15:87 Al-Hijr (The Rock)

يقول تعالى ممتنًّا على رسوله { ولقد آتيناك سبعا من المثاني } وهن -على الصحيح- السور السبع الطوال: \" البقرة \" و \" آل عمران \" و \" النساء \" و \" المائدة \" و \" الأنعام \" و \" الأعراف \" و \" الأنفال \" مع \" التوبة \" أو أنها فاتحة الكتاب لأنها سبع آيات، فيكون عطف { القرآن العظيم } على ذلك من باب عطف العام على الخاص، لكثرة ما في المثاني من التوحيد، وعلوم الغيب، والأحكام الجليلة، وتثنيتها فيها.وعلى القول بأن \" الفاتحة \" هي السبع المثاني معناها: أنها سبع آيات، تثنى في كل ركعة، واذا كان الله قد أعطاه القرآن العظيم مع السبع المثاني كان قد أعطاه أفضل ما يتنافس فيه المتنافسون، وأعظم ما فرح به المؤمنون، { قل بفضل الله وبرحمته فبذلك فليفرحوا هو خير مما يجمعون }

يقول تعالى لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم كما آتيناك القرآن العظيم فلا تنظرن إلى الدنيا وزينتها وما متعنا به أهلها من الزهرة الفانية لنفتنهم فيه فلا تغبطهم بما هم فيه ولا تذهب نفسك عليم حسرات حزنا عليهم في تكذيبهم لك ومخالفتهم دينك وقد اختلف في السبع المثاني ما هي فقال ابن مسعود وابن عمر وابن عباس ومجاهد وسعيد بن جبير والضحاك وغيرهم: هي السبع الطوال يعنون البقرة وآل عمران والنساء والمائدة والأنعام والأعراف ويونس نص عليه ابن عباس وسعيد بن جبير وقال سعيد بين فيهن الفرائض والحدود والقصص والأحكام وقال ابن عباس بين الأمثال والخبر والعبر وقال ابن أبي حاتم: حدثنا أبي حدثنا ابن أبي عمر قال: قال سفيان: المثاني البقرة وآل عمران والنساء والمائدة والأنعام والأعراف والأنفال وبراءة سورة واحدة قال ابن عباس: ولم يعطهن أحد إلا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأعطي موسى منهن ثنتين رواه هشيم عن الحجاج عن الوليد بن العيذار عن سعيد بن جبير عنه. وقال الأعمش عن مسلم البطين عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس قال: أوتي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم سبعا من المثاني الطول وأوتي موسى عليه السلام ستا فلما ألقى الألواح ارتفع اثنتان وبقيت أربع. وقال مجاهد: هي السبع الطوال ويقال هي القرآن العظيم. وقال خصيف عن زياد بن أبي مريم في قوله تعالى " سبعا من المثاني " قال أعطيتك سبعة أجزاء مر وانه وبشر وأنذر واضرب الأمثال واعدد النعم وأنبئك بنبإ القرآن. رواه ابن جرير وابن أبي حاتم " والقول الثاني " أنها الفاتحة وهي سبع آيات. وروي ذلك عن علي وعمر وابن مسعود وابن عباس قال ابن عباس: والبسملة هي الآية السابعة وقد خصكم الله بها. وبه قال إبراهيم النخعي وعبد الله بن عبيد بن عمير وابن أبي ملكية وشهر بن حوشب والحسن البصري ومجاهد. وقال قتادة: ذكر لنا أنهن فاتحة الكتاب وأنهن يثنين في كل ركعة مكتوبة أو تطوع واختاره ابن جرير واحتج بالأحاديث الواردة في ذلك وقد قدمناها في فضائل سورة الفاتحة في أول التفسير ولله الحمد. وقد أورد البخاري رحمه الله تعالى ههنا حديثين أحدهما قال: حدثنا محمد بن بشار حدثنا غندر حدثنا شعبة عن حبيب بن عبد الرحمن عن حفص بن عاصم عن أبي سعيد بن المعلى قال: مر بي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأنا أصلي فدعاني فلم آته حتى صليت فأتيته فقال " ما منعك أن تأتيني؟ " فقلت كنت أصلي فقال " ألم يقل الله " يا أيها الذين آمنوا استجيبوا لله وللرسول إذا دعاكم " ألا أعلمك أعظم سورة في القرآن قبل أن أخرج من المسجد " فذهب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ليخرج فذكرت فقال " الحمد لله رب العالمين " هي السبع المثاني والقرآن العظيم الذي أوتيته " " الثاني "قال: حدثنا آدم حدثنا ابن أبي ذئب حدثنا المقبري عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم " أم القرآن هي السبع المثاني والقرآن العظيم " فهذا نص فى أن الفاتحة السبع المثاني والقرآن العظيم ولكن لا ينافي وصف غيرها من السبع الطول بذلك لما فيها من هذه الصفة كما لا ينافي وصف القرآن بكماله بذلك أيضا كما قال تعالى " الله نزل أحسن الحديث كتابا متشابها مثاني " فهو مثاني من وجه ومتشابه من وجه وهو القرآن العظيم أيضا كما أنه عليه الصلاة والسلام لما سئل عن المسجد الذي أسس على التقوى فأشار إلى مسجده والآية نزلت في مسجد قباء فلا تنافي فإن ذكر الشيء لا ينفي ذكر ما عداه إذا اشتركا فى تلك الصفة والله أعلم.

