Exegesis of Surat al-Tariq, from the words of Allah the Exalted: "And the sky with the returning [rain] and the earth with the splitting" to the end of the surah.
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and peace 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 first gathering of the month of Rajab in the year 1414 AH, and it is the gathering that takes place every Thursday of every week. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to benefit us all with what He has taught us, and to make us guides and guided, righteous and reformers.
The student: Amen.
The Shaykh : Our custom is to begin this gathering with the exegesis of verses from the Book of Allah. We started with Surat al-Naba, and now we are at the end of Surat al-Tariq.
Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said after mentioning the oath by the sky and the star that comes by night, up to His saying:[At-Tariq 86:9-10].
He, the Exalted, said:[At-Tariq 86:11-12] This is the second oath by the sky, and the first oath was at the beginning of the surah, where He said: [At-Tariq 86:2-3], and here He said: [At-Tariq 86:11-13]:
And the connection between the two oaths, and Allah knows best, is that the first contains a reference to the star that comes by night, which is the star. As we know, the stars are used to throw the devils who eavesdrop on the revelation, and in throwing the devils with them lies the preservation of the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. As for here, He swore by the sky with the returning [rain] that this Quran is a decisive word, so He swore that this Quran is a decisive word. Thus, the connection of the first oath is that it contains a reference to what preserves this Quran during its revelation, and in the second oath: the reference is that the Quran is life, because He said:[At-Tariq 86:11]: And the returning [rain] is the rain, called "returning" because it returns and repeats, and it is known that rain is the life of the earth.
[At-Tariq 86:12] The splitting is the cracking, meaning the fissuring for the plants to emerge from it, so He swore by the rain which is the cause of the plants emerging, and by the splitting from which the plants emerge, and all of it is a reference to the life of the earth after its death, and the Quran is the life of the hearts after their death, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: [Ash-Shuraa 42:52]: So Allah called the Quran a spirit, because the hearts come to life through it.
He, Mighty and Majestic, said:[At-Tariq 86:11] meaning: possessing the rain.
[At-Tariq 86:12] meaning: possessing the splitting for the plants to emerge from it.
meaning: the Quran.
So Allah described it as a word, the word of whom?
The word of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, so it is He who spoke it and sent it to Jibril, then Jibril brought it down upon the heart of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions. And Allah attributed the Quran as a word to Jibril, and to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon them both, so He, the Exalted, said regarding the first:[At-Takwir 81:19-21].
And He said regarding the second, attributing it to the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions:[Al-Haqqah 69:40-41]:
So in the first, He attributed the word to Jibril because he conveyed it from Allah to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
And in the second, He attributed it to Muhammad because he conveyed it to the people, otherwise the One who spoke it originally is Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
[At-Tariq 86:13] Decisive: it separates between the truth and the falsehood, and between the righteous and the wrongdoers. Indeed, it is decisive, meaning: it cuts off everyone who opposes it and enemies it. For this reason, we find that when the Muslims used to strive against the disbelievers with the Quran, we find that they overcame the disbelievers and cut off their root, and judgment was passed between them and them. So when they turned away from the Quran, they were defeated and humiliated to the extent of their distance from the Quran. So whenever a person distances himself from the Book of Allah, honor distances itself from him, and victory distances itself from him, until he returns to the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
He said:[At-Tariq 86:14] meaning: and it is not play, frivolity, or idle talk, but it is truth. All its words are truth, its reports are truth, its rulings are justice, and its recitation is reward. If a person recited it at all times, he would not be bored of it. And if he recited it with reflection and contemplation, Allah would open to him meanings that he did not have before. And this is something observed. Read the Quran and reflect on it; every time you read it and reflect on it, you will obtain from its meanings what you did not obtain before. All of this is because it is decisive and not a joke.
But the idle talk of people, whenever you repeat it, you spit it out, hate it, and are bored of it, but not the Book of Allah.
