Verses 1–20
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.
This sūrah was revealed in Mecca and consists of 20 verses. It reminds the audience that the creation of humankind is based on hardship and toil. One cannot find any aspect of life that is not coupled with the bitterness of striving and hardship, beginning from when the spirit is blown into the body until one’s death. There is no pure comfort and happiness—free from adversity, trouble, misery and misfortune—except with God in the hereafter.
Accordingly, one must shoulder the burden of divine obligations, patiently persevere with obedience, and refrain from disobedience. One should also strive hard to spread out compassion to those who are afflicted by the calamities of life, such as orphanage, impoverishment, illness and so on. This way, one will be among the people of good fortune. Otherwise, one’s next life will be like their first life, as they will be among the people of misfortune, doomed to a closed fire.
The theme of the verses in this chapter resembles the theme of Meccan chapters. Some have claimed a consensus [among the scholars] on the chapter being Meccan. Some have claimed that it is Medinan, but the theme of the verses does not support this. Some have claimed that its verses were revealed in Medina except for the first four verses. We shall discuss this under our upcoming examination of narrations, by God’s will.
Commentary
لا أُقْسِمُ بِهذَا الْبَلَدِ ١
(90:1) I swear by this town,
As some exegetes have said, this town is Mecca. This can be corroborated by two points: (1) the theme of the chapter, which is Meccan; (2) the verse, By a father and what he begot (), especially if Abraham is the intended father in the verse. We shall discuss this below.
وَ أَنْتَ حِلٌّ بِهذَا الْبَلَدِ ٢
(90:2) as you reside (ḥill) in this town!
Instead of using a pronoun, this town is repeated in the verse. This usage reflects the Speaker’s attention, respect and honor for the town, which is a holy city. The meaning is: “I swear by this town while you are a resident of it.” This expression indicates that Mecca is honored because of the Prophet’s residence and presence there, and/or because of it being his birthplace.
Another suggested view is that this verse is a parenthetical remark between the vow in the last verse and its complement below []. Furthermore, ḥill means one whose ḥurmah (honor, sanctuary) is violated. Al-Kashshāf has elaborated this in two ways:
- And you are disrespected in this town is added as an aside between the oath [in the last verse] and its complement [in verse ]. It means: “It is very unfortunate that someone like you, notwithstanding your exalted rank and honor, is being persecuted in this town, much like how animals are hunted outside the sanctuary [of Mecca].
Shuraḥbīl interpreted the verse: “They regard it unlawful to hunt an animal or harvest a tree in the sanctuary of Mecca, but they have no qualms about driving you out of the town or even killing you.”
This expression fortifies the Messenger of God and encourages him to be steadfast in the face of the troubles caused by the people of Mecca. It also indicates surprise at their animosity against him.
- Another possibility is that the chapter consoles the Messenger of God by saying that the human being is never devoid of facing hardship [], which is emphasized by swearing to his town []. Then to further solace and comfort the Prophet’s soul, God promises him, as a side note, that he shall conquer Mecca: and you shall be unrestricted in this town. The meaning is: “Soon you shall be free to do as you wish in this town, and it will be lawful for you to kill or take captive whomever you want.”
Both of these suggested meanings are based on interpreting ḥall as muḥill (one who is under no protection, one who is free from restriction), which is the antonym of muḥrim (one who is protected, one who is restricted). The meaning would be: “We will soon suspend the restrictions on the sanctuary of Mecca for you. That is when you shall conquer the city, whereby you may wage war and kill whomever you want.”
وَ والِدٍ وَ ما وَلَدَ ٣
(90:3) By a father and what (mā) he begot!
There must be some consonance between an oath and the object by which one takes the oath. Accordingly, there must be a clear connection between the town which was sworn by () and a father and what he begot. This makes Abraham and Ishmael clear candidates for the current verse. After all, they were the two architects who built the city of Mecca and raised the Holy House. God says: And when Abraham, and Ishmael with him, raised up the foundations of the House (). Also, it was Abraham who asked God to make Mecca a secure town: When Abraham said: My Lord! Make this city a sanctuary ().
The meaning is: “I swear by a great father: Abraham. And I swear by the amazing and blessed son that he fathered: Ishmael. They were the two founders of this town.” In short, these three verses swear by the Holy Mecca, by the Prophet who resided there, and by Abraham and Ishmael who built it.
Here are a few other suggested interpretations for the verse:
- Father is Abraham, and what he begot includes all Arabs who descended from him.
