Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Surah Asr, Chapter 103

(Time)

Number of Verses: 11

Contents of the Surah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

It is known that this Surah was revealed in Mecca, though some commentators have also said that it is probably Medinan. Its short verses, as well as its tone and style, attest to the first idea, too.

In any event, the completeness of this Surah is so much that, according to some commentators, all the knowledge and objectives of Qur'an are briefly gathered in this single Surah. In other words, this short Surah leads Man to a total complete program for his happiness.

It begins with a meaningful oath to 'Time', whose commentary will be delivered later, to refer to the loss existing in nature along the gradual path in the lives of all human beings except for the persons who have: Faith, good deeds and who enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience. These four principles involve, in fact, the theological, practical, personal, and social doctrine of Islam.

The Virtue of Studying Surah 'Asr

On the virtue of reciting the Surah, a tradition from Imam Sadiq (as) says:

“He who recites (Surah) 'Asr, in his optional prayers, Allah will raise him with a shining, bright face, cheerful features, and delighted eyes (looking upon the blessings of Allah), until when he enters Paradise on the Day of Judgement.”1

It is obvious that these honours and pleasures belong to the one who practices these four principles in his life and does not suffice only to the mere reciting of the Surah.

Surah ‘Asr, Verses 1-3

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

وَالْعَصْرِ

إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ

1. “By Time”,

2. “Surely man is in loss,”

3. “Save those who believe and do good deeds, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience.

The Only Path to Salvation

At the beginning of this Surah we are faced with a new oath, thus:

“By Time,”

The term /‘asr/ literally means 'to press, to squeeze' and then, it has figuratively been used for 'evening' meaning 'the affairs of the day are rolled and squeezed into the evening'.

After that the word has been used in the sense of -absolute time, in general; the course in the history of Man or a part of it, such as the appearance of Islam and the Call of the holy Prophet (S), and the like. This is why commentators have provided different probable meanings for the commentary of the oath which are given as follows:

1. Some have rendered it to mean the time of 'evening' with the evidence that in some other verses of the Holy Qur'an an oath is taken to the beginning of the day, like Surah Duha, No. 93, verse 1:

“By the Glorious Morning Light”,

or Surah Muddaththir, No. 74, verse 34:

“And by the Dawn as it shineth forth”.

This oath is made due to the importance that this time of day has, since this time is the time when the regularity in the life of Man varies; daily activities end, people return to their homes, birds and cattle come back to their shelters, the sun sets on the horizon in the West, and night gradually falls.

This variation attracts Man's attention to the endless, everlasting power of Allah dominating over this regularity. It is, indeed, a sign out of the signs of the Divine Unity that deserves an oath to be taken to.

2. Some others consider it to be the

'Time'

through the ages of the history of Mankind, which is full of lessons and teachings from the startling events which have occurred. For the same reason, it has such a dignity that matches the Divine Oath.

3. Some have emphasized on a proper part of the time like the Age of the Holy Prophet (S) or the Rise of the twelfth Imam, 'Mahdi' (as), which has peculiar specialities and a definite glory in the history of Man, to which, they say, the oath refers to.2

4. Some have also referred to the original meaning of the term and say that the oath points to the various kinds of stresses and difficulties that happen during the lives of people which awaken them from their neglectful sleep, reminds them of Allah, and develops the spirit of patience and constancy in them.

5. Some other commentators have taken it to mean 'the chosen ones' who are the 'pick of the crop' in the world of creation.

6. And finally, some others have rendered the word' 'Asr' to mean the ceremonial afternoon prayer for its special importance among the obligatory prayers, because they interpret /salat-i-wusta/, on which the Qur'an emphasizes particularly, as afternoon prayer.

