Tafsir Surah Fussilat ayah 34 | Learn Quran Tafsir

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وَلَا تَسۡتَوِى ٱلۡحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ٱدۡفَعۡ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحۡسَنُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيۡنَكَ وَبَيۡنَهُۥ عَدَٰوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌ

وَلَا

And not

تَسۡتَوِي

are equal

ٱلۡحَسَنَةُ

the good (deed)

وَلَا

and

ٱلسَّيِّئَةُۚ

the evil (deed)

ٱدۡفَعۡ

Repel

بِٱلَّتِي

by (that) which

هِيَ

[it]

أَحۡسَنُ

(is) better

فَإِذَا

then behold!

ٱلَّذِي

One who

بَيۡنَكَ

between you

وَبَيۡنَهُۥ

and between him

عَدَٰوَةٞ

(was) enmity

كَأَنَّهُۥ

as if he

وَلِيٌّ

(was) a friend

حَمِيمٞ

intimate

وَلَا

And not

تَسۡتَوِي

are equal

ٱلۡحَسَنَةُ

the good (deed)

وَلَا

and

ٱلسَّيِّئَةُۚ

the evil (deed)

ٱدۡفَعۡ

Repel

بِٱلَّتِي

by (that) which

هِيَ

[it]

أَحۡسَنُ

(is) better

فَإِذَا

then behold!

ٱلَّذِي

One who

بَيۡنَكَ

between you

وَبَيۡنَهُۥ

and between him

عَدَٰوَةٞ

(was) enmity

كَأَنَّهُۥ

as if he

وَلِيٌّ

(was) a friend

حَمِيمٞ

intimate

Translation

Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!

Tafsir

And they are not equal, the good deed and the evil deed, [even] with respect to their subdivisions, because any number of such [good deeds] are [always] above any number of the latter. Repel, the evil deed, with that, in other words, with that trait, which is better, such as [repelling] anger with endurance, ignorance with forbearance, and [the intention to inflict] harm with pardon, then, behold, he between whom and you there was enmity will be as though he were a dear friend, in other words, then your enemy will become like a close friend in terms of [his] affection [for you], if you act in such a way (alladhee, 'he . whom', is the subject; ka-annahu, 'as though', is the predicate; idhaa is an adverbial particle for [expressing] the comparative import).

Glad Tidings to Those Who believe in Allah Alone and stand firm

Allah says,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسۡتَقَامُوا

Verily, those who say:Our Lord is Allah, and then they stand firm,

means, they do good deeds sincerely for the sake of Allah, and they obey Allah, doing what Allah has prescribed for them.

Ibn Jarir recorded that Sa`id bin Imran said, I read this Ayah to Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسۡتَقَامُوا

(Verily, those who say:Our Lord is Allah, and then they stand firm), He said,

`Those are the ones who do not associate anything with Allah.'

Then he reported a narration of Al-Aswad bin Hilal, who said,

Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said, `What do you say about this Ayah:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسۡتَقَامُوا

(Verily, those who say:Our Lord is Allah, and then they stand firm,)'

They said:

رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسۡتَقَامُوا

(Our Lord is Allah, and then they stand firm), `They shun sin.'

He said, `You have not interpreted it improperly.'

They say:`Our Lord is Allah, then they stand firm and do not turn to any other god besides Him.'

This was also the view of Mujahid, Ikrimah, As-Suddi and others.

Ahmad recorded that Sufyan bin Abdullah Ath-Thaqafi said,

I said, `O Messenger of Allah, tell me something that I can adhere to.'

He said:

قُلۡ رَبِّيَ اللهُ ثُمَّ اسۡتَقِم

Say, my Lord is Allah, then stand firm.

I said, `O Messenger of Allah, what do you fear most for me?'

The Messenger of Allah took hold of the edge of his tongue and said,

هذَا

(This is.)

This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah;

At-Tirmidhi said, Hasan Sahih.

Muslim also recorded it in his Sahih, and An-Nasa'i recorded that Sufyan bin Abdullah Ath-Thaqafi said,

I said, `O Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam that I will not have to ask anyone about it after you.'

He said:

قُلۡ امَنۡتُ بِاللهِ ثُمَّ اسۡتَقِم

Say:I believe in Allah, then stand firm. --

then he mentioned the rest of the Hadith.

تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيۡهِمُ الۡمَلَيِكَةُ

on them the angels will descend.

Mujahid, As-Suddi, Zayd bin Aslam and his (Zayd's) son said,

This means, at the time of death, and they will say,

أَلاَّ تَخَافُوا

Fear not.

Mujahid, Ikrimah and Zayd bin Aslam said,

This means not to fear that which you will face in the Hereafter.

وَلَا تَحۡزَنُوا

nor grieve!

`for what you have left behind of worldly things, children, family, wealth and debt, for we will take care of it for you.'

وَأَبۡشِرُوا بِالۡجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمۡ تُوعَدُونَ

But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!

So they give glad tidings of the end of bad things and the arrival of good things.

This is like what is said in the Hadith narrated by Al-Bara', may Allah be pleased with him:

إِنَّ الۡمَلَيِكَةَ تَقُولُ لِرُوحِ الۡمُوۡمِنِ اخۡرُجِي أَيَّتُهَا الرُّوحُ الطَّيِّـبَةُ فِي الۡجَسَدِ الطَّيِّبِ كُنۡتِ تَعۡمُرِينَهُ اخۡرُجِي إِلى رَوۡحٍ وَرَيۡحَانٍ وَرَبَ غَيۡرِ غَضۡبَان

The angels say to the soul of the believer,

Come out, O good soul from the good body in which you used to dwell, come out to rest, and provision and a Lord Who is not angry.

It was said that the angels will come down to them on the Day when they are brought out of their graves.

Zayd bin Aslam said,

They will give him glad tidings when he dies, in his grave, and when he is resurrected.

This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim, and this view reconciles all the opinions; it is a good view and it is true

نَحۡنُ أَوۡلِيَاوُكُمۡ فِي الۡحَيَاةِ الدُّنۡيَا وَفِي الاۡخِرَةِ

We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter.

means, the angels will say to the believers when death approaches:

We have been your friends, i.e., your close companions, in this world, protecting you and helping you by the command of Allah, and we will be with you in the Hereafter, keeping you from feeling lonely in your graves and when the Trumpet is blown; we will reassure you on the Day of Resurrection and will take you across the Sirat and bring you to the Gardens of delight.

وَلَكُمۡ فِيهَا مَا تَشۡتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمۡ

Therein you shall have (all) that your souls desire,

means, `in Paradise you will have all that you wish for and that will delight you.'

وَلَكُمۡ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ

and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask.

means, `whatever you ask for, it will appear before you as you wish it to be.'

نُزُلاً مِّنۡ غَفُورٍ رَّحِيمٍ

An entertainment from the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

means, `a welcoming gift and a blessing from the One Who has forgiven your sins and Who is Merciful and Kind towards you, Who has forgiven you, concealed your faults and been Kind and Merciful.

The Virtue of calling Others to Allah

Allah says,

وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ قَوۡلاً مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ

And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah,

means, he calls the servants of Allah to Him.

وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الۡمُسۡلِمِينَ

and does righteous deeds, and says:I am one of the Muslims.

means, he himself follows that which he says, so it benefits him as well as others. He is not one of those who enjoin good but do not do it themselves, or who forbid evil yet they do it themselves. He does good and avoids doing evil, and he calls people to their Creator, may He be blessed and exalted.

This is general in meaning and applies to everyone who calls people to what is good and is himself guided by what he says. The Messenger of Allah is the foremost among people in this regard, as Muhammad bin Sirin, As-Suddi and Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said.

It was also said that what was meant here is the righteous Mu'adhdhin, as it was mentioned in Sahih Muslim:

الۡمُوَذِّنُونَ أَطۡوَلُ النَّاسِ أَعۡنَاقًا يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَة

The Mu'adhdhins will be the ones with the longest necks on the Day of Resurrection.

In As-Sunan it is reported that the Prophet said:

الاِۡمَامُ ضَامِنٌ وَالۡمُوَذِّنُ مُوۡتَمَنٌ فَأَرۡشَدَ اللهُ الاَۡيِمَّةَ وَغَفَرَ لِلۡمُوَذِّنِين

The Imam is a guarantor and the Mu'adhdhin is in a position of trust. May Allah guide the Imams and forgive the Mu'adhdhin.

