S64. SURATUT TAGHABUN

Introduction
NAME: Ayah No.9 describes the ‘Day of Taghabun’ (when the deniers of Resurrection will face a very heavy loss). This has given this name to the Surah.
TIME OF REVELATION: The subjects discussed herein indicate that it was revealed in the earlier part of the Makkan Period.
CENTRAL THEME : To create heartfelt certainty that the real success is only the success in the Hereafter. Therefore, it is necessary to mend our ways in view thereof. Those who ignore it are bound to suffer a tremendous loss.
ORDER OF VERSES : Ayah 1 to 4 provide introduction of Allah and clarify that this universe has been created for the sake of Truth.
Ayah 5,6,7 warn the deniers of prophethood that they will see a very bad end.
Ayah 8 to 10 invite people to become believers and caution them about the Day of Loss.
It has also been mentioned that the believers will remain fully protected from the said loss and that they will attain a grand success. But the deniers will have to suffer the torment of hell for ever.
Ayah 11 to 13 admonish that to disobey Allah and His prophet for fear of worldly losses is a wrong judgment against one’s self which is disastrous.
Ayah 14 to 18 contain some timely instruction to the believers. One of it is that they should be cautious with regard to their wives and their children so that they may not lead them on a wrong path. Second, this wealth and these children are a kind of test. So love for them must not be so much that they may become unmindful of the Resurrection. Third, The fear of Allah should be cultivated to the maximum possible extent and fourth, they must not be stingy. They should spend in the path of Allah largeheartedly.

64. SURATUT TAGHABUN Ayah : 18

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

1. All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth hallow Allah. HIS is the Kingdom and for Him is the praise and HE is able to do all things.1

2. It is HE Who created you. Then some one of you is a disbeliever and someone is a believer.2 Allah sees whatever you do.3

3. HE has created the heavens and the earth with truth4 and HE gave you shape so HE made your shapes goodly.5 and toward HIM is the returning.

4. HE knows whatever is in the heavens and the earth and He knows whatever you conceal and whatever you reveal and Allah knows also what is hidden in the hearts.

5. Has not the news reached you of those people who disbelieved before this. So they tasted the punishment of their deeds and for them is a painful torment. 6

6. That was because their Messengers came to them with clear signs but they said: will the humans guide us?7 Thus did they disbelieve and turned face (therefore) Allah also disregarded them8 and Allah is self-sufficient and praise worthy.

1. This is the introductory verse of the surah which gives us the knowledge about Allah. Faith in Allah and obedience of Allah is not possible without knowing Allah. Therefore, the Holy Quran not only orders us to believe and to obey but it also provides the light of knowledge so that the mind and the heart may become fully prepared to comply with the Divine commandment.
When man observes clearly that the entire universe is constantly singing the songs of praise and glorification of Allah, this truth also moves his heart. Consequently he too joins this sweet chorus hallowing his Lord Almighty which is indeed a great worship.

2. When it is a fact that Allah has created you. you should believe in HIM. But the fact is that some of you are believers, and some are disbelievers!

3. Since HE sees your deeds, HE will reward or punish you on the basis of your deeds.

4. That is HE has created this universe for a true purpose and it is justice and equity, reward and punishment which will manifest fully on the Day of Resurrection (Qiyaamat).

5. For clarification (Please See Surah Momin, Note: 9)

6. The indication is toward the destroyed people of the past like the people of Noah, the community of A ad and the folk of Thamood etc. Those people got the punishment for their disbelief in this worldly life also. In the Hereafter (Aakhirat)they will have to bear a very painful torment.

7. Allah had sent his Messenger for the guidance of men but as those prophets were human beings, proud people felt that it was below their dignity to accept a human being as their guide. In their view Allah should have sent angels as HIS prophets. But the strange thing was that while, on the one hand, they were rejecting the prophethood of the prophets as they were human beings, on the other, they had made misguided fellows their leaders and guides and adopted bricks and stones as their gods!! Such explicit foolishness neither diminished their ‘self-respect’ nor did they find it below their dignity. How can a person without wisdom find his way?!

