The meaning of Verse 33, Al Rahmaan

 

Assalamu'alaikum wbt

Brother,

I would like to seek your assistance in translating the tafsir of surah 55 ayat
33(Since I do not know Arabic):

"33. O ye assembly of Jinns and men! if it be ye can pass beyond the zones of the
heavens and the earth pass ye! not without authority shall ye be able to pass!"

Jazakallahu Khair.

Praise be to Allah;

Verse 33 of Surat al-Rahman, interpretation of the meaning: "O ye assembly of Jinns and men!
If you can pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, pass ye! Not without authority
shall ye be able to pass!"



This challenge from Allaah to all will be on the day of resurrection when all creatures, Jinn and
humans, will be assembled and the heavens split apart. Angels will descend from all of heavens
and encircle the resurrected. Allah will challenge the people assembled to escape if they can.
They will not be able to escape as they will not have the ability or the power to do so with the
angels besieging and encircling them from all sides.



In explanation of this Verse, Ibn Kathir (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Meaning that
you cannot escape Allaah’s power and predestination, which are everywhere around you. You
cannot escape Allah’s power or break away from His authority or ruling on you. On the day of
resurrection, wherever you go, you will be surrounded on all sides by seven rows of angels. No
one can pass beyond the zones "without authority" i.e. an order from Allah. Verse 10 of Surat
Al-Qiyamah, or the resurrection, says (interpretation of the meaning): "(10.) That day will man
say: Where is the escape? (11.) By no means! No place of safety! 12. Before thy Lord
(alone), that day will be the dwelling."

 

 

Meanings of the word fitnah in the Qur’aan

 

I see the word fitnah repeated often in the Qur’aan in several soorahs and aayahs. Is there a difference in the meanings of this word, and what are its various meanings?

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Definition of fitnah: 

1 – The word fitnah from a linguistic point of view: 

Al-Azhari said: “The Arabic word fitnah includes meanings of
testing and trial. The root is taken from the phrase fatantu al-fiddah
wa’l-dhahab (I assayed (tested the quality of) the silver and gold),
meaning I melted the metals to separate the bad from the good. Similarly,
Allaah says in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning):
‘(It will be) a Day when they will be tried [yuftanoona]
(punished, i.e. burnt) over the Fire!’ [al-Dhaariyaat 51:13],
meaning, burning them with fire.” (Tahdheeb al-Lughah, 14/196). 

Ibn Faaris said: “Fa-ta-na
is a sound root which indicates testing or trial.” (Maqaayees al-Lughah,
4/472). This is the basic meaning of the word fitnah in Arabic. 

Ibn al-Atheer said: “Fitnah: trial or test… The word is often
used to describe tests in which something disliked is eliminated. Later it
was also often used in the sense of sin, kufr (disbelief), fighting,
burning, removing and diverting.” (al-Nihaayah, 3/410. Ibn Hajar said
something similar in al-Fath, 13/3). 

Ibn al-A’raabi summed up the meanings of fitnah when he said:
“Fitnah means testing, fitnah means trial, fitnah means wealth, fitnah means
children, fitnah means kufr, fitnah means differences of opinion among
people, fitnah means burning with fire.” (Lisaan al-‘Arab by Ibn
Manzoor). 

2 – Meanings of the word fitnah in the Qur’aan and Sunnah: 

1-    
Testing and trial, as in the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Do people think
that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe, and will not be
tested [la yuftanoon]” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:2]

i.e., that they will not be subjected to trial, as Ibn Jareer
said. 

2-    
Blocking the way and turning
people away, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“but beware of them
lest they turn you [yaftinooka] (O Muhammad) far away from some of that
which Allaah has sent down to you” [al-Maa’idah 5:49]

Al-Qurtubi said: this means blocking your way and turning you
away.         

3-    
Persecution, as in the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Then, verily, your
Lord
for those who emigrated after they had been put to trials [futinoo] and
thereafter strove hard and fought (for the Cause of Allaah) and were
patient, verily, your Lord afterward is, Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Nahl
16:110]

Put to trial means persecuted. 

