73:10 Al-Muzzammil (The Enshrouded One)

فلما أمره الله بالصلاة خصوصا، وبالذكر عموما، وذلك يحصل للعبد ملكة قوية في تحمل الأثقال، وفعل الثقيل من الأعمال، أمره بالصبر على ما يقول فيه المعاندون له ويسبونه ويسبون ما جاء به، وأن يمضي على أمر الله، لا يصده عنه صاد، ولا يرده راد، وأن يهجرهم هجرا جميلا، وهو الهجر حيث اقتضت المصلحة الهجر الذي لا أذية فيه، فيقابلهم بالهجر والإعراض عنهم وعن أقوالهم التي تؤذيه، وأمره بجدالهم بالتي هي أحسن.

يقول تعالى آمرا رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالصبر على ما يقوله من كذبه من سفهاء قومه وأن يهجرهم هجرا جميلا وهو الذي لا عتاب معه.

The Command to be Patient with the Harms of the Disbelievers and a Discussion of what They will rece

Allah commands His Messenger to be patient with what the foolish who reject him among his people say. Allah also commands him to keep away from them in a nice way. This means in a way that is not blameworthy. Then Allah says to him, as a threat and a warning to his people - and He (Allah) is the Most Great, Whose anger nothing can stand before,

وَذَرْنِى وَالْمُكَذِّبِينَ أُوْلِى النَّعْمَةِ

(And leave Me alone to deal with the deniers, those who are in possession of good things of life.) meaning, `leave Me to deal with the rich rejectors, who own great wealth.' For verily, they are more able to obey than others besides them, and they are requested to give the rights (to people) because they have what others do not have.

وَمَهِّلْهُمْ قَلِيلاً

(And give them respite for a little.) meaning, for a little while. This is as Allah says,

نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلاً ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَى عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ

(We let them enjoy for a little, then in the end We shall oblige them to (enter) a great torment.) (31:24) Thus, Allah says,

إِنَّ لَدَيْنَآ أَنكَالاً

(Verily, with Us are Ankal,) and these are fetters. Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Tawus, Muhammad bin Ka`b, `Abdullah bin Buraydah, Abu `Imran Al-Jawni, Abu Mijlaz, Ad-Dahhak, Hammad bin Abi Sulayman, Qatadah, As-Suddi, Ibn Al-Mubarak, Ath-Thawri and others have all said this.

وَجَحِيماً

(and Jahim.) This is a blazing fire.

وَطَعَاماً ذَا غُصَّةٍ

(And a food that chokes,) Ibn `Abbas said, "This means it will get stuck in the throat and it will not enter or come out."

وَعَذَاباً أَلِيماًيَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الاٌّرْضُ وَالْجِبَالُ

(and a painful torment. On the Day when the earth and the mountains will (Tarjuf) shake,) meaning, they will quake.

وَكَانَتِ الْجِبَالُ كَثِيباً مَّهِيلاً

(And the mountains will be a heap of sand poured out.) meaning, they will become like hills of sand after they had been firm rocks. Then they will be utterly destroyed and nothing will remain of them. This will occur until the entire earth becomes a flat land and no curvature will be seen in it. Thus, there will be no valleys and no hills. This means that no part of it will be low or elevated.

Your Messenger is like the Messenger to Fir`awn, and You know what happened to Fir`awn

Then addresses the disbelievers of the Quraysh, and along with them the rest of mankind,

إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ رَسُولاً شَـهِداً عَلَيْكُمْ

(Verily, We have sent to you a Messenger to be a witness over you,) meaning, witnessing your deeds.

إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ رَسُولاً شَـهِداً عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ رَسُولاً - فَعَصَى فِرْعَوْنُ الرَّسُولَ فَأَخَذْنَـهُ أَخْذاً وَبِيلاً

(as We did send a Messenger to Fir`awn. But Fir`awn disobeyed the Messenger; so We seized him with a severe punishment.)

أَخْذاً وَبِيلاً

(severe punishment) Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, As-Suddi, and Ath-Thawri said that this means severe. This means, `you should beware of denying this Messenger, lest you be afflicted by that which befell Fir`awn. Allah seized him with the seizing of One Mighty and Powerful.' This is as Allah says,

فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الاٌّخِرَةِ وَالاٍّوْلَى

(So Allah seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression.) (79:25) `Therefore, you will be even more deserving of destruction and ruin if you deny your Messenger, because your Messenger is more noble and a greater than Prophet Musa, the son of `Imran.' This has been reported from Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid.