The above ideas are not contradictory to each other and they may be all correct for the meaning of the verse, and the oath could be taken to the whole of those important matters, but among all of them the most fitting one is 'Asr with the meaning of

'Time'

and the history of Man; because, as it was said repeatedly before, the oaths of the Qur'an are in relation to the subject that the oath is taken for, and it is certain that the loss human beings incur in their lives is the consequence of passing their lifetime, or passing the Age of the Call of the Prophet (S), because the command of 'four principles', mentioned in the, last part of the Surah, was revealed in that very life.

Referring to the above explanations, it makes the greatness of the Qur'an and the vastness of its meaning clear when one word of it is so expressive and deserves so many profound and diverse interpretations.

In the following verse it refers to the object that this great oath is made to. It says:

“Surely man is in loss”.

They, willy nilly, will lose the capital of their existence. Hours, days, months, and years of life pass quickly, spiritual and material potentialities decline and abilities fade.

Yes, Man is like a person who possesses great capital and without his permission and will, every day, a portion of that capital is taken away. This is the nature of life in this world; the nature of continual loss.

The term /xusr/ as well as /xusran/, as Raqib cites in his book, Mufradat, means 'declining the capital'. Sometimes it is concerned with humans and it is said that such and such a person has suffered loss; and sometimes it is concerned with the action, itself, and it is said that the persons' bargain showed a loss. This word is often used for outward capital such as wealth and position, but it is sometimes used also for inward capital, like that of health, wisdom, faith and reward.

This is the same thing that Allah has referred to as 'the evident Loss' in Surah Zumar, No. 39, verse 15; where it says:

“...truly those in loss are those who lose their own souls and their people on the Day of Judgement: Ah! That is indeed the (real and) evident Loss!”

Commenting on the verse under discussion, Fakhr-i-Razi cites:

One of the old scholars said that he had learnt the meaning of this verse from an ice-seller who had been calling again and again:

'Have pity on him whose capital is melting'.

He said to himself that it was the meaning of

'surely man is in loss'.

Time passes and one's lifetime ends, but, he does not obtain any reward. Then, he, in the case, is in loss.3

However, according to Islamic world-view, this world is a market of bargaining, as a tradition from Imam Ali-ibn-Muhammad Naqi (the tenth Imam) (as) says:

“The world is a market wherein some people gain and some others lose”.4

The verse under discussion denotes that all lose in this market except a select group of people, whom will be referred to in the next verse.

Yes, there is only one way to avoid this great compulsory loss; the only way which is pointed out in the last verse of the Surah.

It says:

“Save those who believe and do good deeds, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience”.

In other words, the thing that can change this great loss to profit, a wonderful gain, is that in place of losing this capital we try to obtain a more valuable and better capital in order not only to fill its empty room, but, also to earn something thousands and thousands times better and more valuable than that.

Every breath we take is a step toward death, as Hazrat Ali (as) says:

“The breaths of man are his steps (put forward) towards his death”.5

Of course, nothing can match the priceless capital of Man; his life-time, save the pleasure of being close to Allah with gaining His pleasure.

Or, as Hazrat Ali (as) has said:

“Verily there is no price for you save Heaven. Beware not to sell it; save for it”.6

There is reason for one of the names of the Hereafter being

/yaum-ut-taqabun/ ‘a day of mutual loss'7 ,

a day when it will be made clear who has lost.

The beauty of the matter is in that on the one hand, the buyer of the capital of the souls of the believers is Allah, the Almighty, as Surah Taubah, No. 9, Verse 11 says:

“Allah hath purchased of the Believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise)...”

On the other hand, He buys the little and small materials, too, when it says:

“So, whoever has done an atom's weight of good shall behold it”8 .

And further, He pays a great deal for a little; sometimes tenfold and sometimes upto seven hundred times as much, or more than that.

For example:

Surah Baqarah, No. 2, Verse 261 says:

“...of a grain of corn: It groweth seven ears, and each ear hath a hundred grains. Allah giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth...”

Still more, having given all the capitals to us He, Himself, is so Gracious that He purchases them back for the dearest price.

