396 Page Notes

28 Surah Al-Qasas (continued)

Page 396 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

29 Surah Al-Ankabut

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 396 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah Al-Qasas

Page 396 of the Qur'an contains verses 85 through 88, which are the final four verses of Surah Al-Qasas. This powerful conclusion functions as a direct address to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ during a period of intense vulnerability in Makkah. It promises his eventual victorious return, commands steadfastness against pagan pressure, and ends with a declaration of Allah’s absolute, eternal sovereignty.

Prophetic biography (Seerah), historical traditions (Hadith), and classical commentaries (Tafsir) provide deep contextual insights into these closing verses.

1. The Prophecy of the Return to Makkah (Ma'ad)

Verse 85 contains a profound, comforting promise delivered to the Prophet ﷺ during one of the lowest points of his life:

"Indeed, [O Muhammad], He who imposed upon you the Qur'an will take you back to a place of return..." (Qur'an 28:85)

Context of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)

Classical historians and commentators, including Ibn Abbas, note that this verse was revealed at a location called Al-Juhfah (between Makkah and Madinah).

• The Scene: The Prophet ﷺ was actively fleeing his hometown during the Migration (Hijrah). He was looking back toward Makkah with deep sadness, yearning for the city he loved but whose people had forced him out under threat of assassination.

• The Divine Comfort: Gabriel descended with this verse to reassure him that his departure was not a permanent defeat. The "place of return" (Ma'ad) was explicitly interpreted by the companions as Makkah.

Canonical Hadith Citations

The exact linguistic definition and geographical fulfillment of this verse are explicitly verified in canonical Hadith literature:

• The Definition of Ma'ad: Narrated Bukhari from Ibn Abbas regarding the verse "will take you back to a place of return," he said: "To Makkah." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 65, Hadith 4773).

• The Fulfillment (The Conquest of Makkah): Eight years after this desperate flight, the Prophet ﷺ entered Makkah not as a fugitive, but as a victorious leader, completely destroying the idols around the Kaaba while reciting verses of truth prevailing over falsehood (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 64, Hadith 358). This structural historical arc directly vindicated the prophecy of verse 85.

2. Refusing Compromise with Polytheists

Verses 86 and 87 act as a divine guardrail, warning the Prophet ﷺ (and by extension, the believers) never to assist or bow to the desires of the disbelievers:

"...So do not be an assistant to the disbelievers." (Qur'an 28:86) "And never let them avert you from the verses of Allah after they have been revealed to you..." (Qur'an 28:87)

Sunnah Parallel: Rejecting Theological Compromise

The Quraysh made multiple attempts to negotiate a syncretic compromise with the Prophet ﷺ. They famously offered him vast wealth, kingship, and medical aid if he would stop criticizing their idols, or suggested a compromise where they would worship his God for a year if he worshipped theirs for a year.

• The Sunnah Stance: The Prophet’s ﷺ absolute refusal to compromise the core integrity of the message—even when offered total political power—is a foundational Sunnah principle. In a famous early narration of the Seerah recorded by Ibn Hisham, he told his uncle Abu Talib when pressured: "O my uncle! By Allah, if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on condition that I abandon this course, I would not abandon it until Allah has made it victorious or I perish therein."

3. Everything Perishes Except His Face (Wajh)

The Surah concludes with verse 88, a monumental theological statement regarding the nature of reality and the absolute eternity of Allah:

"...There is no deity except Him. Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgement, and to Him you will be returned." (Qur'an 28:88)

Direct Hadith Parallel: The Truest Words of Poetry

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explicitly highlighted a pre-Islamic Arabic poem that perfectly captured the exact theological essence of verse 88, verifying it as the truest human statement ever uttered outside of divine revelation.

• The Hadith: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The truest word spoken by a poet is the saying of Labid: 'Behold! Everything besides Allah is completely vain (bātil / perishing)...'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 78, Hadith 187; Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Hadith 5).

Core Creed (Aqidah) in the Sunnah

The phrase "except His Face" (illa Wajhahu) is a pillar in Islamic theology regarding the Divine Attributes. The Sunnah contains beautiful supplications where the Prophet ﷺ used this specific phrasing to seek refuge, emphasizing that while the physical universe decays, Allah's majesty remains absolute.

• The Prophet's Supplication: When verse 65 of Surah Al-An'am ("Say, He is the One Who can send punishment upon you from above") was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ supplicated: "I seek refuge in Your Face (A'udhu bi-Wajhika)." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 97, Hadith 56).

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. (n.d.). Sahih al-Bukhari. Dar al-Tawq al-Najah.

• Ibn Hisham, A. M. (1955). Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah [The Prophetic Biography]. Mustafa Al-Babi Al-Halabi.

• Ibn Kathir, A. I. (2000). Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim. Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi.

• Muslim, I. H. (n.d.). Sahih Muslim. Dar Ihya al-Kutub al-Arabiyyah.

