500 Page Notes

45 Surah Al-Jathiyah (continued)

Page 500 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 500 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah Al-Jathiyah (Chapter 45), verses 14–22, centers on the conduct of believers toward those who reject the truth, the concept of individual moral accountability, and the refutation of the materialist view that life ends with death.

1. The Command to Forgive (Verse 14)

• The Verse: "Tell the believers to forgive those who do not fear the days of Allah, so that He may recompense a people for what they used to earn."

• Context: Most classical commentators interpret "the days of Allah" as the days of His recompense and punishment. The command to "forgive" is understood by scholars as a directive for believers to exercise patience and refrain from unnecessary retaliation against those who harbor enmity due to their lack of faith in the Hereafter.

• Sunnah Perspective:

  • Patience and Restraint: This verse is frequently cited as the moral foundation for the Prophet’s practice of patience during the Meccan period, where he instructed his followers to endure the insults and provocations of the Quraysh without stooping to their level.

  • Divine Justice: The verse teaches that by refraining from taking matters into their own hands, the believer leaves justice to Allah. This is echoed in the Prophet’s character, who consistently sought to de-escalate conflicts and urged his followers to be "people of nobility" who do not respond to evil with evil.

2. Individual Accountability (Verses 15 & 22)

• The Verses: "Whoever does a good deed – it is for himself; and whoever does evil – it is against the self... and so that everybody is recompensed for what they earned."

• Sunnah Connection: This is a core tenet of the Prophet’s teachings. He repeatedly emphasized that salvation is a personal matter determined by one's deeds rather than lineage, tribe, or wealth.

  • Hadith: The Prophet Muhammad said, "O people of Quraish, buy yourselves from Allah (by doing good deeds); I cannot avail you anything against Allah..." (Sahih al-Bukhari 2753). This reflects the Quranic principle that one's actions accrue solely to one's own soul.

3. The Rejection of Materialism (Verses 18–21)

• The Verses: These verses address the disbelievers who claim that life is only the present world, governed by the passage of time (ad-dahr). The Quran dismisses this as mere conjecture and asserts that a time of gathering (Yawm al-Jathiyah—the day when all nations will be seen "kneeling" in judgment) is inevitable.

• Refutation of Fatalism: In the period of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance), some believed that "time" or "fate" was the cause of their destruction. The Prophet corrected this in a well-known Hadith: "Do not abuse Time, for Allah is the One who controls Time" (Sahih Muslim 2246). This aligns with the Quranic refutation here, which clarifies that it is Allah, not random time, who creates, gives life, and causes death.

Summary for Study

• Moral Conduct: The "Sunnah" related to these verses is the practice of forbearance. By forgiving the arrogant, the believer maintains their moral superiority and displays their reliance on Allah’s eventual justice.

• Individual Responsibility: The verses solidify the Islamic view that every person is their own witness and judge, a theme the Prophet Muhammad reiterated throughout his mission to prevent his followers from relying on false intercession or social status.

Page 500 of the Holy Quran contains Surah Al-Jathiyah (Chapter 45), Verses 14 through 22. This specific passage shifts from a command of patience and forgiveness toward the disbelievers to a reminder of the immense favors bestowed upon the Children of Israel (and their subsequent divisions). It concludes with a stark theological contrast between the righteous and the wicked, explicitly dismantling the idea that they will be treated equally in life or in death.

Classical Tafsir (such as Ibn Kathir, Al-Qurtubi, and Al-Tabari) connects several foundational Hadiths and Sunnah narratives to these verses:

1. The Sunnah of Forbearance and Patient Forgiveness (Verse 14)

“Say, [O Muhammad], to those who have believed to forgive those who do not expect the days of Allah that He may reward a people for what they used to earn.”

Context of Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul): The Incident of Umar ibn al-Khattab

A well-documented historical incident in early Islam provides the backdrop for this command. Before the permission for military defense was fully legislated, a pagan named Ghawrath ibn al-Harith (or another polytheist in some narrations) insulted the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) or verbally abused Umar ibn al-Khattab in Mecca. Umar, known for his fierce disposition, immediately drew his sword to retaliate.

Allah then revealed this verse to the Prophet (ﷺ), ordering the believers to restrain themselves, overlook the insults of the pagans, and leave their judgment to the "Days of Allah" (the days of divine accounting). The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded Umar to hold back his anger, setting a foundational early Sunnah of Clemency (Hilm) and strategic patience. (Recorded in Tafsir al-Tabari and Tafsir al-Baghawi)

2. Blessings and the Test of Differing Knowledge (Verses 16–17)

“And We already gave the Children of Israel the Book and judgement and prophethood... And We gave them clear proofs of the matter [of religion]. And they did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity among themselves...”

The Prophetic Warning Against Sectarian Animosity

Verse 17 highlights a tragic historical pattern: the Children of Israel did not fracture into sects out of ignorance, but rather out of mutual envy (Baghyan) after receiving clear knowledge. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) frequently utilized this specific historical warning to caution his own companions against falling into the same trap.

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"The Jews split into seventy-one or seventy-two sects, and the Christians split into a similar number, and my Ummah (nation) will split into seventy-three sects." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book 40, Hadith 2640; Authenticated by Al-Albani)

The Sunnah clarifies that avoiding this "jealous animosity" requires strict adherence to the core Quranic principles rather than personal desires.

3. Following the Shari'ah vs. Following Whims (Verse 18)

“Then We put you, [O Muhammad], on an ordained way [Shari'ah] of matter [religion]; so follow it and do not follow the inclinations of those who do not know.”

Constancy Upon the Sunnah

This verse strictly orders the Prophet (ﷺ)—and by extension, his followers—to remain firm on the clear, divinely legislated path (Shari'ah) and to actively reject the shifting whims of the ignorant. The Prophet (ﷺ) embedded this principle into the very definition of the Sunnah.

In a famous Hadith encapsulating this exact verse, Irbad bin Sariyah reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) gave a deeply moving sermon and said:

"...He among you who lives long enough will see many differences. So for you is to hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. Cling to it firmly and bite onto it with your molar teeth. And beware of newly invented matters [in religion], for every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance." (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4607; Authenticated by Al-Albani)

4. The Moral Distinction: The Righteous vs. The Wicked (Verse 21)

“Or do those who commit evils think that We will make them like those who have believed and done righteous deeds - equal in their life and their death? Evil is that which they judge.”

The Impact of this Verse on the Sahabah

This verse acts as a profound rhetorical reality check. Classical commentators record that the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) would spend entire nights weeping over this single verse, terrified of whether their actions aligned them with the righteous or the wrongdoers.

• Tamim al-Dari (a prominent companion of the Prophet) was reported by Ibrahim al-Nakha'i to have stood in prayer next to the Kaaba one night. He began reciting Surah Al-Jathiyah, and when he reached Verse 21 ("Or do those who commit evils think..."), he could not move past it. He repeated the verse over and over again, weeping continuously until the dawn prayer arrived. (Recorded in Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Kitab al-Zuhd by Imam Ahmad)

The Sunnah of Assessing a Person's End

The verse states that the righteous and the wicked are not equal in their death. The Sunnah reinforces this by describing how the soul of a believer leaves the body with ease and fragrance, while the soul of the wicked is torn out violently.

Anas bin Malik reported that a funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It has become mandatory." Then another passed and the people spoke ill of the deceased. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It has become mandatory." When asked what he meant, he explained:

"The one whom you praised, Paradise has become mandatory for him. And the one whom you condemned, Hell has become mandatory for him. You are Allah's witnesses on the earth." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1367; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 949)