A Reminder of the Blessing of the Qur'an and the Command to focus on its Message

Allah is saying to His Prophet : Since We have given you the Grand Qur'an, then do not look at this world and its attractions, or the transient delights that we have given to its people in order to test them. Do not envy what they have in this world, and do not upset yourself with regret for their rejection of you and their opposition to your religion.

وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِمَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(And lower your wings to the believers who follow you) (26:215) meaning - be gentle with them, like the Ayah,

لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from among yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is anxious for you, for the believers - he is full of pity, kind and merciful)(9:128). There were some differences among the scholars over the meaning of "seven of the Mathani". Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Umar, Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ad-Dahhak and others said that they are the seven long (Surahs), meaning Al-Baqarah, Al- `Imran, An-Nisa', Al-Ma'idah, Al-An`am, Al-A`raf and Yunus. There are texts to this effect reported from Ibn `Abbas and Sa`id bin Jubayr. Sa`id said: "In them, Allah explains the obligations, the Hudud (legal limits), stories and rulings." Ibn `Abbas said, "He explains the parables, stories and lessons." The second opinion is that they (the seven of the Mathani) are Al-Fatihah, which is composed of seven Ayat. This was reported from `Ali, `Umar, Ibn Mas`ud and Ibn `Abbas. Ibn `Abbas said: "The Bismillah, is completing seven Ayah, which Allah has given exclusively to you (Muslims)." This is also the opinion of Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, `Abdullah bin `Umayr, Ibn Abi Mulaykah, Shahr bin Hawshab, Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Mujahid. Al-Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, recorded two Hadiths on this topic. (The first) was recorded from Abu Sa`id bin Al-Mu`alla, who said: "The Prophet passed by me while I was praying. He called out for me but I did not come until I finished my prayer. Then I came to him, and He asked,

«مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَنِي؟»

(What stopped you from coming to me) I said, `I was praying'. He said,

«أَلَمْ يَقُلِ اللهُ (`Did not Allah say

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ

(O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you...) 8:24

أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكَ أَعْظَمَ سُورَةٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَخْرُجَ مِنَ الْمَسْجِد»

(Shall I not teach you the most magnificent Surah before I leave the Masjid) Then the Prophet went to leave the Masjid, and I reminded him, so he said,

الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

("Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil-'Alamin All praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists)(1:2).

هِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنُ الَّذِي أُوتِيتُه»

(This is the seven of the Mathani and the Qur'an which I have been given.)" (The second Hadith) was reported from Abu Hurayrah who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«أُمُّ الْقُرْآنِ هِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنُ الْعَظِيم»

(Umm Al-Qur'an (the Mother or the Essence of the Qur'an,) is the seven Mathani, and the Grand Qur'an.) This means that Al-Fatihah is the seven Mathani and the Grand Qur'an, but this does not contradict the statement that the seven Mathani are the seven long Surahs, because they also share these attributes, as does the whole Qur'an. As Allah says,

اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَـباً مُّتَشَـبِهاً مَّثَانِيَ

(Allah has sent down the best statement, a Book (this Qur'an), its parts resembling each other in goodness and truth, oft-recited) (39:23). So it is oft-recited in one way, and its parts resemble one another in another way, and this is also the Grand Qur'an.