The Threat of the Day of Judgement

Allah says,

فَكَيْفَ تَتَّقُونَ إِن كَفَرْتُمْ يَوْماً يَجْعَلُ الْوِلْدَنَ شِيباً

(Then how can you proctect yourselves from the punishment, if you disbelieved, on a Day that will make the children gray-headed) Ibn Jarir quoted in the recitation of Ibn Mas`ud: "How can you, O people, fear a Day that makes the children grey-headed, if you disbelieve in Allah and do not testify to Him" So the first interpretation would mean, `how can you attain safety for yourselves from the Day of this great horror if you disbelieve' It could imply the meaning, `how can you all attain piety if you disbelieve in the Day of Judgement and reject it.' Both of these meanings are good. However, the first interpretation is closer to the truth. And Allah knows best. The meaning of Allah's statement,

يَوْماً يَجْعَلُ الْوِلْدَنَ شِيباً

(On a Day that will make the children gray-headed) is that this will happen due to the severity of its horrors, its earth- quakes and its distur- bing confusion. This is when Allah will say to Adam, "Send a group to the Fire." Adam will say, "How many" Allah will then reply, "From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine to the Fire, and one to Paradise." Then Allah says,

السَّمَآءُ مُنفَطِرٌ بِهِ

(Whereon the heaven will be cleft asunder) Al-Hasan and Qatadah both said, "This means, because of it (the Day of Judge- ment), due to its severity and its horror." Then Allah says,

كَانَ وَعْدُهُ مَفْعُولاً

(His promise is certainly to be accomplished.) meaning, the promise of this Day will be fulfilled. This means it will occur and there is no way around it, and it will come to pass and there is no avoiding it.

and bear patiently what they say that is the disbelievers of Mecca in the way of their maltreatment of you and part with them in a gracious manner without any anguish — this was revealed before the command to fight them.

وَاصْبِرْ عَلٰي مَا يَقُوْلُوْنَ وَاهْجُرْهُمْ هَجْرًا جَمِيْلًا

(And bear patiently what they say, and part with them in a beautiful manner...73:10). According to Imam Karkhi (رح) تعالیٰ ، this is the sixth injunction given to the Holy Prophet that he should bear with patience and fortitude the jibes, opposition and persecution of his enemies. Perfect patience is the supreme station of suluk (methodical travelling along the spiritual path). Spiritual reformers expend their entire strength, energy and life in reforming the deviant people. In return, they have to hear vile language, they are persecuted and wronged in many different ways. In return, they exercise sabr (patience) in a beautiful manner. In other words, they do not even entertain the thought of revenge. This is the supreme station, which in Sufi terminology, is attained only after fana' kamil: 'complete negation of selfish desires'.

وَاهْجُرْهُمْ هَجْرًا جَمِيْلًا and part with them in a beautiful manner...73:10). The word hajr, literally, denotes 'to give up something in a state of grief, anger and temper'. The verse means that rejecters of Truth utter words that hurt. He should not take revenge, but maintain no relations with them either. At the time of severing relations, it is natural for man to utter words of complaint and disgust. Therefore, Allah's Messenger is told to cut off relations with the rejecters of Truth, but he must maintain his dignity and integrity. Hence, the verse contains the grammatically restricted cognate accusative, hajran jamilan, 'in a beautiful manner'. The high status and the exalted standard of character require that the Holy Prophet should restrain himself from making any abusive remarks at the deniers of Truth.

Some scholars of Tafsir say that the injunction of this verse is repealed by verses of jihad which were revealed later on. But a careful analysis indicates that the injunction is not repealed. The above verses enjoin patience and steadfastness in the face of what the enemies say and cutting off from them courteously. This is not in conflict with verses that deal with reproof, punishment and armed struggle that were revealed subsequently. The injunction of this verse is applicable at all times and under all circumstances, whereas jihad is reproof and punishment, and is a specific injunction to be applied under specific conditions. Islamic jihad and armed struggle is not a matter of taking revenge or expression of anger, which could be in conflict with patience and fortitude or courteous severance. It is purely acting on the Divine command as is patience and courteous severance under general circumstances. Up to this point the Holy Prophet ﷺ was commanded to be steadfast and to abstain from revenge. The next verse, reprimands the deniers of Truth that instead of being grateful to Allah for "ease and plenty" provided for them, they reject the Divine Message:

And be patient with what they say, and keep apart from them beautifully. We indeed know that thy breast is straitened by what they say [15:97]. And be patient with beauti- ful patience [70:5]. So be patient, as the possessors of resoluteness among the messengers were pa- tient [46:35]. Be patient with thy Lord's decree, for surely thou art in Our eyes [52:48]. In several places in the Qur'an that paragon of the world is commanded to have patience, for patience is the antidote to the poison of trial. The mark of the folk of love and friendship is patience. Patience in tribulation is no great work, for it is indeed people's habit. The manly man is he who is patient in blessings and keeps his feet on the road of servanthood. He does not step out- side of the blessings written for himself. Nimrod, Korah, Pharaoh, Haman, and their likes were drowned in the ocean of destruction only as a result of impatience. In blessings the Adamites have ungratefulness and ingratitude. Their feet do not remain in the blessings; rather, they pass beyond their limit and bring forth impudence and exultation. This is why the Exalted Lord says, “No indeed; surely man is rebellious because he sees himself without needs” [96:6-7]. Hence the final end of their work in this world is this: “How many a city We destroyed who exulted in their delightful life” [28:58]; and in the afterworld, what the Lord of the Worlds says in this surah: “Surely with Us there are shackles and hellfire, choking food and a pain- ful chastisement” [73:12-13].