Overview - Surah 39: az-Zumar (The Groups)
The Surah talks about the true religion. It is to serve Allah sincerely and to avoid Shirk. Tawhid brings the blessings of Allah, while Shirk has terrible consequences. The Believers are told not to despair and lose heart. If it is difficult for them to practice their religion in one place, they can migrate from that land. The unbelievers are told that they can do whatever they wish, but they cannot turn the Believers away from the path of faith.
Sections:
- To Allah belongs the pure and sincere religion. The principle of Tawhid and its benefits. The evil of Shirk and its consequences.
- The reward of those who are steadfast in their faith.
- The perfect guidance of the Qur'an. It is straight without any crookedness.
- Allah is sufficient for the Prophet. The rejecters will be abased.
- The futility of Shirk and its evil consequences.
- Allah's mercy is available for all.
- You ignorant people, do you invite me to worship someone other than Allah? The Judgment of Allah.
- The reward of Believers and the punishment of the unbelievers.
The Surah takes its name from the mention of 'az-Zumar' in (39:71) and (39:73). These are the only mention of the words zumar in the whole Qur'an.
There are 88 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 75 |
| Total Words * | 1172 |
| Root Words * | 253 |
| Makki / Madani | Makki |
| Chronological Order* | 59th (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | 9th year of Prophethood |
| Events during/before this Surah*
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*
Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey,1st Pledge of Aqabah,2nd Pledge of Aqabah,,Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah,Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhud,,Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah,Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers,,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
Adversity (not burdened with another’s burden) , Adversity (patience during) , God (knows that beyond comprehension) , Angels, Astronomy (celestial mechanics) (solar and lunar orbits), Botany, Cattle, Death, Disbelievers, Disbelievers (God’s promise to) , Earth, Earth (condition of at the time of resurrection) , Earth (creation and recreation of) , Earth (rotation of) , Hell, Humankind (creation of) , Hydrology, Judgement (Day) , Knowledge, Knowledge (obligation upon man to obtain and impart) , Prayer (prostration) , Prayer (standing) , Pregnancy, Prophet (people who are false prophets are wicked) , Qur’an, Qur’an (revealed in Arabic) , Religion, Resurrection (Day) , Resurrection (of soul) , Revelation, Sin, Weather (rain)
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Theme 1: Tawhid al-Khalis [Pure Monotheism]
- With Truth بِالْحَقِّ - In the beginning, it is mentioned that the Qur'an was revealed with Truth and the last Ayat it will be said that people will have been judged with Truth
- إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ فَاعْبُدِ اللَّـهَ مُخْلِصًا لَّهُ الدِّينَ "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book, [O Muhammad], in truth. So worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion." (39:2)
وَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُم بِالْحَقِّ وَقِيلَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ "...And it will be judged between them in truth, and it will be said, "[All] praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds." (39:75)
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
- In the end of Surat Sad, Allah says: "It is but a reminder to the worlds." (37:87). In the beginning of Surat Az-Zumar He says: "The revelation of the Qur'an is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise." (39:1). It is as if it is being said: 'this reminder is a revelation', such is the connection that if the 'Basmallah' in Surat Az-Zumar was removed, the ending of Sad with seemlessly connect to the beginning of Az-Zumar. (Ref: Asraar Tarteeb al Qur'aan, Al Suyuti 16/1).
- Aishah [ra] reports قَالَ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لاَ يَنَامُ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ حَتَّى يَقْرَأَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَالزُّمَرَ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ . "The Prophet (ﷺ) would not sleep until he recited Surat Bani Isra'il and Az-Zumar." [Tirmidhee no. 2920]
- The people of Hell will be under layers ontop of layers of Hell (39:16), whilst the people of Paradise will be in lofty mansions built one storey ontop of another (39:20).
- Zumar - This word only occurs in this Surah. It appears twice - (39:71) and (39:73).
- Ya Ibad -'O My Servants....' (39:10) (39:53) - Expression of sympathy with the creation.
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = * | ||
In Ayat 10 (…and the earth of God is spacious…) there is abundant evidence that this Surah was sent down before the migration to Abyssinia. Some hadith provide the explanation that this verse was sent down in respect of Ja’far bin Abi Talib and his companions when they made up their mind to emigrate to Abyssinia.