Explanation: Salvation Through Four Principles

It is interesting that the Holy Qur'an offers a complete program with four principles which can make us free from that great loss.

The first principle is Faith which forms the basis of all activities of Man, because all the practical movements he has originate from his theological doctrines, outside the realm of animals whose movements are from their instincts.

In other words, the actions of Man are reflections of his beliefs and thoughts. For the same reason all prophets used to improve the basis of the Faith of their people first and before anything else, and worked especially against blasphemy which is the source of many kinds of corruptions and miseries.

It is interesting to note that Faith, here is mentioned in an abstract form in order to include the Faith in all things sacred, like belief in Allah and His attributes, belief in the Hereafter and Reckoning, reward and punishment, the Divine Books and prophets as well as their vicegerents.

In the second principle it refers to the worthy product of the fruitful tree of Faith, the Good Deeds.

What a vast and expressive sense the phrase

'good deeds'

is!

Yes, verily

'good deeds'

are indeed not only 'worthy deeds', adorations, charity for the sake of Allah, Holy War on the path of Allah, and learning divine knowledge, but it also includes every worthy action that can be a means applied in the way towards soul-perfection, moral improvement, nearness to Allah, and the progression of the human society in all fields.

This meaning envelops all good deeds from even the tiny ones like moving a troublesome stone out of people's way to saving millions and millions of men from aberration, perdition and going astray.

When in a tradition from Imam Sadiq (as)

'good deeds'

is rendered into 'equivalence and generous help to bretheren', it is a statement of a clear example.

Sometimes 'good actions' may be issued by some unbelieving persons, but this behaviour is not certainly so profound and vast, because they are not based deeply on divine motives, thus they are hollow.

The Holy Qur'an has mentioned the word /salihat/ particularly in the plural form and especially with (al ال) at the beginning with the meaning of 'generality' and indicates the fact that the shield against that natural automatic loss is, next to Faith, the fulfillment of all good deeds, and not to suffice just one or a few of them. and truly, if Faith settles deeply in the soul of a person, this very effect will be produced in him.

Faith is not a mere single thought or belief in the mind, free from any affect, it changes the whole entity of Man to, its own essence.

Faith is like a bright lamp inside a room which not only gives light to the room, but the beams penetrate through all the windows and spaces to the outside so that everyone who passes by, outside, can realize the existence of that bright light inside the room.

Similarly, when a person has the light of Faith bright inside his soul, his tongue, eyes, ears, hands and feet reflect that light to others and the movements of every limb, outside, show that there is a light inside.

For that reason, in the verses of Qur'an the words

'good deed'

and

'Faith'

often come together as interdependent; for example, Surah 'Nahl, No. 16, verse 97 says:

“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure...”

Also, in Surah Mo'minun, No. 13, verses 99 and 100, the wrong doers, after departing from this world, regret that they had not done good deeds, so, they insist on saying:

“...O' my Lord, send me back (to life),”

“In order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected...”

Again, in the same Surah, verse 51, Allah bids to His apostles:

“O ye apostles! Enjoy (all) things good and pure, and work righteousness...”

And since

'Faith'

and

'good deeds'

cannot endure in a society unless there is an invitation to the right and truth, and the acknowledgement of it, on the one hand, and an invitation to patience and constancy along the path of the achievement of that invitation, on the other hand, for completing the first two principles,

'Faith'

and

'good deeds',

the second two principles are, now, pointed out.

The third principle, the general invitation of all to

'Truth'

is referred to, so that all the members of the human race will fully recognize right from wrong and observing it will never forget it throughout their lives.

The term /tawasau/ is based on /tawasi /and as Raqib cites in Mufradat, it means 'to enjoin or recommend to one another'.

The term /haqq/ means 'Truth' or 'adapting to Truth'. There are twelve meanings used or applied for this term in the Holy Qur'an, as are mentioned in 'Wujuh-i-Qur'an', such as: Allah, Qur'an, Islam, theism, justice, truthfulness, sincerity, clarity, obligation and the like, all of which refer to the root word mentioned above.

