Exegesis of Surat al-Tariq, from His saying: "And the sky and the star that comes down" to His saying: "Indeed, every soul has over it a guardian."
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows:
This is the second session of the month of Jumada al-Ula, in the year 1404, which was established to be held weekly every Thursday.
We ask Allah the Exalted to make it beneficial, and to make all our work sincere for His noble Face. So we mention the discussion of the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
[At-Tariq 86:2-4] :
These are noble verses that include the oath by the sky and by the star that comes down:
As for the sky, it is well known, and Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, swore by it because of its greatness, strength, vastness, height, and its indication of its Creator, (Exalted and Majestic is He), and of the greatness and wisdom He possesses which amaze the minds. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:[Adh-Dhariyat 51:47].
And He, the Exalted, said:[An-Naba 78:12].
And He, the Exalted, said:[Al-Anbya 21:32], and the verses in the Book of Allah regarding the mention of the sky and what it contains of indication to the power, greatness, and wisdom of Allah are numerous. For this reason, it was worthy that Allah, the Exalted, should swear by it.
As for the second oath, it is: the star that comes down. Allah, the Exalted, swore by the star that comes down, which is the star. It is called "the star that comes down" because it is not distinguished except at night. In the Arabic language, "the one who comes down" is the one who comes at night, as mentioned in the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 30:1101. So the star was named thus because its light is not distinguished except at night, so it was called "the star that comes down."
And this description is not specific to the Pleiades, but it is general for every star, whether its light is strong or its light is faint.
And Allah, the Exalted, swore by the stars because they are an adornment for the sky, stones for the devils who eavesdrop, and signs by which guidance is found, as He, the Exalted, said:[Al-Mulk 67:5].
And He, the Exalted, said:[An-Nahl 16:15-16]: So by the star, creation finds guidance to the four directions: north, south, east, and west, and they also find guidance to the direction of the qiblah, as is known by those who practice this navigation. And although people in our era, due to the existence of instruments that facilitate this without cost or hardship, have neglected these signs, they still exist, known by those who follow them, observe them, and study their course.
He, the Exalted, said:[At-Tariq 86:2-3]:
Then He, Glory be to Him, clarified it by His saying:, meaning: It is the piercing star that pierces the darkness with its light. It is derived from the piercing of a nail into wood. So it cuts through the darkness until its light reaches the earth. This is not evident in our present time because the earth is filled with electric lights. But if you went out to the open desert, far from places with electricity, you would see the illumination of the stars on the earth clearly. Its appearance becomes evident when the sky is darkened by clouds, where the earth is even darker. For this reason, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, named the star "the piercing star" because it pierces the darkness with its light, meaning: it penetrates it until it reaches the earth.
Then Allah clarified what was sworn upon by His saying:[At-Tariq 86:4]: Here, "in" means "not," and whenever "in" comes after "lamma," "in" means "not," meaning: Not every soul.
And "lamma" here means "except," meaning: Not every soul except that over it is a guardian. Every soul has over it a guardian[Ar-Ra'd 13:11], and every soul has over it a guardian who writes what the human being does, [Al-Infitar 82:10-12].
And Allah, Glory be to Him, informed us of this and swore to it, affirming it, so that we may be cautious and avoid all the sins written against us, either by leaving them from the start, or by repenting from them if they occur from us,Sunan Ibn Majah 4251Hasan (Darussalam).
So the believer, when he knows that over him is a guardian who writes what he says and does, he undoubtedly will be cautious and fear that the sins and violations he does will be written against him, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said in Surat Qaf:[Qaf 50:18].
And we limit our speech on these noble verses to this extent to save time for answering questions, as one of the brothers suggested. So we begin with the one on the right.
As for what follows:
This is the second session of the month of Jumada al-Ula, in the year 1404, which was established to be held weekly every Thursday.
We ask Allah the Exalted to make it beneficial, and to make all our work sincere for His noble Face. So we mention the discussion of the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
(2) And what can make you know what is the night comer? (3) It is the piercing star - (4) There is no soul but that it has over it a protector.
وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ * وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ * النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ * إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌThese are noble verses that include the oath by the sky and by the star that comes down:
As for the sky, it is well known, and Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, swore by it because of its greatness, strength, vastness, height, and its indication of its Creator, (Exalted and Majestic is He), and of the greatness and wisdom He possesses which amaze the minds. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:
And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.
وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَAnd He, the Exalted, said:
And constructed above you seven strong [heavens]
وَبَنَيْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعاً شِدَاداًAnd He, the Exalted, said:
And We made the sky a protected ceiling, but they, from its signs, are turning away.
وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ سَقْفاً مَحْفُوظاً وَهُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهَا مُعْرِضُونَAs for the second oath, it is: the star that comes down. Allah, the Exalted, swore by the star that comes down, which is the star. It is called "the star that comes down" because it is not distinguished except at night. In the Arabic language, "the one who comes down" is the one who comes at night, as mentioned in the hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
That he forbade a man to come to his family at night.
أنه نهى أن يطرق الرجل أهله ليلاAnd this description is not specific to the Pleiades, but it is general for every star, whether its light is strong or its light is faint.
And Allah, the Exalted, swore by the stars because they are an adornment for the sky, stones for the devils who eavesdrop, and signs by which guidance is found, as He, the Exalted, said:
And We have certainly beautified the nearest heaven with stars and have made [from] them what is thrown at the devils
وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُوماً لِلشَّيَاطِينِAnd He, the Exalted, said:
(15) And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided, (16) And landmarks. And by the stars they are [also] guided.
وَأَلْقَى فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَنْ تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَأَنْهَاراً وَسُبُلاً لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ * وَعَلامَاتٍ وَبِالنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَHe, the Exalted, said:
(2) And what can make you know what is the night comer? (3) It is the piercing star -
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ * النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُAnd what has informed you about the star that comes down?
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُThen He, Glory be to Him, clarified it by His saying:
The piercing star.
النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُThen Allah clarified what was sworn upon by His saying:
There is no soul but that it has over it a protector.
إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌAnd "lamma" here means "except," meaning: Not every soul except that over it is a guardian. Every soul has over it a guardian
For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah.
لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ(10) And indeed, [appointed] over you are keepers, (11) Noble and recording; (12) They know whatever you do.
وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ * كِرَاماً كَاتِبِينَ * يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَAnd Allah, Glory be to Him, informed us of this and swore to it, affirming it, so that we may be cautious and avoid all the sins written against us, either by leaving them from the start, or by repenting from them if they occur from us,
Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.
وكل بني آدم خطاء وخير الخطائين التوابونSo the believer, when he knows that over him is a guardian who writes what he says and does, he undoubtedly will be cautious and fear that the sins and violations he does will be written against him, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said in Surat Qaf:
Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌAnd we limit our speech on these noble verses to this extent to save time for answering questions, as one of the brothers suggested. So we begin with the one on the right.
