Surah Maryam - Verses 41-58

[Yusuf Mullan]

Third Story: The Prophet Ibrahim (alaihis salam)

The relationship between the stories was discussed in the prelude to the Surah.

O Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), in this book, the Quran, mention in front of the people the story of Ibrahim (alaihis salam), so that the issues of Tawheed and Risalah may become very clear for them. He in every statement and deed was a person of immense truth, and he was also a prophet. The story which is intended to be mentioned here occurred when He said to his father who was a polytheist, O Father, Why do you worship that which hears nothing, sees nothing and does not benefit you at all. This is referring to idols. Although even if one possesses these attributes of hearing, seeing and benefiting, due to not being wajib al-wujood such a being would not be worthy of worship. Let alone one who isn’t even attributed with the above. It goes without saying that they are not worthy of being worshiped.


O Father, to me has come from knowledge that which has not come to you, referring to divine revelation in which there is no possibility of error. Therefore, what I say is the absolute truth. Since this is the case, then follow me. I will guide you to a straight path and that is Tawheed. O Father, do not worship Satan. That is to say, Satan-worship is something even you deem unacceptable. Idolatry certainly comprises Satan-worship, because it is Satan who calls and invites to it. Obeying anyone in a manner where you believe their teachings to be true in opposition to the Almighty is itself worship. Therefore, idolatry comprises Satan-worship. Surely Satan is disobedient to the All-merciful. How then can he be worthy of obedience. O Father, I fear and the thing feared in this case is certain to occur a chastisement reaching you, whether in this world or in the next, from the All-merciful, then you will become a colleague for Satan, sharing in his punishment. That is to say, if you choose allegiance to him in obedience then you will be his ally in the (general attribute of) being punished also, (though, Satan may not be punished in this world). No sane person should like for themselves to be a partner with Satan and share in his punishment.


Benefit


Reference to the attribute of being the All-merciful is to show that although He is the All-merciful, one should not be deluded into thinking he will not punish upon disbelief.


Continuation of the Story


Having heard all this advice from Ibrahim (alaihis salam), the father replied, Averse from my Gods are you, O Ibrahim, and for this reason you also prohibit me from their worship? Be warned! If you do not cease from condemning these idols and prohibiting me from worshiping them, I shall surely stone you to death. Therefore, desist from this and leave talking about these matters to me for good.


Ibrahim PBUH said, Fair enough, accept my”Salam”, there is no point in talking to you. I will now seek forgiveness for you from my Lord in a manner whereby he guides you, upon which forgiveness results. Indeed he is upon me gracious. So from him alone I will invoke. Both his acceptance and non-acceptance, from two different perspectives, is mercy and compassion; and since you and those on your religion do not accept the truth I propagate, there is no point in even living among you. I will physically separate myself from you and that which you worship, as I have already done with my heart. That is to say, I will now leave from here; and will worship my Lord in peace and tranquility, since staying here is causing problems in that also. I hope, meaning am certain, that by worshiping my Lord I will not be unprosperous, as polytheists remain unprosperous when worshiping their false gods. Thus, after this conversation he completely withdrew from them and migrated to the lands of Sham. When he withdrew in this manner from them and what they were worshiping, we gave to him a son Ishaq and a grand-son Yaqoob (alaihimas salam), who in terms of companionship were far superior to the polytheist community he left behind; and we made each one of them a Prophet, and by granting innumerable perfections, we gave to them a portion from our mercy; and in future generations we made their renown righteous and exalted. Everyone remembers them with veneration and respect. Prior to Ishaaq, Ismail had already been granted with these same qualities.

Benefits

Not mentioning Ismail (alaihis salam) in this place is because he had been granted prior to the rest, and mention of those who came later relieves from the mention of the one granted earlier. Secondly, his mention will come primarily after a few verses. Thirdly, just as by mentioning Ibrahim (alaihis salam), the purpose was to attract the hearts of the polytheist Arabs, mentioning Ishaq and Yaqoob (alaihimas salam) was to do the same for the People of the book. For this reason Musa (alaihis salam) is mentioned in the immediately following verses. Islmail (alaihis salam) will be mentioned after this - and Allah knows best the secrets contained within his book.

