SURAT NA’AHL, TWO VERSE AND TWO LESSONS
﴿أَتَى أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلاَ تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ سُبْحَـنَهُ وَتَعَـلَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ﴾
(1. The Event ordained by Allah has indeed come, so do not seek to hasten it. Glorified and Exalted be He above all that they associate as partners with Him.)
NARRATION (According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
Allah is informing about the approach of the Hour in the past tense ﴿in Arabic﴾ in order to confirm that it will undoubtedly come to pass. This is like the following Ayat, in which the verbs appear in the past tense in Arabic:
﴿اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَـبُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ ﴾
(Mankind’s reckoning has drawn near them, while they turn away in heedlessness.)﴿21:1﴾
﴿اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ ﴾
(The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft.) ﴿54:1﴾
﴿فَلاَ تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ﴾
(so do not seek to hasten it.) means, what was far is now near, so do not try to rush it. As Allah said,
﴿وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَوْلاَ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى لَّجَآءَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ – يَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَـفِرِينَ ﴾
(And they ask you to hasten the torment (for them), and had it not been for a term appointed, the torment would certainly have come to them. And surely, it will come upon them suddenly while they are unaware! They ask you to hasten on the torment. And verily! Hell, of a surety, will encompass the disbelievers) (29:53-54). Ibn Abi Hatim reported from `Uqbah bin `Amir that the Messenger of Allah said:
«تَطْلُعُ عَلَيْكُمْ عِنْدَ السَّاعَةِ سَحَابَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ مِثْلَ التُّرْسِ، فَمَا تَزَالُ تَرْتَفِعُ فِي السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ يُنَادِي مُنَادٍ فِيهَا: يَا أَيُّهَاالنَّاسُ فَيُقْبِلُ النَّاسُ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ: هَلْ سَمِعْتُمْ، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ: نَعَمْ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَشُكُّ، ثُمَّ يُنَادِي الثَّانِيَةَ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ فَيَقُولُ النَّاسُ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ: هَلْ سَمِعْتُمْ، فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ، ثُمَّ يُنَادِي الثَّالِثَةَ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَتَى أَمْرُ اللهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوه»
(When the Hour approaches, a black cloud resembling a shield will emerge upon from the west. It will continue rising in the sky, then a voice will call out, `O mankind!’ The people will say to one another, `Did you hear that’ Some will say, `yes’, but others will doubt it. Then a second call will come, `O mankind!’ The people will say to one another, `Did you hear that’ And they will say, `Yes.’ Then a third call will come, `O mankind!’ The Event ordained by Allah has indeed come, so do not seek to hasten it.’) The Messenger of Allah said:
«فَوَ الَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، إِنَّ الرَّجُلَيْنِ لَيَنْشُرَانِ الثَّوبَ فَمَا يَطْوِيَانِهِ أَبَدًا، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَمُدَّنَّ حَوْضَهُ فَمَا يَسْقِي فِيهِ شَيْئًا أَبَدًا، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَحْلُبُ نَاقَتَهُ فَمَا يَشْرِبُهُ أَبَدًا قَالَ وَيَشْتَغِلُ النَّاس»
(By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, two men will spread out a cloth, but will never refold it; a man will prepare his trough, but will never water his animals from it; and a man will milk his camel, but will never drink the milk.” Then he said, “The people will be distracted.”) Then Allah tells us that He is free from their allegations of partners to their worship of idols, and making equals for Him. Glorified and exalted be He far above that. These are the people who deny the Hour, so He says:
﴿سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ﴾
(Glorified and Exalted be He above all that they associate as partners with Him. )
﴿يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ بِالْرُّوحِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَى مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ أَنْ أَنْذِرُواْ أَنَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَ أَنَاْ فَاتَّقُونِ ﴾
(2. He sends down the angels with the Ruh (revelation) of His command to those servants of His whom He wills (saying): “Warn mankind that none has the right to be worshipped but I, so have Taqwa of Me.”)
NARRATION (According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
﴿يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ بِالْرُّوحِ﴾
(He sends down the angels with the Ruh) refers to the revelation. This is like the Ayat:
﴿وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ رُوحاً مِّنْ أَمْرِنَا مَا كُنتَ تَدْرِى مَا الْكِتَـبُ وَلاَ الإِيمَـنُ وَلَـكِن جَعَلْنَـهُ نُوراً نَّهْدِى بِهِ مَن نَّشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا﴾
(And thus We have sent to you a Ruh (revelation) by Our command. You knew not what is the Book, nor what is the faith. But We have made it a light by which We guide whomever We will among Our servants.) ﴿43:52﴾
﴿عَلَى مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ﴾
(to those servants of His whom He wills) meaning the Prophets, as Allah says:
﴿اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ﴾
(Allah best knows where to place His Message.) ﴿6:124﴾
﴿اللَّهُ يَصْطَفِى مِنَ الْمَلَـئِكَةِ رُسُلاً وَمِنَ النَّاسِ﴾
(Allah chooses Messengers from angels and from men.) ﴿22:75﴾
﴿رَفِيعُ الدَّرَجَـتِ ذُو الْعَرْشِ يُلْقِى الرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَى مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ لِيُنذِرَ يَوْمَ التَّلاَقِ – يَوْمَ هُم بَـرِزُونَ لاَ يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَىْءٌ لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ لِلَّهِ الْوَحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ ﴾
(He sends the Ruh (revelation) by His command to whoever among His servants He wills to, that he may warn of the Day of Meeting. The Day when they will (all) come out, nothing about them will be hidden from Allah. Whose is the kingdom this Day: It is Allah’s, the One, the Irresistible!) (40:15-16)
﴿أَنْ أَنْذِرُواْ﴾
((saying): “Warn…”) meaning that they should alert them.
﴿أَنَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَ أَنَاْ فَاتَّقُونِ﴾
(that none has the right to be worshipped but I, so have Taqwa of Me.) means, `fear My punishment, if you go against My commands and worship anything other than Me.’
© Islam NG
Culled from Tafsir Ibn Kathir
