Tafsir of Surah Maryam - Verse 59

They were succeeded by Wicked People and Good People

After Allah mentioned the party of blessed ones -- the Prophets and those who followed them by maintainig the limits set by Allah and His commandments, fulfilling what Allah ordered and avoiding His prohibitions -- then He mentions,

(خَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ) (there has succeeded them a posterity.) This means later generations.

أَضَاعُواْ الصَّلَـوةَ

(who have lost Salah) Losing their prayers is when they do not consider the prayers obligatory. Therefore they lose, because the prayer is the pillar and foundation of the religion. It is the best of the servants' deeds. Thus, these people will occupy themselves with worldly desires and delights, and they will be pleased with the life of this world. They will be tranquil and at ease in the worldly appetites. Therefore, these people will meet with Ghaiy, which means loss on the Day of Resurrection. Al-Awza`i reported from Musa bin Sulayman, who reported from Al-Qasim bin Mukhaymirah that he said concerning Allah's statement,

فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُواْ الصَّلَـوةَ

(Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have lost the Salah) "This means that they will not keep up with the proper times of the prayer, because if it meant complete abandonment of the prayer, this would be disbelief." It is also reported that it was said to Ibn Mas`ud, "Allah often mentions the prayer in the Qur'an. He says,

الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَـتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ

(Those who neglect their Salah.) 107:5 And He says,

عَلَى صَلاَتِهِمْ دَآئِمُونَ

(Those who remain constant in their Salah.) 70:23 And He says,

عَلَى صَلاَتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ

(Who guard their Salah.)" 23:9 Then, Ibn Mas`ud said, "This means at its designated times." The people said, "We thought that this was referring to the abandonment of the prayer." He replied, "That would be disbelief." Masruq said, "No one who guards the five daily prayers will be written among the heedless. In their neglect is destruction. Their neglect is delaying them past their fixed times." Al-Awza`i reported from Ibrahim bin Zayd that Umar bin `Abdul-`Aziz recited the Ayah,

فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُواْ الصَّلَـوةَ وَاتَّبَعُواْ الشَّهَوَتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقُونَ غَيّاً

(Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have lost the Salah and have followed lusts. So they will meet Ghayy.) Then, he said, "Their loss was not their abandonment of the prayers, but it was by not offering them during their proper and prescribed times." Allah said,

فَسَوْفَ يَلْقُونَ غَيّاً

(So they will meet Ghayy. ) `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas that he said,

فَسَوْفَ يَلْقُونَ غَيّاً

(So they will meet Ghayy.) "This means loss." Qatadah said, "This means evil." Sufyan Ath-Thawri, Shu`bah and Muhammad bin Ishaq all reported from Abu Ishaq As-Sabi`i, who reported from Abu `Ubaydah, who reported from `Abdullah bin Mas`ud that he said,

فَسَوْفَ يَلْقُونَ غَيّاً

(So they will meet Ghayy.) "This is a valley in the Hellfire which is very deep and its food is filthy." Al-A`mash reported from Ziyad, who reported from Abu `Iyad, who commented Allah's statement,

فَسَوْفَ يَلْقُونَ غَيّاً

(So they will meet Ghayy.) He said, "This is a valley in Hell made of puss and blood." Allah said,

إِلاَّ مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـلِحاً

(Except those who repent and believe and work righteousness.) This means, "Except those who recant from giving up the prayers and following the desires, for verily, Allah will accept their repentance, give them a good end and make them of those who inherit the Garden of Delight (Paradise). " For this reason Allah says,

فَأُوْلَـئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلاَ يُظْلَمُونَ شَيْئاً

(Such will enter Paradise and they will not be wronged in aught.) This is because repentance wipes away that which was before it. In another Hadith, the Prophet said,

«التَّائِبُ مِنَ الذَّنْبِ كَمَنْ لَاذَنْبَ لَه»

(The one who repents from sin is like he who has no sin.) Because of this, those who repent will not lose anything from the (good) deeds that they did. They will not be held accountable for what they did before their repentance, thus causing a decrease in their reward for deeds that they do after their repentance. That is because whatever they did before repenting is lost, forgotten and not taken to account. This is an honor from the Most Generous and a kindness from the Most Gentle. This is an exception that is made for these people, similar to Allah's statement in Surah Al-Furqan,

وَالَّذِينَ لاَ يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهَا ءَاخَرَ وَلاَ يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِى حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ

(And those who invoke not any other god along with Allah, nor kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause...) until Allah's statement,

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُوراً رَّحِيماً

(and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) 25:68-70

Commentary

فَخَلَفَ (Khalf) means bad successors, while فَخَلَفَ (Khalaf) means good successors. (Mazhari) Mujahid (رح) has reported that when the Day of Judgment would be near and the pious people would all be dead and gone, people will lose interest in prayers and indulge in all sort of vices and evil deeds.

