326 Page Notes

21 Surah Al-Anbya (continued)

Page 326 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 326 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 326 of the Quran covers Surah Al-Anbya, verses 45 through 57.

Thematically, this page bridges three major subjects: the absolute source of prophetic warning, the mechanics of the cosmic scales of justice on the Day of Judgment, and the introduction to the story of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) as a young man confronting his people's idol worship.

1. Sunnah and Hadith Context for Verses 45–47

The Spiritual Deafness of the Blind Follower

“Say, ‘I only warn you by revelation.’ But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned.” (Quran 21:45)

This verse describes a specific type of spiritual arrogance where a person physically hears a warning but their heart refuses to process it. The Sunnah pairs this with a profound warning about hypocrisy and how true knowledge can be stripped from a society.

• The Disappearance of Functional Knowledge:
  Ziyad ibn Labid reported that the Prophet ﷺ mentioned a time when knowledge would leave the world. Ziyad asked, "O Messenger of Allah, how will knowledge leave us when we read the Quran, teach it to our children, and they will teach it to their children?" The Prophet ﷺ replied:
  "May your mother be bereaved of you, Ziyad! I thought you were one of the most learned men in Medina. Do not the Jews and the Christians read the Torah and the Gospel, yet they do not act upon anything inside them?"
  Source: Authentic (Sahih), Sunan Ibn Majah (Book of Tribulations, Hadith 4048) and Sunan At-Tirmidhi (Hadith 2657).

The Precise Scales of Judgment Day

“And We place the scales of justice (Mawazin al-Qist) for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth...” (Quran 21:47)

Verse 47 provides one of the most explicit descriptions of the Mizan (the celestial scale) in the Quran. The Sunnah heavily expounds upon what actually has "weight" on these literal scales, pointing out that heavy weights are achieved through character rather than physical size.

• Good Character Outweighs All:
  Abu al-Darda reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
  "Nothing is heavier upon the scale of a believer on the Day of Resurrection than good character. Verily, Allah hates the wicked and the vulgar."
  Source: Authentic (Sahih), Sunan At-Tirmidhi (Book of Righteousness, Hadith 2002) and Sunan Abi Dawud (Hadith 4799).

• The Weight of the SubhanAllah Phrases:
  Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet ﷺ closed his monumental collection of authentic traditions by explicitly referencing the weight of words:
  "There are two statements that are light on the tongue, heavy on the scale, and beloved to the Most Merciful: 'Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him' (SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi), and 'Glory be to Allah the Supreme' (SubhanAllahi al-Azheem)."
  Source: Authentic (Sahih), Sahih al-Bukhari (The Book of Devotional Expressions, Hadith 7563) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith 2694).

2. Sunnah and Hadith Context for Verses 48–50

“And We already gave Moses and Aaron the criterion (Al-Furqan) and a light and a reminder for the righteous.” (Quran 21:48)

These verses reference the Torah as a Furqan (a standard of distinguishing right from wrong). The Prophet ﷺ routinely used the stories of Moses and Aaron from this era to keep his own companions grounded during intense trials.

• Patience Taught by the Legacy of Moses:
  When a man insulted the Prophet ﷺ by falsely claiming a distribution of charity was unfair, the Prophet's face turned red with anger, but he restrained himself and said:
  "May Allah have mercy on Moses; he was hurt with more than this, yet he remained patient."
  Source: Authentic (Sahih), Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of the Stories of the Prophets, Hadith 3405).

3. Sunnah and Hadith Context for Verses 51–57

“And We had certainly granted Ibrahim his sound judgment (Rushd) before, for We knew him well.” (Quran 21:51)

“He said, 'Indeed, you and your forefathers have been in clear error.'” (Quran 21:54)

“And [I swear] by Allah, I will surely plan against your idols after you have turned and gone away.” (Quran 21:57)

These verses introduce Ibrahim's famous, bold psychological warfare against the idolatry of his society. He intentionally used a festival day when the city emptied out to plot against their physical statues (verse 57). The Sunnah explicitly notes that Ibrahim’s fierce, protective loyalty to absolute monotheism made him unique among all creations.

• Ibrahim's Status as the Best of Creation:
  Anas ibn Malik reported that a man came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and addressed him saying, "O best of creation!" The Prophet ﷺ instantly corrected him out of humility and respect for his ancestral line, saying:
  "That [title] belongs to Ibrahim, peace be upon him."
  Source: Authentic (Sahih), Sahih Muslim (Book of Virtues, Hadith 2369).

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. (d. 870). Sahih al-Bukhari.

• Al-Sijistani, Abu Dawud (d. 889). Sunan Abi Dawud.

• Al-Tirmidhi, M. I. (d. 892). Sunan al-Tirmidhi.

• Ibn Majah, M. Y. (d. 887). Sunan Ibn Majah.

• Muslim, I. H. (d. 875). Sahih Muslim.

Note:  In historical and academic references, "d. 870" stands for "died in the year 870 CE" (Common Era / AD). In the Islamic Hijri calendar, this corresponds to the year 256 AH. Placing the death date in the citation is incredibly useful for researchers because it instantly provides historical context. It tells you exactly how close the author was to the events they wrote about—in this case, it proves that Imam Al-Bukhari was compiling his famous Hadith collection in the 9th century, roughly 240 years after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.