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Ayah
Word by Word
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ
Those
ٱلَّذِينَ
(were) the ones whom
أَنۡعَمَ
Allah bestowed favor
ٱللَّهُ
Allah bestowed favor
عَلَيۡهِم
upon them
مِّنَ
from (among)
ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ
the Prophets
مِن
of
ذُرِّيَّةِ
(the) offspring
ءَادَمَ
(of) Adam
وَمِمَّنۡ
and of those
حَمَلۡنَا
We carried
مَعَ
with
نُوحٖ
Nuh
وَمِن
and of
ذُرِّيَّةِ
(the) offspring
إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ
(of) Ibrahim
وَإِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ
and Israel
وَمِمَّنۡ
and of (those) whom
هَدَيۡنَا
We guided
وَٱجۡتَبَيۡنَآۚ
and We chose
إِذَا
When
تُتۡلَىٰ
were recited
عَلَيۡهِمۡ
to them
ءَايَٰتُ
(the) Verses
ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ
(of) the Most Gracious
خَرُّواْۤ
they fell
سُجَّدٗاۤ
prostrating
وَبُكِيّٗا۩
and weeping
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ
Those
ٱلَّذِينَ
(were) the ones whom
أَنۡعَمَ
Allah bestowed favor
ٱللَّهُ
Allah bestowed favor
عَلَيۡهِم
upon them
مِّنَ
from (among)
ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ
the Prophets
مِن
of
ذُرِّيَّةِ
(the) offspring
ءَادَمَ
(of) Adam
وَمِمَّنۡ
and of those
حَمَلۡنَا
We carried
مَعَ
with
نُوحٖ
Nuh
وَمِن
and of
ذُرِّيَّةِ
(the) offspring
إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ
(of) Ibrahim
وَإِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ
and Israel
وَمِمَّنۡ
and of (those) whom
هَدَيۡنَا
We guided
وَٱجۡتَبَيۡنَآۚ
and We chose
إِذَا
When
تُتۡلَىٰ
were recited
عَلَيۡهِمۡ
to them
ءَايَٰتُ
(the) Verses
ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ
(of) the Most Gracious
خَرُّواْۤ
they fell
سُجَّدٗاۤ
prostrating
وَبُكِيّٗا۩
and weeping
Translation
Those were the ones upon whom Allāh bestowed favor from among the prophets of the descendants of Adam and of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah, and of the descendants of Abraham and Israel [i.e., Jacob], and of those whom We guided and chose. When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell in prostration and weeping.
Tafsir
Those (oolaa'ika is the subject) to whom God has been gracious (alladheena an'ama'Llaahu 'alayhim is an adjectival qualification of it [of the subject]) from among the prophets (mina'l-nabeeyyeena, an explication of it [of the subject] functioning like an adjectival qualification in terms of import. That which follows it [mina'lnabeeyyeena, 'from among the prophets'] up to [where] the conditional sentence begins, constitutes an adjectival qualification of al-nabeeyyeena, 'the prophets'; and so His saying . ) of the seed of Adam, namely, Idrees, and of those whom We carried with Noah, in the Ark, namely, Abraham - [who is the] son of his [Noah's] son Shem (Saam) - and of the seed of Abraham, namely, Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, and, of the seed of, Israel - who is Jacob - namely, Moses, Aaron, Zachariah, John and Jesus, and from among those whom We guided and chose, that is to say, from among their number (the predicate of oolaa'ika, 'those', is [the following, idhaa tutlaa .]) when the signs of the Compassionate One were recited to them, they would fall down prostrating and weeping (these [sujjadan and bukeeyyan] constitute the plural [forms] of saajid, 'prostrate', and baakin, 'weeping' [respectively]) in other words [what is meant is]: be [you] like them (bukiyyun is originally [formed from] bakooyyin, but the waaw is changed into a yaa' and the damma vowel into a kasra).
Mentioning Musa and Harun
After Allah had mentioned Ibrahim, the Friend of Allah, and commended him, he next mentioned Al-Kalim (the one spoken to by Allah directly).
Allah said,
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ مُوسَى إِنَّهُ كَانَ مُخْلَصًا
And mention in the Book, Musa. Verily, he was Mukhlasan,
Ath-Thawri reported from Abdul-Aziz bin Rafi`, from Abu Lubabah that he said,
The Disciples (of `Isa) said, `O Spirit of Allah, inform us about the one who is Mukhlis (purely devoted) to Allah.'
