Overview - Surah 62: al-Jumu`ah (Friday)
The Surah talks about the negligence of Bani Israel in obeying the commands of Allah and becoming too much involved in worldly matters. They only carried the Books of Allah, but failed to follow these books. Muslims are urged to observe the Friday prayer and should not get involved in business so much as to neglect the remembrance of Allah.
Sections:
- Allah's favor upon Muslims that Allah sent His Prophet among them to teach them and to purify them. Bani Israel neglected the commands of Allah.
- Muslims are exhorted to observe the Friday prayers and always remember Allah.
The surah takes its name from the Ayat, يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّـهِ "O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah..." [62:9].
There are 11 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 11 |
| Total Words * | 175 |
| Root Words * | 80 |
| Makki / Madani | Madani |
| Chronological Order* | 110th (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | 20th year of Prophethood (7th Year Hijri) |
| Events during/before this Surah*
, Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers, Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah, , Battle of Uhud, Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr, Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah, , 2nd Pledge of Aqabah, 1st Pledge of Aqabah, Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 3, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 2, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 1, 2nd Migration to Abyssinia, Physical beating and torture of some Muslims - 1st Migration of Muslims to Abyssinia, Public Invitation to Islam - Persecution of Muslims; antagonism - ridicule - derision - accusation - abuse and false propaganda., Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam
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| Events during/after still to occur*
Conquest of Makkah - Battle of Hunain,Hajj led by Abu Bakr - Expedition of Tabuk,Farewell Hajj by Prophet - Death of Prophet - End of Divine Revelation
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| Names of Prophets Mentioned
No Prophets names are mentioned in this Surah
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| Surah Index
God (knows that beyond comprehension) , Jews (claim that they alone are close to God) , Muhammad (unlettered prophet) , Prayer (day of congregation (Friday)) , Torah
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As we have explained above, the two sections of this Surah were sent down in two different periods. That is why their themes as well as their audiences are different. Although there is a kind of harmony between them on account of which they have been put together in one Surah, yet we should understand their themes separately before we consider the question of their harmony.
The first section was sent down at a time when all Jewish efforts to obstruct the message of Islam during the past six years had failed. First, in Madīnah as many as three of their powerful tribes had done whatever they could to frustrate the mission of the Prophet, with the result that one of the tribes was completely exterminated and the other two were exiled. Then by deception and conspiracy they brought many of the Arab tribes together to advance on Madīnah, but in the Battle of the Trench they were all repulsed. After this, Khaiber had become their stronghold, where a large number of the Jews expelled from Madīnah also had taken refuge. At the time these verses were revealed, that too was taken without any extraordinary effort, and the Jews at their own request agreed to live there as tenants of the Muslims. After this final defeat, the Jewish power in Arabia came to an end. Then, Wad-il-Qura, Fadak Taima’, Tabuk, all surrendered one after the other, so much so that all Arabian Jews became subdued to the same Islam which they were not prepared to tolerate before. This was the occasion when God Almighty once again addressed them in this Surah, and probably this was the last and final address that was directed to them in the Qur’an. In this they have been reminded of three things:
1. “You refused to believe in this Messenger only because he was born among a people whom you contemptuously call the “gentiles.” You were under the false delusion that the Messenger must necessarily belong to your own community. You seemed to have been convinced that anyone who claimed to be a prophet from outside your community, must be an impostor for this position had been reserved for your race, and a messenger could never be raised among the “gentiles." But among the same gentiles God has raised a Messenger who is reciting His Book in front of your very eyes, is purifying souls, and showing the Right Way to the people whose misdeeds are well known to you. This is God’s bounty, which He may bestow on anyone He may please. You have no monopoly over it so that He may bestow it over whomever you may please and may withhold it from whomever you may desire it to be withheld.”
2. “You had been made bearers of the Torah, but you did not understand your responsibility for it nor discharged it as you should have. You are like the donkey which is loaded with books, and which does not know what burden it is bearing. Rather you are worse than the donkey, for the donkey is devoid of sense, but you are intelligent. You not only evade your responsibility of being bearers of God’s book, but you do not even hesitate to deny God’s revelations deliberately. Yet, you are under the delusion that you are God’s favourites and the blessing of apostleship has been reserved for you alone. More than that, you seem to entertain the notion that whether you fulfill the demands of God’s message or not, God in any case is bound not to make any other than you the bearer of His message.”