Comment: The problem with this view is that it is very unlikely that God would swear, in the same thread, by the Prophet, by Abraham, and also by the likes of Abū Lahab and Abū Jahl, who were the chiefs of infidelity and paganism. In fact, Prophet Abraham dissociated himself from those of his descendants who would not follow him in monotheism, as God narrates from him: and save me and my children from worshiping idols. My Lord! Indeed they have misled many people. So whoever follows me indeed belongs to me, and as for someone who disobeys me, well, You are indeed Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful (). Accordingly, if one wishes to interpret what he begot as Abraham’s progeny, it should be restricted to the believers among his descendants. This is reflected in a supplication that Abraham and Ishmael made upon building the Kaʿbah: Our Lord, make us submissive to You, and [raise] from our progeny a nation submissive to You, and show us our rites [of worship], and turn to us clemently ().
- Father and what he begot correspond, respectively, to Adam and all his progeny. The message of the vows in these verses is that humans are created in hardship []. Moreover, procreation is an integral part of their existence, as ordained by God for this species. The chapter swears by this divinely ordained custom of procreation—by saying, By a father and what he begot—and then states that the creation of the human being is fraught with toil and trouble from the day they are born until they die.
Comment: This view is correct in and of itself. However, it does not provide a connecting link between this verse and the previous vows. It fails to explain why the chapter swears by Mecca, and then by the father and all his children, all in a single thread.
- What is meant is Adam and his righteous descendants.
Comment: Apparently this view is offered to hold God clear from swearing by His enemies, such as the disbelievers, sinners, transgressors and mischief-mongers.
- What is meant is every father and every child.
- What is meant is those who sire and those who do not sire. This is based on the particle mā being negative (nāfiyah, meaning “not”) rather than relative (mawṣūlah, meaning “what”).
- Father is the Prophet, and what he begot is his ummah (nation, people), in the sense that he is like a father for his ummah.
Comment: All of these are far from the apparent meaning of the verses.
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسانَ فِي كَبَدٍ ٤
(90:4) Certainly We created man in travail (kabad).
This verse is the main complement and message of the oaths in the previous verses. Kabad means “toil, exhaustion.” The fact that toil and trouble envelop and encompass all aspects of human life is no secret to any intelligent person. While one tends to aim for the purest, choicest and most perfect of worldly pleasures, what one ends up getting is always mixed with elements of struggle and suffering, which spoil and ruin everything. Not to mention the tragedies and natural disasters which catch the person off-guard.
أَ يَحْسَبُ أَنْ لَنْ يَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ ٥
(90:5) Does he suppose that no one ever has power over him?
This verse is like a conclusion to the previous verse. It can be elaborated as follows: It was said that the human creation is founded on travail, and is immersed in it. One never achieves what one desires fully, if at all. Given this, it follows that human creation is subject to a higher power. Their wishes and plans are restricted to certain limits that are placed on them. The One Who overrides their desires and enshrouds them in His destiny is the Almighty God. He is the One Who overpowers them in every dimension and from all sides. Thus, He may manage them as He wills, and may seize them [with punishment] whenever He desires.
Therefore, humans should not imagine that they are not monitored by anyone. Such an impression [of independence] could lead them to a number of consequences: (1) They may rebel and disobey God [by sinning]. (2) They may refrain arrogantly from serving and obeying Him. (3) They may spend their assets in God’s way as He has ordered, but may then consider that to be a great contribution, as though God is indebted to them. (4) They may perform an act for God, but may then deceive Him through showing off, pretense and ostentation (riyāʾ and sumʿah). Such is the case when He says, “I have squandered immense wealth” ().
يَقُولُ أَهْلَكْتُ مالاً لُبَداً ٦
(90:6) He says, “I have squandered immense (lubadan) wealth.”
Lubad means “abundant, much, a lot.” We can infer from the context of this verse and the following verses—to the end of the chapter—that they refer to a specific incident. Apparently there was someone who had professed to be a Muslim—or had inclined to the religion—who spent some of his wealth in charity, and then started to boast in his act by saying: “I have squandered immense wealth.” He considered his payment to be abundant and impressive. Subsequently, these verses were revealed, where God rejected his claim, and explained that achieving true fortune and felicity in life hinges on embarking on a rough journey, venturing a defile, and attempting a rugged valley in terms of spending in God’s way []. One must be among those who believe and enjoin each other to patience and mercy []. This interpretation is confirmed by what we shall see in the upcoming examination of narrations, by God’s will.
أَ يَحْسَبُ أَنْ لَمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ ٧
(90:7) Does he suppose that no one sees him?