He said, `That is one who does a deed solely for Allah and he does not like for the people to praise him.'
Others recited the word as Mukhlas,
which means that he was chosen.
This is as Allah says,
إِنْى اصْطَفَيْتُكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ
Verily, I have chosen you above men. (7:144)
Concerning Allah's statement,
وَكَانَ رَسُولاً نَّبِيًّا
and he was a Messenger, (and) a Prophet.
Allah combined these two descriptions for him. For verily, he was one of the greatest Messengers and one of the five Messengers of Strong Will. They are;
Nuh,
Ibrahim,
Musa,
`Isa and
Muhammad.
May the blessings of Allah be upon them and all of the Prophets.
Allah said
وَنَادَيْنَاهُ مِن جَانِبِ الطُّورِ
And We called him from the side of the Tur.
means Mount.
الاَْيْمَنِ
right.
It was on the right side of Musa when he went seeking a burning wood from that fire. He ﷺ its glow in the distance, so he set out towards it and found it on the right side of the mountain from his direction, at the edge of the valley that he was in. This is when Allah, the Exalted, spoke to him and called out to him.
وَقَرَّبْنَاهُ نَجِيًّا
and made him draw near to Us for a talk with him.
Allah summoned him to come near and He conversed Ayah with him.
Concerning His statement,
وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ مِن رَّحْمَتِنَا أَخَاهُ هَارُونَ نَبِيًّا
And We granted him his brother Harun, (also) a Prophet, out of Our mercy.
This means, We responded to his request and his plea on behalf of his brother and We made him a Prophet as well.
This is as Allah says in another Ayah,
وَأَخِى هَـرُونُ هُوَ أَفْصَحُ مِنِّى لِسَاناً فَأَرْسِلْهِ مَعِىَ رِدْءاً يُصَدِّقُنِى إِنِّى أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ
And my brother Harun he is more eloquent in speech than me:so send him with me as a helper to confirm me. Verily, I fear that they will belie me. (28:34)
Also, Allah said,
قَدْ أُوتِيتَ سُوْلَكَ يمُوسَى
(Allah said:) You are granted your request, O Musa. (20:36)
He also said,
وَيَضِيقُ صَدْرِى وَلَا يَنطَلِقُ لِسَانِى فَأَرْسِلْ إِلَى هَـرُونَ
وَلَهُمْ عَلَىَّ ذَنبٌ فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقْتُلُونِ
So send for Harun. And they have a charge of crime against me, and I fear they will kill me. (26:13-14)
Because of this, some of the Salaf (predecessors) said,
No one in this life pleaded on behalf of someone else more than Musa pleaded for his brother to be a Prophet.
Allah, the Exalted said,
وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ مِن رَّحْمَتِنَا أَخَاهُ هَارُونَ نَبِيًّا
And We granted him his brother Harun, (also) a Prophet, out of Our mercy
Mentioning Ismail
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ
And mention in the Book, Ismail. Verily, he was true to what he promised,
Here Allah has commended Ismail, the son of Ibrahim, the Friend of Allah. He (Ismail) is the father of all of the Arabs of the Hijaz because he was true to what he promised.
Ibn Jurayj said,
He did not make any promise to his Lord, except that he fulfilled it.
He never obligated himself to do any act of worship with a vow, except that he fulfilled it and carried it out, giving it its full due.
Some said,
صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ
((he was) true to what he promised),
This was said about him because he said to his father,
سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاء اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ
(If Allah wills you will find me of the patient), (37:102). So he was truthful in that.
Being true to one's promise is one of the praiseworthy characteristics, just as breaking one's promise is of the detested characteristics.
Allah, the Exalted, says,
يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لاأَ تَفْعَلُونَ
كَبُرَ مَقْتاً عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ
O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do! Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do. (61:2-3)
The Messenger of Allah said,
ايَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ ثَلَثٌ
إِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ
وَإِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ
وَإِذَا ايْتُمِنَ خَان
The sign of the hypocrite is three things.
When he speaks, he lies;
when he promises, he breaks his promise; and
when he is entrusted with something, he is disloyal to his trust.
Thus, if these are the characteristics of the hypocrites, then behaving contrary to these is a characteristic of the true believer. For this reason, Allah commended His servant and Messenger Ismail, for he was true to his promise.