[Yusuf Mullan]

Fourth Story: Musa (alaihis salam)

And in this book, the Quran, make mention also of Musa (alaihis salam). That is to say, tell the people. Otherwise, the one mentioning in the book in reality is Allah, Most High. Without doubt, he was a chosen one of Allah, Most High, and he was a messenger, a prophet. And We called him from the right side of the mount Tur, and We brought him close to communicate in secret. And, out of our mercy, we granted him his brother Harun, by making him a prophet; meaning, upon his request, We made him a prophet in order to support him in his mission; and in this book make mention of Ismaail (alaihis slam) also. He was indeed true to his promise, and he was a messenger, a prophet; and he would enjoin upon his people in general all matters of religion but specifically Salah and Zakah; and according to his Lord, he was a favoured one; and in this book mention Idrees (alaihis salam) also. He was a person of immense truth, a prophet. And in matters of perfection We elevated him to a high rank.

These people mentioned from the beginning of the Surah until this piont; Zakariya until Idrees (alaihimus salam), they are those upon whom Allah, Most High, has bestowed special favour. Hence what favour could be greater than prophethood, from among the prophets. This attribute is common between all. They were all from the progeny of Adam (alaihis salam), and some of them were from the progeny of those whom we boarded with Nuh in the Ark. Other than Idrees (alaihis salam) who was from the ancestors of Nuh, this attribute is found in all; and some of them were from the progeny of Ibrahim and Yaqoob (alaihis salam). Hence Zakariya, Yahya, Eisa, and Musa (alaihimus salam) were from the progeny of both, while Ishaq and Ismaeel were only from the children of Ibrahim (alaihimus salam); and all of these noble people were from those whom we guided and selected. So they all had a special acceptance and distinction.Despite this acceptance and distinction though, the level of their servitude was such that when the verses of the All-merciful were recited in their presence, displaying extreme humility, dependency and obedience they would fall in prostration, crying.

Benefits

Here there are several points of interest:

1. Regarding the difference between Rasool and Nabi there are multiple opinions. Taking into account various verses what seems the most established to us is that the relationship between the two positions is that of ‘umoom wa khusoos min wajhin’. Rasool is he who delivers a new sacred law to the ones being addressed, regardless of whether it is a new law with respect to the messenger himself like the Tawrat was for Sayidna Musa PBUH or a passed down one, as in the case of Ismaeel PBUH who was sent to the people of Jurhum with the law of Ibrahim PBUH. The Jurhumites became aware of the law through Ismaeel; for them it was new. Also, regardless of whether the Rasool is also a prophet or not. For instance, angles have been termed rusul whereas they were not prophets, or as those sent by other prophets for the purpose of propagation as mentioned in Surah Yaseen. Nabi on the other hand is he who receives divine revelation, irrespective of whether the given sacred law is new or old. This was the case with the majority of the prophets of Bani Israeel. Most were propagating the laws of Musa PBUH. However, due to it being generally understood that a Rasool will also be a prophet (although not technically required), it is not permissible to use to the term for a non-prophet.

2. The secrecy mentioned in relation to the revelation occurring upon Musa PBUH is because he was alone at that time. Though later, others did become aware of it by his telling them.

3. The side of the mount was described as ‘ayman’ because it fell on Musa PBUH’s right hand side.

4. Harun being granted to Musa PBUT was in terms of strengthening his mission and support.

5. While mentioning the attributes of Ismaeel PBUH, being true to his promise was specifically chosen because this quality was found in him to a very high degree. We see a great instance of this in the Quran itself where in his childhood in relation to slaughter he fulfilled the very stern promise of satajidunee insha Allahu min as sabireen.

6. If ahlihi refers to the general community then it would be all-encompassing. Otherwise, if his immediate family is meant, the possible reasons for this specification could be two. Either it means he initiated propagation with those most close to him which is the way of the du’aat wa andhir ‘asheerataka al-aqrabeen, or he focused on his family in order that others may follow in their footsteps.

7. The specific mention of Salah and Zakah is for importance, not for exclusion.

8. Here various shared attributes of the prophets being listed separately was for the purpose of stylistic variety. There is no need to excessively dwell on it.

9. The raising, space and elevation occurring in the story of Idrees PBUH were all of a nonmaterial nature. The story quoted in this regard pointing towards physical ascension, even if authentic, the interpretation of the verses does need to be made dependant upon it. Elevation and raising are frequently used in a nonmaterial sense. Even ‘place’ being used for the non-physical has been shown by Imam Aloosi through a certain line of poetry.

10.Since many deviants had committed degradation and excess in the matter of the prophets, throughout the preceding verses, Allah, Most High, mentioned for them two types of attributes; their being chosen and bearers of perfection, as this is a cure for degradation, and their being humble and obedient servants, as this is the cure for excess. Allah knows best the secrets contained within his book.