In any case, the phrase /tawasau-bil-haqq/ has such a vast meaning that includes both 'enjoin the good and forbidding of wrong' and 'guiding with teaching the ignorant' or 'admonishing the neglectfull' and 'encouraging and preaching Faith together with good deeds'.

It is needless to go into the details about those who enjoin on others truth, because it is understood that they should be advocators and administrators of it in their own lives.

The fourth principle is based on patience, perseverance, and enjoining these on each other. Next to the acknowledgement of them, in the course of practice, everyone faces with some difficulties which need patience and constancy, otherwise, he can never adjudicate and do a righteous deed or preserve his Faith.

Yes, adjudication and execution of truth and fulfilling it in the society is not possible, except by a common decision and having constancy and perseverance against the problems.

The word

'patience',

here has a vast meaning that involves both the patience of obedience and the patience against motivations of committing sin, and patience for bitter happenings like losing members, forces, wealth, etc.

Regarding what was said here about the four principles towards salvation, which are truly the most complete program for men to follow in their lives, it makes it clear why some narrations denote that the followers and companions of the holy Prophet (S) used to recite Surah 'Asr when they reached each other or before saying good-bye and separating from each other, they reminded each other of the magnificent content of this short Surah.

Verily, if the Muslim believers of today would carry out these four principles in their personal and social lives, their problems and difficulties will be solved, their retardation will be amended, their defeats will be changed to victories, and the vice of their wickedness will be removed from them.

Supplication

O Lord! Bestow on us the patience and constancy needed for accepting and supporting the Truth.

O Lord! All of us are in loss and it is impossible for us to recompense it save with Your Grace.

O Lord! We wish to follow the content of the four-principle-command in the Surah; please help us to be successful.

Notes

1. Majma'-al-Bayan, vol. 10, p. 545.

2. Nur-uth- Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 666, tradition 5.

3. Tafsir-i-Fakhr-i-Razi. vol. 32, p. 85.

4. Tuhaf-ul-'Uqul, p. 361.

5. Nahj-ul-Balagha, Saying 74.

6. Nahj-ul-Balagha, Saying 456.

7. mentioned in Surah Taqabun, No. 64, Verse 9

8. Surah Zilzal, No. 99, Verse 7

Surah Humazah, Chapter 104

(The Slanderer)

Number of Verses: 9

Contents of the Surah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

This Surah is a Meccan Surah and condemns all sorts of scandal, and backbiting, and all those who do their best to gather and pile up wealth; for which they lose the whole value of their humanity, and defame, insult and mock those who do not possess that (wealth).

These selfish people, who are arrogant with their wealth, enjoy talking or suggesting evil of men or women by word, innuendo, behaviour, mimicry, sarcasm, or insult.

At the end of the Surah, the painful destiny of theirs is referred to. It says that they will be disgracefully thrown into Hell. Before their other belongings, the blazing fire of Hell will begin burning, withering their hearts and minds; the center of all their pride and arrogance. This ceaseless fire will be with them forever.

The Virtue of Studying Surah Humazah

On the virtue of reciting this Surah, a tradition from the Holy Prophet (S) says:

“He who recites this Surah will be rewarded 'ten good deeds' as many as the number of those who mocked Muhammad (S) and his companions”.1

Also, a tradition from Imam Sadiq (as) denotes that he who recites it in any of his obligatory prayers, poverty will stay away from him, sustenance will approach him, and a hideous death will be repelled from him.2

Surah Humazah, Verses 1-9

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةٍ

الَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ

يَحْسَبُ أَنَّ مَالَهُ أَخْلَدَهُ

كَلَّا لَيُنبَذَنَّ فِي الْحُطَمَةِ

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْحُطَمَةُ

نَارُ اللَّهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ

الَّتِي تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى الْأَفْئِدَةِ

إِنَّهَا عَلَيْهِم مُّؤْصَدَةٌ

فِي عَمَدٍ مُّمَدَّدَةٍ

1. “Woe to every backbiter, slanderer”,

2. “Who amasses wealth and hoards it,”

3. “Thinking that his wealth will make him immortal”.

