Surah No. 57

Introduction
Merits of the Surah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ سَبَّحَ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (1)

(57:1) Whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah;1 and He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.

1. The glorification is both in verbal as well as virtual sense (Shabbir). Primarily, “tasbih” is declaration of freedom from any weakness which can be associated with Allah (Razi).

لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ ۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (2)

(57:2) His is the dominion of the heavens and the earth: He gives life2 and deals death. He has power over all things.

2. For instance, He gives life to a lifeless package of protein which comes alive as soon as it enters into a cell, thereafter called a virus (Au.).

هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ (3)

(57:3) He is the First3 and the Last,4 the Manifest5 and the Hidden;6 and He is of all things knowing.7

3. That is, He is the First before whom there was no first (Ibn Jarir). To be sure, He precedes Time which is one of His creations (Alusi).

4. That is, He is the Last, who will last, after whom there can be none. As He said,
“Everything will perish except His Face.” (Ibn Jarir).

5. “Al-Zahir” – He who is apparent by means of the evidences. It has also been understood as meaning, ‘He who is above all, one who overcomes all’ (Zamakhshari); as in another verse of the Qur’an,
“Then they became the overcomers” (Razi).

6. “Al-Batin” – because He is beyond the perception of all human senses (Zamakhshari). Thus, Allah is “Zahir” when sought through physical, perceptual evidences, and “Batin” when sought through conceptual senses (Alusi).
The following hadith, found in Muslim, Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad and others offers some explanation to the Attributes as mentioned here:
Suhayl said that Abu Saleh used to instruct them that when one of us goes to bed he should lie on his right side and say, “O Allah, Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the `Arsh, and Lord of every thing. O You the splitter of the dawn and the seed, Revealer of Torah, Injil and Furqan: I seek Your shelter from every evil thing that you hold by its forelock. O Allah, You are the First so that there is nothing before You; and You are the Last so that there is nothing after You. You are the Manifest so that there is nothing above You and You are the Hidden so that there is nothing beyond You. O Allah, remove our debts from us and save us from poverty.”
(Suhayl added), “He (Abu Saleh) used to narrate to us through Abu Hurayrah, who reported from the Prophet” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
Alusi points out that, according to reports in Muslim and others, the Prophet suggested the same supplicatory words to Fatimah when she had gone to him seeking a housemaid. And, it is possible that when he said,
The Prophet meant, “there is nothing closer than You.”
Thus, and although we have offered a literal translation of the Attributes al-Zahir and al-Batin, they have been understood differently by different people. We also have Azhari explaining in the same vein. He said,
(The words al-Zahir is understood in the sense of overcoming someone). So the meaning is: He is the One who overcomes all, Himself overcome by none. He conducts Himself by overpowering His subjects and subjugating them. Or, it may be said that there is none above Him to prevent Him (from doing anything). And al-Batin is someone besides whom there is no shelter or refuge. The source is Tuhfa who took it from (Mulla `Ali Qari’s Mirqat) – Au.

7. Ibn Kathir and Shawkani pick up a hadith from Abu Da’ud (as also cited by Alusi) relevant to this ayah but whose authenticity could not be traced. It says that,
Abu Zumayl mentioned to Ibn `Abbas, “What is this that I find in my heart?” He asked, “What is it?” I said, “I shall not speak it out.” He asked, “Is it of the nature of a doubt?” Then he smiled and said, “Nobody ever escaped it,” and added, “to the extent that Allah revealed the verse (10: 94): ‘Now, if you are in any doubt about what We have sent down to you, then ask those of them before you who recite the Book.’ He ended by saying, “When you feel something of this sort in your heart, say, “He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden; and He is of all things knowing.”
Alusi and Shawkani point out that Abu al-Sheikh’s collection has the Prophet saying,
“People will keep asking about everything until they will say, ‘Alright. This is Allah. He was there before everything else. But what was there before Allah?’ If that is said to you, say,
‘He is the First before everything and nothing is there after Him. He is the Manifest above everything and He is the Hidden behind everything; and He is the Knower of all things.‘”
Ibn Kathir quotes another hadith relevant to this ayah. It is in Tirmidhi and a few other books but declared weak by Tirmidhi himself because Hasan did not hear directly from Abu Hurayrah. It says,
Once, as the Prophet sat in an assembly with his Companions, a cloud passed by. He asked, “Do you know what this is?” They replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “This is a cloud, a land irrigator. Allah will drive it to a people who do not thank Him and do not supplicate Him.” Then he asked, “Do you know what is above you?” They replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “It is a well preserved vault and the suspended waves. Then he asked, “Do you know how much it is between you and it?” They replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “Between you and it is (a distance of) five hundred years.” Then he asked, “Do you know what is above it?” They replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “Above it are two firmaments and between them is (the distance of) five hundred years.” Then he went on counting and explaining (the distance) between every two firmaments as between the heaven and earth. Then he asked, “Do you know what is above that?” They replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “Above that is `Arsh, and between it and the firmament is the distance between two firmaments.” Then he asked, “Do you have any idea of what is below you?” They replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “Below it is another earth and (the distance between them) is five hundred years.” He went on until he had counted seven earths with five hundred years (of distance) between one earth and another. Then he added, “By Him in whose hand is my life, if you were to let down a man by a rope to the bottom-most earth, he will fall upon Allah.” Then he recited, ‘He is the First...’ until the end.
And, Tirmidhi added, by saying, “He will fall upon Allah,” he meant, “He will fall upon Allah’s Knowledge, His Powers, and His Rule.”
A similar hadith is in Ahmad, but there the words are “seven hundred years,” instead of “five hundred.” (Ibn Kathir).
Alusi points out that the verse, “He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden,” has been used by some Sufis, as evidential of “Wahdat al-Wujud” (Transcendental Unity of Being). They also call to evidence another hadith of Tirmidhi which speaks of the rope falling on Allah. But the weakness in their arguments is the fact that, firstly, the hadith is of the “mutashabihat” (uncertain of meaning) and, secondly, “falling upon Allah” has been explained as “falling upon Allah’s knowledge.”
If the hadith sounds strange to some, they might remember that modern cosmology tells us that we will never know our world, which, by latest computation 150 billion light years wide (Au.).