Then He, the Exalted, said:[At-Tariq 86:15]: They, meaning: the disbelievers who denied the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions.
meaning: a great plot. They plot against the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, they plot against those who followed him.
And look at what they used to do to the believers when they were in Makkah, of torture, reprimand, and expulsion. The Muslims migrated twice to Abyssinia, then they migrated to Madinah, all of that to flee with their religion from these criminals, who harmed them with every plot.
And the greatest of what they did to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was during the migration, where their leaders and nobles gathered to consult about what to do with Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him? Whenever they mentioned an opinion, they rejected it, and said this is not suitable, until the devil, as history mentions, who came in the form of a man, suggested to them: "I see that you should choose ten young men from different tribes, and give each of them a sword, so that they kill Muhammad as if by one man. If they do that, his blood will be dispersed among the tribes, so Banu Hashim will not be able to take revenge from all the tribes, so they will submit to taking the blood money", and this is what they wanted, so they agreed on this opinion and approved this opinion. And indeed, the ten young men sat waiting for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions, to come out so they could kill him, but the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came out of the door while they were sitting and they did not see him. History mentions that he used to sprinkle dust on their heads to humiliate them and recite the words of Allah, the Exalted:[Ya-Sin 36:9].
And do not be surprised how the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came out from among them and they did not see him. Do not be surprised of this, for here are the Quraysh when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions, hid in the cave when he came out of Makkah wanting to go to Madinah, he hid in the cave for three days to make the search for him lighter, because Quraysh had started searching for him, and they offered a hundred camels to whoever brought him, and two hundred camels to whoever brought him with Abu Bakr, and this is a large reward. So they stood at the cave where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and Abu Bakr were, and all of us know that if an open cave has someone in it, he will be seen, but they did not see the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, nor Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. So he said:, so Abu Bakr was reassured.
These people who stood at the cave did not have a defect in hearing, nor a defect in sight, nor a defect in intelligence, but Allah blinded their eyes from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his companion. So do not be surprised that he came out from among these ten young men as the people of history said, and he used to sprinkle dust on their heads and say:[Ya-Sin 36:9].
Here He, Mighty and Majestic, says in Surat al-Tariq:[At-Tariq 86:15-16], and read the words of Allah, the Exalted, in Surat al-Anfal: [Al-Anfal 8:30] meaning: they will imprison you.
[Al-Anfal 8:30].
Then He, Mighty and Majestic, said:[At-Tariq 86:17]: "Mahil" and "Amhil" have the same meaning, meaning: wait with a respite, and do not wait with a long respite: meaning: a little.
And "Rawida" is the diminutive of "Rawd" or "Irwad", and what is meant by it is a small amount. And in this verse is a threat to Quraysh and consolation for the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions, and a promise of victory for him, and the matter happened as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, informed.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, migrated from them, and wars occurred between him and them. In the second year of the Hijra, about twenty-four men from the prominent, great, and leading figures of Quraysh were killed, among them their leader Abu Jahl. And after eight years, or less than eight years, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, entered Makkah as a conqueror, victorious and triumphant, until he said, as it came in history: he said while holding the two sides of the door of the Ka'bah, and Quraysh was under him, he said to them:: because their affair had become in his hand, peace and blessings be upon him. قالوا: أخ كريم! وابن أخ كريم! فقال: إني أقول لكم كما قال يوسف لإخوته: لا تثريب عليكم اليوم يغفر الله لكم وهو أرحم الرّاحمين اذهبوا فأنتم الطّلقاء They said: A noble brother! And the son of a noble brother! He said: I say to you as Yusuf said to his brothers: No blame on you today; Allah forgives you, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful. Go, for you are released., and he only granted them this favor, peace and blessings be upon him, because they submitted to Islam, and Allah, the Exalted, said: [Al-Anfal 8:38].
This is the end of this surah from the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). In its conclusion, I urge you to reflect upon the Qur'an and understand its meanings. Take its meaning from the mouths of trusted scholars, or from trusted books of tafsir, such as the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, or the tafsir of the Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di, or similar tafsirs whose authors you know to be trustworthy in their creed and their opinions.