4. “Nay, he will certainly be hurled into the 'Hutamah' “,

5. “And what makes you know what the 'Hutamah' is”?

6. “(It is) a fire kindled by Allah”,

7. “Which rises above the hearts”.

8. “Surely it will be closed over upon them”,

9. “In columns outstretched”.

The Occasion of Revelation

A group of commentators have said that the verses of this Surah were revealed against Walid-ibn-i-Muqayyarah who used to backbite the holy Prophet (S) and made sarcastic remarks and mocked him (S).

Some others believe that they are said against some of the chiefs of the pagan Arabs and the known enemies of Islam, such as: Akhnas-ibn-i-Shariq, Umiyat-ibn-i-Khalaf, and 'As-ibn-i-wa'il.

But, even if we accept these occasions of revelation, again the generality of the meaning of the verses remains unchanged, and it covers all those who have these characteristics.

Woe to Every Backbiter, Slanderer!

This Surah begins with the strongest terms of a threatening nature.

It says:

“Woe to Every Backbiter, Slanderer!”

They are those who sting others with their speech, behaviour, mimicry, or sarcasm at their backs or in front of them. They mock them and defame them with evil motives.

The Arabic terms /humazah/ and /lumazah/, both, are in 'the intensive amplification form’. The term /humazah/ is based on /hamz/ which originally means 'to break', and since backbiters and slanderers break the personality of others, the term /humazah/ is used for them. The term /lumazah/ is derived from /lamz/ with the meaning of 'to backbite' and 'defame'.

Commentators are divided in saying that these two terms refer to one meaning, 'backbiters', and therefore, these two are mentioned for emphasis; or there may be a difference between them.

But, some have said that the term /humazah/ means 'backbiter' and /lumazah/ means fault-finder'.

Further, some others believe that the term /humazah/ means 'those who make innuendos with their hands and face when trying to find faults in others', and /lumazah/ is meant for those who do this action with their tongues.

Also, some have meant the first term in the sense of 'fault-finding' in the face of people, and the second when done at their backs.

Again, some think the first means 'apparent fault-finding' and the second means 'subtle fault-finding done with the eyes and eyebrows'.

And sometimes, both of the terms have been meant 'the one who defames people by using low titles for them'.

But, from all of the above ideas it is understood that these two terms are used in the same sense with a vast meaning, so that it includes any fault-finding, defaming, backbiting, sarcasm, and mockery by tongue or mimicry.

In any event, the term

/wayl/ ‘woe'

is a strong threat against this group of people, and basically, the Qur'an takes a serious stance on these kind of persons, and there are some special meanings against them in it which are not said for any other sin similar to that.

For example, in Surah Tauba, No 9, verse 80, after threatening those blind-hearted hypocrites with a 'grievous penalty' for their ridicule of the Believers, it says:

“Whether thou ask for their forgiveness, or not, (their sin is unforgivable): If you ask seventy times for their forgiveness, Allah will not forgive them...”

Similar to this idea in Surah Munafiqun, No 63, verse 5, about the hypocrites who mocked the holy Prophet (S) it says:

“And when it is said to them, 'Come, the Apostle of Allah will pray for your forgiveness', they turn aside their heads, and thou wouldn't see them turning away their faces in arrogance”.

Basically, from the point of Islam, the honour of people is considered highly respectable, hence, anything that causes them to be insulted is a great sin.

A tradition from the holy Prophet (S) says:

“The lowest (one amongst) people is he who insults people”.3

Then, it refers to the source of their hideous behaviour.