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنْزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا ۖ وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ (4)

(57:4) He it is who created the heavens and the earth in six phases and then assumed istawaa on the `Arsh. He knows what penetrates into the earth8 and what emerges out of it; what descends down from the heaven9 and what ascends up into it;10 and He is with you wherever you be;11 and Allah is Seeing of what you do.

8. He has complete knowledge of all things that enter into the earth, whether they are water drops, seeds, or anything else (Au.).

9. He knows of all things that come down such as, revelations, angels, destinies, commandments, snow, rain drops, etc. Earlier we have mentioned in our work that every rain drop that comes down is accompanied by an angel who sees to it that it reaches the place destined for it by Allah (Ibn Kathir).

10. Plants immediately come to our mind when we think of things emerging from the ground (based on Qurtubi).
To sum up the previous verses: Allah has the knowledge of the whole as well as its parts, the largest and the littlest, the visible and the invisible, the real of the physical world, and the virtual which reside in human hearts (Au.).
Ibn Kathir adds: That is, He knows what angels or deeds rise up to the heavens as says a Sahih hadith:
“The night’s deeds are raised up to Him before the deeds of the day and deeds of the day before deeds of the night.”

11. In other words, wherever you might be, He sees you, hears you and knows what you do. That is, “His being everywhere” refers to His knowledge; as Allah said elsewhere:
“Lo! They fold their breasts that they may hide from Him. Lo! When they fold their clothes (upon themselves) He knows what they conceal and what they reveal. Verily, He is Aware of the inner (secrets) of the hearts” (Ibn Kathir).
Ibn Kathir presents a report which is a combination of two reports, one in Abu Da’ud and another in Bayhaqi and Tabarani, which are Sahih as declared by Albani in his Silsi1lah. The Prophet said,
“Whoever did these three things tasted the sweetness of faith: He worshipped Allah, the One – and indeed there is no deity save Allah – and purified his wealth, with a good heart, helping over it, every year, not giving out the old (cattle), nor the substandard of it, nor the sick one, nor the worst one in yielding milk, but rather from the average type… and (as in other reports), purified himself.” The man inquired, “And what is purification of the self?” The Prophet answered, “He should know that Allah is wherever he is.”
Razi adds: At all events, there is no difference in opinion among the scholars that Allah is not everywhere, and not in all places. He is not in any specific direction, or in any specific place. This ayah, therefore, has to be taken in the allegorical sense, and, once this rule (of allegory) is accepted, it can be applied wherever necessary.
We are forced into an allegorical meaning, because two apparently contradictory statements have been mentioned together: “He assumed istawa of the `Arsh," and, “He is with you wherever you may be.” (We will do well not to try and reconcile) yet may remember Abu al-Ma`ali’s words who said, “Muhammad (peace be upon him) was nearer to Allah on the night of his nocturnal journey (laylatu al-isra’) than Yunus b. Matta was in the belly of the fish” (Qurtubi).
But Alusi warns that the age in which the allegory could be resorted to has gone. It was the time of the Salaf. Now, in our times, we will not resort to allegorical meanings but rather, we shall accept as allegorical, only that which the Salaf explained as allegorical. As for what they explained as the real meaning, we shall accept as the real meaning.
We have an interesting anecdote in connection with this verse. It is as follows,
Nuh ibn Maryam was heard saying, “We were with Abu Hanifah when he first appeared (in Kufah) when a woman came down to him from Tirmidh. She used to attend the assemblies of Jahm (b. Safwan, founder of the Jahmiyy sect: Au.). When she entered Kufah, I believe ten thousand people adopted her opinions. She was told, ‘There is a man here, a rationalist, called Abu Hanifah.’ So she visited him and said, ‘Are you the one who teaches Law to the people, and have abandoned your religion? Tell me: where is your Deity that you worship?’ He remained silent and remained so for seven days not answering her. Then one day he came to us, dropped down a book and said, ‘Allah is in the heavens and not on the earth.’ Someone said, ‘Have you considered Allah’s words, ‘He is with you?’’ Abu Hanifah answered, ‘Those words are in the same sense as when you write to a friend of yours (in trouble), ‘I am with you’ although he is away from you.’”

لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ الْأُمُورُ (5)

(57:5) His is the dominion of the heavens and the earth; and to Allah are returned the affairs.

يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ ۚ وَهُوَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ (6)

(57:6) He makes the night enter the day and the day enter the night;12 and He is Aware of what is there in the breasts.