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ ۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا فِي هَـٰذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ ۗ وَأَرْضُ اللَّـهِ وَاسِعَةٌ ۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ "Say, "O My servants who have believed, fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world is good, and the earth of Allah is spacious. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account." (39:10)
In Surah al-Ankabut (29) - there is a similar Ayat, يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ أَرْضِي وَاسِعَةٌ فَإِيَّايَ فَاعْبُدُونِ "O My servants who have believed, indeed My earth is spacious, so worship only Me." (29:56)
The entire Surah is a most eloquent and effective address which was given some time before the emigration to Abyssinia, in an environment filled with tyranny and persecution, ill-will and antagonism, at Makkah. It is a sermon whose addresses mainly are the unbelieving Quraysh, although here and there the believers also have been addressed. In it the real aim of the invitation of Muhammad is this: Man should adopt God’s servitude sincerely, and should not pollute his worship with the service of any other. Presenting this cardinal principle in different ways over and over again, the truth of Monotheism (Tawhid) and the excellent results of accepting it, and the falsehood of polytheism (shirk) and the evil consequences of following it, have been explained in a most forceful way, and the people exhorted to give up their wrong way of life and return to the mercy of their Lord. In this very connection, the believers have been instructed, as if to say: “If a place has become narrow for the worship and service of God, His earth is vast: you may emigrate to some other place in order to save your faith: God will reward you for your patience.” On the other hand, the Prophet has been encouraged, so as to say: “Tell the disbelievers plainly that they may do whatever they like, but their persecutions and tyrannies will never deter you from the way of Islam; that they may go on doing their utmost to obstruct your way, but you will continue to perform your mission in spite of the adverse conditions and circumstances.”
- The mushrikin try to justify their worship of saints saying: "It brings us closer to Allah."
- On the Day of Judgement no one shall bear the burden of others.
- Believers who cannot practice their faith should migrate to other place where they can.
- The real losers are those who lose their souls and families on the Day of Judgement.
- No one can rescue the one against whom the sentence of punishment has been decreed.
- Al-Qur'an is consistent yet it repeats the teachings in different ways.
- Allah has cited every kind of example in Al-Qur'an so that people may learn a lesson.
- Who can be more wicked than the one who invents a lie against Allah.
- Those who have transgressed against their souls should not despair of Allah's mercy, they should repent while they can.
- On the Day of Judgement everyone's Book of Deeds shall be laid open and justice shall be done with all fairness.
Tafsir Zone
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Sayyid Qutb Overview (Verses 6 - 7) Three Depths of Darkness The sūrah then seeks to touch people’s hearts. It refers them to the evidence of life close by them, and in fact derived from their own creation and from the animals made subservient to them: He has created you all from a single soul, and from it He fashioned its mate; and He has bestowed on you four kinds of cattle in pairs; and He creates you in your mothers’ wombs, one act of creation after another, in threefold depths of darkness. Such is God, your Lord: to Him belongs all dominion. There is no deity other than Him. How, then, can you lose sight of the truth? (Verse 6) Let man look at his own self. He has not created himself, nor does he know who created the human entity except for what God has told him. Yet we all originate from one soul, with one nature and the same characteristics that distinguish us from the rest of creation. Moreover, every human individual shares in these characteristics, because the human soul is one in the countless millions of humans across all generations and all communities. Moreover, its mate or spouse is also made from the same essence. Thus, despite all differences of detail between men and women, they share all these characteristics. This again confirms the unity of the original design for mankind, male and female, and the unity of the Will that created this single soul with its two manifestations. The reference to the fact of human spouses is coupled by a reference to the same phenomenon in cattle, which in turn suggests that it applies to all living creatures: “He has bestowed on you four kinds of cattle in pairs.” The Arabic phrase states ‘eight ‘zawj,’ but this word means both ‘couple’ and ‘spouse’. Hence, the way it is rendered in translation. The eight are made up of a male and a female of sheep, goats, bovine and camels. The verse mentions that they have been bestowed by God, which means that it is God who has made them subservient to man. It is their subservience that is bestowed from on high and effected in man’s world. Thus, man is given God’s permission to use cattle for the benefit of human life. The verse continues its discussion of man’s