590 Page Notes

Surah Al-Inshiqaq (continued)

Page 590 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Surah Al-Buruj

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 590 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah Al-Inshiqaq

Page 590 contains the very final verse of Surah Al-Inshiqaq (Chapter 84), verse 25.

Following a series of intense warnings directed at those who deny the divine message and refuse to bow in submission, this closing verse offers an immense, beautiful promise of hope and relief for the faithful:

“Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds; for them is a reward uninterrupted (Ghayru Mamnoon).”

— Quran 84:25

The prophetic Sunnah and the recorded commentaries of the Companions provide precise explanations of what this "uninterrupted reward" practically looks like and how it serves as a massive legal guarantee for the believer.

1. Defining Ghayru Mamnoon (The Uninterrupted Stream)

The central phrase in this verse is Ajrun Ghayru Mamnoon (أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ). The Sunnah and early linguistic explanations from the Companions unpack two beautiful, parallel meanings for this term:

1. It is never cut off

The word Mann fundamentally means to cut or diminish. The Companion Abdullah bin Abbas explained that in this context, the verse means their reward in Paradise will be a continuous, eternal, uninterrupted stream that will never decrease, experience an "off-season," or be terminated (Tafsir Ibn Kathir).

2. It is free from emotional burden

In Arabic, Mann also refers to a person constantly reminding someone of a favor they did for them, which ruins the joy of the gift. The Sunnah emphasizes that Allah’s reward to the believers is entirely pure—He will never make them feel indebted or burdened by reminding them of His immense favor. It is given with absolute love and pleasure.

2. The Sunnah of "Continuous Credits" During Sickness and Old Age

One of the most comforting applications of verse 25 preserved in the Sunnah is how Allah defines "righteous deeds" when a human being physically breaks down.

A person might be highly active in their youth—praying at night, fasting, traveling for charity—but then grows old, senile, or falls chronically ill. The Prophet ﷺ explained that verse 25 acts as a divine insurance policy that keeps their spiritual bank account running automatically:

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

"When a servant falls ill or travels, Allah commands the angels: 'Write down for him the reward of the same righteous deeds that he used to regularly perform when he was healthy and at home.'"

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2996)

The early scholars of the Sunnah linked this directly to the closing of Surah Al-Inshiqaq. The "uninterrupted reward" means that once you establish a lifestyle of belief and good actions, Allah will never cut off your pay grade, even when your body can no longer physically execute those actions.

3. The Grand Finale: Transitioning into Paradise

The Sunnah notes that this final verse serves as the structural gateway into the next chapters of Juz 30. While the first 24 verses of the Surah detail a terrifying sequence of accountability—the sky ripping open, people receiving books behind their backs, and historical nations being destroyed—verse 25 extracts the believers entirely from that fear.

The Prophet ﷺ taught that the ultimate realization of this uninterrupted reward is the moment the believers step foot into Paradise, where it will be announced to them:

"Verily, it is for you to remain healthy and never fall ill; it is for you to live and never die; it is for you to remain young and never grow old; and it is for you to live in continuous bliss and never experience misery."

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2837a)

Summary of Reference Sources

• The Insurance of Continuous Good Deeds: Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of Jihad and Biography, Hadith 2996).

• The Uninterrupted Nature of Eternal Bliss: Sahih Muslim (Book of Paradise, Hadith 2837a).

• Companion Exegesis on Ghayru Mamnoon: Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Exposition of Surah Al-Inshiqaq, Verse 25).

Surah Al-Buruj

Page 590 of the Quran contains the entirety of Surah Al-Buruj (The Mansions of the Stars, Chapter 85, verses 1 through 22).

This Surah was revealed in Mecca during a period of intense, brutal persecution against the early Muslims. It uses powerful cosmic oaths to reassure suffering believers, recounts a historical genocide where a tyrannical king burned an entire community of believers alive in trenches, and ends by asserting the ultimate, unassailable protection of the Quran.

The prophetic Sunnah provides foundational context, historical narrative, and specific theological cross-references for this page.

1. The Core Historical Background: The Boy and the King

Verses 4 through 8 fiercely condemn the "Companions of the Trench" (Ashab al-Ukhdud), who sat by and watched as they threw innocent believers into a roaring ditch of fire simply because they believed in Allah.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ unpacked the exact history behind these verses in a lengthy, cinematic Hadith. It stands as one of the most famous narratives in the entire Islamic tradition:

Summary of the Hadith of the Boy and the King:

There was a tyrannical king who relied on an aging court magician. The magician asked for a young boy to train as his successor. On his daily commute to the magician, the boy met a hidden Christian monk, listened to his teachings, and embraced true monotheism.

