By
Rana Rais Khan – Founder Hiba Family Resource Centre
Khalid Advani (rta) states: “Prophet Muhammad (sa) narrated at –Tariq in the market while I was still a disbeliever. I memorized it and later Allah (swt) opened my heart for Islam.”
The prophet (sa) advised to recite at-Tariq in the Zuhr and Maghrib prayers.
This is one of the early Surahs revealed at Makkah. It came down at a time when the disbelievers were hatching all sorts of plots to defeat and frustrate the message of Islam. Hence on one hand the disbelievers were warned against Allah’s (swt) wrath and on the other hand Prophet Muhammad (sa) was supported and offered a strategy to follow.
وَالسَّمَاءِ وَالطَّارِقِ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الطَّارِق النَّجْمُ الثَّاقِبُ إِنْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ
- By the sky and the night comer.
- And what can make you know what is the night comer?
- It is the piercing star.
- There is no soul but that it has over it a protector.
Allah (swt) swears by the mighty limitless heavens and all that it contains. He also takes an oath by ‘at-Tariq’ that has been explained by scholars to be:
- A traveler
- Someone who knocks at the door in the still of the night capturing attention
- The journey of the light of the morning star that reaches us. This journey is long, takes light years to reach us and is covered in a vast space.
When Allah (swt) swears by something followed by a question that how will we know about it, it means that He is about to inform about it Himself. Allah (swt) poses a rhetorical question to highlight our ignorance as we would never be able to know the role of His creations such as the heavens and stars, if He doesn’t inform us.
Back then the Arabs due to intense heat of the day, travelled by the night. In the vast barren expanse the only brilliant and beautiful visual was the night sky glittering with stars. The travellers especially relied upon the stars to navigate through the desert to reach their destination. Hence stars and the sky was of immense importance to them. Hence Allah (swt) draws their attention as well as ours towards these creations to enable us to understand the reality of the worldly setup.
The stars of the heavens are cited as an evidence that there is nothing in the universe that may continue to exist and survive without a guardian over it. Hence man is under the surveillance of especially assigned angels (The Kiraman Kaatibeen) who witness, record and guard every thought, intention and deed of mankind. Humans are fully exposed just as the glowing star shines upon them in the darkness. So the next time we spot a star in the sky, we need to be mindful that we are being watched and our intentions and conduct is being recorded in detail.
فَلْيَنْظُرِ الْإِنْسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ
- So let man observe from what he was created.
- He was created from a fluid, ejected,
- Emerging from between the backbone and the ribs.
Then man is asked to consider his own self as to how he has been brought into existence from a mere sperm that is dropped into the womb and shaped into a living human being. This fluid ejects from between the spine, the strongest part of the chest and the rib cage. Its journey is short, fast and within limited space.
Next a human being was honoured by Ruh that Allah (swt) breathed into him otherwise he would have been like an animal. Man has no means of exhibiting arrogance simply because, his birth was Allah’s (swt) incredible doing. Man had no part to play in it. The reality of his origin should humble him.
إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَجْعِهِ لَقَادِرٌ يَوْمَ تُبْلَى السَّرَائِرُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَلَا نَاصِرٍ
- Indeed, He (i.e. Allah), to return him (to life), is Able.
- The day when secrets will be put on trial,
- Then he (i.e. man) will have no power or any helper.
Then it is said that Allah (swt), Who brought man into existence, certainly has the power to create him once again to scrutinize all of his secrets which remained hidden in this world due to Allah’s (swt) mercy, protecting man’s dignity and allowing him respite to reform.
So make no mistake that Allah (swt) has the power to deliver a human from his mother’s womb as well as bring him out of the land’s belly resurrecting him.
Imam Al Qurtubi states that on the day of judgment, when secrets of the heart will be set on trial the face of a man will display his state of Iman and Kufr. There will be no headlines or breaking news to inform anyone. The radiance or ugliness of a man’s face will be sufficient to announce what he brought to the Aakhirah. Hence it is most important for us to constantly check our inner thoughts and empty out the evil from within so we do not carry it into the hereafter.
Likewise Imam Ibnul Qayyim states that in the world people took us at face value not knowing what our heart carried. On the day of resurrection, everyone will know what we thought and our intentions will be rewarded and punished. Hence now is the time to correct our corrupt internal state.
Imam At Tabri understands that man will not be able to escape the consequences of his evil deeds committed in the world. Whether it’s at a geo-political level or at an individual level. Sins, intimate thoughts, war crimes, testimonies, witnesses, etc. that are buried today will be brought out then.
Imam As Saadi states that man cannot overcome Allah (swt) Al Qawi and Al Aleem. It’s a matchless battle. Neither will he have any internal power or skill nor any external ally or support to rescue him on the day of resurrection.
وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ وَالْأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلٌ فَصْلٌ وَمَا هُوَ بِالْهَزْلِ
- By the sky which sends back
- And by the earth which splits
- Indeed, it (i.e. the Quran) is a decisive statement,
- And it is not amusement.
In conclusion, Allah (swt) swears by an amazing phenomenon of His mighty creation that includes the process of evaporation and rain cycle. Something that we either ignore or take for granted instead of feeling marveled and thinking deliberately about.
Allah (swt) also swears by the tearing open of the land for multiple reasons such as house building, mining, plantation, etc.
Just as the falling of rain from the sky, the sprouting of plants and crops from the earth are not child’s play, but a serious task, similarly the truths mentioned in the Quran are no joke, but a firm and unquestionable reality. Only the Quran separates the truth from falsehood with clarity. No other text of the world can do that. It is not weak, non-beneficial or vain talk. So take it seriously.
The rain falling from the sky gives life to the land to produce. Similarly the revealed scripture of the Quran grants life to the dead heart making a man productive in the world.
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا فَمَهِّلِ الْكَافِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًا
- Indeed, they are planning a plan,
- But I am planning a plan.
- So allow for the disbelievers. Leave them awhile.
The Makkans were given 13 years to reform but the disbelievers wrongly assumed that their plots and devices would defeat the invitation of the Quran. They did not know that Allah (swt) too was devising a plan which eventually voided all their criminal plans.
Allah (swt) further assures and consoles Prophet Muhammad (sa) to:
- Not react to the disbelievers
- Not to pray against them
- Not to plot
Instead leave them for a short while, to their own devices as Allah (swt) is dealing with them. After all, only Allah (swt) is the authority, in control and has calculated time for the right decree.
A huge life lesson for us for today as well.
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