Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 67

For explanation, see Tafhim al-Qur’an, Surah As-Saffat, footnote 93.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 68

That is, when Allah’s court is established and witnesses are brought before Him.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 69

That is, having sent Moses against Pharaoh, We did not simply leave him to his own devices — rather, We guided him at every step until We brought him to the destination of success. This statement carries a subtle allusion to the theme: O Muhammad, We will deal with you in exactly the same way. Having raised you up for prophethood in the city of Makkah and among the tribe of Quraysh, We have not left you to your fate, such that these oppressors may do with you as they please; rather, We Ourselves stand behind you and are guiding you.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 70

That is, just as those who denied Moses were deprived of this blessing and grace, while the Children of Israel who believed in him were made heirs to the Book, so too, those who now deny you will be deprived, while it is those who believe in you who will have the good fortune of becoming heirs to the Qur’an and rising as bearers of guidance in the world.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 71

That is, bear with a calm heart whatever circumstances befall you.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 72

This refers to the promise just made in the phrase above: “We surely help Our messengers and those who believe, both in the life of this world…”

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 73

Considering the context in which this is stated, it becomes clear that “shortcoming” here refers to that state of impatience which was arising within the Prophet (peace be upon him), particularly from witnessing the suffering of his companions amid this environment of intense opposition. He wished that some miracle might quickly be shown that would convince the disbelievers, or that something might swiftly come from Allah to calm this storm of opposition. This desire was not in itself a sin requiring repentance and seeking forgiveness, but given the lofty station to which Allah had raised the Prophet, and the tremendous steadfastness that station demanded, even this slight impatience appeared, in Allah’s sight, beneath his rank. Hence it was said: seek forgiveness from your Lord for this weakness, and stand firm in your position with the steadfastness of a rock, as befits a person of your exalted station.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 74

That is, this praise and glorification is itself the means by which those working for Allah’s cause draw the strength to face the difficulties encountered on His path. Glorifying morning and evening can carry two meanings: one, that you should remember Allah constantly; the other, that you should perform prayer at these specified times. If this second meaning is taken, it refers to the five prayer times which were made obligatory upon all believers some time after the revelation of this surah — since in Arabic the word ’ashiyy is used for the period from the sun’s decline until the early part of the night, which encompasses the four prayers from Zuhr to Isha, while ibkar refers to the time from dawn’s first light until sunrise, which is the time of the Fajr prayer. (For further detail, see Tafhim al-Qur’an, Volume 1, pp. 50, 73–74, 182; Volume 2, pp. 371, 519, 587–588, 634–637; Volume 3, pp. 138, 420–421, 703–708, 740–742, 754–755.)

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 75

That is, the real reason for these people’s baseless opposition and their unreasonable crooked argumentation is not that the truths and matters of goodness presented to them in Allah’s signs are beyond their comprehension, such that they argue in good faith merely to understand them — rather, the real reason for this attitude is that their self-conceit cannot bear the thought of Muhammad’s leadership and guidance being acknowledged in Arabia while they themselves still stand, and that they should eventually have to accept the leadership of a man whom they consider themselves more entitled to lead than. This is why they are exerting every effort to prevent Muhammad’s message from gaining any ground whatsoever, and for this purpose they hesitate at no tactic, however base.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 76

In other words, the meaning is: whoever Allah has made great will remain great, and all the efforts these small men are making to preserve their own greatness will ultimately fail.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 77

That is, just as Moses became free of all worry by seeking refuge in Allah, the One, the Overpowering, against Pharaoh’s threats, so too should you seek refuge in Him against the threats and schemes of the Quraysh chiefs, and then go about raising His word without any anxiety.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 78

Having commented in the preceding three and a half sections on the schemes of the Quraysh chiefs, the address now turns here to the common people, explaining to them that the truths Muhammad (peace be upon him) is calling you to accept are entirely reasonable — accepting them is for your own good, while rejecting them is ruinous for you. In this connection, arguments are first given for the belief in the Hereafter, since it was this belief that the disbelievers found most astonishing and considered beyond comprehension.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 79

This is an argument for the possibility of the Hereafter. The disbelievers held that it was impossible for man to be brought back to life after death. In response, it is stated that those who say such things are, in truth, ignorant. If they used their reason, it would not be at all difficult for them to understand that for the God who created this magnificent universe, recreating human beings again could not possibly be a difficult task.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 80