لاَ تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَى مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّنْهُمْ

(Look not with your eyes ambitiously at what We have given to certain classes of them) 20: 131 meaning, be content with the Grand Qur'an that Allah has given to you, and do not long for the luxuries and transient delights that they have.

لاَ تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ

(Look not with your eyes ambitiously) Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "He in this Ayah forbade a man to wish for what his companion has."

إِلَى مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّنْهُمْ

(at what We have given to certain classes of them,) Mujahid said: "This refers to the rich."

And verily We have given you seven of the oft-repeated verses — the Prophet s said that this meant sūrat al-Fātiha as reported by the two Shaykhs Bukhārī and Muslim since it is repeated in every unit of prayer rak‘a — and the great Qur’ān.

Commentary

Surah Al-Fatihah is the Text and Summary of the Whole Qur'an

That Surah Al-Fatihah (The Opening) has been called the Glorious Qur’ an in this verse (87) indicates that Surah Al-Fatihah is, in a way, the whole Qur’ an - because the basic principles of Islam have been merged in it.l

1. In order to understand this, one must keep in mind that the words: اَلسَبعَ المثانِی واَلقُرآن (the seven oft repeated verses and the glorious Qur'an) in verse (87) are interpreted by the commentators in different ways. Most of them are of the view that 'seven oft-repeated verses' refer to Surah al-Fatihah which consists of seven verses. Since these seven verses are repeated in every Salah, they have been referred to in the verse 87 as 'oft-repeated verses'. Then, the words 'and the glorious Qur'an' occurring after it are of explanatory nature which refer to the same 'seven oft repeated verses'. Therefore, the name of the 'glorious Qur'an' has been given here to the Surah al-Fatihah itself. The comment of the author is based on this interpretation.

On Being Questioned in Al-Mal} shar : About what will it be?

In verse 92, swearing by His Own sacred Being, Allah Ta’ ala has declared that all such people who came earlier or later shall definitely be questioned.

The Sahabah ؓ asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ as to what it will be about. He said that it will be about saying: لا إله إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah: there is no god worthy of worship but Allah). Al-Qurtubi, after reporting this narration in his Tafsir, has said: It means the fulfilling of this pledge practically as signified by the Kalimah Tayyibah: La ilaha illallah. A simple verbal statement is not what is desired here because, as for verbal attestation, that was done by the hypocrites (munafiqin) too. Hazrat al-Hasan al-Basri (رح) said: 'Iman (faith) does not become a living reality by taking on a particular style and form, and Din (religion) does not prosper by simply having the best of wishes for it. 'Iman is the name of that certitude which has been poured into the heart and which has been proved true by deeds. This is well illustrated by a Hadith from Sayyidna Zayd ibn Arqam in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been reported to have said: A person who says: لا إله إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah : there is no god worthy of worship but Allah) with ikhlas (totally unalloyed sincerity) will definitely go to Jannah. People asked: Ya Rasul Allah, how is 'ikhlas' related to this Kalimah? He said: When this Kalimah stops a person from what has been prohibited by Allah as unlawful and impermissible, then, it is with 'ikhlas' (with sincerity in the absolute sense). (Qurtubi)

(We have given thee seven of the oft-repeated (verses) and the great Qur'an�) [15:87]. Al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl said: �Seven caravans, belonging to the Jews of Qurayzah and al-Nadir from Busrah and Adhri'at, arrived in the same day. They brought different kinds of linen, stuff of perfumes and jewels and sea stuff. The Muslims said: 'Had these riches been ours, we would have derived some strength from them and spent them in the way of Allah'. And so Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse. He said: 'I have given you seven verses which are better than these seven caravans'. The authenticity of this report is evidenced by what Allah, exalted is He, says after this verse (Strain not thine eyes toward that which We cause some wedded pairs among them to enjoin) [15:88]�.