12. The allusion is to the lengthening and shortening of the day and night (Ibn Jarir).

آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَأَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَكُمْ مُسْتَخْلَفِينَ فِيهِ ۖ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَأَنْفَقُوا لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ (7)

(57:7) Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and expend out of that in which He has made you successors.13 Those then, who believed from among you, and expended, for them there is a great reward.

13. By the use of the word “successors” it has been impressed that “you have only succeeded others in owning the wealth now in your hands. You do not own the wealth. You are only keepers and custodians. Therefore, expending out of it should be as easy as expending any wealth placed in your custody (say, by one of your friends) with the authority from him to expend as you like” (Zamakhshari: from whom perhaps Razi, Qurtubi and Alusi take).
Ibn Kathir and Alusi write: There are many ahadith pertaining to this verse. One of them says, as in Muslim,
The Prophet said, “Son of Adam says, ‘My wealth, my wealth.’ But, son of Adam, is there anything of your wealth for you save what you consumed and destroyed, or wore and made it old, or gave in charity and finished (it off)?”

وَمَا لَكُمْ لَا تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ ۙ وَالرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِتُؤْمِنُوا بِرَبِّكُمْ وَقَدْ أَخَذَ مِيثَاقَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ (8)

(57:8) And what is (the matter) with you that you believe not in Allah while the Messenger is inviting you to believe in your Lord,14 and He has taken your compact15 – if you will be believers?16

14. We have a hadith relevent to this ayah. The Prophet once asked his Companions,
“Which of the believers is amazing to you in terms of faith?” They replied, “Angels.” He said, “Why should they not believe when they are right with their Lord?” So they said, “Prophets.” He said, “Why should they not believe when Revelations come to them?” They said, “Then we.” He said, “Why should you not believe when I am right among you?” But rather the most amazing in terms of belief are a people who will come after you. They will find a Scripture and believe in what it states.”
A similar hadith has been recorded by Bukhari (Au.).

15. The allusion is to the prenatal contract taken from the children of Adam to the effect that Allah is their Lord (Ibn Jarir). The opinion has Mujahid’s backing. However, we believe, writes Ibn Kathir, that the allusion is to the allegiance given to the Prophet.

16. That is, if you have any willingness to believe, then this is the time you should declare your faith (Ibn Jarir).

هُوَ الَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ لِيُخْرِجَكُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ ۚ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ (9)

(57:9) He it is who sends down upon His servant self-evident verses, that He may bring you out of darknesses into Light. And surely, Allah is All-clement, All-merciful.

وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تُنْفِقُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَاثُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ لَا يَسْتَوِي مِنْكُمْ مَنْ أَنْفَقَ مِنْ قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَاتَلَ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِنَ الَّذِينَ أَنْفَقُوا مِنْ بَعْدُ وَقَاتَلُوا ۚ وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ (10)

(57:10) And what is (the matter) with you that you should not expend in Allah’s path while to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth? Not equal is he among you who expended before the Victory,17 and fought. They are of greater ranks than those who expended thereafter and fought;18 although to each Allah has promised (a reward) most fair.19 And Allah is well acquainted with what you do.

17. Although some have believed that the allusion is to the Hudaybiyyah Treaty, most scholars have believed that the allusion is to the fall of Makkah. Until then Islam was weak and Muslims under life-threatening situation.

18. That is, there were two kinds of fighting and expending in the way of Allah: one, before the fall of Makkah, and another, after it. Of the two occasions: the fighting and expending before the fall of Makkah were of greater value (Ibn Jarir).
The status that the earliest Companions occupy is the highest ever and no generation will be able to outbeat them. And this status should be accorded them on the basis of Qur’an and hadith, and not on the basis of historical reports. Accordingly Imam Ahmad and Ibn Taymiyyah have written in their several works that, (in the words of Ibn Taymiyyah), “By consensus of this Ummah, it is an obligation on the members of this Ummah that they should speak well of them, mention them with love and respect, and seek forgiveness for them; and that, if anybody insults them, he should be punished. As for the errors committed by them, they were miscarriages of judgment out of complete sincerity. In fact, because of their high position in Islam, the errors they committed are more likely to be forgiven than of those who followed them.” (Mufti Shafi`).
The Prophet emphasized this on several occasions. A hadith in Muslim reports Abu Sa`id as saying,
There was some friction between `Abd al-Rahman ibn `Awf and Khalid b. Waleed. Khalid abused him. The Prophet said, “Do not abuse anyone of my Companions. If one of you spent gold equal to Mount Uhud he will not attain to any of them in status, not even by half.” (Ibn Kathir, Alusi and others).
Ibn Jarir reports another hadith of this class. (But the report’s authenticity could not be established: Au.). It is as follows:
The Prophet said (according to some versions at the time of Hudaybiyyah), “It is possible that a people will rise (of such a class that) in comparison to their deeds you will belittle yours.” We asked, “Who are they Messenger of Allah? The Quraysh?” He said, “No. They have the softest of hearts and are the gentlest of them.” He pointed towards Yemen and said, “They are the people of Yemen. Lo! Faith is the faith of the Yemenis; and wisdom is Yemeni.” We asked, “Will they be better than us, Messenger of Allah?” He answered, “By Him in whose hands is my life, if one of them had gold equal to a mountain, and went about spending it, he will not become equal to you, not even by half.” Then he folded his fingers and opened out his little finger and said, “Lo! This is the dividing line between us and others.” Then he recited, “Not equal is he among you who expended before the Victory, and fought. They are of greater ranks than those who expended thereafter and fought; although to each Allah has promised (a reward) most fair. And Allah is well acquainted with what you do.”
Ibn Kathir also reproduces the above report along with another version.

