the linguistic meaning of the word kuffr is covering and concealing something. The disbeliever denies and covers the fact that he was created by Allah and denies the bounties and provisions of Allah. In the Islamic legislation it means disbelief in Allah, and rejecting what Allah commands us to believe. Ayah linguistically means a vivid sign. There are two types of signs from Allah. The first is related to the universe and is known as al-kawniyyah. All of the universe is a sign of its Creator. Allah gave us many many signs to see and to contemplate. For example, the sun, the moon, and oxygen, just to name a few. Who has the ability to move the sun in this precise manner? Who can bring rain from the clouds or create a fly? No one. Shaikh ibn Al-Uthaymeen said that anyone can understand the signs of the universe, even the disbelievers; When you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say Allah. 3
They know that there must be a Creator. If Allah made the human being himself as a sign, does he then have an excuse not to believe in Him? Even if they were to deny it, they know within themselves that they are liars and they only deny out of arrogance. Furthermore, the Quran is a sign that The One Who spoke it, The One Who made these rulings has to be an ilaah (deity) and that it is not a creation of man ; no man could create these rulings and commands with such precision, wisdom, knowledge, justice, and without contradiction. Each and every ruling in the Quran is a sign that informs us of Allah s perfect attributes and actions. The second type of ayat are the legislated verses, meaning the verses of Quran. For them there is a severe punishment/torment (on the Day of Resurrection)- :(ل ه م ع ذ اب ش د ید و ا الله ع ز یز ذ و انت ق ام ) and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Able of Retribution Hence, Allah says that those who disbelieve in the revelations of Allah in spite of the fact that He has made them absolutely clear for them and removed their doubts, shall suffer a severe punishment whose severity is impossible to imagine due to this denial. Allah is The All-Mighty, The Powerful. No one can overcome His authority and He is capable of retribution towards those who reject His signs and deny His message and His Prophet, peace be upon him. قال االله تعالى: إ ن ا الله لا ی خ ف ى ع ل ی ه ش ي ء ف ي الا ر ض و لا ف ي ال سم اء Truly, nothing is hidden from Allah, in the earth or in the heavens. (Verse 5) Shaikh ibn Al-Uthaymeen says that the statement that nothing is hidden from Allah is a confirmation of Allah's complete and perfect knowledge. One of the names that should have a great effect on us is Al-Aleem - The All-Knowing. Allah sees us, hears us, and knows what we are thinking about. So the Shaikh says this verse should rectify something in you. You must nurture yourself by this verse, and if you remember it and act accordingly it will rectify you in many ways. It will correct your deeds, words and thoughts. We need to respond to the name of Allah, The All-Knowledgeable, by knowing that since nothing can be hidden from Allah, then one cannot whisper a word that Allah cannot hear or make a signal with one s hand that Allah cannot see. Could he even look at something prohibited without Allah being aware? قال االله تعالى: ه و ال ذ ي ی ص ور ك م ف ي الا ر ح ام ك ی ف ی ش اء لا إ ل ه إ لا ه و ال ع ز یز ال ح ك یم He is it Who shapes you in the wombs as He wills. (none has the right to be worshipped but He) The All-Mighty, The All-Wise. (Verse 6) Here again these verses are proof of the perfect knowledge of Allah and the perfection of His creation, thus proving Allah is The Only One worthy of worship. 4
What is the meaning of tasweer? Tasweer is making a picture or image, and one of the stages of creation. Before the soul is blown into a being, there is a stage of tasweer where Allah decides the shape, features, bone structure, height, level of beauty and so on of that person. Allah decides everything while one is still a piece of flesh inside the womb of his mother. Here Allah ended the verse with his name Al-Azeez, The All-Mighty, and His mightiness is shown in the fact that He shapes us and creates us according to what He wills. All the creation is under His submission; No one is able to decide how they look, their features, gender, height or color. These things are only decided by Allah The All-Mighty, in accordance to His wisdom. Shaikh ibn Al-Uthaymeen says, "Imagine if Allah would have made your features after your delivery, outside of your mother's womb." You would find your