Commentary on Tafsir al-Jalalayn: “Is he to whom Allah has opened his breast to Islam, so he has guided himself, upon a light from his Lord, like one whose heart has been sealed?”

Then Allah the Exalted said: The hamza is for interrogation, and the fa is a conjunction. What is it conjoining? Either something implied or what came before, according to what we detailed yesterday. Sharaha means to expand, and from this is our saying, “So-and-so explained So-and-so’s book,” meaning he expanded it. Does the intended meaning of the breast (sadr) refer to what is in the breast, or is the intended meaning the breast itself that expands?
The student: ...
The Shaykh: Yes, it is possible that the intended meaning is what is in the breast, that Allah expands the heart, making it open, making it open to Islam, without adding to it any burden. And it is possible that it is the breast itself, because a person feels that when something burdens him, his breast constricts; the breast itself constricts. And when something that makes him happy comes to him, the breast itself expands. Even though the origin is the heart, the place of the heart itself experiences expansion and constriction, and this is observed. Therefore, keeping the verse on its apparent meaning, which is that the intended meaning of the breast is the reality of the breast, is preferable. The breast expands for Islam and accepts all its laws; it accepts the laws. If commanded to do something, it expands to accept it and act upon it. If forbidden from something, it expands to accept it and avoid it. If informed of something, it expands to accept it and believe it, and so on. Compare this to a corrupt man: if you command him to pray, you find his breast constricts; his breast constricts. He might even say, “I am not going to pray for you, leave me alone,” and the like. And some people, when you command them and remind them, they rejoice and their breast expands. Allah has clarified in Surat al-An’am images close to this meaning. He said, the Exalted, in Surat al-An’am: meaning severe constriction. Meaning, as if when Islam is presented to him, he ascends to the sky, meaning he strains to ascend. The scholars differed on the meaning of “ascends to the sky”: is it the common understanding that the higher a person rises in the air, the more pressure increases on him, or does it mean he ascends a high, towering mountain and is tired by the climb? The earlier commentators undoubtedly knew about pressure, yes, and the later ones know it, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic knows this and that. The verse is suitable for both meanings, because if you imagine a mountain that is difficult to climb and high, meaning in the sky, it means high, and the person strains to climb it or not? He strains, undoubtedly he strains, especially if he has weakness, he is very tired. And if we say that the intended meaning is that the person ascends to the sky above the atmosphere, it is also clear. So He says, the Exalted: We said the sign of the expansion of the breast is accepting the news and believing it, accepting the command and implementing it, accepting the prohibition and avoiding it. There is no hesitation in him. So undoubtedly, Allah the Exalted makes him as He said: The author said, “so he found guidance, and he is upon a light.” So the author indicated that there is an omission in the verse, estimated as “so he found guidance,” and this is supported by “he is upon a light.” But in reality, there is no need for this estimation. Whoever Allah has opened his breast to Islam is upon a light from his Lord. Merely that Allah opens his breast to Islam means he is upon a light. And if Allah opens his breast to Islam, he will certainly find guidance. And his saying: Is the light physical or spiritual?
The student: Spiritual, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Spiritual, so it is spiritual. He is upon a light, and even if he were in a dark room, he is upon a light, meaning he finds himself walking upon a light. And his saying: includes the light of this world and the light of the Hereafter. Allah the Exalted said: And his saying “from his Lord”: the lordship (rububiyyah) here is attributed to the one whose breast Allah opened to Islam. And it is a special lordship because it is attributed to the one whom Allah guided. Now, in the verse, there is something omitted that the hamza indicated, and the commentator (may Allah have mercy on him) estimated it by saying “like one whose heart has been sealed.” If the author had said “like one whose breast was constricted by Islam,” that would have been more appropriate for the contrast, because you should make the counterpart of a thing its opposite, and not bring something else. For example, if Allah the Exalted had said, “Is he whose heart Allah expanded,” it would have been appropriate to say that the estimated phrase would be as the author said. But we would say “like one whose breast Allah constricted by Islam, so he was burdened by it.” And the answer? No, the answer is no, so the interrogation with the estimated phrase is for negation. Now, whoever’s breast is not opened is he in darkness? Yes, whoever’s breast Allah has not opened to Islam, his heart is dark, and may Allah protect us, there is no light in it, no light of knowledge and no light of faith. He said, the Exalted: A word of punishment. So “Woe” for the hardened: “Woe” is the subject and “for the hardened” is the predicate. And “from the remembrance of Allah” is attached to “hardened.” The author said it is a word of punishment. And what the author said is more correct than what was said that it is a valley in Hell, because a person is said to have “woe” for something other than the Fire. So “Woe” is a word of punishment and warning for those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah. “Hardened” is an active participle, and “their hearts” is the agent. And the hard is the opposite of the soft, and the soft is the heart of the believer, and the hard is the heart of the disbeliever. And his saying: meaning against accepting the Qur’an. So the commentator (may Allah have mercy on him) indicated that “min” means “against,” and that “remembrance” and that the intended meaning of the remembrance of Allah is the Qur’an. Meaning, “Woe to those whose hearts hardened against the Qur’an.” But it is preferable to keep the verse on its apparent meaning, and that his saying: means that “min” is for cause, meaning their hearts harden because of the remembrance of Allah, and that the intended meaning of the remembrance of Allah is broader than the Qur’an. And the meaning is that these people, whenever Allah is remembered, their hearts harden. The aspect of this is that they do not want the remembrance of Allah, so when they hate the remembrance of Allah, the heart hardens as a punishment for them. And this is indicated by His saying, the Exalted: You find these people, meaning the believers, the surah increases them in faith. And the second group, those in whose hearts is disease, it increases them in filth upon their filth. So if we say “those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah,” it means those whose hearts harden against accepting it when Allah is remembered, meaning they do not accept it. So when they do not accept it, their hearts increase in hardness. Now, “from the remembrance of Allah,” He said, the Exalted: Who are those referred to by “those”?
The student: Those whose hearts are hardened.

The Shaykh : Those whose hearts are hardened. The author said “clear.” And his saying: “in” is for location, and how beautiful it is in this place, indicating that the error has surrounded him from every side, just as a room surrounds its inhabitant. And if the error has surrounded them from every side, then no good is directed to them, and may Allah protect us, because they are in manifest error. Compare the verse with his saying: It becomes clear to you that the light in the verse is the light of knowledge and the light of faith, and the opposite of knowledge is error. We take the benefits.