Likewise, the Messenger of Allah was true to his promise. He did not promise anyone anything, except that he fulfilled his promise to that person. He also commended Abu Al-`As bin Ar-Rabi, the husband of his daughter Zaynab, by saying,
حَدَّثَنِي فَصَدَقَنِي وَوَعَدَنِي فَوَفَى لِي
He spoke to me and he told me the truth, and he promised me and he fulfilled his promise to me.
When the Prophet died, the Khalifah (his successor), Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said,
Whoever received any promise from the Messenger of Allah or was owed any debt by him, then let him come to me and I will fulfill it on his behalf.
So Jabir bin Abdullah came and related that the Messenger of Allah said,
لَوْ قَدْ جَاءَ مَالُ الْبَحْرَينِ أَعْطَيْتُكَ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا
If the wealth of Bahrain comes (to me), then I would give you such and such and such.
This meant that he would fill his hands with wealth.
Therefore, when the wealth of Bahrain came (to them), Abu Bakr commanded Jabir to come and fill his hands from that wealth. Then, he commanded him to do so again, until he collected five hundred Dirhams.
Then, Abu Bakr gave him its double along with it. (i.e. one thousand extra Dirhams).
Concerning Allah's statement,
وَكَانَ رَسُولاً نَّبِيًّا
and he was a Messenger, (and) a Prophet.
In this is a proof of Ismail's favored status over his brother, Ishaq.
Ishaq was only described as being a Prophet, but Ismail was described with both Prophethood and Messengership.
It is confirmed in Sahih Muslim that the Messenger of Allah said,
إِنَّ اللهَ اصْطَفَى مِنْ وَلَدِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِسْمَاعِيل
Verily, Allah chose Ismail from the sons of Ibrahim...
Then, Imam Muslim mentions the rest of the Hadith in its entirety.
However, this statement proves the correctness of what we have said.
Allah said,
وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ
وَكَانَ عِندَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا
And he would enjoin on his family and his people the Salah and the Zakah, and his Lord was pleased with him.
This is also a beautiful form of praise, a commendable quality, and and upright characteristic. He was commanded in this way because of his persistence in obedience of his Lord, and enjoining his family to do so.
This is as Allah said to His Messenger,
وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلوةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا
And enjoin the Salah on your family, and be patient with them. (20:132)
Also, Allah, the Exalted, said,
يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَاراً وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَـيِكَةٌ غِلأَظٌ شِدَادٌ لاأَّ يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَأ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُوْمَرُونَ
O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded. (66:6)
This means to command them to do good, forbid them from evil and do not neglect them. If you do so, and they obey your command, the Fire (of Hell) will not devour them on the Day of Resurrection.
It has been reported in a Hadith from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said,
رَحِمَ اللهُ رَجُلً قَامَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّى وَأَيْقَظَ امْرَأَتَهُ فَإِنْ أَبَتْ نَضَحَ فِي وَجْهِهَا الْمَاءَ
رَحِمَ اللهُ امْرَأَةً قَامَتْ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَصَلَّتْ وَأَيْقَظَتْ زَوْجَهَا فَإِنْ أَبَى نَضَحَتْ فِي وَجْهِهِ الْمَاء
May Allah have mercy upon a man who gets up at night to pray and he wakes his wife. If she refuses to get up, he sprinkles water in her face.
May Allah have mercy upon a woman who gets up at night to pray and she wakes her husband. If he refuses to get up, she sprinkles water in his face.
This Hadith was recorded by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah
Mentioning Idris
Allah tells:
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِدْرِيسَ
إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَّبِيًّا
وَرَفَعْنَاهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا
And mention in the Book, Idris. Verily, he was a man of truth, (and) a Prophet.And We raised him to a high station.
Allah complimented Idris for being a truthful Prophet and He mentioned that he raised him to a high station.
It has previously been mentioned that in the Sahih it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah passed by Idris on the night of the Isra (Night Journey) and he (Idris) was in the fourth heaven.
Sufyan reported from Mansur that Mujahid said,
وَرَفَعْنَاهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا
(And We raised him to a high station),
This means the fourth heaven.
Al-Hasan and others said concerning Allah's statement,
وَرَفَعْنَاهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا
(And We raised him to a high station),
This means Paradise.
These Prophets are the Chosen Ones
Allah says;
أُوْلَيِكَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِن ذُرِّيَّةِ ادَمَ وَمِمَّنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْرَايِيلَ وَمِمَّنْ هَدَيْنَا وَاجْتَبَيْنَا
Those were they unto whom Allah bestowed His grace from among the Prophets, of the offspring of Adam, and of those whom We carried (in the ship) with Nuh, and of the offspring of Ibrahim and Israel, and from among those whom We guided and chose.
