1st April 2012. Juz 30 88 surah l-ghashiyah Sister Eman al Obaid The beginning of the surah mentions The Overwhelming the Day of Judgement and the 2 groups on the Day of Judgement. Allah subhana wa ta ala describes their faces as everything shows on the faces. 1 st group dwellers of hellfire khāshiʿa 88:2 Some faces, that Day will be humiliated (in the Hell-fire, i.e. the faces of all disbelievers, Jews and Christians). 2 nd group full of joy nāʿima, joyful 88:8 (Other) faces that Day will be joyful, In life when we feel joy it shows on our faces in paradise the joy and happiness is eternal and forever. Verses 9-16 is about the life in paradise, how perfect is the life in paradise. Everything is perfect, the person is perfect, the people are perfect, your house is perfect and it will remain forever. 88:9 Glad with their endeavour (for their good deeds which they did in this world, along with the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism). 88:10 In a lofty Paradise. 88:11 Where they shall neither hear harmful speech nor falsehood. 88:12 Therein will be a running spring. 88:13 Therein will be thrones raised high. 88:14 And cups set at hand. 88:15 And cushions set in rows. 88:16 And rich carpets (all) spread out. Why did Allah subhana wa ta ala reveal the Qur an? As a guidance. A guidance to open our eyes, to open our ears, to make you go forward, to believe in Allah subhana wa ta ala. There is no book more truthful than the Qur an because who is speaking, Rabbil Alamin. After describing the 2 groups there are still people who are denying believing in Allah subhana wa ta ala. When someone describes a beautiful place, there are mountains etc, the more you believe that person the more you are looking forward to seeing that place as if you are seeing the place. The more you think she is not telling the truth you will not believe it. Imagine, Allah subhana wa ta ala said these ayat, and imagine still people deny Allah subhana wa ta ala. 88:17 Do they not look at the camels, how they are created? 88:18 And at the heaven, how it is raised? 88:19 And at the mountains, how they are rooted (and fixed firm)? 88:20 And at the earth, how it is outspread? In verse 17-20 Allah is addressing the human beings addressing those who up to this ayah are still not believing in Allah subhana wa ta ala and don t believe the Messenger of Allah ṣallallāhu alayhi wa sallam. People have different mentalities. For some people when you just say to them Allah subhana wa ta ala said this, they quickly accept it because Allah subhana wa ta ala said it, they don t question it for others they need logical proofs, they ask how do I know you are saying the truth. The Qur an is not only talking about the unseen, Allah subhana wa ta ala is also talking to your intellect, you need to sense it, you need to see it. The ayat we are talking about today are about something tangible, something you can see so no one has any doubt or an excuse not to believe. Ayatulla is something written or something you can see. 1
afala yanẓurūna do they not look Ayah 17 starts with Afala yanẓurūna do they not look. If you don t believe in what Allah subhana wa ta ala said about the insensible like the Day of Judgement, still Allah subhana wa ta ala approaches and comes closer to the people when they look at the things they can sense. But some people say I am already a believer I do not need to go over these ayat these 4 ayat are benefiting the non believer and the believer. For the disbeliever who does not believe in the unseen matters the things mentioned in these 4 ayat s will make them realise who is the Creator and what they should do in their life. For those already believing, the impact of these ayat are that they will increase your faith. We do not need to travel everywhere to make us to believe. The Qur an by itself is a journey, it takes you from one place to another, to the past and to the future, to things you can see today but you are heedless about them. Sometimes in life we are busy being a mother or working or thinking about our homes or the city and we forget to enjoy nature Allah subhana wa ta ala with these ayat makes us really go and look at nature and increase our level of faith. Why increase our level of faith? Because you are following the commands of Allah subhana wa ta ala. In this ayah Allah subhana wa ta ala said afala yanzurun so I want to see, I want to look. You need to interact with the ayatillah, the ayatillah are as if Allah subhana wa ta ala is talking to you. It is not about going around with a camera and taking pictures. If these ayat will not make you to believe or increase your faith it means it is as if you don t have a heart. 2
Allah subhana wa ta ala begins these ayat with a question to get the peoples attention. When Allah subhana wa ta ala starts with a question it does not mean that Allah subhana wa ta ala wants an answer from you. With a question it gets peoples attention, makes people think. Allah subhana wa ta ala knows His creation, we are negligent or we are unaware because we are too busy. Do they not look? This question makes you realise there is something you need to see. These ayat will make you believe more in Allah subhana wa ta ala and follow Allah subhana wa ta ala commands. When you follow Allah subhana wa ta ala commands you level of faith will increase. Allah subhana wa ta ala commands us to look. Yanẓurūna (they look) is in the present tense. You need something to keep up your level of faith. Faith does not only increase with acquiring knowledge or