4-    
Shirk and kufr, as in the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And fight them
until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along
with Allaah)” [al-Baqarah 2:193]

Ibn Katheer said: this means shirk (worshipping others
besides Allaah). 

5-    
Falling into sin and hypocrisy,
as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“(The hypocrites)
will call the believers: “Were we not with you?” The believers will reply:
“Yes! But you led yourselves into temptations [fatantum anfusakum], you
looked forward for our destruction; you doubted (in Faith) and you were
deceived by false desires” [al-Hadeed 57:14]

Al-Baghawi said: i.e., you made yourselves fall into
hypocrisy and you destroyed yourselves by means of sin and whims and
desires. 

6-    
Confusing truth with falsehood,
as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those who
disbelieve are allies of one another, (and) if you (Muslims of the whole
world collectively) do not do so [i.e. become allies, as one united block
under one Khaleefah (a chief Muslim ruler for the whole Muslim world) to
make victorious Allaah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism], there will be
Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism) and oppression on the earth, and a great
mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism)”[al-Anfaal 6:73]

What this means is that “unless believers are taken as close
friends instead of disbelievers, even if they are relatives, there will be
fitnah on earth, i.e., truth will be confused with falsehood.” This is how
it is explained in Jaami’ al-Bayaan
by Ibn Jareer. 

7-    
Misguidance, as in the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And whomsoever
Allaah wants to put in Al‑Fitnah (error, because of his rejecting of Faith),
you can do nothing for him against Allaah” [al-Maa'idah 5:41]

The meaning of fitnah here is misguidance. Al-Bahr
al-Muheet by Abu Hayaan, 4/262. 

8-    
Killing and taking prisoners,
as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“if you fear that
the disbelievers may put you in trial [yaftinakum] (attack you)”

[al-Nisa’ 4:101]

This refers to the kaafirs attacking the Muslims whilst they
are praying and prostrating, in order to kill them or take them prisoner, as
stated by Ibn Jareer. 

9-    
Difference among people and
lack of agreement, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“and they would
have hurried about in your midst (spreading corruption) and sowing sedition
among you [yabghoonakum al-fitnah]” [al-Tawbah 9:47]

i.e., they would have stirred up differences amongst you, as
it says in al-Kashshaaf, 2/277. 

10-Insanity, as in the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Which of you is
afflicted with madness (maftoon)” [al-Qalam 68:6]
Here it means madness. 

11-Burning with fire,
as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, those who
put into trial [fatanoo] the believing men and believing women (by torturing
them and burning them)”[al-Burooj 85:10]

Ibn Hajar said: the meaning may be understood from the
context. (al-Fath 11/176) 

Note: 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: With
regard to the “fitnah” which Allaah attributes to Himself or which His
Messenger attributes to Him, as in the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning), ‘Thus We have tried [fatannaa] some of
them with others’ [al-An’aam 6:53] and the words
of Moosa, ‘It is only Your trial [fitnatuka] by
which You lead astray whom You will’ [al-A’raaf 7:155 – interpretation of
the meaning], that carries a different meaning,
which is a test or trial from Allaah to His slaves by means of good things
and bad, blessings and calamities. This is one thing; the fitnah of the
mushrikeen is another thing; the fitnah or trial of the believer by means of
his wealth, children and neighbour is another thing; the fitnah
(tribulation, differences) that happen amongst the Muslims, like the fitnah
that happened between the supporters of ‘Ali and Mu’awiyah, and between him
and the people of the camel, and between Muslims when they fight one another
or boycott one another, is another thing. (Zaad al-M’aad, vol. 3, p. 170).

What are the things that Allaah taught to Adam?

 

What are the things that Allaah taught
to Adam?

Praise be to Allaah.