This is an argument for the necessity of the Hereafter. The previous phrase established that the Hereafter is possible, that its occurrence is not impossible. This phrase now establishes that the Hereafter ought to occur — that reason and justice demand it, and that its non-occurrence, not its occurrence, would be contrary to reason and justice. How, after all, could any reasonable person accept that those who live blindly in the world, filling Allah’s earth with corruption through their evil character and deeds, should see no bad consequence for this wrong conduct, while those who walk through the world with open eyes, believing and doing righteous deeds, should be deprived of seeing any good result for their good conduct? If this is plainly contrary to reason and justice, then surely the belief that denies the Hereafter must likewise be contrary to reason and justice, since the non-existence of the Hereafter would mean that both the good and the wicked ultimately turn to dust and meet the very same end. In that case, not only reason and justice are murdered, but the very root of ethics is cut off — for if the outcome of good and evil is the same, then the wicked man is the wiser one, having satisfied every desire of his heart before dying, while the righteous man is the greater fool, having needlessly imposed all manner of moral restrictions upon himself.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 81

This is a definitive statement of the occurrence of the Hereafter, one that can be established not through reasoning but only through knowledge — and no discourse other than revealed speech can state this with such certainty. Through mere rational argument, without revelation, all that can be said is that the Hereafter is possible, and that it ought to occur. To go further and say that the Hereafter will certainly occur and must occur is something only that Being can say who knows for certain that it will occur — and that Being is none other than Allah. This is the very point at which it becomes clear that if religion is to be founded on pure knowledge rather than mere conjecture and reasoning, this is possible only through divine revelation.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 82

After the Hereafter, the discourse now turns to the Oneness of God, which was the other major point of contention between the disbelievers and the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 83

That is, all authority to accept or reject prayers rests with Me alone, so do not ask others for your prayers to be granted, but ask Me instead. To properly grasp the spirit of this verse, three points should be well understood:

First, a person prays only to a being whom he considers to be all-hearing, all-seeing, and possessed of supernatural power, and the real motive behind praying is a person’s inner sense that the natural means and resources available in the world of causes are not, or have proven not to be, sufficient to relieve some hardship or fulfill some need, making it necessary to turn to a being possessed of supernatural authority. He calls out to this being not only aloud but silently, indeed pleading for help within his own heart — and all this is necessarily based on the belief that this being sees him everywhere, in every state, hears even what is in his heart, and possesses such absolute power that, wherever the one who calls upon it may be, it can reach him with help and set right what has gone wrong for him. Once this reality of prayer is understood, it becomes in no way difficult to grasp that a person who calls upon any being other than Allah for help is, in reality, committing outright, pure, and unmistakable polytheism — for he believes that being to possess attributes that belong to Allah alone. Had he not considered that being a partner with Allah in these divine attributes, the very idea of praying to it could never have occurred to him.

The second point that must be well understood in this connection is that a person’s own belief that a certain being possesses such powers does not make it actually possess them. Possessing power is a matter of objective fact, not dependent on anyone’s believing it or not. Whoever truly possesses power will remain in possession of it regardless of whether you consider him to possess it or not; and whoever does not truly possess it will not gain the slightest share of power merely because you have believed him to possess it. Now it is an objective fact that the All-Powerful, the Governor of the universe, the All-Hearing and All-Seeing, is Allah alone, and He alone possesses all power in its totality. There is no other being anywhere in this entire universe that has the authority to hear prayers and act upon them by way of acceptance or rejection. If, contrary to this fact, people take it into their heads to consider certain prophets, saints, angels, jinn, planets, or imaginary deities to share in this power, this will not make the slightest actual difference — the Owner will remain the Owner, and powerless servants will remain servants.

The third point is that praying to anyone other than Allah is exactly like a person writing out a petition and going to a government office, but then, bypassing the actual authority in charge, presenting his petition instead to one of the other petitioners sitting there with their own requests, and then pleading with folded hands, saying, “You are everything, it is you who command here, my wish will be granted only through you.” This act is, in the first place, sheer folly and ignorance in itself — but it becomes utter insolence when the real authority in charge is present right there, and, in his very presence, petitions and pleas are being presented to someone else instead. This ignorance reaches its peak when the very person to whom the petition is being presented repeatedly explains to him, “I am a petitioner just like you; I have no power in my hands; the real authority is right there — present your petition to him” — yet despite this explanation and refusal, the fool keeps insisting, “You are my authority; my work will be accomplished only through you.”