ibadah. Reflecting and pondering upon Allah subhana wa ta ala ayat s, look use your eyes, this will also raise your level of faith. Allah subhana wa ta ala mentioned some of His creation, one animal you need to look closely at. l-ibili the camels Now we will take you to the desert. Ibili is the plural of jamal. There are many different types of animals, cows, birds, horses etc but in surah Al Ghashiyah The Overwhelming, the Day of Judgement, Allah subhana wa ta ala mentioned the camel. kayfa khuliqat how they are created? How did Allah subhana wa ta ala create the camel? Camels are different from other animals as Allah subhana wa ta ala would not have mentioned them in the Qur an. Allah subhana wa ta ala mentioned them so there is a miracle. In Dubai we have camels so there is no excuse to not look at the camels The creation of the camel Camels live in the desert which has a very difficult climate. Camels have to cope with the heat, lack of food and lack of water and the sand. To travel in this environment it is difficult, can any other animal really survive in the desert, any animal huge and big like the camel? The camel can travel for a long distance. The only animal that can do this in the desert is the camel. Not only does the camel walk long distances it can also carry a load as well. Ship of the desert - Even cars cannot go to certain places but the camel travels long distances and can carry heavy loads. To rest they can sit only the camel can sit and stand with a load. The camel walks, sits and stands with a load. Look at the eyes of the camel the camel has long eyelashes, to protect the eyes from the sand. The ears and nose are very tiny to prevent any sand entering the ears and nose. You will not find sand in a camels ears or nose. Heat in the heat human beings need to cover their head, with camels the hot air will reach their brain and will be cooled. This is kayfa khuliqat. Food camels can eat food with thorns as Allah subhana wa ta ala made their mouth torn inside, split. 3
Walk Allah subhana wa ta ala made it easy for them to walk on the sand. Water if they find it they will drink it and they store it in their humps. Allah subhana wa ta ala created the camel for reason. Allah subhana wa ta ala is telling us about the jamal. We are not talking about camels because the Qur an was revealed in the Arab peninsula. The Qur an is for everybody, all the different nations. Where Allah subhana wa ta ala revealed the Qur an is where you can see what is mentioned in these ayats. But still people are denying. This surah is Makkian so Allah subhana wa ta ala is talking to the disbelievers. They see the camels. The Arabs know exactly how Allah subhana wa ta ala created the camel. For the people of Makkah the camel is one animal they really benefit from. When you look at the camel because you are following the commands of Allah subhana wa ta ala, think about the Creator, everything is a reflection of Allah s creation, of Allah subhana wa ta ala. Everything will make you think about Allah s hikmah. Everything will make you think how Allah subhana wa ta ala made everything Halq Allah. Nobody deserves the worship except Allah subhana wa ta ala. 88:18 And at the sky - how it is raised? Everyone has a sky, the sky is like a ceiling, a preserved ceiling. Allah says look at the sky. How do you see the sky? What is there? What is there in the samad and dunya? Gases, stars, planets. Allah subhana wa ta ala says look at the sky full of stars and planets etc and see how Allah subhana wa ta ala raises the sky high without any pillars. There is no other ceiling without a pillar, Qadrut Allah. Disbelieving is committing a big crime as everything in the universe will make you know Allah subhana wa ta ala. Can anybody make a sky such as we have? We have something that should make us believe in Allah subhana wa ta ala more. Associating a partner with Allah subhana wa ta ala is a big crime. Believing or worshipping somebody else is not acceptable. Disbelief in Allah subhana wa ta ala, worshipping other than Allah subhana wa ta ala, and associating a partner with Allah and hypocrisy will not be forgiven, zulm. Today man can see galaxies billions of light years away but the universe is still expanding and still we have not reached the other heavens, the seven heavens, seven layers on top of each other. We don t where are these layers but we know there are layers from the hadith. Hadith: The Prophet ṣallallāhu alayhi wa sallam said at every layer of the heavens there is a gate and a gate keeper, an angel so no one can enter. We have so many sun s, planets and galaxies, solar systems, milky ways in the Universe, but this is just the sama a dunya so what about the rest, this is huge. The disbelief is not acceptable. Nobody can do this. The lowest heaven which is closest to us and we can see it, Allah made it so beautiful for us. Not everything is just for beauty. For everything there is a reason, there is a reason for the moon, for the stars etc. 21:32 And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away. The gases in the Universe are like a protection for the earth. The sky is like a preserved ceiling, beautiful and protecting you. Protecting you from what? Allah alim. 4
We ask Allah subhana wa ta ala for His forgiveness and His Mercy. Anything that is good from these notes is from Allah subhana wa ta ala. Any mistakes & misrepresentations are my own. I ask Allah subhana wa ta ala for His forgiveness and to put forgiveness in the hearts of those who read them. JazakAllah Khairan. 5