3. “If you really were God’s favourites and you were sure of having a place of honour and high rank reserved with Him, you would not have feared death so much as to prefer a life of disgrace to death. It is only because of this fear of death that you have suffered humiliation after humiliation during the past few years. This condition is by itself a proof that you are fully conscious of your misdeeds, and your conscience is aware that if you die with these misdeeds, you will meet with a greater disgrace before God in the Hereafter than in this world.”
This is the subject matter of the first section. The second section that was sent down many years later, was appended to this Surah because in it God has bestowed Friday on the Muslims as against the Sabbath of the Jews, and God wanted to warn the Muslims not to treat their Friday as the Jews had treated their Sabbath. This section was sent down on an occasion when a trade caravan arrived in Madīnah right at the time of the Friday congregational service and hearing its clamor and drum the audience, except for 12 men, left the Prophet’s Mosque and rushed out to the caravan, although the Prophet at that time was delivering the Sermon. Thereupon it was enjoined that after the call is sounded for the Friday Prayer all trade and business and other occupations become forbidden. The believers should then suspend every kind of transaction and hasten to the remembrance of God. However, when the Prayer is over, they have the right to disperse in the land to resume their normal occupations. This section could be made an independent Surah in view of the commandments that it contains about the congregational service on Friday, and could also be included in some other Surah, but instead, it has been included here particularly in the verses in which the Jews have been warned of the causes of their evil end. Its wisdom in our opinion is the same as we have explained above.
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
- Both the first Ayat of Surah as-Saff [61] and Surah al-Jumuah [62] end with names of Allah, al-Azeez al-Hakeem.
- Both Surah as-Saff [61] and al-Jumu'ah [62] mention the Jews.
- Surah Saff [61:6] mentions the prophecy of the Prophet Muhammd to be sent after Jesus and Surah al-Jumuah [62:2] mentions the sending of the Prophet Muhammad.
- There is a connection between the beginning of Surah as-Saff [61], al-Jum'uah [62] and al-Munafiqun [63]. In Surah as-Saff, Allah speaks of those who say that which they do not do. In the following Surah, this concept is mentioned again in the example of Jewish scholars who are like donkeys contradicting and not benefiting from the knowledge they are carrying. Then this is again followed by the next Surah, which begins with the statements of the Hypocrites who are saying they testify to the truth, whereas in reality they are liars. All three being examples of contradictions between word and deed.
- In Ayat 9 and 10 of both Surah al-Jumu'ah [62] and al-Munafiqun [63] - we are told not be distracted from the Dhikr [remembrance] of Allah by wealth.
- The Prophet would recite this Surah in the prayer of Jumuah. Ibn Abbas reports that, وَأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي صَلاَةِ الْجُمُعَةِ سُورَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ "....He used to recite in Jumu'a prayer Surahs Jumu'a and al-Munafiqin." Sahih Muslim
- The Prophet said, "The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday; on it Adam was created. on it he was made to enter Paradise, on it he was expelled from it. And the last hour will take place on no day other than Friday." Sahih Muslim
This is the only Surah of the Qur'an with the word Jumu'ah [Friday].
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = * | ||
- Allah has appointed Muhammad (pbuh) as His Rasool.
- Allah rebutted the claim of Jews to be the favorites of God to the exclusion of others.
- Commandment relating to the obligation of 'Friday Prayers.'
- مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوْرَاةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ الْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًا "The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]...." (62:5). Included in the implications of this Ayat is the one who reads the Qur'an, not understanding it nor acting upon it.