Imaam Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
his Tafseer (1/256, ed. by Abu Ishaaq al-Juwayni), commenting on the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning): “And He taught Adam all the names (of
everything)…” [al-Baqarah 2:31]

“The correct view is that He taught him the names of all things,
what they are, and their qualities, right down to the noiseless fart, i.e., the names and
qualities of all things, great and small. Thus al-Bukhaari said in his commentary on this
aayah in Kitaab al-Tafseer in his Saheeh, and Ibn Katheer mentioned
al-Bukhaari’s isnaad from Anas, that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: ‘The believers will assemble on the Day of Resurrection and will say,
‘Let us ask somebody to intercede for us with our Lord.’ So they will go to Adam
and say, ‘You are the father of all the people. Allaah created you with His own
Hands, and ordered the angels to prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all
things…’” This indicates that Allaah taught him the names of all created
things, which is why He then said (interpretation of the meaning): “… then He
showed them to the angels” [al-Baqarah 2:31] – i.e., the objects whose names
He had taught to Adam.”

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar listed various opinions on this topic in al-Fath
(8/10), where he said, “There was some dispute as to the meaning of the
‘names.’ It was suggested that this referred to the names of his offspring, or
the names of the angels, or the names of the different species – without going into
details, or the names of everything on earth, or the names of all things, even a
platter.”

Imaam al-Shawkaani said in Fath al-Qadeer (1/64): “The
‘names’ are phrases or expressions, and what is meant is the names of the
objects whose names Allaah taught him. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars,
and this is the true meaning of the word ism (name). This is confirmed by the word all
(all the names), which indicates that He taught him all the names and did not omit
anything, no matter what it was.”

And Allaah knows best.

 

Tafseer of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning)And Allaah will never lead a people astray …” [al-Tawbah 9:115]

 

I hope that you can explain to us the meaning of the aayah (interpretation
of the meaning)And Allaah will never lead a people astray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them as to what they should avoid. Verily, Allaah is the All-Knower of everything” [al-Tawbah 9:115]

Praise be to Allaah. 

Allaah says, describing
His noble Self and His just Wisdom, that He does not lead people astray
except after His Message has reached them, and proof has been established
against them, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And
as for Thamood, We showed and made clear to them the Path of Truth (Islamic
Monotheism) through Our Messenger (i.e. showed them the way of success),
but they preferred blindness to guidance” [Fussilat 41:17]

 According
to another view on the interpretation of this aayah, Mujaahid said concerning
the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):

“And
Allaah will never lead a people astray after He has guided them” [al-Tawbah
9:115] . This aayah
refers to the issue of believers praying for forgiveness for the mushrikeen
in particular. Allaah has made clear the ruling on this matter, it becomes
a sin, so it is their choice whether they do it or not.

 Ibn
Jareer said: Allaah is saying that He would not decree misguidance for
them as a result of their seeking forgiveness for their dead mushrik
relatives, after He had guided them and given them faith in Him and
His Messenger, until He had told them of the prohibition so that they
would desist. But before He explained that this is not allowed, if you
did that, He would not decree that you would be led astray because of
that. For obedience and disobedience have to do with commands and prohibitions,
but with regard to matters that have not been commanded or prohibited,
no one can be considered to be obedient or disobedient.

 

 

Delay in saying In sha Allaah

 

Is it permissible for a person, if he forgot to say “In sha Allaah” to say it after a long time has elapsed?

Praise
be to Allaah.
 

 

Al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And remember your Lord when you forget”[al-Kahf 18:24] 

There are two well-known scholarly views concerning this
aayah: 

One of which is that
this aayah is connected to that which comes before it, and it means that if
you say, “Tomorrow I will do such and such” but you forget to say “in sha
Allaah”, then after that you remember, you should say “in sha Allah”. In
other words, remember your Lord, connecting everything with His will
concerning what you want to do tomorrow, when you remember after having
forgotten. This is the apparent meaning, because it is what is indicated by
the preceding aayah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And never say of anything, ‘I shall do such and such
thing tomorrow’” [al-Kahf 18:23] 

This is the view of the majority, and among those who
expressed this view were Ibn ‘Abbaas, al-Hasan al-Basri, Abu’l-‘Aaliyah and
others. 

How was the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) bewitched?

 

How was the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) bewitched, when Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 


“Allaah will protect you from mankind” [al-Maa’idah 5:67]? 