We ask Allah to make us all among those who recite His Book with true recitation, and to benefit us with it, and to make it an intercessor for us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Now, as for the questions, we begin with the oath. The rule with us is that each person takes one question, so that the others are not deprived of the opportunity to ask.
As for what follows:
This is the first gathering of the month of Rajab in the year 1414 AH, and it is the gathering that takes place every Thursday of every week. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to benefit us all with what He has taught us, and to make us guides and guided, righteous and reformers.
The student: Amen.
The Shaykh : Our custom is to begin this gathering with the exegesis of verses from the Book of Allah. We started with Surat al-Naba, and now we are at the end of Surat al-Tariq.
Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said after mentioning the oath by the sky and the star that comes by night, up to His saying:
(9) The Day when secrets will be put on trial, (10) Then man will have no power or any helper.
يَوْمَ تُبْلَى السَّرَائِرُ * فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَلا نَاصِرٍHe, the Exalted, said:
(11) By the sky which returns [rain] (12) And [by] the earth which cracks open,
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ * وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ(2) And what can make you know what is the night comer? (3) It is the piercing star -
وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ * وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِقُ * النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ(11) By the sky which returns [rain] (12) And [by] the earth which cracks open, (13) Indeed, the Qur'an is a decisive statement,
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ * وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ* إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌAnd the connection between the two oaths, and Allah knows best, is that the first contains a reference to the star that comes by night, which is the star. As we know, the stars are used to throw the devils who eavesdrop on the revelation, and in throwing the devils with them lies the preservation of the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. As for here, He swore by the sky with the returning [rain] that this Quran is a decisive word, so He swore that this Quran is a decisive word. Thus, the connection of the first oath is that it contains a reference to what preserves this Quran during its revelation, and in the second oath: the reference is that the Quran is life, because He said:
By the sky which returns [rain]
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِAnd [by] the earth which cracks open,
وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِAnd thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command.
وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوحاً مِنْ أَمْرِنَاHe, Mighty and Majestic, said:
By the sky which returns [rain]
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِAnd [by] the earth which cracks open,
وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِIndeed,
إِنّهa decisive word.
لَقول فصلThe word of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, so it is He who spoke it and sent it to Jibril, then Jibril brought it down upon the heart of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions. And Allah attributed the Quran as a word to Jibril, and to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon them both, so He, the Exalted, said regarding the first:
(19) [That] indeed, the Qur'an is a word [conveyed by] a noble messenger (20) [Who is] possessed of power and with the Owner of the Throne, secure [in position], (21) Obeyed there [in the heavens] and trustworthy.
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ * ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِنْدَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ * مُطَاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍAnd He said regarding the second, attributing it to the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions:
(40) [That] indeed, the Qur'an is the word of a noble Messenger. (41) And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ * وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ قَلِيلاً مَا تُؤْمِنُونَSo in the first, He attributed the word to Jibril because he conveyed it from Allah to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
And in the second, He attributed it to Muhammad because he conveyed it to the people, otherwise the One who spoke it originally is Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.
Indeed, the Qur'an is a decisive statement,
إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌHe said:
And it is not amusement.
وَمَا هُوَ بِالْهَزْلِBut the idle talk of people, whenever you repeat it, you spit it out, hate it, and are bored of it, but not the Book of Allah.
Then He, the Exalted, said:
Indeed, they are planning a plan,
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْداًplot a plot
يَكِيدُونَ كَيْداًAnd look at what they used to do to the believers when they were in Makkah, of torture, reprimand, and expulsion. The Muslims migrated twice to Abyssinia, then they migrated to Madinah, all of that to flee with their religion from these criminals, who harmed them with every plot.