It often originates from arrogance and pride caused by wealth, saying:

“Who amasses wealth and hoards it”.

He likes wealth so much so that he always counts his golden coins, or other things among his riches, and enjoys them as if each of them is an idol for himself, and wealth is the center of everything in his personality. It is natural that such a foolish, astray person always mock, the poor believing people.

The term /addadah/ is originally based on /‘add/ with the sense of 'to number, reckon'. Some have said that it may be based on /‘uddah/ ‘provision' with the meaning of 'preparing and storing properties for future difficult days'.

Some have also rendered it into abstinence and maintenance. But, the first comment; is the most clear of all.

At any rate, the verse refers to those who pile up wealth not as a means of help, but, as a goal. They observe no limit or condition in gathering it, gathering it whether it is lawful or unlawful, by honourable or dishonourable ways, from their own right or others' rights, oppressively, and they know it as the only sign of dignity and personality.

They do not want wealth to use for their necessities, that is why they never become satisfied and however much they increase their wealth they are more eager and avaricious to make it greater.

Otherwise, gathering wealth on a reasonable scale and through lawful means not only is not blameworthy, in Islam, but, it is sometimes referred to in the Holy Qur'an as

'the Bounty of Allah',

such as Surah Jumu'ah, No. 62, Verse 10 says:

“...And seek the Bounty of Allah...”,

and in another occurence it is rendered to /xayr/ 'good':

“It is prescribed, when death approaches any of you, if he leave any goods, that he make a bequest...”4 .

Such wealth is, certainly, neither a cause of rebelling, nor a means of pride, nor an excuse for mocking others. But, the wealth which is the object of worship and is the final goal and invites its owner to rebellion, such as Qarun, is shame and scorn; is misery and adversity; is the cause of being far from Allah and dwelling in Hell-fire.

Gathering this kind of wealth, in abundance, is usually not possible except by committing numerous sins.

A tradition from Ali-ibn-Musa-ar-Rida (as) says:

“Wealth is not piled up but with five qualities: Intense stinginess, endless hope, dominant greed, breaking off connections with one's kindred, and preferring this world to the next world”.5

Those who are gracious and not tied up in infinite hopes, observe the laws of the lawful and unlawful, serve their kindred, and do not hoard wealth, usually have considerable income.

“Thinking that his wealth will make him immortal”.

It is interesting that the verb /axladah/, here is in the past tense form with the meaning that he thinks his wealth has made him as an immortal creature, - neither death nor sickness nor incidents can produce difficulties for him, because he thinks money, which he has in abundance, can solve every problem.

What a false imagination! Qarun had such treasures that

“Their keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men”

but, at the time of the rush of divine punishment, that wealth could not postpone his death even for a little while and Allah caused a short earthquake suddenly to swallow up him and his treasure:

“Then, We caused the earth to swallow up him and his house; and he had not (the least little) party to help him against Allah, nor could he defend himself “6 .

The Pharoahs of Egypt had the most abundant of riches for, themselves, but, as Surah Dukhan, No. 44, verses 25-27 state:

“How many were the gardens and springs they left behind,”

“And corn-fields and noble buildings,”

“And wealth (and conveniences of life), wherein they had taken such delight”.

They were easily delivered to others during a short time:

“Thus (was their end) and We made other people inherit (those things')”7

That is why, in the Hereafter, when the curtains will be removed and they realize their previous big mistake, they cry in agony saying:

“Of no profit to me has been my wealth!”

“My power has perished from me!”8 .

In general, man dislikes destruction or mortality and tends to immortality and perpetuality. The existence of this very tendency helps us, In the discussions of Resurrection to know that Man has been created for eternity, otherwise he would not have the instinct of the love of perpetuality.

But, this arrogant, selfish, mamonish Man sometimes finds his perpetuality in some things that are just the cause of his destruction; for example, he considers wealth, which is often the enemy of his being, as a means of eternity.