(Note: Hadith references follow global standard canonical indexing formats).

(Note: "n.d." denotes classical texts where modern standardized publication years vary across publishers, cited instead by their universally recognized book and Hadith numbers).

Surah Al-Ankabut

Page 396 of the Qur'an marks the conclusion of Surah Al-Qasas and the immediate beginning of Surah Al-'Ankabut (The Spider). Verses 1 through 6 of Surah Al-'Ankabut represent a foundational, intense discourse on the necessity of trials, tests (Fitnah), and personal striving (Jihad) in the life of a believer.

Prophetic traditions (Hadith), foundational theology (Sunnah), and classical commentaries (Tafsir) offer deep context for these introductory verses.

1. The Divine Law of Testing (Fitnah)

Verses 2 and 3 outline a universal law governing faith:

"Do the people think that they will be left to say, 'We believe' and they will not be tried? But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make known those who are truthful, and He will surely make known the liars." (Qur'an 29:2-3)

Context of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)

According to Al-Wahidi and Ibn Kathir, these verses were revealed concerning the early Muslims in Makkah who embraced Islam but were subjected to brutal, systemic physical torture by the Quraysh.

• The Psychological State: Some of the weaker or newer companions began to despair, questioning why they were suffering so immensely if they were on the path of truth.

• The Purpose: The verses descended to reframe their suffering not as a sign of divine abandonment, but as a mandatory filtration process to distinguish genuine faith from superficial compliance.

Direct Hadith Parallels: Severity of Trials

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explicitly reinforced that trials are directly proportional to the depth of a person's faith, pointing to historical precedents to comfort his companions.

• The Hadith on Prophetic Suffering: Mus'ab ibn Sa'd narrated that his father asked the Prophet ﷺ who faces the hardest trials. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied: "The prophets, then those next to them, then those next to them. A man is tried according to his level of religious commitment. If his commitment is strong, his trial is increased..." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2398; authenticated by Al-Albani).

• The Hadith of Khabbab: Khabbab ibn al-Aratt reported a direct conversation during this Makkan period: "We complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was leaning against his cloak in the shade of the Kaaba. We said, 'Will you not ask for help for us? Will you not pray to Allah for us?' He said, 'Among those who came before you, a man would be taken and a hole dug for him in the earth... then a saw would be brought and placed on his head and he would be split in two... yet that would not turn him away from his religion...'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 61, Hadith 123).

2. Comforting the Believer: The Meeting with Allah

Verse 5 shifts from the severity of earthly pressure to an anchor of psychological hope:

"Whoever should hope for the meeting with Allah—indeed, the term decreed by Allah is coming. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing." (Qur'an 29:5)

Sunnah Connection: The Yearning to Meet Allah

In the Sunnah, the concept of "hoping for/loving the meeting with Allah" (Liqaa'ullah) is an indicator of sound faith. The Prophet ﷺ taught that a believer views death not as an existential end, but as a gateway to meeting the Beloved.

• The Hadith: Aisha narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him; and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him." Aisha asked: "O Prophet of Allah, is it because of the hatred of death? For all of us hate death." He replied: "It is not like that. Rather, when the believer is given the glad tidings of Allah's mercy, His pleasure, and His Paradise, he loves to meet Allah... but when the disbeliever is given the news of Allah's punishment, he hates to meet Allah..." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 81, Hadith 101; Sahih Muslim, Book 48, Hadith 18).

3. Striving is for Self-Benefit (Jihad)

Verse 6 clarifies the theological rationale behind divine commands and trials:

"And whoever strives only strives for [the benefit of] himself. Indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds." (Qur'an 29:6)

Sunnah Principle: Allah's Absolute Independence (Ghiyān)

The word used for striving here is Jaahada, which encompasses the internal struggle against desires (Jihad al-Nafs) as well as external sacrifices. The Sunnah underscores that human righteousness adds absolutely nothing to Allah’s power, nor does human disobedience diminish it.

• The Hadith Qudsi on Self-Benefit: The Prophet ﷺ narrated that Allah said: "O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you, were to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man among you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you... were to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man among you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything... It is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for..." (Sahih Muslim, Book 45, Hadith 111).

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. (n.d.). Sahih al-Bukhari. Dar al-Tawq al-Najah.

• Al-Tirmidhi, M. (n.d.). Sunan al-Tirmidhi. Dar al-Ghard al-Islami.

• Al-Wahidi, A. (2008). Asbab al-Nuzul [Occasions of Revelation] (S. Al-Alami, Ed.). Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah.

• Ibn Kathir, A. I. (2000). Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim. Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi.

• Muslim, I. H. (n.d.). Sahih Muslim. Dar Ihya al-Kutub al-Arabiyyah.

(Note: Standardized canonical index frameworks are maintained across all Hadith citations. "n.d." denotes classical texts where modern standardized publication years vary across publishers, cited instead by their universally recognized book and Hadith numbers).