And the greatest of what they did to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was during the migration, where their leaders and nobles gathered to consult about what to do with Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him? Whenever they mentioned an opinion, they rejected it, and said this is not suitable, until the devil, as history mentions, who came in the form of a man, suggested to them: "I see that you should choose ten young men from different tribes, and give each of them a sword, so that they kill Muhammad as if by one man. If they do that, his blood will be dispersed among the tribes, so Banu Hashim will not be able to take revenge from all the tribes, so they will submit to taking the blood money", and this is what they wanted, so they agreed on this opinion and approved this opinion. And indeed, the ten young men sat waiting for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions, to come out so they could kill him, but the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came out of the door while they were sitting and they did not see him. History mentions that he used to sprinkle dust on their heads to humiliate them and recite the words of Allah, the Exalted:
And We have put before them a barrier and behind them a barrier and covered them, so they do not see.
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدّاً وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدّاً فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ فَهُمْ لا يُبْصِرُونَAnd do not be surprised how the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came out from among them and they did not see him. Do not be surprised of this, for here are the Quraysh when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions, hid in the cave when he came out of Makkah wanting to go to Madinah, he hid in the cave for three days to make the search for him lighter, because Quraysh had started searching for him, and they offered a hundred camels to whoever brought him, and two hundred camels to whoever brought him with Abu Bakr, and this is a large reward. So they stood at the cave where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and Abu Bakr were, and all of us know that if an open cave has someone in it, he will be seen, but they did not see the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, nor Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. So he said:
O Messenger of Allah, if one of them were to look at his feet, he would see us. He said: Do not grieve, for indeed Allah is with us. What do you think of two, when Allah is the third of them?
يا رسول الله لو نظر أحدهم إلى قدمه لأبصرنا، فقال: لا تحزن إنّ الله معنا، فما ظنّك باثنين الله ثالثهماThese people who stood at the cave did not have a defect in hearing, nor a defect in sight, nor a defect in intelligence, but Allah blinded their eyes from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his companion. So do not be surprised that he came out from among these ten young men as the people of history said, and he used to sprinkle dust on their heads and say:
And We have put before them a barrier and behind them a barrier and covered them, so they do not see.
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدّاً وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدّاً فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ فَهُمْ لا يُبْصِرُونَHere He, Mighty and Majestic, says in Surat al-Tariq:
(15) Indeed, they are planning a plan, (16) But I am planning a plan.
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْداً * وَأَكِيدُ كَيْداًAnd [remember, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you
وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَor kill you or evict you [from Makkah]. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.
أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَThen He, Mighty and Majestic, said:
So allow time for the disbelievers. Leave them awhile.
فَمَهِّلِ الْكَافِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْداًGive them respite for a little while.
أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْداًAnd "Rawida" is the diminutive of "Rawd" or "Irwad", and what is meant by it is a small amount. And in this verse is a threat to Quraysh and consolation for the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his Companions, and a promise of victory for him, and the matter happened as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, informed.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, migrated from them, and wars occurred between him and them. In the second year of the Hijra, about twenty-four men from the prominent, great, and leading figures of Quraysh were killed, among them their leader Abu Jahl. And after eight years, or less than eight years, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, entered Makkah as a conqueror, victorious and triumphant, until he said, as it came in history: he said while holding the two sides of the door of the Ka'bah, and Quraysh was under him, he said to them:
What do you think I will do with you?
ما ترون أني فاعل بكم؟Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them
قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ يَنْتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُمْ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَThis is the end of this surah from the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). In its conclusion, I urge you to reflect upon the Qur'an and understand its meanings. Take its meaning from the mouths of trusted scholars, or from trusted books of tafsir, such as the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, or the tafsir of the Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di, or similar tafsirs whose authors you know to be trustworthy in their creed and their opinions.
We ask Allah to make us all among those who recite His Book with true recitation, and to benefit us with it, and to make it an intercessor for us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, He is capable of all things. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
Now, as for the questions, we begin with the oath. The rule with us is that each person takes one question, so that the others are not deprived of the opportunity to ask.