How could he have been bewitched when he was receiving Revelation from His Lord and conveying that to the Muslims? How could he convey it if he was bewitched, and the kaafirs and mushrikeen said: 


“You follow none but a man bewitched”[al-Furqaan 25:8 – interpretation of the meaning]


We hope that you could explain this and clear up these doubts.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

It was proven in a saheeh
hadeeth that this witchcraft took place in Madeenah, when the Revelation and
the Message had become well-established and clear, and after the evidence of
Prophethood and the truthfulness of the Message had been confirmed, and
after Allaah had supported His Prophet against the mushrikeen and humiliated
them. Then a Jewish person called Labeed ibn al-A’sam came to him and did
some kind of witchcraft against him, using a comb and the hairs stuck to it
and the skin of pollen of a male date palm. He – the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) – started to imagine that he had done
something with his wife when he had not done it, but his reason, feelings
and ability to distinguish matters remained with him with regard to the
things he was telling the people, praise be to Allaah. So he continued to
speak to the people of the truth which Allaah had revealed to Him. But he
felt that something was affecting him with regard to his wives, as ‘Aa’ishah
(may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “He used to imagine that he had done
something in the house with his wife when he had not done it. So Revelation
came to him from his Lord via Jibreel (peace be upon him), telling him what
had happened. So he sent someone to take that thing [the material used for
witchcraft purposes] out of the well of one of the Ansaar, and he destroyed
it.” Then the effects of that left him, praise be to Allaah, and Allaah
revealed to him the two soorahs of seeking refuge with Allaah (al-Mi’wadhatayn,
the last two soorahs of the Qur’aan). He recited them and all harm left him.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Those
who seek refuge can never seek refuge with anything like them.” Nothing
resulted from this witchcraft that could have harmed the people or
undermined the Message or Revelation. Allaah protected him from the people
with regard to the matter of receiving and conveying the Message. 

But with regard to the
kinds of harm that befell the Messengers, he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was not protected from them, rather some such things
befell him too. He was wounded on the day of Uhud, and his helmet was
smashed on his head and his cheek was cut, some of the rings from his chain
mail pierced his cheeks, he fell in one of the holes that were there, and
they subjected him to intense persecution in Makkah. He suffered some of the
things that the Messengers before him had suffered, and that were decreed
for him, by means of which Allaah raised him in status and multiplied his
hasanaat (reward for good deeds). But Allaah protected him from them, so
that they were not able to kill him or to prevent him from conveying the
Message; they were not able to prevent him from fulfilling his obligation to
convey the Message, so he conveyed it and fulfilled the mission with which
he had been entrusted. May the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him,
and praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. 

The difference between a Messenger and a Prophet

 

What is the difference between messenger and prophet?


-Why A messnger and not the LAST messenger?

Praise be to Allaah. 

The well-known difference between a Prophet
and a Messenger is that a Messenger is one to whom a law is revealed
and he is commanded to convey it, whilst a Prophet is one to whom a
law is revealed but he is not commanded to convey it. But this distinction
is not free of problems, because a Prophet is also commanded to call
people, convey the Message and judge among the people. Hence Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: The correct view is that the Messenger is
one who is sent to a disbelieving people, and the Prophet is one who
is sent to a believing people with the sharee’ah of the Messenger who
came before him, to teach them and judge between them, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We did send down the
Tawraat (Torah) [to Moosa (Moses)], therein was guidance and light,
by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allaah’s Will, judged
for the Jews”

[al-Maa’idah 5:44]

So the Prophets of the Children of Israel judged by
the Tawraat which Allaah had revealed to Moosa.

 With regard to the aayah,

“but he is the Messenger of
Allaah and the last (end) of the Prophets” [al-Ahzaab 33:40]

and why it did not say the last of the Messengers – the end of the
Message does not mean the end of Prophethood, but the end of Prophethood
does mean the end of the Message. Hence the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There will be no
Prophet after me,” and he did not say, there will be no Messenger after
me. 

Thus we know that there is no Messenger and no Prophet
after him (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him); he was the last of the Prophets and of the Messengers,
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him).