baby coming out just like a piece of meat! So Allah, by His perfect and complete wisdom, His mercy and nurturing of us (rububiyyah), has created our features and limbs in a good shape while we were still inside the wombs of our mothers. Allah s nurturing and Lordship to us starts from this very beginning. Now Allah speaks about the Quran itself. ل ب اب ال ك ت اب و أ خ ر م ت ش اب ه ات ف ا ما ال ذ ین ف ي ق ل وب ه م ز ی غ ف ی ت ب ع ون م ا ت ش اب ه قال االله تعالى: ه و ال ذ ي أ نز ل ع ل ی ك ال ك ت اب م ن ه آی ات مح ك م ات ه ن أ م م ن ه اب ت غ اء ال ف ت ن ة و اب ت غ اء ت ا و یل ه و م ا ی ع ل م ت ا و یل ه إ لا ا الله و ال راس خ ون ف ي ال ع ل م ی ق ول ون آم ن ا ب ه ك ل من ع ند ر ب ن ا و م ا ی ذ كر إ لا أ ول و الا It is He Who has sent down to you (Muhammad ) the Book (this Quran). In it are verses that are entirely clear, which are the foundations of the Book [the verses of commandments, obligatory duties and legal laws]; and others not entirely clear. So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking Al-Fitnah (polytheism and trials, etc.), and seeking its hidden meanings, but none knows its hidden meanings save Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it; The whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord." And none receive admonition except men of understanding. (Verse 7) The Quran has two types of verses: The first type are the muhkamat. These are the verses which are entirely clear and understandable for everyone, and the majority of Quran is made up of these. They are the foundations of the Book. For example, Allah forbade us from worshipping anyone other than Him, from committing adultery or lying, can anyone then claim to not understand what Allah means by these prohibitions? No one can say that they do not understand because the commands are very clear and, in addition, no one can deviate these verses from their meaning. 5
The other type of verses are the mutashaabihaat. The meaning of this type of verse is unclear to some or may be misunderstood, meaning one may deduce a meaning which was not the intended meaning of Allah. Therefore this type of verse is more susceptible to being used by the people of deviation, who use them by twisting the meaning to suit their deviant opinions. For instance, in the Quran there are precise and clear verses talking about Prophet Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, as well as unclear verses. The Christians used the unclear verses to claim the divinity of Isa (Jesus), saying that he is the son of God, They twisted the meaning of the verse قال االله تعالى: إ ن م ا ال م س یح ع یس ى اب ن م ر ی م ر س ول ا الله و ك ل م ت ه أ ل ق اه ا إ ل ى م ر ی م و ر وح من ه ( ) The Messiah Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah and His Word ( Be! - and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (ruh) created by Him. Surah An-Nisaa [4:171] The Christians claim that Isa is divine and that he is the son of Allah because the Quran says he is spirit of Allah and His word. They have taken this part of the verse and used it to claim that Isa is the spirit of Allah and is created from Him. They choose to ignore Allah s statement in other clear verse, قال االله تعالى: إ ن م ث ل ع یس ى ع ند ا الله ك م ث ل آد م خ ل ق ه م ن ت ر اب ث م ق ال ل ه ك ن ف ی ك ون Verily the likeness of Isa (Jesus) before Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust (soil) and He said to him, Be and he was. Surah Al-Imraan [3:59] This verse is precise and clear, and no one can deviate it. Allah is capable of making the whole of the Quran precise and clear and removing any doubts in a verse. He is capable of doing this, yet He has, with His wisdom, set this as a trial for us in order to see who will follow the precise verses- who will search and seek the truth and who will make use of the doubts (unclear verses) to twist the truth. Some people use these unclear verses to turn the Muslims away from Islam. They say, "Here the Quran is wrong." Others, the people of innovation like the khawarij, take these verses and change the meaning in order to use them to confirm their deviated beliefs. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, If you find someone misusing the Quran's verses in this way, then beware of him." Therefore, beware of anyone who interprets Quran it according to his own opinion. These people will not lead you anywhere except to deviation and ultimately to the Hellfire. There is a wisdom from Allah in the existence of the unclear verses which is to distinguish between a true believer and people of deviation. 6
