Tafseer of Sura Qaaf 1

Khalid Mustafa Abdul Kader/Royal Holloway College/Univ. of London /UK.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam,

 The opening ayat of Surat Qaaf represent an impossible challenge to the unbelievers and the doubters.  To be able to evaluate its huge impact, let us imagine that we are hearing these ayat for the first time.  It must have felt like a ton of bricks over the heads of the unbelievers.  The whole Surah is quite an eye opener with precise information as to what happens in the hereafter and point-by-point rebuttal of the various arguments presented by the doubters and unbelievers.

 Despite man's limited knowledge the believers have no doubts about anything that Allah or His Messenger (pbuh) tell them because Allah, by His Grace, has enlightened their minds and hearts with the Truth.  But those who live in utter darkness cannot believe or comprehend that man's return will certainly be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.  How could this worldly body of ours be resurrected they argued, having decomposed and become indistinguishable from the very earth to which the body was committed?  Their minds led them to conveniently believe that Allah will create new souls and new bodies, something which they cannot deny as they can witness it in their daily lives and that these new souls and bodies will be either in eternal bliss or hell fire.  Little did they think, well what is the point or wonder why these new bodies should suffer for sins committed by others or enjoy Paradise as a reward for the good deeds of others!

  He said ' Who will revive these bones when they have rotted away?  Say: He will revive them Who created them in the first instance for He is Knower of every creation!’

This is from Surat Yaseen.

 In Surat Qaaf:

 'We know that which the earth takes of them'

 The doubters and unbelievers then wondered how will Allah be able to tell one person from another?  The most confounding answer comes from Surat Maryam

  'There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Beneficent as a slave. Verily He knows them and numbers them with right numbering. And each one of them will come unto Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone.'

 From amongst the billions and billions of people you will be distinguished as being you the son of a named person.

 Even if a person's leg, arm or finger is amputated in one country and he dies in another thousands of miles away, the leg, arm or finger will be joined to that body to account for its deeds and be recompensed accordingly.  In Surat Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection) one reads:

 ' Yea verily, yea, We are able to restore his very fingers'

And

'But His Command, when He intends a thing is only that He says unto it 'Be! And it is'

And this is the beauty of the Deen of Allah.  It lifts man from the abyss of the darkness to the summit and Noor of enlightenment to believe in the unknown and the unseen and the unimaginable with a simple statement of eternal Truth: La ilaha illa Allah.

  (Arabic Dua’a)

Second Khutbah

[ Arabic introduction]

The doubters and unbelievers did not see the wisdom of ending all forms of life, especially the human race and then resurrecting them!  In fact such people would have equally not seen the point had Allah decided that life will end full stop!  They thought that life would go on and on generation after generation.  They are limited by what they can see and experience.  Anything beyond that is impossible as if they are thinking of human power and ability.  Little do they think of the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is on them and between them. 

 Therefore Allah states: 

 “'And We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, in play”

 There is a purpose. This is not for fun. Then He confirms the fact of the Resurrection:

 'Deemed you then that We had created you for naught and that you would not be returned unto Us?  Now Allah be exalted, the True King' 

Then He confirms that there will be a reckoning:

  ' Or do those who commit ill deeds suppose that We shall make as those who believe and do good works, the same in life and death? Bad is their judgement.”

And

 ' And Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth and that every soul may be repaid what it had earned.  And they will not be wronged'

We shall, insha-Allah, continue our journey with Surat Qaaf in the near future.

Arabic dua'a to close

Ameen!                     Aqeemus salaah!

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