This verse indirectly refutes an implication of the statement, “I have squandered immense wealth.” One would make this claim as though God is heedless and ignorant of one’s good deed. This is a mistake, because God is All-Seeing of one’s spending. The thing is that this amount of sacrifice does not suffice to secure one a truly felicitous and blissful life. One has no alternative but to endure a more taxing burden of servitude in order to achieve this goal. One must embark on the narrow pass, join the group of believers, and demonstrate their virtues [].
أَ لَمْ نَجْعَلْ لَهُ عَيْنَيْنِ ٨
(90:8) Have We not made for him two eyes,
We have equipped their body with the faculty of vision so that they can learn about visible objects according to their capacity.
وَ لِساناً وَ شَفَتَيْنِ ٩
(90:9) a tongue, and two lips,
We have endowed them with a tongue and two lips by which they can speak. This way they can communicate the knowledge that they hold within, and can also learn about things that cannot be discerned by eyesight.
وَ هَدَيْناهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ ١٠
(90:10) and shown him the two paths [of good and evil] (al-najdayn)?
Najd means “a path on a plateau.” What is meant here are the two paths of good and evil. They are called najd (uphill path) since both of them require effort and struggle. Some have interpreted najdayn as the two breasts of one’s mother, but that is an unlikely possibility.
The meaning is: “We have taught them the path of good and the path of evil through an inspiration from Us. Thus, they recognize good and can distinguish it from evil.” Therefore, this verse is comparable to the verse: By the soul and by What fashioned it, then inspired it with [discernment between] its virtues and its vices ().
These three verses [] provide supporting evidence for the verse: Does he suppose that no one sees him? (). That verse had three main implications: (1) God observes the deeds of His servants. (2) He knows the myriad things that they hold in their hearts. (3) He can discriminate between their good and bad. These verses confirm these implications as follows: (1) God has endowed humankind with eyes so that they can learn about visible things. Now, how could He be ignorant of something that He has made known to others? (2) He has guided humankind to learn about what people hold in their souls through speech. Now, how could He be veiled from something that He has unveiled to others? (3) He has taught humankind the distinction between good and evil through His inspiration. Now, how could He not know what they are? How could He be unable to differentiate between them? Thus it follows that: (1) God sees human actions. (2) He knows their intentions. (3) He discerns whether they are good or evil, virtuous or wicked.
فَلا اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ ١١
(90:11) Yet he has not ventured (iqtaḥama, from iqtiḥām) the defile (ʿaqabah).
Iqtiḥām means “entering rapidly, proceeding forcefully, attempting with effort, laborious embarking.” ʿAqabah means “a rugged steep incline that is difficult to pass.” “Venturing the defile” refers to a charity expenditure that is difficult for the donor, as interpreted explicitly in the following verses. Some have said that this verse is a curse on the one who said: “I have squandered immense wealth” (). However, this is unfounded.
وَ ما أَدْراكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ ١٢
(90:12) And what will show you what is the defile?
This verse glorifies and emphasizes the significance of al-ʿaqabah (the defile, the steep ascent, the difficult mountain), as we have explained in other similar verses.
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ ١٣
(90:13) [It is] the freeing (fakk) of a slave,
Fakk means “manumission, liberation, release.” There is an omitted feminine “it is” (hiya) at the beginning of this verse, referring to the feminine noun ʿaqabah (). The implied meaning is: “The defile is the freeing of a slave.” Hence, the defile () is the very act of freeing, and having ventured the defile () means taking up, attempting and performing this act.
Some have said that there is an omitted masculine “it is” (huwa) at the beginning of this verse, referring to the masculine noun iqtiḥām (), which means that there is also an omitted word iqtiḥām (venturing) in the last verse. The implied meaning is: “And what will show you what is venturing the defile? Venturing the defile is to free a slave.” However, our explanation above should clarify that there is no need for this contrivance.
This verse and the next three verses [] interpret the defile as freeing a slave and feeding others in times of starvation. These are applications of spreading mercy among the people [], which are stated explicitly due to their importance. Similarly, freeing a slave is mentioned first to show Islam’s utmost degree of attention and importance given to the liberation of slaves.
