Tafsir of Surah At-Tahrim - Verse 8

Teaching One's Family the Religion and Good Behavior

`Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas;

قُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَاراً

(Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell)) He said, "Work in the obedience of Allah, avoid disobedience of Allah and order your families to remember Allah, then Allah will save you from the Fire." Mujahid also commented on:

قُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَاراً

(Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell)) saying, "Have Taqwa of Allah and order your family to have Taqwa of Him." Qatadah said, "He commands obedience to Allah, to not disobey Allah, he orders his family to obey His orders and helps them to act upon His orders. When one sees disobedience, he stops them and forbids them from doing it." Similar was said by Ad-Dahhak and Muqatil; "It is an obligation for the Muslim to teach his near family members, and his male and female slaves what Allah has made obligatory for them and what Allah has forbidden for them." There is a Hadith that confirms the meaning of this Ayah. Ahmad, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi recorded that Ar-Rabi` bin Sabrah said that his father said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«مُرُوا الصَّبِيَّ بِالصَّلَاةِ إِذَا بَلَغَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ، فَإِذَا بَلَغَ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ فَاضْرِبُوهُ عَلَيْهَا»

(Order the children to pray when they reach the age of seven and when they reach the age of ten, discipline them for (not performing) it.) This is the narration that Abu Dawud collected; At-Tirmidhi said, "This Hadith is Hasan."

Fuel for Hell and a Description of its Angels

Allah said,

وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ

(whose fuel is men and stones,) indicating that the Children of Adam will be fuel for the Fire that will feed it,

وَالْحِجَارَةُ

(and stones) in reference to the idols that were worshipped, just as Allah said in another Ayah,

إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ

(Certainly you and that which you are worshipping now besides Allah, are (but) fuel for Hell!) (21:98) `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, Mujahid, Abu Ja`far Al-Baqir and As-Suddi said that these are sulfur stones that are more putrid than rotten corpses, according to Mujahid. Allah's statement,

عَلَيْهَا مَلَـئِكَةٌ غِلاَظٌ شِدَادٌ

(over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe,) means, their nature of behavior is stern, because the mercy has been taken out of their hearts for those who disbelieve in Allah,

شِدَادٌ

(severe) meaning, their structure is powerful, strong and frightening,

لاَّ يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ

(who disobey not the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.) meaning, whatever Allah commands them, they rush to obey Him, without delay for even a twinkling of an eye. They are able to fulfill the command; they are called Az-Zabaniyah, meaning, the keepers and guards of Hell, may Allah give us shelter from them.

No Excuse will be accepted from the Disbeliever on the Day of Resurrection

Allah said,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لاَ تَعْتَذِرُواْ الْيَوْمَ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(O you who disbelieve! Make no excuses this Day! You are being requited only for what you used to do.) meaning, on the Day of Resurrection, the disbeliever will be told, "Do not offer any excuse this Day, because it will not be accepted from you; you will only be recompensed for what you used to do. Today, you will receive the punishment for your actions."

Encouraging sincere Repentance

Allah the Exalted said,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ تُوبُواْ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحاً

(O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance!) meaning, a true, firm repentance that erases the evil sins that preceded it and mend the shortcoming of the repenting person, encouraging and directing him to quit the evil that he used to do. Allah said,

عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَـتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ

(It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow) And when Allah says, "it may be," it means He shall.

يَوْمَ لاَ يُخْزِى اللَّهُ النَّبِىَّ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ

(the Day that Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him) meaning, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not disgrace those who believed in the Prophet ,

نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَى بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَـنِهِمْ

(Their light will run forward before them and in their right hands.) as we explained in Surat Al-Hadid,

يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَآ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(They will say:"Our Lord! Keep perfect our light for us and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things.") Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and Al-Hasan Al-Basri and other said, "This is the statement that the believers will say on the Day of Resurrection, when they witness the light of the hypocrites being extinguished." Imam Ahmad recorded that a man from the tribe of Banu Kinanah said, "I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during the year of the Conquest (of Makkah), and heard him say,

«اللْهُمَّ لَا تُخْزِنِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة»

(O Allah! Please, do not disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection.)"

Commentary

تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا (...turn to Allah with a faithful repentance...66:8). The word taubah, literally, means 'to turn' or 'to return', in the sense of turning or withdrawing from sins. In the terminology of the Qur'an and Sunnah, it signifies 'to regret committing sins in the past and to firmly resolve abstaining from them in future'. Taubah is qualified in the verse by the word نصوح nasuh. If it is taken as the infinitive of nasaha / nasihah, it signifies 'to make pure and sincere'; and if it be derived from nasahah, it signifies 'to repair clothes by sewing'. In terms of the first meaning, the expression nasuh signifies sincere/faithful [ repentance ], free from pretence and hypocrisy. In this interpretation, a sinner is required to regret the sins he has committed and give them up purely for the pleasure of Allah and for fear of Divine chastisement. In terms of the second meaning, nasuh would signify that 'the sinner is required to repair the torn clothes of righteous deeds'. Sayyidna Hasan Basri (رح) says that taubatan nasuha signifies that a person should regret his past evil actions, and make a firm resolve never to repeat them. Kalbi says the phrase taubatan nasuha signifies that a person should pray for pardon with his tongue, regret in his heart, and should prevent the limbs of his body from committing sins in the future.

Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ was asked as to what is 'taubah' and he replied that it consists of six elements: [ 1] to regret one's past evil deeds; [ 2] to carry out Divine duties that were missed; [ 3] to restore the rights that were usurped; [ 4] to ask forgiveness of a person who has been wronged by him physically or verbally; [ 5] to make a firm resolve of avoiding the sin in future; and [ 6] to consume one's self in obedience of Allah as one thus far consumed one's self in His disobedience. [ Mazhari ]. In fact, all of the conditions of 'taubah', put forward by Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ ، are recognized by all the scholars. However, some have described them concisely and others in details.

عَسَىٰ رَ‌بُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ‌ عَنكُمْ (It is hoped from your Lord that he will write off your faults...66:8). The verb ` asa means 'it is hoped'. In this context, it purports to mean 'promise', but the expression of 'hope' is used to indicate that taubah or any other righteous deeds are not the just and equal price for the Paradise or the divine forgiveness. In fact, one compensation for man's good deeds has already been given to him in this world in the form of worldly blessings. Therefore, as regards the law of equality, it is not necessary that he is further compensated by the Jannah. It entirely depends on Divine grace and favour as is mentioned in a Hadith which says: 'Your actions alone cannot salvage you.' The Companions inquired: '0 Messenger of Allah, not even you?' He replied: 'No, not even me unless the Divine grace and mercy covers me.' [ Bukhari and Muslim as quoted by Mazhari ]

In the present world man has been kept in trial conditions and as such he is liable to commit errors. In compensation for this, he must turn towards God in repentance. In essence, true repentance comes from a sense of shame. If a man fully realises his mistake, he will feel ashamed, and this sense of shame will compel him not to indulge in such action in future. That is why a hadith says, ‘Being ashamed is repentance.’ A companion of the Prophet Muhammad said, ‘True repentance is a man turning towards God and then not repeating that action.’ Repentance has to be borne out by actions. It is not just the repetition of some words. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib saw an individual who, after making a mistake, was simply repeating the words ‘tawbah, tawbah’. ‘Ali said that this was repentance of liars. True tawbah is the light of the Hereafter and false tawbah is the darkness of the Hereafter.