Keeping these three points in mind, one should try to understand Allah’s statement here: call upon Me — it is I who answer your prayers; accepting them is My affair.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 84

Two points in this verse deserve special attention. First, prayer (du’a) and worship (’ibadah) are here expressed with synonymous terms, making clear that prayer is worship — indeed, the very essence of worship. Second, those who do not pray to Allah are described in words meaning that “out of arrogance they turn away from My worship,” showing that praying to Allah is precisely what servitude to Him demands, and that turning away from it means a person is caught up in arrogance, shying away from acknowledging his servitude before his Creator and Master. The Prophet (peace be upon him) explained both these themes clearly in his sayings. Numan ibn Bashir relates that the Prophet said, “Indeed, prayer is worship itself” — then recited this verse (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Jarir). Anas relates that he said, “Prayer is the marrow of worship” (Tirmidhi). Abu Hurairah relates that he said, “Whoever does not ask of Allah, Allah becomes angry with him” (Tirmidhi).

At this point, a difficulty that often troubles many minds also gets resolved. People think about prayer along these lines: since good and bad in destiny lie within Allah’s control, and whatever He has already decreed according to His overriding wisdom and purpose must inevitably come to pass, then what is the point of our praying at all? This is a serious misconception that strips prayer of all its significance in a person’s heart, and if a person prays while caught up in this false notion, his prayer retains no real spirit. The above verse of the Qur’an removes this misconception in two ways. First, Allah states in plain words, “Call upon Me, and I will answer you” — making clear that destiny and decree are not something that, God forbid, have bound even Allah’s own hands the way they bind ours, stripping Him of the power to grant prayers. Servants, of course, have no power to avert or alter Allah’s decisions, but Allah Himself certainly has the power to change His decision upon hearing a servant’s prayers and pleas. The second point stated in this verse is that whether or not a prayer is granted, it is never in any case devoid of benefit — and a very great benefit at that — namely, that by presenting his needs before his Lord and asking of Him, the servant acknowledges His lordship and supremacy and confesses his own servitude and humility. This expression of servitude is itself worship — indeed, the very essence of worship — for whose reward the servant will never go unrewarded, regardless of whether the particular thing he prayed for is granted to him or not.

We find both these themes fully explained in the Prophet’s sayings as well. The following hadiths shed light on the first theme:

Salman al-Farisi relates that the Prophet said, “Nothing averts decree except prayer” (Tirmidhi) — that is, no one has the power to change Allah’s decision, but Allah Himself can change His own decision, and this happens when a servant prays to Him.

Jabir ibn Abdullah relates that the Prophet said, “Whenever a person prays to Allah with a prayer, Allah either grants him what he asked for, or wards off from him an equivalent evil — provided he does not pray for something sinful or for severing family ties” (Tirmidhi). A similar theme appears in another hadith related by Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, in which the Prophet said, “No Muslim offers a prayer that does not involve sin or severing family ties, but Allah grants him one of three things: either He hastens its answer for him in this world, or He stores it up for him as a reward in the Hereafter, or He wards off from him an equivalent evil” (Musnad Ahmad).

Abu Hurairah relates that the Prophet said, “When any of you prays, let him not say, ‘O Allah, forgive me if You wish; have mercy on me if You wish; provide for me if You wish’ — rather, let him ask with certainty, for none can compel Allah” (Bukhari) — that is, when one of you prays, he should not say, “O God, forgive me if You will, have mercy on me if You will, provide for me if You will,” but should ask with firm resolve, saying, “O God, fulfill this particular need of mine.” Another narration from Abu Hurairah has him saying, “Pray to Allah while being certain of a response” (Tirmidhi).

In another narration, Abu Hurairah relates the Prophet’s saying: “A servant’s prayer is answered so long as he does not pray for something sinful or for severing family ties, and so long as he is not hasty.” It was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is hastiness?” He said, “It is when a person says, ‘I prayed and prayed, but I do not see it being answered,’ and out of this, he grows weary and gives up praying” (Muslim).

The second theme is illuminated by the following hadiths:

Abu Hurairah relates that the Prophet said, “Nothing is more honored by Allah than prayer” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah).

Ibn Mas’ud relates that he said, “Ask Allah of His bounty, for Allah loves to be asked” (Tirmidhi).

Ibn Umar and Mu’adh ibn Jabal relate that the Prophet said, “Prayer is beneficial both against calamities that have already befallen and those that have not yet befallen, so, O servants of Allah, you must pray” (Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad).

Anas relates that the Prophet said, “Each of you should ask his Lord for all his needs, even asking Him for the strap of his sandal should it break” (Tirmidhi) — that is, even in matters that a person outwardly feels are within his own control, he should seek Allah’s help before taking any measure, since no measure of ours can succeed in any matter without Allah’s enabling grace and support; and praying before taking action means that the servant is, at all times, acknowledging his own helplessness and Allah’s supremacy.