25:64 Al-Furqaan (The Criterion)

{ وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا } أي: يكثرون من صلاة الليل مخلصين فيها لربهم متذللين له كما قال تعالى: { تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ }

ثم ذكر أن ليلهم خير ليل فقال تعالى "والذين يبيتون لربهم سجدا وقياما" أي في طاعته وعبادته كما قال تعالى "كانوا قليلا من الليل ما يهجعون وبالأسحار هم يستغفرون" وقوله "تتجافي جنوبهم عن المضاجع" الآية. وقال تعالى "أمن هو قانت آناء الليل ساجدا وقائما يحذر الآخرة ويرجو رحمة ربه" الآية.

Attributes of the Servants of the Most Gracious

These are the attributes of the believing servants of Allah,

الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الاٌّرْضِ هَوْناً

(those who walk on the earth Hawna,) meaning that they walk with dignity and humility, not with arrogance and pride. This is like the Ayah:

وَلاَ تَمْشِ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مَرَحًا

(And walk not on the earth with conceit and arrogance...) (17:37). So these people do not walk with conceit or arrogance or pride. This does not mean that they should walk like sick people, making a show of their humility, for the leader of the sons of Adam (the Prophet) used to walk as if he was coming downhill, and as if the earth were folded up beneath him. What is meant here by Hawn is serenity and dignity, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«إِذَا أَتَيْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فَلَا تَأْتُوهَا وَأَنْتُمْ تَسْعَونَ، وَأْتُوهَا وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّكِينَةُ فَمَا أَدْرَكْتُمْ مِنْهَا فَصَلُّوا، وَمَا فَاتَكُمْ فَأَتِمُّوا»

(When you come to the prayer, do not come rushing in haste. Come calmly and with tranquility, and whatever you catch up with, pray, and whatever you miss, make it up.)

وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الجَـهِلُونَ قَالُواْ سَلاَماً

(and when the foolish address them they say: "Salama.") If the ignorant people insult them with bad words, they do not respond in kind, but they forgive and overlook, and say nothing but good words. This is what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did: the more ignorant the people, the more patient he would be. This is as Allah says:

وَإِذَا سَمِعُواْ اللَّغْوَ أَعْرَضُواْ عَنْهُ

(And when they hear Al-Laghw (evil or vain talk), they withdraw from it) (28:55). Then Allah says that their nights are the best of nights, as He says:

وَالَّذِينَ يِبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّداً وَقِيَـماً

(And those who spend the night in worship of their Lord, prostrate and standing.) meaning, worshipping and obeying Him. This is like the Ayat:

كَانُواْ قَلِيلاً مِّن الَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ - وَبِالاٌّسْحَـرِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ

(They used to sleep but little by night. And in the hours before dawn, they were asking for forgiveness) (51:17-18).

تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ

(Their sides forsake their beds...) (32:16).

أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ ءَانَآءَ الَّيْلِ سَـجِداً وَقَآئِماً يَحْذَرُ الاٌّخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُواْ رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ

(Is one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord...) (39:9). Allah says:

وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَاماً

(And those who say: "Our Lord! Avert from us the torment of Hell. Verily, its torment is ever an inseparable punishment.") meaning, ever-present and never ending. Al-Hasan said concerning the Ayah,

إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَاماً

(Verily, its torment is ever an inseparable, permanent punishment.) Everything that strikes the son of Adam, then disappears, does not constitute an inseparable, permanent punishment. The inseparable, permanent punishment is that which lasts as long as heaven and earth. This was also the view of Sulayman At-Taymi.

إِنَّهَا سَآءَتْ مُسْتَقَرّاً وَمُقَاماً

(Evil indeed it is as an abode and as a place to rest in.) means, how evil it looks as a place to dwell and how evil it is as a place to rest.

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَنفَقُواْ لَمْ يُسْرِفُواْ وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُواْ

(And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor stingy...) They are not extravagant, spending more than they need, nor are they miserly towards their families, not spending enough on their needs. But they follow the best and fairest way. The best of matters are those which are moderate, neither one extreme nor the other.

وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ قَوَاماً

(but are in a just balance between them.) This is like the Ayah,

وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ يَدَكَ مَغْلُولَةً إِلَى عُنُقِكَ وَلاَ تَبْسُطْهَا كُلَّ الْبَسْطِ

(And let not your hand be tied to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach.)(17:29)

and who spend the night before their Lord prostrating sujjad is the plural of sājid and standing in worship in other words they spend the night performing prayers;

The Fourth Characteristic

وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَ‌بِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا (and those who pass the night prostrating and standing before their Lord, - 25:64). Special mention of night worship is made here firstly, because this time being a time of rest, requires extra effort, and secondly because it rules out the possibility of showing one's worship to others. The idea is to express that they spend their day and night in submission before Allah during the day by teaching and spreading religious tenets and struggling in the way of Allah and at night by praying before Him. The sayings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ have extolled the night prayers (تَھَجّد). Tirmidhi has reported on the authority of Sayyidna Abu 'Umamah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "Remain steadfast to your night prayers as this has been the practice of all righteous people before your time, and this will bring you closer to Allah Ta’ ala and will expiate the evils and keep you away from sins". (Mazhari)

Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has said that one who has offered two or more Rak'ats after 'Isha' prayers is also covered by the verse. (Mazhari from Bayhaqi and Sayyidna ` Uthman ؓ is reported to have observed that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that one who has offered his ` Isha' prayer with congregation would be regarded as having worshipped half the night and the one who has offered Fajr prayer with congregation would be regarded as having offered the other half of the night in prayers. (Ahmed and Muslim from Mazhari)