Tafsir of Surah Al-Jathiya - Verse 1

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

A Directive to contemplate over Allah's Ayat

Allah directs His servants to contemplate His favors and gifts, as well as His great power that is demonstrated by His creating the heavens and the earth and the various types and categories of creatures in them. There are the angels, Jinns, humans, animals, birds, beasts, carnivores, insects and various kinds of sea creatures. The night and day alternate, each follows the other in succession, never ceasing to come, as decreed. One brings darkness and one brings light. Allah the Exalted also sends down the rain from the clouds when it is most needed. He is calling the rain, `provision', because it is the resource that produces various provisions,

فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الاٌّرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا

(and revives therewith the earth after its death,) after it was dry and had no vegetation or life of any kind. Allah said next,

وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَـحِ

(and in the turning about of the winds,) sometimes towards the south and sometimes towards the north. Some are easterly winds and some are westerly winds, some bringing sea breezes and some blow from the land, some coming at night and some by day. Some winds bring rain, some cause pollination and some winds just revive the soul, while some others bear no benefit. Allah said first.

لاّيَـتٍ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(are signs for the believers), then

يُوقِنُونَ

(who have faith with certainty), then

يَعْقِلُونَ

(who understand), thus ascending from one honorable stage to what is more honorable and higher in grade. These Ayat are similar to an Ayah in Surat Al-Baqarah

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَاخْتِلَـفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِى تَجْرِى فِى الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الاٌّرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَـحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَآءِ وَالأَرْضِ لآيَـتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

(Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving creatures of all kinds that He has spread therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed signs for people of understanding.) (2:164)

لَا يَذُوقُونَ فِيهَا الْمَوْتَ إِلَّا الْمَوْتَةَ الْأُولَىٰ (They will not taste death therein, except for the first death (they faced in the world) - 44:56). In other words, they shall suffer no death other than the first death which they had encountered at the end of their lives in this world. The dwellers of Hell as well will suffer only one death at the end of their lives in this world. The latter, however, will suffer a greater degree of torture when they will know that they will remain alive in this miserable state of punishment, whereas for the former the thought that Allah has saved them from the torment of the Hell, that the gardens of Paradise are eternal, that they will enjoy the delights of paradise for ever and its blessings will never cease or be taken away from them, will enhance the degree of their happiness, never to diminish .

Alhamdulillah

the commentary on

Surah Ad-Dukan

ends here.

To say that the Quran is a revelation from the All-Powerful and Wise God amounts to giving on His behalf a definite standard on the basis of which its veracity can be demonstrated. Its divine origin means, moreover, that it will prove to be unassailable. The Quran will, in any case, prevail over its opponents. This statement was made in the Makkan period. At that time, circumstances were entirely against the Quran. But later history has most wonderfully testified to the veracity of this statement. The call given by the Quran met with the greatest success in history. Similarly, the notion of revelation from God the Omniscient and Almighty implies that all its contents must be based on knowledge and wisdom. The Quran was revealed before the age of science. But now, even in this age of science nothing mentioned in the Quran has been proved irrational. Furthermore, all the things in the Universe spread out far and near are testimonies to the truth of the Quran’s message. However, this testimony will be valid only for one who possesses a receptive and believing mind; who is capable of grasping the real meaning of such matters as are expressed in the language of signs.