creation, referring to various growth stages of the embryo: “He creates you in your mothers’ wombs, one act of creation after another.” These stages of creation begin with the gamete, then a clinging cell mass, then an embryo, then the bones, and then to a creation that indicates its human status. “in threefold depths of darkness.” (Verse 6) There is the darkness of the placenta in which the embryo grows, the darkness of the uterus, and the darkness inside the mother’s body. It is God’s hand that takes the single cell through these stages of creation, one after another, looking after it and giving it the ability to grow and develop until it is formed in a complete human being as God has determined. Anyone who looks carefully at this journey, which covers a huge gulf traversed in a short period of time, and who reflects on these stages of development, and on how this simple cell is guided along its remarkable journey in these depths of darkness, beyond man’s knowledge, will inevitably recognize the Creator and His handiwork. How, then, is man turned away from the true faith: “Such is God, your Lord: to Him belongs all dominion. There is no deity other than Him. How, then, can you lose sight of the truth?” (Verse 6) Having outlined this clear vision of the signs testifying to God’s absolute oneness and all encompassing power, the sūrah shows people’s positions at the parting of the ways between belief and disbelief. It makes it clear that responsibility rests with each individual. It tells them about the end of their lives’ journey and the reckoning that awaits them. It will be administered by the One who created them under three depths of darkness and who knows their innermost thoughts and feelings: If you disbelieve, God has no need of you; nor is He pleased with disbelief by His servants. If you give thanks, He is pleased with you. No soul will bear the burden of another. In time, to your Lord you all must return, and then He will tell you the truth of all you did. He has full knowledge of what is in people’s hearts. (Verse 7) The journey inside the mother’s belly is merely one stage of a long journey. The second stage is life in this world and the final stage is that of reckoning and reward. All this takes place according to God’s design who knows all. He does not need any of His servants. They are essentially weak and powerless, but He bestows on them an abundance of His grace. “If you disbelieve, God has no need of you.” (Verse 7) If you believe, you will not increase His kingdom in any way. If you disbelieve, this too will not affect His kingdom in any adverse way. He, however, does not like people to disbelieve: “nor is He pleased with disbelief by His servants.” (Verse 7) By contrast, “lf you give thanks, He is pleased with you.” He will accept this from you and reward you generously for it. Everyone is accountable for their own deeds, and none will be held responsible for another, nor will he be allowed to take upon himself part of another’s burden: “No soul will bear the burden of another.” (Verse 7) The ultimate end of the journey is to God. There can be neither escape from Him nor refuge with anyone else: “In time, to your Lord you all must return, and then He will tell you the truth of all you did.” (Verse 7) You can hide nothing from Him: “He has full knowledge of what is in people’s hearts.” (Verse 7) |
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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Scientific References
يُكَوِّرُ اللَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى اللَّيْلِ "...He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night..." (39:5)
The Arabic word for “wrap” is “yukowir” The word is used to depict the act of wrapping a turban around someone’s head. This word was also used in the sense of overlapping of the night and day and vice versa. The reason for the day’s turning into night and the night’s turning into day is due to the spheroid form of the earth.
God also says, وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ دَحَاهَا “And after that He spread the earth.” (79:30) The Arabic word “dahw” means to ‘spread’ or ‘spread out giving something a round shape’, i.e. like that of the ostrich’s egg. Many ancient cultures, including the Greek, Indian and Chinese, held the belief that the Earth is flat. The Europeans did not alter their view until the Middle ages.
- Surah 39. Az-Zumar - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eht1S7reonw&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN&index=39
- Surah 39. Az-Zumar Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAtztYUwsKE&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM&index=39
- Surah 39. Az-Zumar Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngdVbLTm2eo&index=39&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe
- Idris Akbar Surah Az-Zumar http://Idris Akbar Surah Zumar
- Surah 39. Az-Zumar muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9_MEe1isxo&index=39&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-Zumur to Surah Al-M'umin (1-46)1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnWQdD1aXFw&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=87
- Surah Al-Zumur to Surah Al-M'umin (1-46)2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LPfBkMisWQ&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=88