19. For those who know Arabic, Razi has a very nice discussion at this point about how the “harakat” of a seemingly inconsequential word can alter the meaning of a sentence.

مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ وَلَهُ أَجْرٌ كَرِيمٌ (11)

(57:11) Who is it that will lend to Allah a goodly loan20 that He might multiply it for him, and for him will be an honorable reward?21

20. What is a goodly loan? Qurtubi answers that it is one which is given out for no other reason but to please Allah, not accompanied by taunting, nor that which is the worst part of wealth, but rather, that which is best part of wealth, yet considering the much that is given as the least of no worth, at a time when the donor has good hope of further life, i.e., not at the death-bed. Qushayri added, (as in Qurtubi), that it should be from a cheerful heart, and out of lawfully earned money.
Quotation from Qurtubi ends here.
Razi and Alusi have something similar to state.
According to `Umar ibn al-Khattab, the allusion is to spending in the way of Allah. And an interesting incident is reported in connection with this verse. It says,
When this ayah came down, Abu Dahdah al-Ansari went up to the Prophet and said, “Messenger of Allah. Does Allah seek a loan from us?” He said, “Yes, O Abu Dahdah.” He said, “Extend your hand, Messenger of Allah.” When he did, he placed his hand in his and said, “I have loaned out my orchard to my Lord.” He had an orchard that had six hundred date-palm trees. Umm Dahdah and her children lived in it.
Abu Dahdah then returned to his orchard and called out: “O Umm Dahdah!” She said, “Welcome.” He said, “Come out. I have loaned it out to my Lord.” (According to another version, she said, “Your deal has profited you, O Abu Dahdah”). She took her children and belongings out and left the place. The Prophet remarked, “How many a (tree with) heavy bunches (of) sweet (fruits) is not there for Abu Dahdah in Paradise?!” (Ibn Kathir)
Other reports add that Abu Dahdah had two orchards, one of which – and the better of the two - he gave off as a loan to Allah (Au.).

21. The epithet “karim” lends the meaning that the rewards will not only be quantitatively different, but also qualitatively so (Alusi).

يَوْمَ تَرَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَسْعَىٰ نُورُهُمْ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَانِهِمْ بُشْرَاكُمُ الْيَوْمَ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ (12)

(57:12) The Day you see believing men and believing women: their Light running before them and on their right side:22 glad tidings to you today (of) gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein. That indeed, is the supreme triumph.

22. Many commentators point out that the relationship between ‘the Light in front and on their right side,’ and ‘the giving of the Records to the believers from their front into their right hands,’ may not be missed.

يَوْمَ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتُ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا انْظُرُونَا نَقْتَبِسْ مِنْ نُورِكُمْ قِيلَ ارْجِعُوا وَرَاءَكُمْ فَالْتَمِسُوا نُورًا فَضُرِبَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِسُورٍ لَهُ بَابٌ بَاطِنُهُ فِيهِ الرَّحْمَةُ وَظَاهِرُهُ مِنْ قِبَلِهِ الْعَذَابُ (13)

(57:13) On the Day the hypocrite men and hypocrite women will say to those who believed, ‘Wait for us that we may borrow light from your Light.’ It will be said, ‘Return to your rear and seek for a light.’23 Then a wall will be struck between them,24 with a door,25 in the inward wherein is mercy, while in front, outside it, will be chastisement.26

23. `Awfi, Dahhak and others have reported from Ibn `Abbas that he said, “While the people are in complete darkness in the Field of Resurrection, Allah will send a Light. When the believers see the Light, they will begin to move towards it. The Light will be the sole guide to Paradise. When the hypocrites see the believers moving towards the Light, they will try to follow them. But Allah will take away the light from them. It is at that point that they will say, ‘Wait for us that we may borrow light from your Light; for we were with you in the world.’ The believers will reply, ‘Return to where you came from, and find your Light there.’” (The report is also in Ibn Marduwayh and Bayhaqi: Shawkani). Abu Umamah also explained in the same terms, saying: “There will be a point of time on the Day of Judgment when it will be so dark that neither a believer nor unbeliever will be able to see his palm: until Allah sends Light to the believers (of all time, throughout history: Alusi) in proportion to their deeds” and Dahhak added that when the Light of the hypocrites is taken away, the believers will cry out:
“O, our Lord. Complete for us our Light” (Ibn Kathir).
Imam Razi does not rule out the effect of good deeds on the amount of Light that people will receive on the Judgment Day. But he adds that considering the fact that the Light of Knowledge is in truth the Light of sight; we can conclude that the quantity and quality of Light on the Day of Judgment will be in proportion to the Light of Knowledge obtained in this life.
Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir report Qatadah as narrating a hadith in reference to this ayah, (but which could not be traced in hadith works: Au.). It runs as follows:
The Prophet said, “Of the believers there will be some whose Light will shine through from Madinah to Aden or San`a, or less than that; while there will be a believer whose Light will not shine beyond where he can place his foot.”
Ibn Mas`ud further elaborated, as in Ibn Abi Hatim. The report is as follows,
Ibn Mas`ud said in reference to ‘their Light running before them’: “They will be given their Light in accordance with their deeds, so that they will pass over the Bridge in a manner that there will be some whose Light will be like a mountain, another whose Light will be like a palm tree. The least of them in Light will be one whose Light will be on his toe: it will blink to light up and then go off, light up and go off.” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi).
The report is in Hakim also who declared it trustworthy (Shawkani).
A long report in Muslim confirms that (as pointed out by Ibn Hajr) the removal of the Light of the hypocrites will take place on the Bridge (Au.).
Another report of Ibn abi Hatim, (reconfirmed by a similar report in Hakim: Sami) is as follows:
The Prophet said, “I will be the first to be allowed to prostrate myself on the Day of Standing, and the first to raise his head. I will see in front of me, behind me, and left and right side of me, and know my followers from among other nations.” A man asked, “Messenger of Allah, how will you recognize your followers from among other nations?” He answered, “I will recognize them from the marks of ablution; this will be no other nation’s mark. I will know them from the fact that they will be given their Records by their right hands. I will know them from the marks on their faces. And I will know them from their Lights that will be shining in front of them.” (Ibn Kathir, Alusi).
Imam Razi writes: True Light is the Light of Allah.