The correct view is that the Ayah is general in meaning, and includes the Mu'adhdhin and others. When this Ayah was revealed, the Adhan had not been prescribed at all. The Ayah was revealed in Makkah, and the Adhan was prescribed in Al-Madinah after the Hijrah, when it was shown to Abdullah bin Abd Rabbihi Al-Ansari in a dream. He told the Messenger of Allah about it, and he told him to teach it to Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, who had a more beautiful voice, as we have discussed elsewhere.

So the correct view is that the Ayah is general in meaning, as Abdur-Razzaq said, narrating from Ma`mar, from Al-Hasan Al-Basri, who recited this Ayah:

وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ قَوۡلاً مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الۡمُسۡلِمِينَ

And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah, and does righteous deeds, and says:I am one of the Muslims. and said,

This is the beloved of Allah, this is the close friend of Allah, this is the chosen one of Allah, this is the most beloved of the all the people of earth to Allah. He responded to the call of Allah and called mankind to that to which he had responded. He did righteous deeds in response and said, `I am one of the Muslims.'

This is Allah's Khalifah.

Wisdom in Da`wah etc.

Allah says,

وَلَا تَسۡتَوِي الۡحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّيَةُ

The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal.

means, there is a huge difference between them.

ادۡفَعۡ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحۡسَنُ

Repel (the evil) with one which is better,

means, `when someone does you wrong, repel him by treating him well,' as Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

There is no better punishment for one who has disobeyed Allah with regard to you, than your obeying Allah with regard to him.

فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيۡنَكَ وَبَيۡنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ

then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend.

means, `if you treat well those who treat you badly, this good deed will lead to reconciliation, love and empathy, and it will be as if he is a close friend to you and he will feel pity for you and be kind to you.'

Then Allah says

وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا

But none is granted it except those who are patient,

meaning, no one accepts this advice and works according to it, except for those who can be patient in doing so, for it is difficult for people to do.

وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلاَّ ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ

and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion.

means, the one who has a great portion of happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas explained this Ayah:

Allah commands the believers to be patient when they feel angry, to be forbearing when confronted with ignorance, and to forgive when they are mistreated. If they do this, Allah will save them from the Shaytan and subdue their enemies to them until they become like close friends.

وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيۡطَانِ نَزۡغٌ فَاسۡتَعِذۡ بِاللَّهِ

And if an evil whisper from Shaytan tries to turn you away, then seek refuge in Allah.

means, the devils among men may be deceived by your kind treatment of him, but the devils among the Jinn, when they insinuate their evil whispers, cannot be dealt with except by seeking refuge with the Creator Who gave him power over you. If you seek refuge with Allah and turn to Him, He will stop him from harming you and bring his efforts to naught. When the Messenger of Allah stood up to pray, he would say:

أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ السَّمِيعِ الۡعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيۡطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ مِنۡ هَمۡزِهِ وَنَفۡخِهِ وَنَفۡثِه

I seek refuge in Allah the All-Hearing, All-Knowing, from the accursed Shaytan and his evil insinuations, breath and impurity.

We have already stated that there is nothing like this in the Qur'an, apart from the passage in Surah Al-A`raf, where Allah says:

خُذِ الۡعَفۡوَ وَأۡمُرۡ بِالۡعُرۡفِ وَأَعۡرِض عَنِ الۡجَـهِلِينَ

وَإِمَّا يَنَزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيۡطَـنِ نَزۡغٌ فَاسۡتَعِذۡ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish. And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaytan, then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower. (7:199-200)

and the passage in Surah Al-Mu'minun where Allah says:

ادۡفَعۡ بِالَّتِى هِىَ أَحۡسَنُ السَّيِّيَةَ نَحۡنُ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَا يَصِفُونَ

وَقُلۡ رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنۡ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيـطِينِ

وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحۡضُرُونِ

Repel evil with that which is better. We are Best-Acquainted with the things they utter. And say:

My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings of the Shayatin. And I seek refuge with You, My Lord! lest they should come near me. (23:96-98)

إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الۡعَلِيمُ

Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.

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