Surah No. 91

Introduction
Merits of the Surah1

1. There is no difference of opinion among the scholars that this surah is Makkan (Shawkani).

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا (1)

(91:1) By the sun and its brightness.

وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلَاهَا (2)

(91:2) By the moon that follows it.2

2. In explanation of the attached pronouns (dama’ir) of duhaha (verse 1) and talaha (verse 2), Ibn `Abbas has said that the two verses must be understood in the following manner: “By the sun and its day, and by the moon that follows it (i.e. the day).”
Imam Razi and Qurtubi quote Al-Farra’ (of the 2nd. hijrah century/ 8-9th century C.E.) as saying that the tala of the original has been used in the sense of borrowing, since the moon derives its light from the sun.
Man and the Moon
“Between the moon and the human heart there is an age-long fascination that is well established in men’s inmost souls. It is a fascination that is born anew every time the two meet. The moon issues her own special whispers and inspirations to the human heart, and she sings her songs of praise to the Creator, which a poet can almost hear through the tenderness of moonlight. On a clear moonlit night, one can almost feel himself sailing through the moonlight, clearing off one’s worries and enjoying a perfect bliss as one feels the hand of the Maker beyond this perfect creation” (Sayyid Qutb).

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا جَلَّاهَا (3)

(91:3) By the day which it brightens up.3

3. In explanation of the attached pronoun in jallaha (verse 3) Qatadah has said that the verse should be understood as: “By the day which the sun brightens up” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). However, some have understood the verse as: “By the day when it brightens it (the earth)” - Qurtubi.

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَاهَا (4)

(91:4) By the night which enshrouds it.4

4. According to Qatadah the “it” of the verse refers to the sun. That is: “By the night which enshrouds the sun,” (and spreads its own darkness) - Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir. But, according to others, the “it” stands for the earth. That is: “By the night that enshrouds it (the earth) with its darkness (Qurtubi).

وَالسَّمَاءِ وَمَا بَنَاهَا (5)

(91:5) By the heaven and (Him) who made it.5

5. That is, by the heaven and by Allah who created it (Ibn `Abbas in a sahih report: Shawkani).
Although ma is generally used for the non-living, here it has been used in the sense of mun (to be pronounced on the same pattern as “none”), as in verse (4: 22):
“And of the women, do not marry those who have earlier been in the marriage of your fathers...” or, in the same fourth surah, verse 3:
“Therefore, marry of the women those that please you ...” In both these verses ma has been used in the sense of mun (Ibn Jarir, Razi).
Although the above meaning is preferred by Ibn Jarir, there is room for treating the ma of the verse as ma masdariyyah, and translate the verse as: “By the heaven and its construction.” The following two verses could also be interpreted similarly (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا طَحَاهَا (6)

(91:6) By the earth and (Him) who stretched it.6

6. Taha has been used in the sense of daha (see 79: 30), and both mean 'to spread’ or 'stretch,’ since, as `Ata’ and Kalbi have said, Allah stretched the land over water (Razi). According to al-Mawardi, another possible allusion could be to what the earth throws out of its plants, springs and minerals (Qurtubi).
Man and Nature
Sayyid Qutb writes: “There exists some kind of a special language through which the human heart communicates with the universe and its marvelous scenes and phenomena. This language is part of human nature. It is a language which does not use sounds and articulation. It is a communication to the hearts and an inspiration to the souls which come alive whenever man looks up to the universe for an inspiring touch or a cheerful sight. Hence, the Qur’an frequently urges man to reflect upon the surrounding universe ... These explicit directives and indirect hints are very frequent in this thirtieth part of the Qur’an. There is hardly one surah in it which does not encourage man, in one way or another, to communicate with the universe, in their secret language, so that he may appreciate its signs and understand its address.”

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا (7)

(91:7) And, by the soul and (Him) who molded it.7

7. That is, molded it on fitrah or Allah’s Original (state) [that is, on tawhid]; as Allah said (in 30: 30):
“So set thy face to the pure, incorrupt religion, Allah’s Original (fitrah), upon which He originated mankind. There is no changing Allah’s Religion.”
And the Prophet said in a hadith of Abu Hurayrah in the Sahihayn: “Every child is born on fitrah. It is his parents who Judaize him, Christianize him or Zoroastrize him - as the little ones of the animals are born with both the ears in tact. Do you find any among their newborn with a severed earlobe?” (Ibn Kathir).

فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا (8)

(91:8) Then He inspired to it, its wickedness and its piety.8

8. (“Inspired” is a verbal translation: Au.). Ibn `Abbas however explained the verse as, “He made clear to the soul its good and evil.
According to Ibn Zayd, the meaning of alhama-ha is: “placed therein.” That is, “He placed in it (i.e., in the soul) its wickedness and its piety (in measures He knows).” This is supported by a hadith (in Muslim, reported by `Azrah b. Thabit: Ibn Kathir), which states that,Someone asked the Prophet whether what men strive for and earn of the deeds is something that has been predetermined and a thing of the past, or is it something they choose of what the Messengers have brought and thus argument is sealed against them. He replied: “Rather, it is something which has been predetermined and is a thing of the past. This you will find supported by the verses:
"And, by the soul and (Him) Who molded it. Then He inspired to it, its wickedness and its piety" (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).
The hadith is also in the collections of Ahmad, `Abd b. Humayd, Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Marduwayh (Shawkani).
Ibn Taymiyyah wrote: This is the only verse concerning qada’ and qadr which the Prophet elaborated.
Qada’ and Qadr
The whole hadith as in Muslim is as follows:
“Abu al-Aswad ad-Dayli says `Imran ibn al-Hussein asked me, 'What have you to say about what the people do and strive for. Is it something predetermined, done with, and in proportions predestined, or, are they of the nature of what they will encounter of what their prophets brought them that serves as an argument against them?’ He answered, 'Rather, it is of the nature of what has been predetermined and predestined for them.’ He remarked, 'Is that not injustice?’ I was shocked to hear this and shaken to my core with fear. I told him, 'All that exists is Allah’s creation and belong to Him. (He may deal with them the way He will). No one can question Him for what He does, rather they will be questioned for what they do.’ He said, 'May Allah show you mercy. By asking you this question I did not mean anything but to test your intelligence. (Let me tell you), two people of Muzaynah went up to the Prophet (saws) and asked him, 'O Messenger of Allah, what have you to say about what men strive for and earn, is it something that has been predetermined and a thing of the past, or is it something they choose of what the Messengers have brought and thus argument is sealed against them?’ He answered: 'Rather, it is something which has been predetermined and is a thing of the past. This you will find supported by the verses: "And, by the soul and (Him) Who molded it. Then He inspired to it, its wickedness and its piety"’ (Ibn Kathir).
Also see surah 81 note 19 for a detailed discussion of the subject and note 7 of the following chapter for a few more ahadith.
Allah’s Inspiration of Good and Evil
Ibn Kathir comments: Although Dahhak’s statement in Ibn Abi Hatim to the effect that Ibn `Abbas has said that, “That soul succeeded which Allah purified” is weak because of a narrator, Juwaybir, (who was matruk al-hadith: one whose narrations were abandoned) and because of the fact that Dahhak did not meet Ibn `Abbas, there are several ahadith that support such a meaning. One is in Ibn Abi Hatim itself, another in Musnad of Ahmad and a third in Muslim. That of Muslim, narrated by Zayd ibn Arqam, says that the Prophet used to supplicate in words: “O Allah. I seek your protection from weakness and laziness, from extreme old-age and cowardice, from parsimony and torture in the grave. O Allah, grant my soul its piety and purify it, for You are the best of those who purify. You are its Friend and its Lord. O Allah, I seek your protection from a heart that does not fear, an inner self that does not satiate, a knowledge that is not profitable, and a supplication that is not granted.”
Zayd added, “The Prophet used to teach us these words, and we teach them to you in turn.”
According to another report whenever the Prophet recited this verse: “Then He inspired to it, its wickedness and its piety,” he would supplicate in words:
“O Lord. Give my soul its piety. You are its Protector, and its Owner. And purify it, for You are the best of those who can purify it” (Razi, Qurtubi).
The report is also in Ibn al-Mundhir, Tabarani and Ibn Marduwayh, as narrated by Ibn `Abbas (Shawkani).
Ilham
The ilham of wickedness and piety refers to their knowledge, understanding and distinction (which is placed in every soul) - Zamakhshari. This is the opinion of Al-Wahidi (Razi).
Thanwi quotes a point from Ruh: In the attached pronouns returning to the noun nafs of the previous verse, (in the words: “its wickedness” and “its piety,”) there is a hint that the nafs is inspired in accordance to its own propensity and disposition.
That is, the inmost self of a person is granted what it holds dear to its heart and prepares the grounds for (Au.).
Thanwi and Shafi` further explain: “Actually, the word ilham alludes here to ilqa’, or the creation in the heart of the inclination or disposition: both for good as well as evil. Although, of the two, the earlier i.e., the ilqa’ of the good, takes place through an angel as the agent, while the latter, that is, the ilqa’ of evil, at the hands of Satan. Then, subsequently, that original inclination gets worked up into a firm intention (`azm), by man’s conscientious choice and free will. It is because of this firm intention and free will that the doer becomes deserving of reward or punishment. It is after this that the firm intention appears in the form of an action by the will of Allah, since He is the Creator of all deeds (including those that issue from a man). However, sometimes the originally placed inclination and disposition do not reach up to the level of firm intention, in which case the man is not held accountable for it.” (Also see next note).