[Yusuf Mullan]

Download the clarification here, or listen below:

[SunniWaqas]

Assalam u alaikum,

Here are my notes for verses 41 - 50. Whoever reads and benefits from these, my request is to please make sincere Du'a for me!

(41) Story of Ibrahim (as) is about to begin; relationship between this verse and the ones immediately preceding it is that it comprises upon tadhleel (misguidance) of those who attributed divinity to the inanimate as the previous verses which comprised attribution of divinity to the living; both groups are misguided but the 2nd group is MORE misguided.

1st opinion - ‘wadhkur’ is ma’toof of ‘anzirhum’ according to Abus Sa’ood i.e. ‘warn them of this and mention (in front of the people) the story of Ibrahim (as)’ because they linked themselves to him so perhaps by hearing his story, they’ll refrain and desist from the qabaai’h they were engaged in.

2nd opinion – ma’toof on the previous ‘wadhkur fil kitaabi maryam’ and this one is more clear i.e. story upon story.

‘Mention (O Prophet) the story of Ibrahim (as) (in front of the people so that the issues of Tauheed and Risalah may become very clear for them)’.

‘innahu…’ – He (in every statement and deed) was a true Prophet. From this point, it’s called ‘ta’leelun li moojabil amri’ – a Jumlah which is giving the cause for the previous command i.e. ‘Mention Ibrahim (as) because he was a Siddiqan Nabiyyan’ and that makes him worthy of mention.

‘siddiqan nabiyyaa’ = ‘person of immense truth and a Prophet’. Both these are khabar of kaana and not mausoof sifah.

Siddiq coming first and Nabi coming later is for exaggeration and also to clarify that a non-Prophet can be a friend. If the order was otherwise, then it could be understood that in order to become a friend, you’ve to be a Prophet. Siddiq is adnaa and the Nabi is a’laa. Ibrahim (as) is a gatherer between the two i.e. Siddiq and Nabi.

(42) ‘(The portion of his story occurred) when he said…’

‘ta’budu’ = maf’ul bihi of this verb is omitted. The ‘maa’ is a mausool ‘maa’ and not in the place of maf’ul bihi.

‘yasma’u’ and ‘yubsiru’ = maf’ul bihis of these two are omitted. Imam ‘Alusi (ra) says:

1) ‘does not hear your praise of it’ and ‘does not see your khushoo’ and humbleness in front of it’.
2) ‘unable to hear or see anything of the things that are heard or seen’ so this interpretation is general and includes the first one too.

‘yughni’ = benefit.

‘shayan’ = at all.

He’s singling out seeing, hearing, and benefiting – even though the one who does possess it would STILL not be worthy of worship because of the lack of ‘wajib ul wujood’ = no beginning, no end – so this being would not be worthy of worship in the first place.

(43) ‘min al’ilmi’ maa’ = the ‘min al’ilmi’ is the clarifier for the ‘maa’ coming later. The ‘min’ would be for bayaan i.e. tabyeen and it would be linked to the ‘maa’.

‘ya’tika’ = come to you. His father was in absolute ignorance and he himself was at the height of knowledge (divine revelation) but he didn’t say that to his father. He ‘manifested’ himself as a companion who is higher in knowledge to attract his heart.

‘(since that is the case) so follow me..’

‘ahdika…’ = I will guide you to a straight path (path of Tauheed)

(44) ‘la ta’bud ishshaytaan…’ = Satan worship is certainly something which even you deem to be bad and this is certainly Satan worship because he’s the one who calls towards it. Allah (swt) says don’t do it and Satan says do it so if one is to obey Satan in opposition to Allah (swt) so that would definitely be worship and therefore idolatry definitely comprises Satan worship.

‘inna…’ = This is a ‘taleelun li moojabil nahyi’ – a Jumlah which gives the cause for the previous negative command. In this case, it’s strengthening it by mentioning that this Shaytaan is far ahead in rebellion (musta’sin) upon the one whose Rahmah has encompassed you i.e. Allah (swt). So, since he’s in rebellion to Allah (swt), how is he worthy of obedience? Everyone who’s disobedient is worthy of being stripped of the Rahmah and being punished and all of this is coming from the single word ‘rahman’.

The above is Imam ‘Alusi (ra) interpretation.

Ml. Thanwi (ra): Surely, Shaytaan is disobedient to the All-Merciful. How then could he be worthy of obedience?

‘asiyyaa’ = rebellious.

(45) ‘akhaafu’ = I fear (and the thing which is feared is certain to happen - Ml. Thanwi(ra)) but he doesn’t say it’ll happen because he doesn’t want to alienate his father. He uses this word because of being nice/considerate/courteous to his father.