Tafsir Zone
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Overview (verses 2 - 4 ) Having started with this sublime glorification of God's limitless glory, the surah goes straight to its main theme: It is He who has sent to the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves to declare to them His revelations, to purify them and to instruct them in the Book and in wisdom, yet before that they were indeed in manifest error, to them and to others yet to join them. He is indeed the Almighty the Wise. (Verses 2-3) It is said that the Arabs were called ummiiyyun, or 'unlettered', because the great majority of them could neither read nor write. It is reported that the Prophet once defined how many days there are in a month, joining his two hands and pointing with his ten fingers three times, and saying: "We are an unlettered community: we neither reckon figures nor write." It is also said that a person who does not write is called ummi, meaning he is the same as when his mother, or umm, gave birth to him. Writing is something that is only learnt when a child grows up. Alternatively, the Arabs might have been called Goyim, a Hebrew form by which the Jews called all non-Jews, and meaning Gentiles. Thus the word ummiyyun becomes a form of ummiyyun, which means 'belonging to other communities or nations'. Thus they distinguished themselves as God's chosen people, while the rest of mankind are Gentiles. Perhaps this suggestion is closer to the theme of the surah. The Jews were awaiting a final Messenger from God who would arise from among themselves, uniting them after they had been divided into divergent groups, giving them power and leading them to victory. They used to tell the Arabs that he was soon to come. In His infinite wisdom, God chose an Arab as His last Messenger, i.e. a Gentile, because He knew that the Jews no longer had the qualities necessary to provide mankind's new leadership. Indeed, they had long deviated and were deep in error, as stated in Sarah 61, The Ranks. Hence, they were no longer capable of being entrusted with God's message. Moreover, in earlier times Abraham and his son Ishmael had said a prayer as they worked on building the Ka'bah: "Our Lord, accept this from us; You are the One that hears all and knows all Our Lord make us surrender ourselves to You, and make out of our off spring a community that will surrender itself to You. Show us our ways of worship and accept our repentance; You are the One who accepts repentance, the Merciful. Our Lord send them a Messenger from among themselves who shall declare to them Your revelations, and instruct them in the Book and in wisdom, and purify them. You are Mighty and Wise." (2: 127-129) Addressed centuries earlier, this prayer remained with God to be answered at the appropriate time, according to God's wisdom. Only then would it fulfil its role within the overall plan God has set in place for the universe. In this plan nothing occurs earlier or later than its appropriate time. This prayer was answered in its exact wording, which is repeated here in this surah, reminding us of Abraham's own words: "A Messenger from among themselves to declare to them His revelations, to purify them and to instruct them in the Book and in wisdom." (Verse 2). Even God's attributes mentioned in Abraham's prayer are used at the end of these verses to remind the Muslim community of God's favours: "He is indeed the Almighty, the Wise." (Verse 3) When the Prophet was asked about himself, his answer was: "I am the answer to Abraham's, my father's, prayer, and the good news given by Jesus. When my mother was pregnant, she saw a light coming out of her, lighting before her the palaces of Busra in Syria." "It is He who has sent to the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves to declare to them His revelations, to purify them and to instruct them in the Book and in wisdom, yet before that they were indeed in manifest error." (Verse 2) The favour God has granted to these unlettered people is evident: He chose them to hold the trust embodied in His final message and sent them a Messenger from among themselves to elevate them to a noble position. He took them out of their state of ignorance, highlighted in their being unlettered, giving them instructions in God's book and in wisdom. Thus, their situation changed completely, clearly making them distinguished among all other people on earth. "To purify them." What the Prophet gave them was far-reaching purification. He purified their feelings and consciences, their actions and behaviour, their marital and family lives as also their social lives. Their purification meant that they rose from the depths of idolatrous beliefs to believing in God's oneness, from erroneous concepts and enigmatic legends to the true and clear faith, from disgraceful immorality to the clean moral values propounded by Islam, from the filthy gains of usury and fraud to clean and legitimate earnings. It was a total purification of the individual and the community, of inner feelings and outward life. Such purification elevates man and his concepts, his role and existence to the high horizon of maintaining his bond with God and with the community on high. "To instruct them in the Book and in wisdom." When they are thus instructed, they become the holders of a divine book. They thus learn how to evaluate matters properly. They can also make accurate judgements and define their course in life in the light of such wisdom. "Yet before that they were indeed in manifest error." (Verse 2) During their pre-Islamic days, they were certainly in manifest error. Their situation is best described by JaFar ibn Abi-Talib when he was questioned about Islam by Negus, the King of Abyssinia. A number of Muslims had migrated there when the Prophet wanted to establish a new base for Islam. The Quraysh, in turn, had also sent a delegation led by `Amr ibn al- 'As to request their extradition. 