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا (9)

(91:9) Surely, succeeded he who purified it.9

9. Two different opinions have come in explanation of this verse. One is that of Ibn `Abbas and Ibn Zayd which would render the translation as: “Surely, succeeded he whose soul Allah purified.” And the other, by Mujahid, Sa`id b. Jubayr, `Ikrimah and Qatadah (Ibn Jarir), which supports the present translation.
Muhammad ibn Ka`b has said: “When Allah intends good for a man, He inspires good deeds in him, and when He intends evil, He inspires evil deeds in him” (Shawkani).
But, what will the purification of nafs mean if a man were to intend it? Shabbir answers that it is to submit the two forces, the carnal (quwwat al-shahwiyyah) and the emotive (quwwat al-ghadbiyyah) to reason, and, in addition, submit reason itself to revelation.

وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسَّاهَا (10)

(91:10) And surely, ruined (himself) he who seduced it.

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِطَغْوَاهَا (11)

(91:11) Thamud cried lies in their insolence,10

10. Thamud: Thamud were a people who lived in the north of Hejaz, in an area known as Mada’in al-Saleh. Their period was (Syed Sulayman Nadwi) somewhere between 1800 and 1600 B.C. The buildings they carved in the mountains last to this day (Au.).
A prophet called Saleh (asws) was raised among these powerful people. They promptly rejected him. They demanded that he produce a sign as a proof of his authenticity. Accordingly, a rock split and a camel came out, alive and pregnant: out of a rock perhaps because the Thamud took pride in hewing houses out of rocks. It was a bulky beast and Saleh divided the waters of a spring between her one day, (when she emptied it), and the people the next day. But the Thamud denied her the water, cried lies to the Prophet and killed the camel. In response Allah sent His scourge. They were destroyed and their corpses left scattered like logs, leaving behind their hewn dwellings.

إِذِ انْبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا (12)

(91:12) When the most wicked of them rose up (to slaughter the camel).11

11. Reciting this verse the Prophet said that it was a powerful, most wicked, nevertheless the most popular man of the tribe - similar to Abu Zam`ah - who volunteered to slaughter her. His name was Uhaymar (Ibn Jarir).
The report is in Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Nasa’i (Ibn Kathir).
The man has also been named as Qudar b. Salif. And, although he alone had hamstrung her (actively supported by eight others: Au.), the act has been ascribed to the entire nation because the rest endorsed his action (Zamakhshari, Razi, Qurtubi).
According to a report in Ibn Ishaq the Prophet (saws) said to `Ali (ra):
“`Ali. May I not tell you about the most wretched of men?” He replied, “Please do.” The Prophet said: “Two men: one, Uhaymar of Thamud who hamstrung the camel, and the other, the one who will strike you, here (pointing to `Ali's neck) until your beard will be wet (with blood)” - Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir.

فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَا (13)

(91:13) Their Messenger warned them: '(Beware, she is) Allah’s (own) camel!12 Therefore, let her and her drinking (be unhindered).’

12. That is, sent by Allah as His sign (Razi).

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا (14)

(91:14) (But) They cried lies to him and hamstrung her. So their Lord crushed them for their sin and leveled them (to the ground).

وَلَا يَخَافُ عُقْبَاهَا (15)

(91:15) And He fears not its consequence.13

13. This is to illustrate the utter insignificance of His creations who fear the consequences of their actions, whereas Allah cares not for the consequences of what He does (Zamakhshari, Razi).