Offering prayers outside fixed time or not with congregation (جَمَاعَت) is a default and of no avail, and is a great sin.

Most exegetes / commentators are of the view that offering prayers after its time has lapsed is a default of prayers (اضَاعُوا الصَّلٰوۃَ ). Among them are Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Masud, Nakhai, Qasim, Mujahid, Ibrahim and ` Umar Ibn ` Abdul ` Aziz. While others consider that any lapse in the form and conditions of prayers is اِضَاعتِ صلٰوۃ and includes the lapse of time as well. Still others believe that offering of prayers at home and not with the congregation (جَمَاعَت) is اِضَاعتِ صلٰوۃ (Qurtubi, Bahr ul-Muhit).

Sayyidna ` Umar al-Faruq ؓ ، had sent out a circular to all his governors saying:

إن أھم امرکم عندی الصلوٰۃ، فمن ضیعھافھو لما سواھا اضیع (مؤطا امام مالک)

"In my view the most important among your tasks is prayer. So, whoever defaults in this, will default in discharging his other obligations all the more."

Once Sayyidna Hudaifah ؓ saw someone offering his prayers without observing the prescribed rules, and was going through the rituals rather hurriedly without pausing. He asked the man how long he had been offering his prayers like that. The man replied for the last forty years. 'Then Sayyidna Hudaifah ؓ said:

"You have not offered a single of your prayers correctly."

He further remarked:

"If you die offering your prayers like this then remember you will die without following the course given by The Holy Prophet ﷺ .

Sayyidna Abu Mas’ ud ؓ has been quoted in Tirmidhi that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had said that the prayer of a person is lost who does not observe اِقَامَت i.e. does not stand upright in his prayers. It means that if one does not pause while bowing down (رُکُوع) and prostrating (سَجدَہ) in his prayers or who does not stand straight up after bowing down ( رُکُوع) or does not sit up in between two prostrations (سَجدُوں) his prayers would be considered as not performed. Similarly, if one is not careful about ablution (وُضُو) and his cleanliness (طَھَارَت) his prayers will also be lost.

Sayyidna Hasan-al-Basri (رح) has observed that leaving the mosques unattended and being over involved in business and enjoyments of life is included in the meaning of this verse.

Imam Qurtubi' (رح) after reproducing these sayings had said that even knowledgeable people ignore the prescribed rules of prayers and merely go through its motions. He made this observation in the 6th century Hijrah when such people were few. Presently the position is worse, and there are many more people who disregard the rules of prayers. نَعُوذُ بِاللہِ مِن شُرُورِ انفُسِنَا وَ اَعمَالِنا (and pursued desires - 19:59) (شَھَوَات ) refers to all such wordly pleasures which make people negligent of their duty to Allah making them lose interest in Prayers. Sayyidna Ali ؓ has said that palatial houses and luxurious carriages which attract people's eye, and wearing dresses which distinguish a person from the common man all fall within the category of worldly pleasures. (Qurtubi)

فَسَوفَ یَلقَونَ غَیِّاً (So they will soon face[ the outcome of their ] perversion - 19:59) The word غَیّ in Arabic language is the opposite of رشاد . All virtues and good things are رشاد and all vices and evils are غَیّ. Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Mas’ ud ؓ has reported that there is a cave in Hell by the name غَیّ which houses various types of severe punishments, more numerous than all the punishments of Hell.

Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has remarked that even Hell seeks protection from غَیّ , which is the name of a cave in the Hell. Allah Ta` ala has prepared it for habitual adulterers who persist in adultery, and for the drunkards who do not give up drinking, and for the usurers who do not stop taking interest and for those who disobey their parents, and those who give false witness and for the woman who declares someone else's child as her husband's. (Qurtubi)

A distinctive trait of those whose characters are moulded by the preaching of the prophets, is that they are no longer slaves of their base desires but rise above them. They turn into individuals who always remember God; indeed, the essence of religion is remembrance of God, the organized expression of which is prayer (salat). If the generations that come after the prophets become negligent of God and start following their base desires, they will figure, in the eyes of God, as people who have gone astray. Being affiliated to a prophet shall be of no use to them. They shall receive what they deserve. Of them, only those shall be spared who return to the original religion, and adopt a life of faith and virtuous deeds. Those who strive for the life Hereafter, do not immediately receive the fruits of their labours and sacrifices. For this reason, they may have misgivings that this is a path of pointless endeavour. But this is a mere misunderstanding. The fact is that, just as those who devote their efforts to worldly affairs achieve corresponding results, so also will those who strive for the life of the Hereafter be requited in full measure. Nobody need harbour any doubts about this.