8. That is, since they turned away their face from Guidance. Allah also did not care for their guidance because. HE guides only those who are ready to accept it.

7. Those who disbelieved assert that they will never be resurrected. Say: Why not? by my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected 9 then you shall be informed what you did and that is very easy for Allah.

8. So believe in Allah and in His Messenger and in the Light which WE have sent down 10 And Allah is aware of what you do.

9. The Day Allah will assemble (all) on the Day of assembling.11 That will be the Day which will reveal the loss 12 And those who had believed and were doing good deeds He will remove their sins and will admit them in gardens beneath which rivers flow. They will dwell therein forever. That is the great success.13

10. And those people who had disbelieved and had rejected our signs will be the people of the hell, dwellers therein and that is a very bad abode.14

11. No calamity befalls but by the decree of Allah15 And whoever believes in Allah, HE guides his heart 16 and Allah knows everything.

12. Obey Allah and obey the Messenger. If you turn away your face then Our Messenger’s responsibility is only to convey (the message) clearly.

13. Allah is HE, besides Whom there is no god (deity). And the believers should put their trust only in Allah.

9. The Holy Prophet (May peace Be on him and his progeny) has been instructed to announce by an oath of Allah that people will certainly be resurrected after their death. This (announcement on oath) is for expressing certainty and authenticity. It means: I tell you, making Allah witness, that your resurrection is a certain truth. There is not the slightest doubt in it.

10. “Noor” (Light means Quran which is the light of knowledge. This verse is inviting people directly to believe in Allah. His Prophet and the Quran. This invitation (call) is really to all human beings.

11. That is, the Day of Resurrection, will be the day on which all the former and latter people will be gathered and God will gather all on that day. It will be like a roaring sea of people. Not even a single dead fellow will remain unrestricted.

12. Original word used is ‘Taghabun’ which is the superlative form of ‘ghaban’ meaning a loss in a sale-purchase transaction. According to ‘Lisanul Arab’:-
“In a business transaction, ‘Ghaban’ means loss”. (Vol.13,P.310)
Whatever capital of life a man invests in this world is called a business transaction by Quran. A disbeliever invests his capital of life for earning only this world and for purchasing ignorance. Therefore, he engages in a transaction of loss. This loss will appear before him clearly on the Day of Resurrection. Then only he will realise that he had invested his capital of life in a totally wrong way. Consequently, today (on the Day of Qiyamah) he is facing this destructive loss.
“These are the people who have bartered guidance for darkness but their trade was not profitable and they have lost true direction.” (Al Baqarah:16)
The Day of Resurrection will be the day of Taghabun, that is, the day of facing loss. It is just like as has been mentioned in Surah Qamar:
“The disbelievers will say: this is a very hard day.”

13. Those who had believed and had spent life righteously will be protected from every kind of loss on the Day of Resurrection. They will attain a great success, that is, Jannat (Paradise), because, they had invested their capital of life in a transaction (barter) which was to prove profitable in the Hereafter.

14.This explains the loss which the disbelievers will suffer on the Day of Judgment.

15. This has been explained in Note 47 of Surah Hadeed.
Here it has been mentioned so that a Muslim may not give up the obedience of Allah and His Prophet after seeing the clouds of calamities. Calamities descend by the order of Allah and they are a means of trial for the faithful. They can come out successful from this trial (test) only if they prove their obedience to God and His messenger.

16. Allah Almighty gives the light of guidance during the darkness of calamities to the one who has a firm faith in HIM. HE guides him in such a way that he does not entertain even an iota of misgiving about Allah. He does not indulge in cries and complaints. Allah directs his sentiments in the right direction, whereby his Faith strengths and he feels satisfied with the Divine decision.

