10:58 Yunus (Jonas)

ولذلك أمر تعالى بالفرح بذلك فقال‏:‏ ‏{‏قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ‏}‏ الذي هو القرآن، الذي هو أعظم نعمة ومنة، وفضل تفضل الله به على عباده ‏{‏وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ‏}‏ الدين والإيمان، وعبادة الله ومحبته ومعرفته‏.‏ ‏{‏فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ‏}‏ من متاع الدنيا ولذاتها‏.‏ فنعمة الدين المتصلة بسعادة الدارين، لا نسبة بينها، وبين جميع ما في الدنيا، مما هو مضمحل زائل عن قريب‏.‏ وإنما أمر الله تعالى بالفرح بفضله ورحمته، لأن ذلك مما يوجب انبساط النفس ونشاطها، وشكرها لله تعالى، وقوتها، وشدة الرغبة في العلم والإيمان الداعي للازدياد منهما، وهذا فرح محمود، بخلاف الفرح بشهوات الدنيا ولذاتها، أو الفرح بالباطل، فإن هذا مذموم كما قال ‏[‏تعالى عن‏]‏ قوم قارون له‏:‏ ‏{‏لَا تَفْرَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِحِينَ‏}‏ ‏.‏ وكما قال تعالى في الذين فرحوا بما عندهم من الباطل المناقض لما جاءت به الرسل‏:‏ ‏{‏فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَرِحُوا بِمَا عِنْدَهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ‏}‏

وقوله تعالى "قل بفضل الله وبرحمته فبذلك فليفرحوا" أي بهذا الذي جاءهم من الله من الهدى ودين الحق فليفرحوا فإنه أولى ما يفرحون به "هو خير مما يجمعون" أي من حطام الدنيا وما فيها من الزهرة الفانية الذاهبة لا محالة كما قال ابن أبي حاتم في تفسير هذه الآية وذكر بسنده عن بقية بن الوليد عن صفوان بن عمرو: سمعت أيفع بن عبدالله الكلاعي يقول لما قدم خراج العراق إلى عمر رضي الله عنه خرج عمر ومولى له فجعل عمر يعد الإبل فإذا هي أكثر من ذلك فجعل عمر يقول: الحمد للّه تعالى ويقول مولاه هذا والله من فضل الله ورحمته فقال عمر: كذبت ليس هذا هو الذي يقول الله تعالى "قل بفضل الله وبرحمته" الآية وهذا مما يجمعون وقد أسنده الحافظ أبو القاسم الطبراني فرواه عن أبي زرعة الدمشقي عن حيوة بن شريح عن بقية فذكره.

None can make Anything Lawful or Unlawful except Allah or Those Whom Allah has allowed to do so

Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam and others said: "This Ayah was revealed to criticize the idolators for what they used to make lawful and unlawful. Like the Bahirah, Sa'ibah and Wasilah." As Allah said:

وَجَعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالاٌّنْعَامِ نَصِيباً

(And they assign to Allah a share of the tilth and cattle which He has created.)6:136 Imam Ahmad recorded a narration from Malik bin Nadlah who said, "I came to Allah's Messenger while in filthy clothes. He said,

«هَلْ لَكَ مَالٌ؟»

(Do you have wealth) I answered, `Yes.' He said,

«مِنْ أَيِّ الْمَالِ؟»

(what kind of wealth) I answered, `All kinds; camels, slaves, horses, sheep.' So he said,

«إِذَا آَتَاكَ اللَّهُ مَالًا فَلْيُرَ عَلَيْك»

(If Allah gives you wealth, then let it be seen on you.) Then he said,

«هَلْ تُنْتَجُ إِبْلُكَ صِحَاحًا آذَانُهَا، فَتَعْمِدَ إِلَى مُوسًى فَتَقْطَعَ آذَانَهَا، فَتَقُولُ: هَذِهِ بُحْرٌ، وَتَشُقُّ جُلُودَهَا وَتَقُولُ: هَذِهِ صُرُمٌ، وَتُحَرِّمُهَا عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى أَهْلِك»