'Amr tried to paint a distorted picture of the Muslim immigrants to the king, but the Negus wanted to listen to their version. In this context, la Tar said to him: In our recent past we were ignorant people: we worshipped idols,ate carrion, committed all sorts of sins, attached little value to maintaining good relations with our kinsfolk and behaved badly to our neighbours. Our overruling maxim was that might was right. This continued to be our situation until God sent us, from among ourselves, a Messenger whose good name, honesty, sincerity and integrity were well known to us. He called on us to believe in God, the one and only God, and to stop worshipping all idols which we and our forefathers used to worship alongside Him. He commanded us always to speak the truth and be honest, to be good to our relatives and neighbours, to preserve life and shed no blood, to refrain from sin, perjury, robbing the property of orphans entrusted to our care, and making false accusations against honourable women. He also commanded us to devote our worship to God alone, ascribing to Him no partners of any sort. He further commanded us to pray regularly, to give away certain purifying alms and to fast, etc.' Despite all their negative qualities during their pre-Islamic days, God knew that the Arabs were the ones to be entrusted with the new faith and that they would be true to their trust. He was also aware of their great potential once they were put on the right way. They could use all this potential for their new faith, whereas the Israelites no longer had it. The latter had endured humiliation for a long time in Egypt under Pharaonic rule. As a result they portrayed many aspects of deviation and ill feeling. Indeed, they were unable to rid themselves of these negative effects, whether during Moses' lifetime, or later. Hence, they incurred God's anger and deserved to be expelled from His grace. He, therefore, removed the trust of His faith from them for the rest of human life. In the fifth and sixth centuries the civilized world stood on the verge of chaos. The old emotional cultures that had made civilization possible, since they had given to men a sense of unity and of reverence for their rulers, had broken down, and nothing had been found adequate to take their place... It seemed then that the great civilization that it had taken four thousand years to construct was on the verge of disintegration, and that mankind was likely to return to that condition of barbarism where every tribe and sect was against the next, and law and order were unknown. The old tribal sanctions had lost their power. Hence the old imperial methods would no longer operate. The new sanctions created by Christianity were working division and destruction instead of unity and order. It was a time fraught with tragedy. Civilization, like a gigantic tree whose foliage had overreached the world and whose branches had borne the golden fruits of art and science and literature, stood tottering, its trunk no longer alive with the flowing sap of devotion and reverence, but rotted to the core... It was among these people that the man was born who was to unite the whole known world of the east and south... Mohammed... This is the view of an European author, but from the Islamic perspective, conditions looked far darker and gloomier. God chose a Bedouin nation in a largely desert peninsula to be entrusted with His faith, knowing that once put on the right course, their mentality and qualities would enable them to shoulder this great responsibility. Moreover, they had the potential to willingly deliver great sacrifices for their faith. Therefore, He raised His last Messenger among them, to recite His revelations to them, purify them and instruct them in His book and in wisdom, thus ridding them of all traces of their old, greatly erroneous ways. "To them and to others yet to join them." (Verse 3) We have several reports explaining who these others are. Al-Bukhari relates on Abu Hurayrah's authority: "We were sitting with the Prophet when Surah al-Jumucah, or The Congregation, was revealed to him, including the statement, to them and to others yet to join them'. People asked who were these, but the Prophet did not answer until they had repeated their question three times. Salman the Persian was among us. The Prophet put his hand on Salman and said: `Were faith to be at the top of the sky, some people or a man from among his community would attain it'." This authentic hadith makes clear that this Qur'anic statement includes the Persians. Hence, in his commentary on this verse, Mujahid says: "This is a reference to all non-Arabs who believe in the Prophet." Another hadith is reported by Sahl ibn Said who quotes the Prophet as saying: 'Among the seed of the seed of the seed of men and women in my community there are some who will be admitted into heaven without having to face any reckoning of their deeds. He then quoted the verse that says: 'to them and to others yet to join them'." This means that these belong to much later generations of Muslims. Both these interpretations are valid. The Qur'anic statement refers to people other than the Arabs, and to ones other than the generation that witnessed the revelation of the Qur'an. It indicates that the Muslim community transcends both geographical area and generational context. It continues to be true to its great trust, faithful to the full form of the divine faith. "He is indeed the Almighty, the Wise." (Verse 3) He is able to choose as He pleases, and in His wisdom He is fully aware of the most appropriate choices. His choice, of both the earlier and the later generations, means a great honour to those thus chosen: "Such is God's favour: He grants it to whom He will. God is One who bestows great favours." (Verse 4) |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