This statement makes it clear that the thought of perpetuality by the means of wealth is a reason for gathering it, and gathering wealth is also a factor for having the right to mock others; or so they think.

To respond to this group of people, the Holy Qur'an says:

“Nay! He will certainly be hurled into the Hutamah,”

“And what makes you know what the Hutamah is?”

“(It is) a fire kindled by Allah”

“Which rises above the hearts…”

The term /layunbthanna/ is based on /nabth/. As Raqib says in Mufradat, it means 'to discard something because of its being an insignificant or small amount'.

That is, Allah will throw these proud, arrogant, selfish, self-content fellows; in the form of mean, unworthy creatures, into the Hell-fire so that they may see the fruit of their pride.

The term /hutamah/ is an amplification form based on the word /hatam/ with the meaning of 'to wreck; break to pieces' which shows that the blazing fire of Hell breaks their limbs violently, although some Islamic narrations denote that /hutaman/ is not the name of the whole Hell, but it is the name of an extraordinarily hot part of it.9

Using the phrase /narallah/, here shows the greatness of the fire, and the term /muqadah/ is an evidence to refer to the continuity of that fire kindled to a blaze.

It is a wonder that this fire, in spite of the fires in this world that first burn the skin and then, penetrate inside to burn inner tissue, burns the heart and interior of the mind and bones, first, and then, comes to the other parts.

What kind of fire is this fire whose first effect appears on the heart of Man? What kind of fire is it which burns inside before outside'? Everything of the Hereafter is surprising and different from that of this world, even the effect of its blazing fire.

And why does the fire of the Wrath of Allah not dominate their hearts first and before occupying their other limbs when, in this world, they put pain in the hearts of the believers with their mockeries, backbitings, fault-findings, slanders and taunts. ?

Divine Justice Requires a Penalty on Them Similar to Their Behaviors

“Surely it will be closed over upon them,”

The term /mu'sadah/ is derived from /isad/ with the meaning of 'to close a door firmly', hence, the rooms made inside the mountains for gathering riches therein were termed / wasid/.

In fact, the same as they kept their riches in safes, locked indoors and in secret storage, Allah, too, puts them in a punishment shut up in Hell without having a door to flee from.

And, finally, it says:

“In columns outstretched”

The term /‘amad/ is the plural form of /amud/ which means 'pillar, or any tall thing like a wooden pole, post, or shaft', and the term /mumaddadah/ means 'extended, stretched (out)’.

A group of commentators believe that this idea refers to the' long iron nails by which the doors of Hell are fastened so that no exit might be found.

So, it is an emphasis on the previous verse which says:

“Surely it will be closed over upon them”.

Also, some others have cited that this idea refers to a kind of torture and punishment, similar to the act of putting a person in stocks and fetters; a chain by which a person or an animal is confined by the feet. And this is the result of the tortures that they used against the innocent people in this world.

Furthermore, a third commentary is also given with reference to the new explorations which says that the blazing flames of Hell-fire are upon them in the form of some tall, stretched pillar shaped beams.

These commentators say that it is proven in modern research that X-rays, different from other rays which expand in the conical shape, spread in cylindrical shape just like a pillar, and it is interesting to note that this ray penetrates through the whole entity of Man, and even goes into the heart and that is why it is used for taking photos of the inside of the body. It is understood that there is a ray in Hell rising from the blazing fire, therein, which is not unlike the above-mentioned ray.

Among these commentaries, the first one is the most appropriate.

Explanations

Pride, the Origin of Great Sin

Arrogance or self-aggrandizement is a great pest which is considered to be the source of many vices; neglecting Allah, ingratitude of the bounties from Him, drawn into lusts, detracting from the character of others and mocking the believers are all the fruit of this hideous quality.

When persons of little capacity find themselves in some position of prestige they become enveloped by pride and arrogance so that they consider others of no value, and this quality causes them to be separated from the society and the society deserts them, too.

