459 Page Notes

39 Surah Az-Zumar (continued)

Page 459 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 459 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 459 of the Quran covers Surah Az-Zumar (The Groups) verses 6 through 10. This section transitions from the cosmic order to the creation of the human body, outlines Allah's absolute self-sufficiency, contrasts the behavior of the hypocrite with the dedicated night-worshipper, and ends with an exhortation to patience and migration.

Classical exegesis connects these specific verses to multiple authentic Hadiths that illuminate our biological origins, the accountability of souls, and the virtues of night prayers.

1. The Creation of Man in Three Layers of Darkness (Verse 6)

"He created you from one soul, then He made from it its mate, and He produced for you from the grazing livestock eight mates. He creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation, within three darknesses..." (Surah Az-Zumar 39:6)

The Eight Mates of Livestock

The "eight mates" (Thamaniyata Azwaj) refer to the male and female pairs of the four primary domestic animals crucial to human survival: camels, cattle, sheep, and goats (as detailed cross-referentially in Surah Al-An'am 6:143-144).

The Stages of Embryonic Development

The phrase "creation after creation, within three darknesses" (Khalqan min ba'di khalqin fi dulumatin thalath) describes the physical stages of human formation inside the womb. In classical commentary, Ibn Abbas and Mujahid defined the three layers of darkness as:

1. The darkness of the belly.

2. The darkness of the womb.

3. The darkness of the placenta/amniotic sac.

• The Hadith on the Timeline of Creation: The Sunnah extensively details this exact process of "creation after creation." Abdullah ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
  “Indeed, the creation of each one of you is brought together in the mother's womb for forty days as a drop (Nutfah), then he becomes a clot of thick blood (Alaqah) for a like period, then a piece of flesh (Mudghah) for a like period, then Allah sends an angel who is commanded with four things: to write down his provision, his life span, his actions, and whether he will be wretched or blessed...” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3208; Sahih Muslim, 2643).

2. Personal Accountability and Divine Needlessness (Verse 7)

"If you disbelieve - indeed, Allah is Free of need of you. And He is not pleased with disbelief for His servants. And if you are grateful, He is pleased with it for you. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another..." (Surah Az-Zumar 39:7)

Related Hadith and Sunnah Application

This verse sets a foundational rule in Islamic theology: human obedience does not increase Allah's sovereignty, nor does human sin diminish it. Furthermore, it firmly establishes the rule of individual spiritual accountability (No bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another).

• The Absolute Independence of Allah: The Prophet ﷺ relayed a famous Qudsi Hadith where Allah explicitly describes the concept of being "Free of need" (Ghaniyy):
  “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 individual among you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. 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 wicked as the most wicked heart of any individual among you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything...” (Sahih Muslim, 2577).

• Rejecting Inherited Guilt: The Sunnah frequently invoked the latter part of verse 7 to settle legal and tribal disputes, overriding the pre-Islamic Arab tradition of punishing an entire family or tribe for one person's crime. The Prophet ﷺ looked at a father and son and stated:
  “He does not commit a crime against you, nor do you commit a crime against him.” He then recited the concept that no soul bears the burden of another. (Sunan Abi Dawud, 4495; Sunan an-Nasa'i, 4831).

3. The Reclining Night-Worshipper vs. The Ignorant (Verse 9)

"Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord [like one who does not]? Say, 'Are those who know equal to those who do not know?' Only they will remember who are people of understanding." (Surah Az-Zumar 39:9)

Related Hadith and Sunnah Application

This verse serves as a primary Quranic text praising the night prayer (Tahajjud) and equating deep knowledge with the active practice of night worship.

• The Practice of the Righteous: The Prophet ﷺ heavily emphasized the lifestyle described in verse 9:
  “Hold fast to the night prayer, for indeed it was the practice of the righteous before you, a means of drawing closer to your Lord, an expiation for bad deeds, and a barrier against sin.” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, 3549, graded Hasan).

• The Inversion of Ranks: To highlight how "those who know are not equal to those who do not know," the Prophet ﷺ clarified what true, beneficial knowledge looks like on the Day of Judgment:
  “The superiority of the learned man over the devout worshipper is like that of the full moon over the rest of the stars.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, 3641).

4. Patience, Migration, and Unlimited Reward (Verse 10)

"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 vast. Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account [i.e., limit].'" (Surah Az-Zumar 39:10)

Historical Context of the Sunnah

According to classical commentators like Al-Qurtubi, the phrase "the earth of Allah is vast" was revealed specifically as a divine green light encouraging the early, heavily persecuted Muslims in Makkah to migrate (Hijrah) to Abyssinia (Aethiopia) to safeguard their faith. This migration served as the historical blueprint for the later major Hijrah to Madinah.

The Reward Without Account (Bighayri Hisab)

While every good deed in Islam has a mapped out mathematical multiplier (e.g., ten-fold to seven hundred-fold), verse 10 uniquely extracts Sabr (patience/perseverance) from this system, declaring its reward to be boundless.

• The Unmeasured Scales: The Prophet ﷺ explained how this specific verse manifests physically on the Day of Judgment when the books of deeds are weighed:
  “On the Day of Resurrection, those who suffered afflictions and practiced patience in the world will be brought forward, and no scale will be set up for them, nor will any ledger be opened for them. Instead, their reward will be poured upon them in torrents [without account]—to the extent that the people who lived in worldly ease would wish that their own skins had been cut with scissors in the worldly life when they see the magnificent rewards given to the patient.” (Tabarani in Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; cited in Tafsir Al-Qurtubi).

References

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

• Al-Qurtubi, Shams al-Din (d. 1273). Al-Jami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an (The Compendium of Quranic Rulings).

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

• An-Nasa'i, Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb (d. 915). Sunan an-Nasa'i.

• At-Tirmidhi, Abu 'Isa (d. 892). Jami` at-Tirmidhi.

• Ibn Kathir, Isma'il bin 'Umar (d. 1373). Tafsir al-Qur'an al-A'zim.

• Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 875). Sahih Muslim.