41:31 Fussilat (Explained in detail)

ويقولون لهم أيضا - مثبتين لهم، ومبشرين: { نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَاؤُكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ } يحثونهم في الدنيا على الخير، ويزينونه لهم، ويرهبونهم عن الشر، ويقبحونه في قلوبهم، ويدعون الله لهم، ويثبتونهم عند المصائب والمخاوف، وخصوصًا عند الموت وشدته، والقبر وظلمته، وفي القيامة وأهوالها، وعلى الصراط، وفي الجنة يهنئونهم بكرامة ربهم، ويدخلون عليهم من كل باب { سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِمَا صَبَرْتُمْ فَنِعْمَ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ } ويقولون لهم أيضا: { وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا } أي: في الجنة { مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنْفُسُكُمْ } قد أعد وهيئ. { وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ } أي: تطلبون من كل ما تتعلق به إرادتكم وتطلبونه من أنواع اللذات والمشتهيات، مما لا عين رأت، ولا أذن سمعت، ولا خطر على قلب بشر.

قوله تبارك وتعالى "نحن أولياؤكم في الحياة الدنيا وفي الآخرة" أي تقول الملائكة للمؤمنين عند الاحتضار نحن كنا أولياءكم أي قرناءكم في الحياة الدنيا نسددكم ونوفقكم ونحفظكم بأمر الله وكذلك نكون معكم في الآخرة نؤنس منكم الوحشة في القبور وعند النفخة في الصور ونؤمنكم يوم البعث والنشور ونجاوز بكم الصراط المستقيم ونوصلكم إلى جنات النعيم "ولكم فيها ما تشتهي أنفسكم" أي في الجنة من جميع ما تختارون مما تشتهيه النفوس وتقر به العيون "ولكم فيها ما تدعون" أي مهما طلبتم وجدتم وحضر بين أيديكم كما اخترتم.

Glad Tidings to Those Who believe in Allah Alone and stand firm

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَـمُواْ

(Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah," and then they stand firm,) means, they do good deeds sincerely for the sake of Allah, and they obey Allah, doing what Allah has prescribed for them. Ibn Jarir recorded that Sa`id bin `Imran said, "I read this Ayah to Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَـمُواْ

(Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah," and then they stand firm,) He said, `Those are the ones who do not associate anything with Allah."' Then he reported a narration of Al-Aswad bin Hilal, who said, "Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said, `What do you say about this Ayah:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَـمُواْ

(Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah," and then they stand firm,)' They said:

رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَـمُواْ

("Our Lord is Allah," and then they stand firm,) `They shun sin.' He said, `You have not interpreted it improperly.' They say: `Our Lord is Allah, then they stand firm and do not turn to any other god besides Him. "' This was also the view of Mujahid, `Ikrimah, As-Suddi and others. Ahmad recorded that Sufyan bin `Abdullah Ath-Thaqafi said, "I said, `O Messenger of Allah, tell me something that I can adhere to.' He said:

«قُلْ: رَبِّيَ اللهُ، ثُمَّ اسْتَقِم»

(Say, my Lord is Allah, then stand firm.) I said, `O Messenger of Allah, what do you fear most for me' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took hold of the edge of his tongue and said,

«هذَا»

(This is.)" This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah; At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih." Muslim also recorded it in his Sahih, and An-Nasa'i recorded that Sufyan bin `Abdullah Ath-Thaqafi said, "I said, `O Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam that I will not have to ask anyone about it after you.' He said:

«قُلْ: آمَنْتُ بِاللهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَقِم»

(Say: I believe in Allah, then stand firm.)" -- then he mentioned the rest of the Hadith.

تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ

(on them the angels will descend). Mujahid, As-Suddi, Zayd bin Aslam and his Zayd's son said, "This means, at the time of death, and they will say,

أَلاَّ تَخَافُواْ

(Fear not). " Mujahid, `Ikrimah and Zayd bin Aslam said, "This means not to fear "that which you will face in the Hereafter."

وَلاَ تَحْزَنُواْ

(nor grieve!) `for what you have left behind of worldly things, children, family, wealth and debt, for we will take care of it for you.'

وَأَبْشِرُواْ بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ

(But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!) So they give glad tidings of the end of bad things and the arrival of good things. This is like what is said in the Hadith narrated by Al-Bara', may Allah be pleased with him:

«إِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَقُولُ لِرُوحِ الْمُؤْمِنِ: اخْرُجِي أَيَّتُهَا الرُّوحُ الطَّيِّـبَةُ فِي الْجَسَدِ الطَّيِّبِ كُنْتِ تَعْمُرِينَهُ، اخْرُجِي إِلى رَوْحٍ وَرَيْحَانٍ وَرَبَ غَيْرِ غَضْبَان»

(The angels say to the soul of the believer, "Come out, O good soul from the good body in which you used to dwell, come out to rest, and provision and a Lord Who is not angry.") It was said that the angels will come down to them on the Day when they are brought out of their graves. Zayd bin Aslam said, "They will give him glad tidings when he dies, in his grave, and when he is resurrected." This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim, and this view reconciles all the opinions; it is a good view and it is true.

نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَآؤُكُمْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِى الاٌّخِرَةِ

(We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter. ) means, the angels will say to the believers when death approaches: "We have been your friends, i.e., your close companions, in this world, protecting you and helping you by the command of Allah, and we will be with you in the Hereafter, keeping you from feeling lonely in your graves and when the Trumpet is blown; we will reassure you on the Day of Resurrection and will take you across the Sirat and bring you to the Gardens of delight."

وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِى أَنفُسُكُمْ

(Therein you shall have (all) that your souls desire,) means, `in Paradise you will have all that you wish for and that will delight you.'

وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ

(and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask.) means, `whatever you ask for, it will appear before you as you wish it to be.'

نُزُلاً مِّنْ غَفُورٍ رَّحِيمٍ

(An entertainment from the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) means, `a welcoming gift and a blessing from the One Who has forgiven your sins and Who is Merciful and Kind towards you, Who has forgiven you, concealed your faults and been Kind and Merciful.'

We are your friends in the life of this world that is we will look after you in it and in the Hereafter in other words we will be alongside you thereat until you enter Paradise; and therein you will have whatever your souls desire and therein you will have whatever you request

لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ نُزُلًا مِّنْ غَفُورٍ‌ رَّ‌حِيمٍ (And for you here is whatever your souls desire, and for you here is whatever you call for. - 41:31-32) In other words, ` all your desires' would be fulfilled whether you request or you don't.' The word used after that is ` nuzulan'1 meaning hospitality indicates that many the delights provided to you there will be such that even desire had not entered your heart, as happens to a guest, specially of a great personage, that many such things also are presented to him that the guest had not even imagined. (Mazhari)

1. This which originally means ` a thing prepared by a host to be offered to him soon after his arrival'. That is why it is translated by us above as a ` welcome-gift'. But for the sake of brevity and in general usage, it is generally translated as ` hospitality'. Muhammad Taqi Usmani

It is stated in a Hadith that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that in Paradise, if the desire comes into your heart to eat the flesh of a flying bird you are looking at it, it would immediately fall in front of you completely cooked, ready to eat. Some narrations have it that the bird would not have been touched either by fire or smoke, but would come down already cooked. (Al-Bazzar, Al-Baihaqi - narrated by Ibn Masud - Mazhari)

In another Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that if a Mu'min in Paradise wishes to have a child born in his house, the conception, delivery, weaning, growing into being an adult - all this would take place in a moment. (Tirmidhi, Baihaqi, etc. - Mazhari)

We are your friends in this world's life and in the next world. In this world's life through faith and in the next world through forgiveness, in this world's life through the realization of recognition and in the next world by gaining forgiveness, in this world's life through approval of the decree and in the next world through encounter in the abode of sub- sistence, in this world through love and in the next world through proximity, in this world through contemplation and in the next world through face-to-face vision. If the Adamite were given the life of Noah and he were to spend all his days showing gratitude for the blessing and generosity in this saying of the Exalted Lord- “We are your friends in this world's life and in the next world”-his life would come to an end and he would never be grateful enough for the blessings, or recognize the generosity, in God's words: “We are your friend, your lovingly kind companion, and your helper in this world and the afterworld.” In this world, think how the Real answered the angels for your sake when they said, “What, wilt Thou set therein one who will work corruption there?” [2:30]. God did not say that they would not work corruption. He said, “Surely I know what you do not know [2:30]. You have no aware- ness of the secrets of My Divinity and no cognizance of the gentle favors of My Lordhood toward the Adamites.” The slanderers do not diminish your level with Me, nor do the backbiters harm you. It is as if they praise you unknowingly in My sight with the faults they find. “If they are unworthy, I will make them worthy. If they are far, I will bring them near. If they are abased, I will make them exalted. Though you see their outward disloyalty, I see their inward loy- alty. Though you gaze on the opposition of their limbs and bodily parts, I gaze on the conformity of their hearts and secret cores. Though you wear the waistcoat of obedience, they wear the shirt of union. Though you have the robe of worship, they have the hat of forgiveness. Though you have clung to your own sinlessness, they have clung to My mercy. What would it matter if I did not accept your sinlessness? What harm is there in their disobedience when there is My pardon and forgiveness? They are lifted up by the beginningless gentleness and caressed by the endless bounty.