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Overview (verses 2 - 4 ) Having started with this sublime glorification of God's limitless glory, the surah goes straight to its main theme: It is He who has sent to the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves to declare to them His revelations, to purify them and to instruct them in the Book and in wisdom, yet before that they were indeed in manifest error, to them and to others yet to join them. He is indeed the Almighty the Wise. (Verses 2-3) It is said that the Arabs were called ummiiyyun, or 'unlettered', because the great majority of them could neither read nor write. It is reported that the Prophet once defined how many days there are in a month, joining his two hands and pointing with his ten fingers three times, and saying: "We are an unlettered community: we neither reckon figures nor write." It is also said that a person who does not write is called ummi, meaning he is the same as when his mother, or umm, gave birth to him. Writing is something that is only learnt when a child grows up. Alternatively, the Arabs might have been called Goyim, a Hebrew form by which the Jews called all non-Jews, and meaning Gentiles. Thus the word ummiyyun becomes a form of ummiyyun, which means 'belonging to other communities or nations'. Thus they distinguished themselves as God's chosen people, while the rest of mankind are Gentiles. Perhaps this suggestion is closer to the theme of the surah. The Jews were awaiting a final Messenger from God who would arise from among themselves, uniting them after they had been divided into divergent groups, giving them power and leading them to victory. They used to tell the Arabs that he was soon to come. In His infinite wisdom, God chose an Arab as His last Messenger, i.e. a Gentile, because He knew that the Jews no longer had the qualities necessary to provide mankind's new leadership. Indeed, they had long deviated and were deep in error, as stated in Sarah 61, The Ranks. Hence, they were no longer capable of being entrusted with God's message. Moreover, in earlier times Abraham and his son Ishmael had said a prayer as they worked on building the Ka'bah: "Our Lord, accept this from us; You are the One that hears all and knows all Our Lord make us surrender ourselves to You, and make out of our off spring a community that will surrender itself to You. Show us our ways of worship and accept our repentance; You are the One who accepts repentance, the Merciful. Our Lord send them a Messenger from among themselves who shall declare to them Your revelations, and instruct them in the Book and in wisdom, and purify them. You are Mighty and Wise." (2: 127-129) Addressed centuries earlier, this prayer remained with God to be answered at the appropriate time, according to God's wisdom. Only then would it fulfil its role within the overall plan God has set in place for the universe. In this plan nothing occurs earlier or later than its appropriate time. This prayer was answered in its exact wording, which is repeated here in this surah, reminding us of Abraham's own words: "A Messenger from among themselves to declare to them His revelations, to purify them and to instruct them in the Book and in wisdom." (Verse 2). Even God's attributes mentioned in Abraham's prayer are used at the end of these verses to remind the Muslim community of God's favours: "He is indeed the Almighty, the Wise." (Verse 3) When the Prophet was asked about himself, his answer was: "I am the answer to Abraham's, my father's, prayer, and the good news given by Jesus. When my mother was pregnant, she saw a light coming out of her, lighting before her the palaces of Busra in Syria." "It is He who has sent to the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves to declare to them His revelations, to purify them and to instruct them in the Book and in wisdom, yet before that they were indeed in manifest error." (Verse 2) The favour God has granted to these unlettered people is evident: He chose them to hold the trust embodied in His final message and sent them a Messenger from among themselves to elevate them to a noble position. He took them out of their state of ignorance, highlighted in their being unlettered, giving them instructions in God's book and in wisdom. Thus, their situation changed completely, clearly making them distinguished among all other people on earth. "To purify them." What the Prophet gave them was far-reaching purification. He purified their feelings and consciences, their actions and behaviour, their marital and family lives as also their social lives. Their purification meant that they rose from the depths of idolatrous beliefs to believing in God's oneness, from erroneous concepts and enigmatic legends to the true and clear faith, from disgraceful immorality to the clean moral values propounded by Islam, from the filthy gains of usury and fraud to clean and legitimate earnings. It was a total purification of the individual and the community, of inner feelings and outward life. Such purification elevates man and his concepts, his role and existence to the high horizon of maintaining his bond with God and with the community on high. "To instruct them in the Book and in wisdom." When they are thus instructed, they become the holders of a divine book. They thus learn how to evaluate matters properly. They can also make accurate judgements and define their course in life in the light of such wisdom. "Yet before that they were indeed in manifest error." (Verse 2) During their pre-Islamic days, they were certainly in manifest error. Their situation is best described by JaFar ibn Abi-Talib when he was questioned about Islam by Negus, the King of Abyssinia. A number of Muslims had migrated there when the Prophet wanted to establish a new base for Islam. The Quraysh, in turn, had also sent a delegation led by `Amr ibn al- 'As to request their extradition. 