Tafseer of verse 19 From Suratu Muhammad by Allamah as-shaykh ibn Sa adi لا ا ن ه فاع لم ا ل ه ا ل ا الل ه و اس ت غ ف ر ل ذن ب ك و ل لم و م ن ين و ا لم و م ن ا ت و الل ه ي ع ل م م ت قل ب ك م و م ثو ا ك م So know that Lâ ilâha ill-allâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh), and ask forgiveness for your sin, and also for (the sin of) believing men and believing women. And Allâh knows well your moving about, and your place of rest (in your homes). The Tafseer : ilm (knowledge) has to be complimented with testification in the heart and knowing it. Meaning : knowing what one Is pursuing in this knowledge. And the completion of knowledge ; is acting upon its teaching. And this ilm (knowledge) that Allaah has commanded [in this verse] is the ilm (knowledge) of tawheed (oneness Of Allaah in all aspects). It is fardh ayn (individual obligation) 1 on every human being, no one is exempted from this command whoever he may be rather all of people are compelled to this command [ of knowing tawheed ]. 1 The obligations of the Sharia are divided into two : - fardh ayn : the individual obligations. The acts which are a must on every person e.g. prayer, knowledge, fasting Ramadhaan e.t.c - fardh kifaaya : the sufficed obligations : The acts which if done by a group of people, then the obligation is sufficed for the whole muslim community. E.g. calling the adhaan, praying the Salaatul janaaza e.t.c
And from the ways to establish and knowing that There is no deity who deserves to be worshipped except Him : 1. The first one, rather the greatest of them : to know and to ponder upon His names and His Attributes. And His actions ; which all are evidence for His perfection, and His greatness and His Majesty. Because this leads to humbling oneself in worshipping Him, and recognizing His Lordship. The Lord who is perfect and to Him belongs all the praises, glorifications, grandeur and beauty. 2. Knowing that He The Exalted is alone in Creating and Controlling all the affairs. So this necessitates knowing that He is alone in His Ulooheeyyah (deserving to be singled out in worship). 3. Knowing that He is the only one who bestows favours and bounties - the apparent ones and the secret ones - in matters of religion and the worldly affairs. This leads the hearts to be attached to Him, and to love Him. And [it leads to] worshipping Him, alone He has no partners [in deserving to be worshipped]. 4. What we see and hear of the rewards - He gives to His servants ; who are steadfast upon tawheed - [the rewards] like His helping them, and making them victorious, and all the abundant favours. And also [What we see and hear of the] recompense He gives to His enemies ; the polytheists.
So all these affairs point out the knowledge that : He The Exalted, is One. Deserving all the kinds of worship. 5. Knowing the different types of idols and rivals that are worshipped together with Allaah, and are taken as gods. [Knowing] that they are deficient in all aspects, they are needy in their natures, they don t have ability to harm or to benefit themselves or those who worship them, and that they don t control death or life or resurrection, and that they cant and don t give victory to those who worship them, and that they cant [and don t] benefit those who worship them : even an atoms size, whether in bringing good or removing harm. So knowing all this ; necessitates the knowledge that : - Laa ilaaha illa huwaa [ there s none who is worthy of worship except Him (Allaah) ] - and this also invalidates the worship of everything else other than Him. 6. Having agreement and conformity with the Book of Allaah in this matter. 7. That the best of the creation -those who are the perfect of them in etiquettes, and intellect, and opinions, and correctness of knowledge - and they are the Messengers and Prophets and the Ulamaa Rabbaniyya 2 - [all of them] they all have attested and testified this matter is for Allaah. [ Tawheed ] 2 The Ulamaa Rabaaniyya : are the scholars who are upon the correct methodology, and they are distinguished by that : they teach the people the most important matters, starting by the small details and moving on gradually.
8. From what has been established and shown by Allaah ; of the heavenly proofs and the personal proofs. These all are from the greatest evidences. Which point out the evidences for Tawheed. And are proof for calling on to Him alone. Because of the beauty of how He created these, and The Originating of His wisdom, and the Strangeness of the different forms of His creatures. So these are the ways which Allaah, repeatedly called on His creation : pointing to Laa ilaaha illallaah [ there s none who is truly worthy of worship except Allaah]. And He began with this in His Book, and enumerated them ; so that the slaves can ponder upon. Thus, there s no doubt that it is also incumbent for the person to have certainty and sure knowledge upon this ( tawheed ). So how is it when the these [certainty and sure knowledge] are combined, and in conformity, and are established with the proofs and evidences of Tawheed in all directions? Then at this point : Eeman (belief) and knowledge, is firmly grounded and built ; in the heart of the slave. Such that it can reach at a stage when it is like the firmly grounded mountain. It is not shaken by the doubts or misconceptions. And it is not decreased by the recurrence of false ideologies and doubts. Rather it increases in firmness and perfection.
[Together with all that has been mentioned] And if we look at the Great Proof and the Supreme matter, and that is : pondering over the Great Qur an and acting upon its verses : then this is greatest door to the knowledge of Tawheed. And it brings forth the details of it and the generality of it ( Tawheed ) ; in a way that nothing else can. And His statement : } ل ذن ب ك و اس ت غ ف ر { And ask forgiveness for your sin, Meaning seek forgiveness from Allaah for your sins, by doing the actions that are a reason for achieving pardon. And these are : - repentance - supplication for forgiveness - the good actions which are done after the sins : thus wiping them out - and leaving of committing sins -and pardoning transgressions. } و { And Seek forgiveness also
للمو منين { } و ا لم و م ن ات for believing men and believing women Because of their faith ; they have a right on every muslim male and female. And from the generality of these rights (of every believer) is to supplicate for them, and to seek forgiveness for their sins. So if there is this order of seeking forgiveness for them which means removal of their sins and the punishment for that then from the actions which are [foremost and] necessitated by that, is : - giving them sincere advice, - and to love good for them ; from the same good things you would love for one s self, - and to despise that harm should fall on them, - and to command them on that which is good for them, and to forbid them from that which is harmful for them, - and to overlook and pardon their mistakes and shortcomings, - and to be diligent in uniting them ; the type of unity that will bring their hearts together, and will remove what is between them of the animosity which leads to hating each other : and its result is an increase in sins and transgression. } و الل ه ي ع ل م م ت قل ب ك م { And Allâh knows well your moving about, That is : your movements and daily actions, and your going and your coming
} و م ثو ا كم { and your place of rest. In which there is your resting. So He is The One who knows you ; in your movements and in your rest. And He will reward you for all these ; a complete and just reward. Taken from : Tayseer Al Kareem Ar-Rahmaan fee Tafseer Kalaam Al Mannaan. Authored by : Allamah as-shaykh Abdurrahmaan ibn Sa adi (rahimahullaah) Translated by Aboo Waheeda as-salafee