A true believer should seek to understand the unclear verses in light of clear verses by referring the unclear ones back to those that are clear. There is no unclear verse which is left without a precise and clear verse to clarify it. Each and every verse which there may doubt in has another verse that can remove this doubt. This is a fact. As for those in whose hearts there is a deviation, they follow that which is not entirely clear, taking advantage of that which is not clear in order to alter its meaning to confirm their false interpretation. Like the verse in chapter Al-Maidah which says: قال االله تعالى: ی ا أ ی ه ا ال ذ ین آم ن وا ات ق وا ا الله و اب ت غ وا إ ل ی ه ال و س یل ة O you who believe! Do your duty to Allah and fear Him. Seek the means of approach to Him, and strive hard in His Cause as much as you can so that you may be successful. Surah Al-Maidah [5:35] Here what Allah meant as a means is an act of worship, but the people of deviation say a means to Allah is an intermediary between a person and Allah. They take this verse, leaving many verses that say to never take an intermediary between Allah and His slave. Even the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is not an intermediary between us and Allah. Your relationship with Allah is a direct relationship and Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is but a Messenger. This is why Allah said they only follow these unclear verses because they want to either make believers turn away from Islam or confirm their (own) deviated beliefs and opinions. Those firmly grounded in knowledge say, "We believe in it - the whole of it (clear and unclear verses) are from our Lord," and We believe that in the Quran there is (و ال راس خ ون ف ي ال ع ل م ی ق ول ون آم نا ب ه ك ل من ع ند ر بن ا) contradiction. no deviation, doubt or The firmly grounded in knowledge they search and strive to understand all aspects of the topic, thereby rooting and establishing their knowledge firmly. The Quran is clear. Allah's truthfulness, mercy, knowledge and wisdom denies that He will ask us to follow something that is unclear. When one has knowledge and understanding concerning Allah, then trust, confidence and strength in his faith are firmly established. Conversely, if one does not understand about Allah, then he will not be able to act according to that which He has commanded. He would not be able to overcome the doubts. Someone could tell him, "Allah will never forgive you!" placing a doubt in him which he may believe, saying, "If Allah will never forgive me then why shall I repent? Let me just enjoy myself in this world and then I am going to die and that is it." On the other hand if he understands the truth of the matter, then he will say "No, Allah forgives all sins (major and minor)." 7
Do not ever start your path to Allah without knowing Who Allah is. That is why we say knowing the names and attributes of Allah is a way by which one is be able to understand Allah's religion, verses, and rulings. His religion and rulings are a result of His attributes and acts. (و م ا ی ذ كر إ لا أ ول و الا ل ب اب ) understanding. And none receive admonition except men of The Quran should affect us through remembrance and admonition. We should read Quran with concentration, seeking to understand Allah s orders and intending to act in accordance with them. But who will remember, acknowledge and understand? Those who have the correct mind and are able to understand. Not just anyone can understand the Quran easily. He may be smart in engineering, medicine and so on, yet he is not capable of understanding the Quran. The understanding and remembrance of the Quran does not relate directly to the amount of intelligence a person has. Instead, understanding it is directly related to piety, to the desire to act according to what he has read and understood. Thus those who are willing to acknowledge and act upon Allah s orders, fearing Allah and being watchful of Him, deserve to understand; But the one who just reads the Quran without intending to act upon what he has read does not deserve to understand. Furthermore, if one follows Allah's commands, then as a result He will grant him even more knowledge, understanding and willingness to act because a good act brings about another. This is why you will find that if you bring the same proof to two different people they may respond differently. Above is a transcription of a class given by teacher Zaynab El-Kateb and it s based on tafseer Surah Ali-Imraan by Shaikh Ibn Al-Uthaymin, may Allah be pleased with him. 8