24. Mujahid, Qatadah, Ibn Zayd and others said that the wall will be the dividing one between Paradise and Hell; the same as mentioned in Surah al-A`raf. (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

25. It is said that the door mentioned here will be an entrance to Paradise (Zamakhshari). That is, perhaps one of the doors to Paradise, which will have seven others from various other sides; or, alternatively, the main entrance to the side that has Paradise, of which there will be eight doors. Allah knows best. Except for Thanwi in passing, other commentators have not dealt with this subject (Au.).

26. Aware of the fact that Paradise will be in the highest hemisphere of all that exists, and Hell in the lowest, we must conclude, in the light of this passage, that the great physical distance will in no manner come in the way of realizing the closeness as portrayed here (Razi).

يُنَادُونَهُمْ أَلَمْ نَكُنْ مَعَكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِنَّكُمْ فَتَنْتُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَتَرَبَّصْتُمْ وَارْتَبْتُمْ وَغَرَّتْكُمُ الْأَمَانِيُّ حَتَّىٰ جَاءَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَغَرَّكُمْ بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ (14)

(57:14) They will be calling upon them, ‘Were we not with you?’27 They will reply, ‘Yes indeed. But you led yourselves to temptation,28 and you awaited,29 and fancies deluded you;30 until Allah’s commandment came.31 (It was) the deluder32 who deluded you concerning Allah.

27. The hypocrites will resort to calling the believers from behind them because the believers will be rushing away fast with the help of their own lights, leaving the hypocrites far behind them in darkness. (Zamakhshari).
In short, those who were unbelievers out and out, will be pushed into Hellfire right from the start. The believers in Prophets, during their periods, however weak in their faith, and hypocrites (carrying a potpourri of faith and unfaith: Au.) will remain. They will be asked to proceed to the Bridge and given Light. But the hypocrites will be denied. As the distance between them and the believers increases, they will begin to appeal to the believers (Shabbir).

28. That is, you led yourselves into worldly pleasures, sins and lust (Ibn Kathir from the Salaf), which led you to adopt hypocrisy. (Kashshaf).

29. That is, you delayed repenting (Ibn Kathir), in the hope that the rise of Islam will soon come to an end, especially when the Prophet is dead, when you could go back to the olden golden days. (Au.).

30. A hadith should be remembered in this context. Ibn Mas’ud said,
The Prophet drew a square (on the ground); then a central line within the square extending it out of the square. Then, he extended several lines from the one within the square, and said, “This is son of Adam, and the term allotted to him, surrounding him from all sides. The central line is man. The lines extending out are those from which if he manages to escape from one, another bites him. And the external line is his hopes.” (Qurtubi).

31. That is, death. (Kashshaf).

32. That is, Satan.

فَالْيَوْمَ لَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْكُمْ فِدْيَةٌ وَلَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ۚ مَأْوَاكُمُ النَّارُ ۖ هِيَ مَوْلَاكُمْ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ (15)

(57:15) Therefore, today no ransom shall be accepted from you, nor from those who adopted disbelief. Your refuge is the Fire: it is your best friend (now),33 and an evil destination.’

33. This is how Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir explain the word “mawlakum” as meaning “most deserving,” and the whole passage meaning, “That is (the Fire) is most deserving of you.” The word ‘mawla’ has been used in the sense of ‘awla’ by the poets also.
But Zamakhshari, Razi and Alusi would like to differ. They point out that Sharif al-Murtada had clung to this meaning of this verse, to help him cling to his Shi’ism; but not on strong grounds because, although the possibility is there, the two words “mawla” and “awla” are not interchangeable in many cases. Therefore, the possibility of the meaning of “mawlakum” as: “your protector”, “your ally”, “your helper”, “your friend”, or “your destination,” etc., all in ironic sense, is greater.

أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ (16)

(57:16) Has the time not arrived for those who have believed that their hearts should be humbled34 at the remembrance of Allah, and for what has come down of the Truth?35 And not be like those who were given the Book earlier, and the term prolonged over them, and so their hearts hardened,36 and most of them are ungodly.