Then, they live in their own imaginations and think that they are somewhat different from others, and count themselves among 'the nearest to Allah' which causes them to think of others' honour, character, and even, lives as unworthy and they continue to commit their slandering, backbiting, and fault-finding against them, in order to increase their own dignity, or so they think.

A tradition from the holy Prophet (S) denotes that he said:

“On the Night journey (of Ascension) I saw a group of people (of Hell) whose flesh of their sides were taken and they were made to eat it, being told to eat what they used to eat of the flesh of their brothers. I asked Gabriel who they were, and he answered that they were backbiters; slanderers, from my community.”10

The Lust For Amassing Wealth

There are many different ideas given about the quality of amassing wealth in the way of excess and deficiency. Some consider wealth so important that they think it is the key to solving any difficult problem. So, it is no wonder that they are always busy gathering wealth without any pause and without observing any limit or condition for it. Therefore, the status of lawful and unlawful riches is indifferent in their eyes.

In contrast to them, there are some people who do not give any importance or value to wealth. They praise poverty as a valuable quality and believe that wealth is still a hindrance for piety and being near to Allah.

But, besides these two contradictory ideas, which are on the two ends of 'excess' and 'deficiency', what is understood from the Qur'an and the Islamic narrations is that wealth is praiseworthy, but, with some conditions: First of all, it should be a means of service, not a goal.

The second is that wealth should not make Man its captive and dependant, but he should control it and be its master.

The third condition is that wealth should be earned through lawful ways and be spent on the path of gaining Allah's satisfaction.

Love for this kind of wealth not only is not mammonism, but it is evidence for the love of the next world. That is why we see, in a tradition, that when Imam Sadiq (as) was condemning 'gold' and 'silver', one of his Muslim followers wondered what he meant and asked him about it.

He (as) replied:

“It is the 'gold' by which Faith (religion) disappears and it is the silver which causes blasphemy”.11

There are some avaricious people who are always busy piling up wealth until the end of their lives, and finally, the wealth will be left for others to take advantage of its benefit, while they, without enjoying anything, must give the account of it.

A tradition from Hazrat Ali (as) denotes that he was asked:

“Who is the most sorrowful of people?”

And he replied:

“The one who sees his wealth in the scales of others, and Allah brings him into Hell because of his wealth, but He brings his heir into Heaven, (for spending that wealth on charity)”.12

Yes, people are different when facing riches. Some of them worship it as an idol, while some others use it as a means for their salvation.

We conclude this subject with an expressive statement from Ibn-Abbas who said:

“When the first gold and silver coins were made on the Earth, Satan looked at them and after observing them, took them and put them on his eyes and then on his chest.

Then, he squealed happily and put them, again, on his chest and said (to them):

‘You are the light of my eyes and the fruit of my heart. When the sons of Adam love you it does not matter to me that they do not worship idols; it is enough for me that they love you (since you are the greatest idols)’”.13

Supplication

O Lord! Save us from the negligence originating from wealth, position, and lusts.

O Lord! Make us free from the mastership of Satan over us and from being the slaves of coins; gold or silver.

O Lord! Hell-fire is shattering so that it is impossible to be free from it, but with your Grace. Bestow Your Grace on us.

Amin, O Cherisher of the Worlds.

Notes

1. Majma'-al-Bayan. vol. 10. p. 536.

2. Ibid.

3. Bihar-ul-Anwar. vol. 75. p. 142,

4. Surah Baqarah, No. 2, Verse 180

5. Nur-uth- Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 668, Tradition 8.

6. Surah Qasas, No. 28, verse 81

7. Surah Dukhan, No. 44, verse 28

8. Surah Haqqah, No. 69, verse 28, 29

9. Nur-uth-Thaqalayn, vol, 3, p. 17 and 19, traditions 60 and 64.

10. Nur-uth-Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p 667, tradition 5

11. Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol 73. p 142

12. Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol 73. p 142

13. Ibid p 137 tradition 3