Allah, the Exalted, says that these Prophets (were favored), but this does not mean only these Prophets who were mentioned in this Surah. Rather, it is referring to all of those who were Prophets. Allah merely changes the implication of the discussion from specific individuals to the entire group of Prophets.
الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِن ذُرِّيَّةِ ادَمَ
they unto whom Allah bestowed His grace from among the Prophets, of the offspring of Adam.
As-Suddi and Ibn Jarir both said,
That which is meant by the offspring of Adam is Idris,
and what is meant by the offspring of those `whom We carried with Nuh' is Ibrahim,
and what is meant by the offspring of Ibrahim is Ishaq, Yaqub and Ismail,
and what is meant by the offspring of Ismail is Musa, Harun, Zakariyya, Yahya and `Isa bin Maryam.
Ibn Jarir said,
And that is the distinction of their genealogies, even though Adam gathers all of them (as their original father). This is because among them is he who was not a descendant of those who were on the ship with Nuh, and he that is Idris. For verily, he was the grandfather of Nuh.
I say that this is the most apparent meaning, which concludes that Idris is amongst the pillars of Nuh's ancestral lineage. The view that this Ayah refers to the ancestral lineage of the Prophets, is the fact that it is similar to Allah's statement in Surah Al-An`am,
وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَأ ءَاتَيْنَـهَأ إِبْرَهِيمَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَـتٍ مَّن نَّشَأءُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَـقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ كُلًّ هَدَيْنَا وَنُوحاً هَدَيْنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَـنَ وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُوسُفَ وَمُوسَى وَهَـرُونَ وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى الْمُحْسِنِينَ
وَزَكَرِيَّا وَيَحْيَى وَعِيسَى وَإِلْيَاسَ كُلٌّ مِّنَ الصَّـلِحِينَ
وَإِسْمَـعِيلَ وَالْيَسَعَ وَيُونُسَ وَلُوطاً وَكُلًّ فَضَّلْنَا عَلَى الْعَـلَمِينَ
وَمِنْ ءابَايِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّـتِهِمْ وَإِخْوَنِهِمْ وَاجْتَبَيْنَـهُمْ وَهَدَيْنَـهُمْ إِلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
And that was our proof which We gave Ibrahim against his people. We raise whom We will in degrees. Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing.
And We bestowed upon him Ishaq and Yaqub, each of them We guided; and before him We guided Nuh, and among his progeny Dawud, Suleiman, Ayub, Yusuf, Musa and Harun. Thus do We reward the doers of good.
And Zakariyya, and Yahya, and `Isa and Ilyas, each one of them was of the righteous.
And Ismail and Al-Yasa` and Yunus and Lut and each one of them We preferred above the `Alamin.
And also some of their fathers and their progeny and their brethren, We chose them, and We guided them to the straight path. (6:83-87)
Until Allah's statement,
أُوْلَـيِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ
They are those whom Allah had guided. So follow their guidance. (6:90)
Allah, the Exalted, says,
مِنْهُم مَّن قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّن لَّمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ
Of some of them We have related to you their story. And of some We have not related to you their story. (40:78)
In Sahih Al-Bukhari it is reported from Mujahid that he asked Ibn Abbas,
Is there a prostration in Surah Sad
Ibn Abbas replied, Yes.
Then he recited,
أُوْلَـيِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ
They are those whom Allah had guided. So follow their guidance. (6:90)
Ibn Abbas then said, So your Prophet is one of those who have been commanded to follow them. And he is of those who should be followed. -- referring to Dawud.
Allah, the Exalted, said in this noble Ayah,
إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ ايَاتُ الرَّحْمَن خَرُّوا سُجَّدًا وَبُكِيًّا
When the Ayah of the Most Gracious were recited unto them, they fell down prostrate and weeping.
This means that when they heard the Words of Allah, mentioning His proofs and evidences, they prostrated to their Lord in humility, humbleness, praise and thanks for the great favors they were blessed with.
The word Bukiyan at the end of the Ayah means those who are crying, and it is the plural of Baki.
Due to this the scholars agree that it is legislated to prostrate upon reading this Ayah, in following them and adhering to their manner of worship.
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