Imam Raghib (ra): ‘khauf’ = anticipation of the disliked due to some known sign but it’s not certain it will happen.

Imam Farraa’(ra) and Imam Tabari (ra): ‘khauf’ = in the meaning of ‘ilm’.

‘yamassaka azhaabun’ = a punishment reaching you (whether in this world or the next).

Imam Sa’duddeen Taftazani (ra)/Imam Abus Sa’ood (ra): The tanween at the end of ‘azhaab’ is for ta’zheem (stronger opinion) to show that, even though He’s ar-Rahman, this ‘azaab will be GREAT.

There’s also a hidden Sifah here ‘coming’ to which the ‘min ar-rahman’ connects and this hidden Sifah further increases the magnitude of this punishment (!). So, don’t be deluded and don’t be fooled!

Weaker opinion is that it’s for taqleel = scarcity.

‘ar-rahman’ was mentioned explicitly to indicate that the attribute of being the most merciful will not stop the coming of the punishment. Ml. Thanwi (ra) mentions something similar.

‘fatakoona…’ = then you will be for Shaytaan a colleague (sharing in his punishment) i.e. if you choose his obedience then you will be an ally with him in his punishment though he may not be punished in this world.

The ‘shaytaan’ is brought here instead of ‘lahu’ and this is a perfect example of the ‘wadul muzhari maudhi’ al mudhmar’ and this is done to add the stress/emphasis i.e. like in bold/italics.

(46) ‘(Having heard all of this advice from Ibrahim (as)) He said averse/disinterested are you from my Gods O Ibrahim!’

Imam Zamakshari (ra): Raaghib is the Khabar coming first; anta is the Mubtada.
Others (including Imam Abus Sa’ood (ra)): Other way round i.e Raaghib is the mubtada and ‘anta’ is the Faa’il for the Raaghib filling the slot of the Khabar.

‘laillam tantahi…’ = ‘Be warned (if you do not seize from condemning these idols and prohibiting me from worshipping them), I shall surely stone you (therefore desist) and leave talking about these matters for good.’

Ml. Thanwi (ra) pulled out ‘therefore desist/seize AND leave me’ before the ‘wahjurni’. ‘la arjumannaka’ is a Mudhari’ verb which means he could be lying when he says that. ‘Atf ul Inshaa ‘alal Ikhbaar is not permissible according to some grammarians and not good according to others. So, to avoid this, Ml. Thanwi (ra) pulls out a ‘desist’ command verb before the ‘waw’ so that now it’s a command upon the command.

‘maliyyan’ = forever.

(47) ‘(Fair enough) accept my Salam’ = goodbye Salam (there’s no point talking to you).

‘sa astaghfiru…’ = Ml. Thanwi (ra) inserts after the sentence (in a manner whereby he guides you upon which forgiveness results) and this type of Du’a for a Kafir is permissible.

‘innahu…’ = ‘Indeed, he’s with me gracious’ so I am going to invoke him alone/directly. If he accepts it, it’s mercy. If he doesn’t, it’s mercy too – there’s a wisdom behind it which we don’t know.

(48) ‘(There’s no point in even living among you) so I will physically separate myself from you and that which you invoke other than Allah (swt) (as I’ve already done mentally)…’

‘asaa…’ = ‘Perhaps (out of adab and tawaadhu’) I will not be, in the supplicating of my Lord, unsuccessful’ (as Mushriks remain unsuccessful in invoking their false gods).

Benefits of ‘asaa (perhaps):

i) Expression of humbleness.
ii) Consideration of good Adab.
iii) Alerting upon the reality of the matter i.e. rewarding and accepting of prayer is by means of Allah (swt) being virtuous and it’s not Wajib upon Him (swt) to accept it.
iv) The fact that judgment is made by the end result and the end result is from the hidden, unseen matters which are specific to the Most Knowledgeable i.e. Allah (swt).

After this conversation, he withdrew from them and migrated to Shaam.

(49) ‘falamma…’ = ‘When he separated from them and that which they worshipped other than Allah (swt)…’

Allah (swt) granted him a son Ishaq (as) and his grandson (Ya’qoob) who in terms of companionship were far superior to the polytheist community he left behind.

‘wa kullan…’ = ‘and He made each one of them a Prophet.’

(50) ‘(and by granting innumerable perfections) we granted them a portion from our mercy and (in future generations) we made their renown (their dhikr/mention) righteous and sublime. ’

‘lisaan’ = tongue but here it’s a Majaaz for good mention/renown since the tongue is a Sabab for the mention and the Musabbab was intended.