Eventually, the boy discovered he could heal the blind and the leprous through prayers to Allah. When the king discovered this new religious movement, he tortured the monk to death and repeatedly tried to execute the boy (by throwing him off a mountain and drowning him in the sea), but Allah saved him each time.

The boy finally told the king: "You will never kill me unless you gather all the citizens in an open plain, tie me to a tree, take an arrow from my quiver, and say: 'In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy,' and shoot."

The king did exactly this. The arrow killed the boy, but the entire populace witnessed the miracle and shouted: "We believe in the Lord of the boy!" Enraged that his tyranny had failed, the king ordered massive deep trenches (Ukhdud) to be dug across the city streets, filled them with fuel, lit them ablaze, and threw every citizen who refused to recant their faith directly into the fire.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 3005)

2. A Miraculous Infant Speech (Verses 4–10)

Tied directly to the closing of the historical account above, the Prophet ﷺ highlighted a specific, miraculous event that happened at the edge of the blazing trenches. This event directly validates verse 10 ("Verily, those who put to trial the believing men and women..."):

The Prophet ﷺ said regarding the people of the trench:

"...A woman came with her infant child whom she was breastfeeding. When she reached the edge of the pit, she hesitated and stepped back out of fear for her baby.

Suddenly, the infant spoke to her clearly and said: 'O Mother! Be patient, for you are firmly standing upon the absolute truth!' So she threw herself into the fire with her child."

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 3005 / Musnad Ahmad)

The Sunnah notes that this infant is recognized as one of the very few babies granted the miracle of speech in human history, sent specifically to fortify her heart at the moment of martyrdom.

3. The Sunnah of Recitation in Daily Prayers

Because Surah Al-Buruj deals so heavily with persevering through hardship and keeping a cosmic perspective on justice, the Prophet ﷺ frequently integrated it into the public prayers to keep his community grounded:

Narrated Jabir bin Samurah:

"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to recite 'By the heaven holding the mansions of the stars' [Surah Al-Buruj] and 'By the heaven and the morning star' [Surah Al-Tariq] and similar chapters during the Zuhr (midday) and Asr (afternoon) prayers."

(Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 307 / Sunan an-Nasa'i — Graded Sahih)

Furthermore, Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ specifically recommended reciting Surah Al-Buruj during the Isha (night) prayer to ease the spiritual burden after a long day (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 783).

4. Hadith Explanations of Specific Cosmic Oaths

Verses 1–3: The Meaning of the Witness and the Witnessed

"By the heaven containing great stars. And by the promised Day. And by the witness and what is witnessed." (Quran 85:1-3)

The Prophet ﷺ explicitly decoded these cryptic cosmic formulas so the Companions would understand the spiritual weight of time:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

• "The Promised Day (Al-Yawm al-Maw'ud) is the Day of Resurrection.

• The Witnessed Day (Al-Yawm al-Mashhud) is the Day of Arafah (the pinnacle of the Hajj pilgrimage).

• The Witness (Al-Shahid) is Friday."

"The sun does not rise nor set upon any day that is more virtuous than Friday..."

(Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3339 — Graded Hasan)

5. The Ultimate Preservation (Verses 21–22)

"Nay, this is a Glorious Quran. (Inscribed) in a Preserved Tablet (Lawh Mahfuz)." (Quran 85:21-22)

The Surah closes page 590 by declaring that no matter how much tyrants burn the physical copies of scripture or murder its teachers, the master copy of the Quran sits outside the universe in a blueprint known as the Lawh Mahfuz.

The Sunnah explains that this Preserved Tablet contains the absolute destiny of the universe. The Prophet ﷺ remarked: "The pens have been lifted, and the pages have dried" (Tirmidhi 2516). By tying the Quran to this tablet, Allah reassures the early Muslims that their ultimate victory was written into the fabric of reality long before the creation of the world.

Summary of Reference Sources

• The Epic History of the Trench (Verses 4-10): Sahih Muslim (Book of Zuhd and Softening of Hearts, Hadith 3005).

• The Prophetic Glossary of Oaths (Verses 1-3): Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Chapters on Commentary, Hadith 3339).

• Prayer Integration Sunnah: Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 307) and Sunan Abi Dawud (Hadith 783).