أَوْ إِطْعامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ ذِي مَسْغَبَةٍ ١٤ يَتِيماً ذا مَقْرَبَةٍ ١٥ أَوْ مِسْكِيناً ذا مَتْرَبَةٍ١٦
(90:14-16) or feeding [the needy] on a day of starvation (masghabah), or an orphan among relatives (dhā maqrabah), or a dust-ridden (dhā matrabah) needy,
Masghabah means “famine, starvation.” Maqrabah means “blood relation.” Matrabah is derived from turāb (earth, dust), meaning “being bound to the earth due to the intensity of destitution.” The meaning is: “Or feeding an orphan from one’s relatives, or an utterly helpless poor, at times of famine.”
ثُمَّ كانَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَ تَواصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ وَ تَواصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ ١٧
(90:17) while being one of those who have faith and who enjoin one another (tawāṣaw, from tawāṣī) to patience, and who enjoin one another to compassion (marḥamah).
Who enjoin one another to patience means those who prompt each other to be steadfast in obedience to God. Who enjoin one another to compassion means those who encourage each other to show compassion to those who are afflicted by need, poverty and misery.
This verse—while being…—is added to ventured (). The implied meaning is: “Yet he did not venture the defile, nor was he one of those who have faith…” Exegetes have offered other views on this which are not worthy of discussion.
أُولئِكَ أَصْحابُ الْمَيْمَنَةِ ١٨
(90:18) Those are the people of good fortune (al-maymanah).
Maymanah here is synonymous with yumn (felicity, blessing, auspiciousness), which is the antonym of shuʾm (misery, misfortune, inauspiciousness). The demonstrative pronoun “Those” refers to the group described in the previous context. That is: “The above mentioned group—those who venture the defile, those who have faith, those who enjoin one another to patience and compassion—are people of good fortune. They shall reap the splendid fruits of their faith and righteous deeds. What awaits them is only bliss and blessings.”
Some have said that maymanah is synonymous with the right side (yamīn), and the verse is about those who will receive their record of deeds in their right hand. This interpretation, however, is not consonant with the contrast between maymanah and mashʾamah (misery, misfortune, inauspiciousness).
وَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآياتِنا هُمْ أَصْحابُ الْمَشْأَمَةِ ١٩
(90:19) But those who defy Our signs, they are the people of misfortune (al-mashʾamah).
Apparently Our signs is meant in an unconditional sense, which can have a number of applications: (1) God’s creational signs in the horizons (āfāq). (2) His internal signs within the souls (anfus). (3) The Noble Qur’an and its verses. (4) Any teaching that has been revealed to and propagated by God’s messengers. These signs point to God’s absolute oneness as a Lord and object of worship, and other implications and consequences which stem from this belief. Rejecting these signs means defying them, and defying them means defying God (kufr). Mashʾamah (misery, misfortune, inauspiciousness) is the antonym of maymanah (felicity, blessing, auspiciousness).
عَلَيْهِمْ نارٌ مُؤْصَدَةٌ٢٠
(90:20) [Imposed] upon them will be a closed (muʾṣadah) fire.
Muʾṣadah means “locked, closed, shut.”
Examining Narrations
- Concerning as you reside (ḥill) in this town () it is said that ḥill here means muḥill (unrestricted, permitted), which is the opposite of muḥrim (forbidden, one who is in the state of iḥrām). It means that it is permissible for you to kill the disbelievers that you encounter. This pertains to the conquest of Mecca specifically, when God made it lawful for the Prophet to fight and kill. The Messenger of God said, “This was not made lawful for anyone before me, and shall not be lawful for anyone after him. Even for me, it was lawful only for an hour of a day.”
- Imam al-Ṣādiq and Abū Muslim interpreted the same verses [] as follows: I do not swear by this town since your sanctuary is violated, you are disrespected, and your honor is not maintained in this town. Thus there remains no sanctity for this town as your honor is not preserved.
- Majmaʿ al-bayān says: The Quraysh tribe used to hold Mecca in honor, but they dishonored Muḥammad there. Thus God revealed: I swear by this town, as you reside in this town (), meaning: They consider you to be lawful [to harass and harm] in this town; they deny and abuse you. They were such that if someone had murdered one’s father, they would not arrest the person in Mecca. Furthermore, they were given security if they hung a plant from the ḥaram (sanctuary of Mecca) around their neck. Yet, with respect to God’s Messenger, they considered things to be permissible that they never deemed permissible for anyone else. So God rebuked them for this.
- Concerning By a father and what he begot () Imam al-Ṣādiq said: It means Adam and what he begot in terms of prophets, their successors and their followers.
Author’s comment: The ideas in the above accounts are also found in Sunni narrations, without connecting to the Prophet (mawqūf). The last two are also reported by al-Qummī in his Tafsīr, without naming the Imam (muḍmar) and without a chain of narration (mursal).
