40:1 Ghafir (The Forgiver)

{ وَتَرَى الْمَلَائِكَةَ } أيها الرائي ذلك اليوم العظيم { حَافِّينَ مِنْ حَوْلِ الْعَرْشِ } أي: قد قاموا في خدمة ربهم، واجتمعوا حول عرشه، خاضعين لجلاله، معترفين بكماله، مستغرقين بجماله. { يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ } أي: ينزهونه عن كل ما لا يليق بجلاله، مما نسب إليه المشركون وما لم ينسبوا.{ وَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ } أي: بين الأولين والآخرين من الخلق { بِالْحَقِّ } الذي لا اشتباه فيه ولا إنكار، ممن عليه الحق. { وَقِيلَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ } لم يذكر القائل من هو، ليدل ذلك على أن جميع الخلق نطقوا بحمد ربهم وحكمته على ما قضى به على أهل الجنة وأهل النار، حمد فضل وإحسان، وحمد عدل وحكمة.تم تفسير سورة الزمر بحمد اللّه وعونه.

سورة غافر: قد كره بعض السلف منهم محمد بن سيرين أن يقال الحواميم وإنما يقال آل حم قال عبدالله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه آل حم ديباج القرآن وقال ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما إن لكل شيء لبابا ولباب القرآن آل حم أو قال الحواميم. وقال مسعر بن كدام كان يقال لهن العرائس روى ذلك كله الإمام العالم أبو عبيد القاسم بن سلام رحمه الله تعالى في كتاب فضائل القرآن. وقال حميد بن زنجويه حدثنا عبيدالله بن موسى حدثنا إسرائيل عن أبي إسحاق عن أبي الأحوص عن عبدالله رضي الله عنه قال: إن مثل القرآن كمثل رجل انطلق يرتاد لأهله منزلا فمر بأثر غيث فبينما هو يسير فيه ويتعجب منه إذ هبط على روضات دمثات فقال عجبت من الغيث الأول فهذا أعجب وأعجب فقيل له إن مثل الغيث الأول مثل عظم القرآن وإن مثل هؤلاء الروضات الدمثات مثل آل حم في القرآن أورده البغوي. وقال ابن لهيعة عن يزيد بن أبي حبيب أن الجراح بن أبي الجراح حدثه عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: لكل شيء لباب ولباب القرآن الحواميم وقال ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه إذا وقعت في آل حم فقد وقعت في روضات أتأنق فيهن. وقال أبو عبيد ثنا الأشجعي حدثنا مسعر- هو ابن كدام - عمن حدثه أن رجلا رأى أبا الدرداء رضي الله عنه يبني مسجدا فقال له ما هذا؟ فقال أبنيه من أجل آل حم وقد يكون هذا المسجد الذي بناه أبو الدرداء رضي الله عنه هو المسجد المنسوب إليه داخل قلعة دمشق وقد يكون صيانتها وحفظها ببركته وبركة ما وضع له فإن هذا الكلام يدل على النصر على الأعداء كما قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لأصحابه في بعض الغزوات "إن بيتم الليلة فقولوا حم لا ينصرون - وفي رواية - لا تنصرون" وقال الحافظ أبو بكر البزار حدثنا أحمد بن الحكم بن ظبيان بن خلف المازني ومحمد بن الليث الهمداني قالا حدثنا موسى بن مسعود حدثنا عبدالرحمن بن أبي بكر المليكي عن زرارة بن مصعب عن أبي سلمة عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "من قرأ آية الكرسي وأول حم المؤمن عصم ذلك اليوم من كل سوء" ثم قال لا نعلمه يروى إلا بهذا الإسناد ورواه الترمذي من حديث المليكي وقال تكلم فيه بعض أهل العلم من قبل حفظه. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم قد اختلف المفسرون في الحروف المقطعة التي في أوائل السور فمنهم من قال هي مما استأثر الله بعلمه فردوا علمها إلى الله ولم يفسرها حكاه القرطبي في تفسـره عن أبي بكر وعمر وعثمان وعلي وابن مسعود رضي الله عنهم أجمعين وقاله عامر الشعبي وسفيان الثوري والربيع بن خيثم واختاره أبو حاتم بن حبان. ومنهم من فسرها واختلف هؤلاء في معناها فقال عبدالرحمن بن زيد بن أسلم إنما هي أسماء السور. قال العلامة أبو القاسم محمود بن عمر الزمخشري في تفسيره وعليه إطباق الأكثر ونقل عن سيبويه أنه نص عليه ويعتضد لهذا بما ورد في الصحيحين عن أبي هريرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقرأ في صلاة الصبح يوم الجمعة "الم" السجدة و "هل أتى على الإنسان" وقال سفيان الثوري عن ابن أبي نجيح عن مجاهد أنه قال: الم وحم والمص وص. فواتح افتتح الله بها القرآن وكذا قيل إن "حم" اسم من أسماء الله عز وجل وأنشدوا في ذلك بيتا يذكرني حم والرمح شاجر فهلا تلاحم قبل التقدم وقد ورد في الحديث الذي رواه أبو داود والترمذي من حديث الثوري عن أبي إسحاق عن المهلب بن أبي صفرة قال: حدثني من سمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول "إن بيتم الليلة فقولوا حم لا ينصرون" وهذا إسناد صحيح واختار أبو عبيد أن يروي فقولوا حم لا ينصروا أى إن قلتم ذلك لا ينصروا جعله جزاء لقوله فقولوا.