14. O believers! some of your wives and your children are your enemies. So beware of them.17 And if you pardon and overlook and forgive, then verily Allah is Forgiving Merciful.18

15. Your wealth and your children are but a trial.19 And only Allah is HE with Whom is the great reward.

16. So fear Allah as much as you can20 and hear and obey,21 and spend for the benefit of yourselves.22 And whoever is saved from stinginess of their hearts is successful.23

17. If you give a good loan to Allah 24 HE will make it manifold for you and will forgive you. Allah is the great Appreciator and Tolerant.25

18. Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Mighty, the Wise.

17. Here the word ‘enemies’ has been used to convey the sense that some of the wives and some of the children, despite being Muslim, press their men folk to strive for earning more and more worldly wealth and for raising their standard of life. This is due to their ignorance, childishness or disobedience etc. As a result of it, people become mad after worldly comforts and become unable to meet the demands of religion Similarly when Deen (Islam)demands sacrifice, such attitude of their kith and kin discourages them. Some times such wives urge their men folk even to indulge in anti-Shariat deeds. It is for such circumstances that Almighty Allah has ordered the Faithful that they should be aware of them; that they must examine their demands and advices in the light of Shariah and should not concede their demand unmindfully. Such caution is necessary in the matter of wives and children.
It must be understood that this ayat does not say that every man’s wives and children are such. It says some of them are like that. This automatically makes it clear that the wives and children of a number of men are righteous. Such wives assist their men folk in their religious (Islamic) works and prove the best companions of life. Similarly righteous children too help their parents in carrying out their Islamic duties. They thus cool their eyes.

18. To beware does not mean that the men folk must be harsh at the wrong attitude of their wives and children or should treat them with vengeance. No, but your behaviour should be of pardoning, ignoring and forgiving. Here not one but three words have been used so that the forgiving behaviour may become, beautiful also. Pardon them means do not deal them with harshness. Over look means ignore their faults, do not be over-impressed and, forgive them, means forgive them from the heart. Such largeheartedness will make you the beloved of Allah, WHO will then pardon you and will shower HIS Mercy on you. No wonder if your wives and children too may mend themselves seeing your good behaviour.

19. It is to test whether, becoming blind in your love for wives and children, you leave aside the commandments of Allah and His Prophet or remaining under the greater influence of your love for Allah and His Prophet, live a fully obedient life.
For further clarification please see Surah Munafiqoon, Note 17.

20. The pull of wealth and children becomes a stumbling block for a faithful traveler very often. But Allah will not hold a Momin harshly if he remains God fearing to the best of his ability. HE will forgive his faults. This assurance is a ray of hope for the righteous.
The holy Quran mentions elsewhere:
“Fear Allah as HE should be feared.” (Aal-e- Imran : 102) And here it is ordered:
“Fear Allah to the best of your ability.”
It is thus understood that a man fulfils the demands of Taqwa (God fearing ness) if he lives righteously to the extent of his ability. Only this much has been asked from him. He has not been loaded with a burden which he cannot carry.
This order: “Fear Allah to the best of your ability” is a very important directive principle. It provides the light of guidance in all kinds of unfavorable conditions and situations and confusing problems. In today’s atmosphere wherein the force of evil attack us from every direction and the wrong codes of life have made it very difficult to abide by the Islamic shariat, a Muslim can stick to Taqwa in the light of this guiding principle.

21.There may be difficulties and helplessness. Yet the general and common attitude of a Muslim ought to be that of listening to Allah’s orders heart fully and to obey Him sincerely.

22. Spending in the Way of Allah reduces the love for wealth and increases the love for Allah.

23. This has been explained in Surah Hashr, Note: 23.

24. That is, spending in the way of Allah, especially for a Jihad.

25. Allah is Appreciative. HE appreciates each and every good deed of HIS slaves. And HE is Forbearing. Therefore, HE does not inflict instant punishment but provides a chance for improvement.