34. In known history, this ayah became the cause of two renowned person’s repentance: `Abdullah ibn Mubarak and Fudayl b. `Iyad.
Ibn Mubarak said that once while he was in an orchard with friends, with a mandolin in hand, when the instrument spoke out, “Has not the time come..?” He responded with a yes, broke the mandolin, repented and changed his life.
About Fudayl b. `Iyad it is reported that he was in love with a slave-girl. One night he was scaling a wall in order to meet her in secret when he heard somebody reciting: “Has not the time come..?” He traced back his footsteps saying, “Yes, by Allah, the time has come,” and took to asceticism (Qurtubi).
Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir write: We have a report in this context. It says that the Prophet said,
“The first thing to be removed from the people would be humbleness before Allah.”
It is said that this ayah was recited before a few people from Yamamah in the presence of Abu Bakr. The people of Yamamah began to cry profusely. Abu Bakr remarked, “This is how we were before the hearts hardened” (Zamakhshari, Alusi).

35. That is, the Qur’an. (Kashshaf).
Muslim has recorded Ibn Mas`ud as saying,
“It was not but four years between our entrance into Islam and revelation of this ayah by which Allah reproached us: “Has the time not arrived for those who have believed that their hearts should be humbled..?” (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

36. Allah said about them elsewhere,
But, because of their (frequent) breach of the compact We cursed them and hardened their hearts. They displace the words from their context, and have forgotten much of what they were reminded with.” (Ibn Kathir).
Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir offer the following from Ibn Mas`ud, who said,
When a long time had passed over the Children of Israel and their hearts hardened, they fabricated a Book (taking material) from before them and after them which their base desires approved and which their tongues repeated. They said, “We shall present this liturgy to the Children of Israel. Then, if someone believes in it, we shall spare him; but kill him who refuses.” One of their men would place Allah’s Book in a horn, and hang the horn between his breasts. So that, when he was asked, “Do you believe in this?” (i.e., the fabricated scripture). He would reply, “I believe in it,” nodding at the horn between his breasts. “Why should I not believe in this Book?” Therefore, Ibn Mas`ud ended by saying, “The best of their today’s community are those who are on the faith of the man with the horn.”
Alusi writes that anyone who feels hardness in his heart should hasten to Allah’s remembrance and recitation of His Book, so that he may return to his original state.
Thanwi adds that the ayah leads us to believe that seeking a humbling fear of Allah (khushu`) is obligatory, and that the lack of it is obtained because of long spells of heedlessness (ghaflah). This is best understood by the spiritual masters who have a remarkable understanding of their own state as well of others.

اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحْيِي الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ (17)

(57:17) Know that Allah quickens the earth after its death.37 We have indeed made the revelation clear for you, that haply you will ponder.

37. Using His Power and Wisdom, Allah has now given life to the dead hearts of the ignorant Arabs, bestowing upon them amazing qualities (Shabbir).
Thus, there is hope for every dead soul to come alive if it will turn to Allah with goodly repentance (Au.).

إِنَّ الْمُصَّدِّقِينَ وَالْمُصَّدِّقَاتِ وَأَقْرَضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا يُضَاعَفُ لَهُمْ وَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ كَرِيمٌ (18)

(57:18) Surely, those men who give freely in charity, and those women who give freely in charity, and have lent Allah a goodly loan, it shall be multiplied for them, and for them is an honorable reward.

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الصِّدِّيقُونَ ۖ وَالشُّهَدَاءُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ وَنُورُهُمْ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ (19)

(57:19) And those who believed in Allah and His Messengers, they... they are the siddiqun;38 and witnesses39 in the sight of their Lord: for them are their reward and their Light.40 As for those who disbelieved and laid the lie against Our revelations, they are the companions of the Blazing Fire.

38. Who are the “siddiqun”? Opinions vary. In general terms any one is a “siddiq” who believes in Allah’s Oneness and in the Messengership of a Messenger without harboring any doubt whatsoever, for any moment. Thus, the People of the Fire-pit were siddiqun, and so was the Believer in Fir`awn’s court, and others. From among this Ummah, it is said that they were eight: Abu Bakr, `Ali, Zayd, `Uthman, Talha, Zubayr, Sa`d, later joined by `Umar ibn al-Khattab (Qurtubi).
But of course the above list is not comprehensive (Au.).
A “siddiq” however, occupies a greater rank in comparison to a martyr. The Sahihayn have a report confirming this. The Prophet said,
“The dwellers of Paradise will be able to see the people of the regions above them as you see a shining star about to set in the horizon, either in the east or west. That would be because of the differences in status between them.” They inquired, “Messenger of Allah. Those must be dwellings of the Prophets that others would not be able to attain?” He answered, “Nay. By Him in whose hand is my life, they will be men who believed in Allah and testified to the truth of the Messengers.” (Ibn Kathir).

39. Opinions vary. Some of the ancient scholars thought that the reference is to those who bear the testimony of Allah’s Oneness, others that it is those who would bear witness in favor of Prophets and Messengers when they are denied by their nations on the Day of Judgment; yet others believe the reference is to martyrs (Qurtubi and others).
To be sure, the word “shahid” covers various categories of men. In its most general sense, most believers would be included. A hadith of Muslim says,
The Prophet asked, “Who do you think are the martyrs among you?” They answered, “Messenger of Allah, he who was killed in Allah’s path is a martyr.” He said, “If that is so, then martyrs of my Ummah are few.” They asked, “Then who?” He replied, “He who is killed in Allah’s path is a martyr, he who died in Allah’s path is a martyr, he who died in plague is a martyr, he who died because of stomach problem is a martyr.” (Razi).

