211 Page Notes

10 Surah Yunus (continued)

Page 211 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

10:21

10:22

10:23

10:24

10:25

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 211 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 211 of the Quran contains the verses of Surah Yunus (Chapter 10), verses 21 through 25. These verses address human nature during times of ease and hardship, the illusion of worldly life, and Allah's invitation to eternal peace.

Several prominent Hadiths, prophetic traditions, and historical narratives elucidate the context and meanings of these specific verses.

Verse 21: Plotting After Mercy

"And when We give the people a taste of mercy after adversity has touched them, at once they conspire against Our verses..."

The Hadith on Attributing Rain to the Stars

Classical commentators like Ibn Kathir connect the human habit of rejecting Allah's grace right after a trial passes to a famous Hadith Qudsi regarding rainfall. When a drought ends and rain arrives (a "taste of mercy"), people often attribute it to natural or superstitious causes rather than divine favor.

• The Narration:
  Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led the morning prayer at Al-Hudaibiya after a rainy night. When he finished, he faced the people and said, "Do you know what your Lord has said?" They replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better."
  He said, "Allah said: 'This morning, some of My servants became believers in Me and some became disbelievers. He who said: "We have had this rainfall due to the grace and mercy of Allah" is a believer in Me and a disbeliever in the stars. And he who said: "We have had this rainfall due to the rising of such-and-such a star" is a disbeliever in Me and a believer in the stars.'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, 846; Sahih Muslim, 71).

Verse 22–23: The Storm at Sea and Rebellion

"He it is Who enables you to travel through land and sea, till when you are in the ships, and they sail with them with a favorable wind... then comes a stormy wind and the waves come to them from all sides... Then they invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him... But when He delivers them, behold! They rebel in the earth wrongfully..."

The Historical Context: The Conversion of Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl

The absolute psychological accuracy of Verse 22 is perfectly illustrated by the famous historical event involving Ikrimah, the son of Islam's arch-enemy Abu Jahl.

• The Narration:
  When the Prophet (ﷺ) conquered Makkah, Ikrimah fled to escape justice and boarded a ship bound for Abyssinia or Yemen. While at sea, a violent storm arose, threatening to capsize the ship.
  The captain of the ship called out to the passengers: "Make your devotion sincere to Allah alone, for your idols and false deities cannot save you here!"
  Upon hearing this, Ikrimah had an epiphany. He said to himself, "By Allah, if nothing can save me at sea except sincerity to Allah, then nothing can save me on land except sincerity to Him either. O Allah! I make a covenant with You: if You save me from this storm, I will go directly to Muhammad, place my hand in his, and I know I will find him generous and forgiving."
  They survived the storm, and Ikrimah returned to Makkah, embraced Islam, and became a dedicated companion (Sunan an-Nasa'i, 4067; Tafsir Ibn Kathir).

The Hadith on the Consequence of Wrongful Rebellion (Baghy)

Verse 23 states, "O mankind! Your rebellion (baghy) is only against yourselves—a brief enjoyment of this worldly life..."

• The Narration:
  The Prophet (ﷺ) specifically warned about the rapid worldly punishment for Baghy (wrongful rebellion/oppression). Abu Bakrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "There is no sin more deserving that Allah hasten its punishment for its perpetrator in this world—alongside what is stored up for him in the Hereafter—than wrongful rebellion (Baghy) and severing family ties." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, 2511; Sunan Abi Dawud, 4902).

Verse 24: The Parable of Materialistic Life

"Verily, the parable of the life of the world is as the water which We send down from the sky; so by it arises the intermingled produce of the earth... until when the earth is clad in its adornments and is beautified... there comes to it Our command by night or by day, so We mow it down as if it never flourished yesterday!"

The Hadith on Sufficiency vs. Distraction

In explaining this verse—which warns that the sudden end to worldly beauty can leave a person empty-handed—scholars cite prophetic warnings regarding the distracting nature of accumulating material wealth.

• The Narration:
  Abu ad-Darda' reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The sun does not rise except that two angels are sent on its sides. They call out so that all of Allah's creation hears them, except jinn and mankind: 'O people! Come to your Lord! What is small and sufficient is better than what is abundant and distracting.'" (Tafsir Ibn Jarir at-Tabari; cited also in Tafsir Ibn Kathir).

Verse 25: The Invitation to Peace

"And Allah invites to the Home of Peace (Dar us-Salam) and guides whom He wills to a straight path."

The Prophetic Dream of the House and the Banquet

The Prophet (ﷺ) was once given a vivid parable in a dream by the angels Jibril (Gabriel) and Mika'il (Michael) that explains exactly what Allah's "Invitation to the Home of Peace" means.

• The Narration:
  Jabir bin Abdullah narrated that some angels came to the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was sleeping. They said, "Your companion has a parable, so coin a parable for him." One of them said, "He is sleeping," while another replied, "The eye sleeps but the heart is awake."
  They said: "His parable is like a man who built a house, prepared a grand banquet therein, and sent an inviter to call the people. Whoever accepted the invitation of the inviter entered the house and ate from the banquet. Whoever did not accept the invitation did not enter the house and did not eat from the banquet."
  The angels then explained it: "The house is Paradise, the inviter is Muhammad (ﷺ), and whoever obeys Muhammad obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys Muhammad disobeys Allah. Muhammad separates the people (between good and bad)." (Sahih al-Bukhari, 7281).

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. (n.d.). Sahih al-Bukhari.

• Al-Nasa'i, A. S. (n.d.). Sunan an-Nasa'i.

• Al-Tirmidhi, M. I. (n.d.). Jami` at-Tirmidhi.

• Ibn Kathir, I. O. (2000). Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim (Abridged by a group of scholars). Darussalam.

• Muslim, I. H. (n.d.). Sahih Muslim.