؟ (It is not that your camels are born with healthy ears, you take a knife and cut them, then say, "This is a Bahr," tear its skin, then say, `This is a Sarm," and prohibit them for yourself and your family) I replied, `Yes.' He said,

«فَإِنَّ مَا آتَاكَ اللهُ لَكَ حِلٌّ، سَاعِدُ اللهِ أَشَدُّ مِنْ سَاعِدِكَ، وَمُوسَى الله أَحَدُ مِنْ مُوسَاك»

(What Allah has given you is lawful. Allah's Forearm is stronger than your forearm, and Allah's knife is sharper then your knife.)" And he mentioned the Hadith in its complete form, and the chain for this Hadith is a strong, good chain. Allah criticized those who make lawful what Allah has made unlawful or vice verse. This is because they are based on mere desires and false opinions that are not supported with evidence or proof. Allah then warned them with a promise of the Day of Resurrection. He asked:

وَمَا ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ

(And what think those who invent a lie against Allah, on the Day of Resurrection) What do they think will happen to them when they return to Us on the Day of Resurrection Ibn Jarir said that Allah's statement:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ

(Truly, Allah is full of bounty to mankind,) indicated that the bounty is in postponing their punishment in this world. I (Ibn Kathir) say, the meaning could be that the Grace for people is in the good benefits that He made permissible for them in this world or in their religion. He also has not prohibited them except what is harmful to them in their world and the Hereafter.

وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ

(but most of them are ungrateful.) So they prohibited what Allah has bestowed upon them and made it hard and narrow upon themselves. They made some things lawful and others unlawful. The idolators committed these actions when they set laws for themselves. And so did the People of the Book when they invented innovations in their religion.

Say ‘In the bounty of God that is Islam and in His mercy the Qur’ān in that bounty and mercy let them rejoice it is better than what they hoard’ in this world read yajma‘ūn ‘they hoard’ and tajma‘ūn ‘you hoard’.

4. MERCY as in وَرَ‌حْمَةٌ (and mercy for the believers).

In the second verse (58), it was said: قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللَّـهِ وَبِرَ‌حْمَتِهِ فَبِذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَ‌حُوا هُوَ خَيْرٌ‌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ ﴿58﴾ (Say, "With the grace of Allah and with His mercy" - in these they should rejoice. It is far better than what they accumulate). The sense of the verse is that people should take only the grace and mercy of Allah Ta` ala as the real thing to be delighted about and be pleased with it. As for the short-lived worldly wealth, possession, comfort and recognition, these are things not worth being happy about in the real sense. Because, to start with, no matter how much one has, it turns out to be not as much as one would have wished. It becomes a cycle that never ends. Then, there is that ever-lurking danger that it may start declining any time. Therefore, at the end of the verse, it was said: هُوَ خَيْرٌ‌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ (It is far better than what they accumulate). Thus, the core of the meaning is that the grace and mercy of Allah is far better than the layers upon layers of wealth and property and worldly recognition and power one accumulates as the sum-total of one's entire life.

Two things have been identified as a source of delight in this verse, one being grace, and the other, mercy. What do these two mean here? Regarding this, there is a Hadith from Sayyidna Anas ؓ عنہ where it has been reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, فضل ` the :fadl (grace) of Allah denotes the Qur'an and: رحمہ : rahmah (mercy) means that you were blessed with the taufiq (ability) of reciting the Qur'an and acting in accordance with it.' (Ruh al-Ma` ani from Ibn Marduwayh)

The same thing has also been reported from Sayyidna Bara' ibn ` Azib and Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri ؓ while there are many commentators who say that fadl (grace) means the Qur'an while rahmah (mercy) signifies Islam. However, the sense remains the same as given in the Hadith appearing earlier, that is, rahmah (mercy) means that Allah Ta` ala taught us the Qur'an, gave us the taufiq to follow it practically, and that is what Islam is in reality.

And Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہما narrates that fdll means the Qur'an, and rahmah refers to the Holy Prophet ﷺ This interpretation finds support in the verse of the Holy Qur'an where it is said: وَمَا أَرْ‌سَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَ‌حْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ ﴿107﴾ (And We have not sent you [ 0 Muhammad ] except as mercy for the worlds - 21:107). However, the outcome of this too is no different from the earlier tafsir - because, acting in accordance with the Qur'an, or Islam ultimately reverts to following the lead given by the Holy Prophet Ili through his word and deed.

In this verse, the word: فَلْيَفْرَ‌حُوا (they should rejoice) has appeared in the third person in accordance with its well-known rendition (qira'ah), although its real addressees were those present there or were living at that time. The exigency of the situation required that the form used should have been that in the second person - as it does actually appear in some renditions. But, the wisdom behind the use of the third person, as in the well-known rendition, is that the universal mercy of the Holy Prophet ﷺ or Islam, was not restricted only to those present there, or living at that time. Instead, it included even the generations that will be born right through the last day of Qiyamah. (Ruh al-Ma` ni)

Special Note

At this point it is worth our attention that there is another verse of the Qur'an which, in terms of its outward literal sense, seems to indicate that this world is just no place for any highly stimulated expression of joy and merriment. It was said: لَا تَفْرَ‌حْ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَرِ‌حِين (Do not exult. Indeed, Allah does not like the exultant - Al-Qasas 28:76). The word: لَا تَفْرَ‌حْ (la tafrah) translated here as ` do not exult' means rejoicing in triumph or intoxication. But, in the verse under study (58), the command to rejoice appears in the imperative mood. One answer for this seemingly apparent contradiction is that the place where rejoicing has been prohibited is a place where rejoicing relates to the fleeting enjoyments of the mortal world. And the place where rejoicing is commanded is a place where rejoicing is related to the grace and mercy of Allah Ta` ala. Then, there is yet another difference here. Wherever rejoicing is prohibited, it does not refer to rejoicing in the absolute sense. Instead, it means getting euphoric and intoxicated in exultation and rejoicing. And wherever permitted, it means rejoicing in an absolute sense.

Say: " In the bounty of God and His mercy-in that let them rejoice, for it is better than what they gather. " " O MuḤammad! Give the faithful good news and tell them that they should be happy in the bounty and mercy of God: 'I have honored you with faith, the Qur'an, submission, and MuḤammad, so be delighted! Become intimate with remembering Me. Accept My covenant in your spirit. Delight in My love. A happy servant is he who is happy with Me. There is no happiness but happiness with Me. May he who is not happy with Me never be happy! The servant has two happinesses in Me: today he is happy with Me, and tomorrow he will be happy along with Me.' " My face is happy with Your face when You are present. May my spirit be happy with remembering You when You are absent! It has been said that the bounty of God and His mercy that you have with Him in the precedent apportioning is better than the varieties of obedience and the kinds of service that are your own self-exertion. In terms of allusion He is saying, " My servant, have confidence in My bounty and mercy, not in your own worship and service, for there is no confidence in anything other than My bounty and no ease in other than My mercy. Everyone has a resource, and the resource of the faithful is My bounty; everyone has a storehouse, and the storehouse of the poor is My mercy; everyone has a leaning place, and the leaning place of the recognizers is My precedence; everyone has a treasure, and the treasure of those who trust is My assurance; everyone has a delight, and the delight of the rememberers is remembering Me; everyone has a hope, and the hope of the friends is seeing Me. " There was a renunciant among the Children of Israel who sat for seventy years in a monastery worshiping God. After seventy years revelation came to the prophet of the time: " Say to that re- nunciant, 'You have completed beautiful days and passed a life in worshiping Me. I promise you that I will forgive you by My bounty and mercy.' " The renunciant said, " He will take me to paradise by His bounty? Where then will that seventy years of worship be seen? What about that? " In that very hour, the Exalted Lord placed a tremendous pain in one of his teeth.