The Virtues of the Surahs that begin with Ha Mim

Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Everything has an essence and the essence of the Qur'an is the family of Ha Mim," or he said, "the Ha Mims." Mis`ar bin Kidam said, "They used to be called `the brides'." All of this was recorded by the the Imam, great scholar, Abu `Ubayd Al-Qasim bin Sallam, may Allah have mercy upon him, in his book Fada'il Al-Qur'an. Humayd bin Zanjuyah narrated that `Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The parable of the Qur'an is that of a man who sets out to find a place for his family to stay, and he comes to a place where there is evidence of rainfall. While he is walking about, admiring it, he suddenly comes upon beautiful gardens. He says, `I liked the first traces of rainfall, but this is far better.' It was said to him, `The first place is like the Qur'an, and these beautiful gardens are like the splendor of family of Ha Mim in relation to the rest of the Qur'an'." This was recorded by Al-Baghawi. Ibn Mas`ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "When I reach the family of Ha Mim, it is like reaching a beautiful garden, so I take my time."

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

«إِنْ بُيِّتُّمُ اللَّيْلَةَ فَقُولُوا: حم لَا يُنْصَرُون»

(When you go to bed tonight, recite Ha Mim, La Yunsarun.)" Its chain of narrators is Sahih.

تَنزِيلُ الْكِتَـبِ مِنَ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

(The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Almighty, the All-Knower.) means, this book -- the Qur'an -- is from Allah, the Owner of might and knowledge, Who cannot be overtaken and from Whom nothing is hidden, not even an ant concealed beneath many layers.

غَافِرِ الذَّنبِ وَقَابِلِ التَّوْبِ

(The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance,) means, He forgives sins that have been committed in the past, and He accepts repentance for sins that may be committed in the future, from the one who repents and submits to Him.

شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

(the Severe in punishment,) means, to the one who persists in transgression and prefers the life of this world, who stubbornly turns away from the commands of Allah and commits sin. This is like the Ayah:

نَبِّىءْ عِبَادِى أَنِّى أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ - وَأَنَّ عَذَابِى هُوَ ٱلْعَذَابُ ٱلْأَلِيمُ

(Declare unto My servants that truly I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful. And that My torment is indeed the most painful torment.) (15:49-50). These two attributes (mercy and punishment) are often mentioned together in the Qur'an, so that people will remain in a state of both hope and fear.

ذِى الطَّوْلِ

(the Bestower.) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "This means He is Generous and Rich (Independent of means)." The meaning is that He is Most Generous to His servants, granting ongoing blessings for which they can never sufficiently thank Him.

وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لاَ تُحْصُوهَا

(And if you would count the favors of Allah, never could you be able to count them...) (16:18).

لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

(La ilaha illa Huwa) means, there is none that is equal to Him in all His attributes; there is no God or Lord besides Him.

إِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ

(to Him is the final return.) means, all things will come back to Him and He will reward or punish each person according to his deeds.

وَهُوَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ

(and He is Swift at reckoning) (13:41).

Hā mīm God knows best what He means by these letters.

In verse 74, it was said: نَتَبَوَّأُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ نَشَاءُ (we can dwell anywhere we wish in Jannah). The sense is that, apart from their own special dwelling places, the people of Jannah will be allowed to visit others there and take pleasure trips around. Tabarani, Abu Nu'aym and Diya', have reported, through a chain rated as 'hasan', from Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ that someone came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and said to him, 'ya rasulAllah, I love you so much that I keep thinking of you even when I go back home and I remain uncomfortable and impatient until I return to you. But, when I remember my death and remember your death, then, it occurs to me that you will be in the higher stations of Jannah and even if I reach there somehow, it is certain that I shall be on a level much below it. My worry is: How am I going to see you?' The Holy Prophet ﷺ heard what he said, but he remained silent until came the angel, Jibra'il with the following verse:

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ وَالرَّ‌سُولَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَـٰئِكَ رَ‌فِيقًا ﴿69﴾

And those who obey Allah and the Messenger are with those whom Allah has blessed, namely, the prophets, the Siddiqin, 1 the Shuhada', 2 and the righteous - and what a good company they are. - an-Nisa', 4:69.

1. Siddiq, lexically means 'very truthful'. In the Islamic terminology, it normally refers to those Companions of a prophet who excel all others in their submission to Allah and is Messenger. They enjoy the highest status of piety after the Prophets, like Sayyidna Abu Bakr. (back)

2. Shuhada (p1. of Shahid) means the persons who sacrificed their lives in the way of Allah. The word has not been translated here by the word 'martyr' which sometimes is taken as an equivalent of Shahid, because the word 'martyr' is also applied for the persons killed in ethnic or racial wars while they may not be termed as 'Shuhada in the Islamic terminology

In this verse, it was clearly stated that Muslims who obey Allah and the Messenger would invariably be with the prophets and those others mentioned therein. Then, from the verse under study we also come to understand that they will be allowed to visit higher stations of Jannah. May Allah Ta’ ala, in His mercy, make us join up with them in Jannah.

Alhamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah Az-Zumar

Ends here

ḤāÌ Mīm ḤāÌ is an allusion to love [maḤabba] and Mīm is an allusion to favor [minna]. He is saying, “O you who have become a friend through the ḤāÌ of My love, not through your own excellence! O you have found Me through the Mīm of My favor, not through your obedience! O you whom I took as My friend when you did not recognize Me! O you whom I wanted when you did not know Me! O you to whom I belonged when you did not belong to Me! A hundred thousand were stand- ing at My threshold wanting Me and making their supplications. I paid no attention to them and I said to you without your asking, 'O community of AḤmad, I bestowed upon you before you asked from Me, I responded to you before you called upon Me, and I forgave you before you asked Me to forgive you.' “The previous prophets were eager and yearning for you. Abraham said, 'Make for me a tongue of truthfulness among the later folk' [26:84], and Moses said, 'Make me one of the commu- nity of AḤmad.' This was not because We explained your acts to them, for if We had talked about your acts to them, all would have pulled back from you. It was because I explained My bounteous- ness and beneficence toward you. Before you, I chose everyone I chose one by one. Thus, 'Surely God chose Adam and Noah and the House of Abraham and the House of Imran' [3:33]. When your turn came, I spoke generally and inclusively: 'You are the best community' [3:110]. All of you are My chosen ones.” In another place He says, “The ones We chose from among Our servants” [35:32]. Included in this address are worshippers, wrongdoers, and disobedient.