- Concerning He says, “I have squandered immense (lubadan) wealth” () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: Lubad means mujtamaʿ (accumulated, amassed, gathered).
- It is said that this verse [] pertains to al-Ḥārith b. Nawfal b. ʿAbd Manāf. Once he committed a sin, then asked the Messenger of God [about atonement]. The Messenger of God ordered him to pay kaffārah (expiation, reparation, restitution). Then al-Ḥārith said, “I have lost all my wealth in expiations and donations since I converted to Muḥammad’s religion.”
- Once Imam ʿAlī was told, “Some people say that and shown him the two paths () refers to two breasts [of one’s mother].” The Imam said, “No. They [the two paths] are good and evil [paths].”
- Once Imam al-Ṣādiq was inquired about the verse, and shown him the two paths (). He said: The paths of good and evil.
- When Imam al-Riḍā wanted to eat, they would place a basin next to his table cloth. He would select the choicest of the food that he was served, would place a portion of that in the basin, and would send it to the poor. Then he would recite this verse: Yet he has not ventured the defile () and say: “God knew that not everyone is capable of freeing a slave, so He opened another way for them to paradise.”
- Once a Bedouin came to the Prophet and said, “Messenger of God! Teach me an act that would get me into paradise.”
“As much as your question is terse, your request is immense! First, aʿtiq (free, liberate, manumit) a soul. Second, fakk (free, liberate, manumit) a slave.”
“Aren’t they the same?” the man asked.
“No, the first is” the Prophet explained, “when you free a slave independently. The second is when you contribute to its price.
Third, return [with benevolence and forgiveness] to a relative who has wronged you.
If you are unable to do these, then give food to the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, enjoin good, and forbid evil. And if you cannot do these, then restrain your tongue unless it is a good speech.
- Concerning or a dust-ridden (dhā matrabah) needy () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: That is one who has no protection or cover to intervene between them and dust (turāb).
This verse serves as a ḥāl (circumstantial qualifier, participial phrase, adverb) for this town (). Ḥill is a maṣdar (infinitive noun, gerund), synonymous with ḥulūl, meaning “inhabiting, staying and settling” in a place. A maṣdar here serves as an ism al-fāʿil (nominative substantive, active participial noun). (Auth.)
That is, the verse literally says, “You are a residence” but it means “You are a resident.” (Ed.) ↩︎
The verse’s translation has been modified in both cases to reflect the suggested view, according to the different possible meanings of the word ḥill. (Ed.) ↩︎
Both verses and present oaths. The message of the oath comes in the next verse. Nevertheless, when there are a series of oaths, it is natural to have a connection between them. (Ed.) ↩︎
The indefinite form of father indicates glorification and aggrandizement. Likewise, instead of using the particle man (whom, who), the verse has used the particle mā (what). This implies a sense of being pleasantly surprised and impressed by the child, and praising his character. A similar expression is stated with reference to Holy Mary: and Allah knew better what she had borne (). (Auth.) ↩︎
ʿAqabah (defile, steep ascent, difficult mountain) signifies an arduous task. Notice that “defile” is used as a noun here, not a verb. The imagery here is that of a journey through a toilsome mountainous path with rugged narrow passes and jagged rocky canyons. This theme can be compared to the concept of “strait gate” in the words of Christ: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV). (Ed.) ↩︎
The meaning would be: “May you be stranded on a rugged defile.” (Ed.) ↩︎
See verses , , , , , , , , , , . (Ed.) ↩︎
In short, the verses are saying: “Yet he did not complete the major task, which is freeing a slave.” (Ed.) ↩︎
Tawāṣī means “mutual recommendation, urging one another.” Marḥamah (showing mercy) is a maṣdar (infinitive noun, gerund) derived from raḥmah (mercy, compassion). (Auth.) ↩︎
See Chapter 110’s examination of narrations below, number 4. (Ed.) ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority Ibn ʿAbbās, Mujāhid and ʿAṭāʾ. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority Muqātil. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Ḥamzah b. Muḥammad. The same idea is narrated from in al-Durr al-manthūr, through different chains of narration, from ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib and from the Prophet, on the authority of Anas, Abū Umāmah and others. Al-Qummī has also reported it in his Tafsīr, without naming the Imam (muḍmar) and without a chain of narration (mursal). ↩︎
Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Jaʿfar b. Khallād. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of al-Barrāʾ b. ʿĀzib, via an unconnected chain of transmission (marfūʿ). ↩︎