الٓر ۚ كِتَـٰبٌ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ
إِلَيْكَ لِتُخْرِجَ ٱلنَّاسَ
مِنَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ إِلَى
ٱلنُّورِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَىٰ
صِرَٰطِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَمِيدِ
ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مَا
فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا
فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَوَيْلٌ
لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ مِنْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ
ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَحِبُّونَ
ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا عَلَى
ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَيَصُدُّونَ
عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا
عِوَجًا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍۭ بَعِيدٍ
Alif-Lam-Ra.
(This is) a Book
which We have
revealed unto you
in order that you
might lead mankind
out of darkness into
light by their Lord’s
leave to the path
of the Almighty, the
Praised. Allah to
Whom belongs all
that is in the heavens
and all that is in
the earth! And woe
unto the disbelievers
from a severe torment.
Those who prefer
the life of this world
to the Hereafter, and
hinder (men) from
the path of Allah and
seek crookedness therein
– they are far astray.
Describing the Qur’an and warning Those Who defy it
Previously we discussed the meaning of the separate letters that appear in the beginnings of some Surahs.
كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَـهُ إِلَيْكَ
(This is) a Book which We have revealed unto you…
Allah says, `This is a Book that We have revealed to you, O Muhammad. This `Book’, is the Glorious Qur’an, the most honored Book, that Allah sent down from heaven to the most honored Messenger of Allah sent to all the people of the earth, Arabs and non-Arabs alike,
لِتُخْرِجَ النَّاسَ
مِنَ الظُّلُمَـتِ إِلَى النُّورِ
in order that you might lead mankind out of darkness into light
We sent you, O Muhammad, with this Book in order that you might lead mankind away from misguidance and crookedness to guidance and the right way,’
اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ
ءامَنُواْ يُخْرِجُهُم
مِّنَ الظُّلُمَـتِ إِلَى
النُّورِ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ
أَوْلِيَآؤُهُمُ الطَّـغُوتُ
يُخْرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ النُّورِ
إِلَى الظُّلُمَـتِ
Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Awliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut (false deities), they bring them out from light into darkness. Al-Baqarah 257
and,
هُوَ الَّذِى يُنَزِّلُ
عَلَى عَبْدِهِ ءَايَـتٍ
بَيِّنَـتٍ لِّيُخْرِجَكُمْ
مِّنَ الظُّلُمَـتِ إِلَى النُّورِ
It is He Who sends down manifest Ayat to His servant that He may bring you out from darkness into light. Al-Hadid 9
Allah said next,
بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ
by their Lord’s leave
He guides those whom He destined to be guided by the hand of His Messenger , whom He sent to guide them by His command,
إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْعَزِيزِ
to the path of the All-Mighty
Who can never be resisted or overpowered. Rather, Allah is Irresistible above everything and everyone else,
الْحَمِيدِ
the Praised
Who is glorified and praised in all His actions, statements, legislation, commandments and prohibitions and Who only says the truth in the information He conveys. Allah’s statement,
اللَّهِ الَّذِى لَهُ مَا
فِى السَّمَـوَتِ
وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ
Allah to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth!
is similar to,
قُلْ يَأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ
إِنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا الَّذِى
لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَـوَتِ
وَالاٌّرْضِ
Say: “O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah – to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Al-A’raf 158
Allah’s statement,
وَوَيْلٌ لِّلْكَـفِرِينَ
مِنْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ
And woe unto the disbelievers from a severe torment
means, `woe to them on the Day of Judgment because they defied you, O Muhammad, and rejected you.’ Allah described the disbelievers as preferring the life of the present world to the Hereafter, coveting the former life and working hard for its sake. They have forgotten the Hereafter and abandoned it behind their backs,
وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
and hinder (men) from the path of Allah
from following the Messengers,
وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا
and seek crookedness therein
they seek to make Allah’s path crooked, even though it is straight itself and does not deviate on account of those who defy or betray it. When the disbelievers do this, they become engulfed in ignorance and misguidance far away from truth, and therefore, there is no hope that they will gain guidance and correctness while on this state.
وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن
رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا بِلِسَانِ
قَوۡمِهِۦ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمۡۖ
فَيُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ
وَيَهۡدِى مَن يَشَآءُۚ
وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ
And We sent not a Messenger except with the language of his people, in order that he might make (the Message) clear for them. Then Allah misleads whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.