‘sidqin ‘aliyyan’ = Both modifiers for this ‘renown’ but they are not Mausoof Sifah twice. The first is Mudhaaf towards it i.e. Mausoof, Mudhaaf towards a Sifah (idhafah lafziyya) and the ‘aliyyan is a second adjective. First one is done by means of Idhafah, second one is extension. The attribute of ‘sidq’ is so strongly attached to the ‘lisaan’ that it is as if it possesses it so it’s expressed as a Mudhaaf/Mudhaaf Ileh.

Reasons for not mentioning Isma'eel (as) in this verse are covered in the last paragraph of Mufti Sahib's notes above.

[Yusuf Mullan]

Great notes, mashaAllah. BarakAllah feekum.

Edit: just noticed a couple of inaccuracies in the notes posted above (post 4). We'll leave them open so maybe someone else can catch them.. Otherwise, I'll edit the post and fix them in 1-2 days from now.

[Yusuf Mullan]

Originally Posted by SunniWaqas

Siddiq coming first and Nabi coming later is for exaggeration and also to clarify that a non-Prophet can be a friend. If the order was otherwise, then it could be understood that in order to become a friend, you’ve to be a Prophet. Siddiq is adnaa and the Nabi is a’laa. Ibrahim (as) is a gatherer between the two i.e. Siddiq and Nabi.

The use of "friend" in this context is a mistake.. it probably crept in because sadeeq means friend.

Siddiq has to do with immense truth or strong belief either coming from sidq or from tasdeeq.

‘ta’budu’ = maf’ul bihi of this verb is omitted. The ‘maa’ is a mausool ‘maa’ and not in the place of maf’ul bihi.

You asked the question in class when I was talking about the maf'ul bihis for yasma'u and yubsiru and I said this maa is not the maf'ul bihi (coming first) for these two verbs. As for ta'budu, of course the maa would be the maf'ul bihi for that verb. I was negating it being MB for the two verbs coming later and said that would only happen in interrogative structures like maa ta'budoona (What do you worship).

‘laillam tantahi…’ = ‘Be warned (if you do not seize from condemning these idols and prohibiting me from worshipping them), I shall surely stone you (therefore desist) and leave talking about these matters for good.’

Be warned is not part of the translation.. so I guess the brackets are in the wrong place.

Ml. Thanwi (ra) pulled out ‘therefore desist/seize AND leave me’ before the ‘wahjurni’. ‘la arjumannaka’ is a Mudhari’ verb which means he could be lying when he says that. ‘Atf ul Inshaa ‘alal Ikhbaar is not permissible according to some grammarians and not good according to others. So, to avoid this, Ml. Thanwi (ra) pulls out a ‘desist’ command verb before the ‘waw’ so that now it’s a command upon the command.

I only explained it that way to illustrate the fact that la arjumanna is an informative sentence.. it's being an informative sentence was the point.. not the fact that he could be lying. The way you worded it seems to suggest his possibly being a liar was the primary point.

[SunniWaqas]

JazakAllahu Khairan for catching those inaccuracies!

For the "Be Warned" translation, would it then be: "(Be warned) if you do not seize (from condemning these idols and prohibiting me from worshipping them), ..."?

Wassalaam

[Yusuf Mullan]

Originally Posted by SunniWaqas

JazakAllahu Khairan for catching those inaccuracies!

For the "Be Warned" translation, would it then be: "(Be warned) if you do not seize (from condemning these idols and prohibiting me from worshipping them), ..."?

Wassalaam

Yes. That is correct.

[nadeemabdulhamid]

At the end of the story of Ibrahim alayhis-salaam, the ayah "wahabna lahum min rahmatina..." translation is given as: we gave to them a portion from our mercy. Is the "a portion" part in brackets? And/or, in the original, is there understood to be an omitted maf'ool bihi, because later in the ayats about Musa alayhis salaam, the verb wahabna comes with a maf'ool bihi -- wahabna lahu *akhaahu..* ?

[Yusuf Mullan]

The portion part is part of the translation itself.. ham ne un ko apni rahmat kaa ek hissa diya. The min is for tab'eedh, in the meaning of ba'dh and therefore this would be fi ma'hallin nasb on the basis of maf'ul bihi, and jar/majroor -> muta'alliq would not apply.

In the Harun PBUH verse.. the same would apply according to one interpretation.. in that case, akhaahu would be badl. Abu al-Saood mentioned this about the second verse. It is in the recording.