'Amr tried to paint a distorted picture of the Muslim immigrants to the king, but the Negus wanted to listen to their version. In this context, la Tar said to him: In our recent past we were ignorant people: we worshipped idols,ate carrion, committed all sorts of sins, attached little value to maintaining good relations with our kinsfolk and behaved badly to our neighbours. Our overruling maxim was that might was right. This continued to be our situation until God sent us, from among ourselves, a Messenger whose good name, honesty, sincerity and integrity were well known to us. He called on us to believe in God, the one and only God, and to stop worshipping all idols which we and our forefathers used to worship alongside Him. He commanded us always to speak the truth and be honest, to be good to our relatives and neighbours, to preserve life and shed no blood, to refrain from sin, perjury, robbing the property of orphans entrusted to our care, and making false accusations against honourable women. He also commanded us to devote our worship to God alone, ascribing to Him no partners of any sort. He further commanded us to pray regularly, to give away certain purifying alms and to fast, etc.' Despite all their negative qualities during their pre-Islamic days, God knew that the Arabs were the ones to be entrusted with the new faith and that they would be true to their trust. He was also aware of their great potential once they were put on the right way. They could use all this potential for their new faith, whereas the Israelites no longer had it. The latter had endured humiliation for a long time in Egypt under Pharaonic rule. As a result they portrayed many aspects of deviation and ill feeling. Indeed, they were unable to rid themselves of these negative effects, whether during Moses' lifetime, or later. Hence, they incurred God's anger and deserved to be expelled from His grace. He, therefore, removed the trust of His faith from them for the rest of human life. In the fifth and sixth centuries the civilized world stood on the verge of chaos. The old emotional cultures that had made civilization possible, since they had given to men a sense of unity and of reverence for their rulers, had broken down, and nothing had been found adequate to take their place... It seemed then that the great civilization that it had taken four thousand years to construct was on the verge of disintegration, and that mankind was likely to return to that condition of barbarism where every tribe and sect was against the next, and law and order were unknown. The old tribal sanctions had lost their power. Hence the old imperial methods would no longer operate. The new sanctions created by Christianity were working division and destruction instead of unity and order. It was a time fraught with tragedy. Civilization, like a gigantic tree whose foliage had overreached the world and whose branches had borne the golden fruits of art and science and literature, stood tottering, its trunk no longer alive with the flowing sap of devotion and reverence, but rotted to the core... It was among these people that the man was born who was to unite the whole known world of the east and south... Mohammed... This is the view of an European author, but from the Islamic perspective, conditions looked far darker and gloomier. God chose a Bedouin nation in a largely desert peninsula to be entrusted with His faith, knowing that once put on the right course, their mentality and qualities would enable them to shoulder this great responsibility. Moreover, they had the potential to willingly deliver great sacrifices for their faith. Therefore, He raised His last Messenger among them, to recite His revelations to them, purify them and instruct them in His book and in wisdom, thus ridding them of all traces of their old, greatly erroneous ways. "To them and to others yet to join them." (Verse 3) We have several reports explaining who these others are. Al-Bukhari relates on Abu Hurayrah's authority: "We were sitting with the Prophet when Surah al-Jumucah, or The Congregation, was revealed to him, including the statement, to them and to others yet to join them'. People asked who were these, but the Prophet did not answer until they had repeated their question three times. Salman the Persian was among us. The Prophet put his hand on Salman and said: `Were faith to be at the top of the sky, some people or a man from among his community would attain it'." This authentic hadith makes clear that this Qur'anic statement includes the Persians. Hence, in his commentary on this verse, Mujahid says: "This is a reference to all non-Arabs who believe in the Prophet." Another hadith is reported by Sahl ibn Said who quotes the Prophet as saying: 'Among the seed of the seed of the seed of men and women in my community there are some who will be admitted into heaven without having to face any reckoning of their deeds. He then quoted the verse that says: 'to them and to others yet to join them'." This means that these belong to much later generations of Muslims. Both these interpretations are valid. The Qur'anic statement refers to people other than the Arabs, and to ones other than the generation that witnessed the revelation of the Qur'an. It indicates that the Muslim community transcends both geographical area and generational context. It continues to be true to its great trust, faithful to the full form of the divine faith. "He is indeed the Almighty, the Wise." (Verse 3) He is able to choose as He pleases, and in His wisdom He is fully aware of the most appropriate choices. His choice, of both the earlier and the later generations, means a great honour to those thus chosen: "Such is God's favour: He grants it to whom He will. God is One who bestows great favours." (Verse 4) |
- Surah 62. Al-Jumu'ah - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO-7WPFR7m8&index=62&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN
- Surah 62. Al-Jumu'ah Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTZ557P7kbc&index=62&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM
- Surah 62. Al-Jumu'ah Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l660CAOs0oQ&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe&index=62
- Surah 62. Al-Jumu'ah Muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOyX0ZEzcBg&index=62&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG
