593 Page Notes

Surah Al-Ghashiyah (continued)

Page 593 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Surah Al-Fajr

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 593 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah Al-Ghashiyah

Page 593 of the Quran opens by concluding the final four verses of Surah Al-Ghashiyah (verses 23 through 26) before transitioning into the dawn of Surah Al-Fajr.

Following the divine declaration that the Prophet's ﷺ job is strictly to deliver the reminder and not to force compliance, these four closing verses serve as a cosmic legal wrap-up, setting the absolute timeline for ultimate accountability:

“Except he who turns away and disbelieves – Then Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment. Indeed, to Us is their return. Then indeed, upon Us is their reckoning.” — Quran 88:23-26

The prophetic Sunnah expands heavily on what the "greatest punishment" entails and provides profound context on how these verses served as both a protection and a terrifying boundary line for the early Muslim community.

1. Defining "The Greatest Punishment" (Verse 24)

“Then Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment (Al-Adhab al-Akbar).” (Quran 88:24)

The text deliberately uses the superlative Al-Akbar (the absolute greatest). The Sunnah unpacks this by drawing a clear distinction between the temporary, physical punishments of this world (like war, poverty, or illness) and the true, existential weight of the afterlife.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ contextualized the scale of this ultimate punishment through striking physical descriptions designed to jolt human complacency:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The fire which you light (in this world) is only a single seventeenth part (1/70th) of the true heat of the Fire of Hell."

The Companions remarked, "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, our earthly fire would have been more than enough to punish!"

The Prophet ﷺ replied, "It has been preferred and increased over the worldly fire by sixty-nine equal parts, each of them being just as intensely hot as the world's fire." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3265 / Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2843)

The early commentators of the Sunnah noted that Al-Adhab al-Akbar also refers to a spiritual punishment: the absolute, permanent isolation from the mercy and vision of Allah, which is far more agonizing than the physical heat of the flames (Tafsir Ibn Kathir).

2. The Theological Framework of Accountability (Verses 25–26)

“Indeed, to Us is their return. Then indeed, upon Us is their reckoning.” (Quran 88:25-26)

These two final lines establish a divine monopoly over judgment: Inna ilayna iyabahum, Thumma inna 'alayna hisabahum. The Sunnah shows that the Prophet ﷺ explicitly used this concept to reassure his followers that they were never meant to be the judge, jury, or executioner of human souls.

The companion Abu Hurayrah noted that whenever people displayed intense, stubborn hypocrisy or acted out against the early Muslim community, the Prophet ﷺ would step back and anchor himself in these very lines. He taught that trying to force people into faith or taking personal, extrajudicial vengeance against deniers violates this divine decree—because Allah explicitly reserved the rights of "the return" and "the reckoning" entirely for Himself.

3. The Prophet's Daily Protective Formula

Because the realities of the "Return" and the "Reckoning" (Hisab) are so terrifyingly absolute, the Sunnah preserves an intimate, daily prayer that the Prophet ﷺ taught his household to recite to ensure that their personal audit on that Day would be safe.

The Mother of the Believers, Aisha, recorded that the Prophet ﷺ would heavily implement the theme of verse 26 into his private supplications:

Narrated Aisha: "The Prophet ﷺ used to say in some of his prayers: 'O Allah, grant me an easy reckoning (Allahumma hasibni hisaban yasira).'

When he finished his prayer, I asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the easy reckoning?'

He replied, 'It is that Allah looks into a servant's book of deeds and simply overlooks their faults. For truly, O Aisha, anyone whose account is strictly scrutinized on that Day will be completely ruined.'" (Recorded in Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 24215 / Sahih Ibn Hibban — Graded Sahih)

Summary of Reference Sources

• The Scale of the Greatest Punishment (Verse 24): Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of the Beginning of Creation, Hadith 3265) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith 2843).

• The Prophetic Supplication for the Reckoning (Verse 26): Musnad Ahmad (Hadith 24215) and Sahih Ibn Hibban (Hadith 7410).

• Companion Exegesis on the Monopoly of Judgment: Tafsir al-Tabari and Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Closing commentary of Surah Al-Ghashiyah).

Surah Al-Fajr

Page 593 of the Quran marks a highly evocative transition, closing Surah Al-Ghashiyah and introducing Surah Al-Fajr (The Dawn, Chapter 89), verses 1 through 22.

This portion of Surah Al-Fajr is split into two distinct movements: a series of cosmic oaths swearing by blessed dimensions of time and prayer, followed by a historical walk-through of collapsed civilizations (Ad, Thamud, and Pharaoh) who fell into absolute tyranny (Tughyan) and economic greed before facing a sudden, crushing divine check.

The prophetic Sunnah provides deep ritualistic, calendars-based, and ethical cross-references for these 22 verses.

1. Verses 1–2: The Oath of the Ten Nights

“By the dawn; And [by] ten nights.” (Quran 89:1-2)

The opening of Surah Al-Fajr features Allah swearing by specific units of time to emphasize their spiritual value. The prophetic Sunnah provides the exact operational definition for what these "ten nights" (Layalin 'Ashr) actually are:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

"There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days."

The people asked, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?"

He replied, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving up himself and his wealth for the cause, and returned with nothing."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 969 / Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1727)

The classical companions, spearheaded by Ibn Abbas, confirmed through this authentic Sunnah that the "ten nights" sworn by in Surah Al-Fajr are explicitly the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah (the month of Hajj), culminating in the Day of Arafah and Eid al-Adha. The Sunnah treats this passage as a divine stamp of superiority over this specific stretch of the calendar.

2. Verse 3: The Even and the Odd (Al-Shaf' wa al-Watr)

“And [by] the even and the odd.” (Quran 89:3)

The terms Al-Shaf' (the even) and Al-Watr (the odd) are woven deeply into the daily ritual practice of the Sunnah.

The Prophet ﷺ contextualized this cosmic oath by embedding it into the nightly prayer architecture. He established that the final voluntary prayers before the true dawn (Al-Fajr) should mimic this exact linguistic pairing: the Shaf' prayer (offered in units of two—even) followed immediately by the Witr prayer (a single unit—odd) to close out the night's deeds.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

"Indeed, Allah is Witr (One/Odd), and He loves what is Witr, so perform the Witr prayer, O people of the Quran!"

(Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 453 / Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2677)

Furthermore, in a Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad, the Prophet ﷺ expanded the theological meaning of verse 3: "The even is the creation (created in pairs), and the odd is Allah Himself, the One." (Musnad Ahmad)

3. Verses 6–13: The Anatomy of Tyranny and the "Scourge of Punishment"

“Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with 'Aad... And Thamud... And Pharaoh... Who tyrannized throughout the lands... So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment.” (Quran 89:6-13)

These verses outline the structural rise and fall of ancient superpowers who grew arrogant due to their advanced architecture, engineering, and military dominance.

The Sunnah preserves a highly specific physical etiquette taught by the Prophet ﷺ when passing by the actual geographic ruins of these cursed civilizations (such as Mada'in Salih, the rock-carved homes of Thamud mentioned in verse 9):

Narrated Abdullah bin Umar:

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived at Al-Hijr (the land of Thamud) during the expedition of Tabuk, he commanded his companions not to drink water from its wells or draw water for baking bread.

He went further to say: "Do not enter the places of those who systematically wronged themselves, except that you are weeping, lest you be afflicted with the exact same punishment that struck them." He then covered his face with his cloak and accelerated his mount until he cleared the valley.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3381 / Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2980)

The Sunnah treats these historical ruins not as generic tourist sights, but as terrifying, physical reminders of the "scourge of punishment" (Sawta 'Adhab) mentioned on page 593.

4. Verses 15–16: Re-defining Wealth and Poverty

“And as for man, when his Lord tries him and honors him and blesses him, he says, 'My Lord has honored me.' But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, 'My Lord has humiliated me.'” (Quran 89:15-16)

Allah corrects a universal human psychological error: treating material wealth as a sign of divine approval, and financial hardship as a sign of divine anger. The Prophet ﷺ heavily echoed this specific psychology to deconstruct his companions' materialism:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

"Richness is not quantified by an abundance of worldly goods and material possessions. Rather, true richness is the self-sufficiency and contentment of the soul (Ghinan-Nafs)."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6446 / Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1051)

Through the Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ showed that both extreme wealth and extreme poverty are neutral tests of character (as stated in the text: ibtalahu—He tests him), rather than benchmarks of a person's value in the eyes of God.

Summary of Reference Sources

• The Ten Nights of Dhul-Hijjah (Verse 2): Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of the Two Festivals, Hadith 969) and Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Rajab.

• The Even and the Odd (Verse 3): Jami` at-Tirmidhi (Book on Al-Witr, Hadith 453) and Musnad Ahmad.

• Etiquette at the Ruins of Tyrants (Verses 6-13): Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of Prophets, Hadith 3381) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith 2980).