40. Ibn Jarir reports Ibn `Abbas and Dahhak as of opinion that there are two sentences involved in the verse: “And those who believed in Allah and His Messengers, they... they are the truthful ones; and witnesses in the sight of their Lord: for them are their reward and their Light.” The first sentence is: “And those who believed in Allah and His Messengers, they... they are the truthful ones,” while the rest is another sentence, i.e.: “And witnesses in the sight of their Lord: for them are their reward and their Light.”

اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَامًا ۖ وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ ۚ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ (20)

(57:20) Know that that the life of the world is but a sport and diversion, an adornment and a cause of boasting among you, and a rivalry in wealth and children;41 like a rain42 whose (resulting) vegetation delights the tillers;43 then it withers, and you see it turn yellow and then it becomes chaff. And in the Hereafter there is severe chastisement, and44 forgiveness from Allah and Good Pleasure;45 and the life of the world is no more than a delusive joy.46

41. The order should be noticeable. Life is a play (in childhood), diversion (in early youth), adornment (in early manhood), a cause of boasting (in more mature years), and a rivalry in wealth and children (middle-age onward) - Au.
Mufti Shafi` writes: It is noteworthy that what a man possesses in each stage of his life is extremely dear to him. But once that stage is crossed, those very things become laughingly unimportant. A child, for instance, mourns and weeps at the loss of a doll. But when he grows up, it becomes worthless. That goes on in every stage: the previous phase turns insignificant. When he enters old age, all the possessions of his yesteryears lose their meaning and worth. From this vantage point he realizes that the gains and losses of the previous phases would not have mattered much either way: whether he got them or missed them. The Qur’an reminds us of the selfsame reality that rules this ephemeral life (reworded).

42. The expression “a rain” ha been employed (i.e., with “a”) because there are rains that are not beneficent to the tiller (Au.).
The difference between “matar” and “ghayth” is that the latter is used when the rain arrives after the people are in despair:
“It is He who sends down rain after they were in despair.” (Ibn Kathir).

43. “Kafara” is to conceal, hence a tiller is “kafir”, one who conceals his seeds, and hence too an unbeliever is a “kafir” because he consciously conceals the truth planted in his heart that there is a Lord God to the universe and that He can only be one (Au.).

44. Ibn Jarir understands the “wa” of the text as meaning “or.” However, seeing that a great majority will perhaps undergo chastisement in the Fire before proceeding to Paradise, “and” seems to be better suited (Au.).

45. (In comparison, the Hereafter is so much better that no words can describe it). Says a hadith,
“The space whereat you could hang your whip in Paradise is better than the world and all that it contains” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

46. Sa`eed ibn Jubayr has said that the world is deceptive possession if it diverts away from the Hereafter. But, if it is employed to obtain the Hereafter, then it is a wonderful means. (Razi, Alusi).

سَابِقُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ (21)

(57:21) Race to forgiveness from your Lord and a Paradise whose width is the width of heaven and earth:47 prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers. That indeed is Allah’s favor which He bestows upon whom He will; and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.

47. Ibn Kathir points out that the word “sama’” has been used as a generic noun. That is, all heavens are inclusive. The Qur’an used the word in plural elsewhere, e.g.,
“And hasten to the forgiveness from your Lord, and to a Paradise whose width is that of the heavens and the earth – prepared for the godfearing.”
Suddi has pointed out that everything has a width and a length where width is normally less than the length. Now, if the heavens and the earth are contained in the width of Paradise, one can imagine its length. (Zamakhshari).

مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَهَا ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ (22)

(57:22) No affliction strikes the earth, nor within yourselves but is in a Book, before We bring it into existence;48 that indeed is easy for Allah.

48. There are two opinions about the pronoun “it” as to what is the reference? Hasan’s opinion was that it is attached to the “soul.” That is, the affliction strikes the soul. So, the meaning would be, “No affliction strikes the earth, nor within yourselves but is in a Book, before We bring the soul into existence.” That is, all that is to happen to a person has already been recorded in the Book. This is the preferred opinion. A second opinion is that it is attached to the affliction, meaning, “No affliction strikes the earth, nor within yourselves but is recorded in a Book, before We bring that affliction into existence.” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). Zamakhshari leaves the possibility of both open while Razi feels that the reference to afflictions is closer; that is, “before Allah creates the afflictions.”
The Prophet said, as in Sahih reports of Tirmidhi and others,
“Allah determined the destinies fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth.” (Ibn Kathir).

لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ (23)

(57:23) That you may not despair over what missed you, nor exult over what He granted you;49 Allah does not approve of any self-conceited boaster.50

49. Therefore, a believer’s equanimity should not be disturbed in either case: whether the world comes or goes. A believer knows that there is no escape from afflictions, or, contrarily, good happenings. He may aggrieve at one and feel happy with another. But in either case he maintains his self-composure. In practical terms, if good comes his way, he thanks Allah, if it is otherwise, he observes patience. (Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir, reworded).

50. It is said that “mukhtal” is someone who looks at himself with self-aggrandizing eyes, while “fakhur” is one who looks at others with belittling eyes (Qurtubi).
Only a self-conceited person or nation can boast over Allah’s blessings sent their way. Do they create the fortuitous conditions that help them achieve what others, better qualified, and more hard-working than them, fail to achieve? (Au.)

الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ وَيَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبُخْلِ ۗ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ (24)

(57:24) Those who are miserly and enjoin the people miserliness.51 Yet, whoever turned away, then surely, Allah is the Self-sufficient, the All-laudable.

51. Misers and miserliness arise from the failure to recognize that if one happens to be wealthy, it is because he happens to be located on the path by which wealth passes. He could not have obtained it, if wealth had taken another route (Au.).
Qurtubi writes: A miser and a generous person primarily differ in two ways: a miser draws pleasure from withholding money while a generous person draws pleasure from giving it away, and a miser gives only when asked, whereas a generous person gives without asking.

لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَنْزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْمِيزَانَ لِيَقُومَ النَّاسُ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَأَنْزَلْنَا الْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ وَرُسُلَهُ بِالْغَيْبِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ (25)

(57:25) We surely sent Our messengers52 with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the balance so that the people may establish justice. And We sent down iron53 wherein is great military might,54 and (other) benefits for the people,55 so that Allah may know who helps Him and His Messengers56 in the Unseen.57 Surely, Allah is Strong, Mighty.58

52. The allusion by “messengers” is to angels. (Zamakhshari). But Alusi disagrees and says it is to human Messengers.

53. Some commentators have conjectured that perhaps iron was sent down from the heaven. The use of the words, “We sent down”, could have influenced them. But it happens to be a scientific fact established in the twentieth century. Formation of heavy metals including iron requires chemical reactions at temperatures 5x109 K. But the earth has never experienced this temperature. That is, at no time in the history of the earth its temperature was as high as this, or even a fraction of it. This kind of temperature obtains in the center of massive stars alone which, after their hydrogen burning phase is over, change, in various steps, into a Nova. It is at this stage that heavier elements are formed, including iron. At this stage, internal combustion results in immense amount of pressure and the Nova explodes into a Supernova shattering its heavy elements - primarily iron. The flakes, chunks and meteorites containing iron fly about in space to be ultimately attracted by other cosmic bodies. That is how the earth must have obtained its iron; i.e., through the iron-nickel meteorites. However, since the earth’s core (measuring 7600 km. dia., accounting for 32% of its mass, while the earth’s outer dia. is 12,700 km.), is entirely iron (with nickel as a trace element) it is a mystery where it got this quantity of iron from? The Supernova that exploded, should have been away by several light years. How did its shattered material arrive at the tiny earth in such massive quantities? This remains a mystery, but the origin of iron is no mystery. Scientists are quick to point out that since iron is from exploded stars, and since our bodies contain iron as one of the 24 elements from which we are made, we all carry fragments of a star (or stars) in our bodies (Au.).

54. Allah created iron (for the believers) to confront those who deny Allah’s revelation after its truth becomes evident to them. Our Prophet spent 13 years in Makkah trying to convince the Quraysh of the truth of his Message. But when all efforts failed, and no hope was left of they ever being cured of their intransigence and opposition to the Truth, he was ordered to emigrate and then take up iron against them. Accordingly, the Prophet said, as in a report of Ahmad (with, as Haythami said, an isnad not entirely untrustworthy: Au.),
“I have been sent with the sword until Allah alone – who has no partners - is worshipped. My providence is placed under the shadow of my spear; and humiliation and abasement is written for him who opposes my affair. And, whoever imitated a people, is one of them.” (Ibn Kathir).
Mufti Shafi` writes: It might be noted that Allah sent down the Qur’an with the teachings that organize life. He also sent down the balance – which can be anything from a weighing machine to an electronic meter – to help establish measures of things and, thus, establish justice. But sometimes instructions and examples are not enough. There are some people who remain defiant. So Allah sent down iron which carries awesome power for the authorities to enforce the system of justice. Thus, primarily Man needs two things. One: the Book, and two: the balance to weigh the worth of things. Iron is used as a last resort only when admonitions, instructions and injunctions fail. Although it must be hastily added that iron by itself (power) is not enough to enforce a system. It is education and training which must be resorted to in the first place.

55. Asad offers the following comment: “Side by side with enabling man to discriminate between right and wrong (which is the innermost purpose of all divine revelation), God has endowed him with the ability to convert to his use the natural resources of his earthly environment. An outstanding symbol of this ability is man’s skill, unique among all animal beings, in making tools; and the primary material for all tool-making – and indeed, for all human technology – is iron; the one metal which is found abundantly on earth, and which can be utilized for beneficial as well as destructive ends. The ‘awesome power’ (ba’s shadid) inherent in iron manifests itself not merely in the manufacture of weapons of war but also, more subtly, in man’s ever-growing tendency to foster the development of an increasingly complicated technology which places the machine on the foreground of all human existence and which, by its inherent – almost irresistible – dynamism gradually estranges man from all inner connection with nature. The process of growing mechanization, so evident in our modern life, jeopardizes the very structure of human society and, thus, contributes to a gradual dissolution of all moral and spiritual perception optimized in the concept of ‘divine guidance.’ It is to warn man of this danger that the Qur’an stresses – symbolically and metonymically – the potential evil (ba’s) of ‘iron’ if it is put to wrong use: in other words, the danger of man’s allowing his technological ingenuity to run wild and thus to overwhelm his spiritual consciousness and, ultimately, to destroy all possibility of individual and social happiness.”

56. The connection between iron and Jihad is established. Iron was sent down so that Jihad could be undertaken. And justice can only be established with the help of the power that iron affords (based on Zamakhshari’s note).

57. Ibn `Abbas said: they help in Allah’s causes without having seen Him (Zamakhshari); which tells us, writes Qurtubi, something about their sincerity.

58. Allah is Strong and Mighty. He can execute His plan without human help. He only invites them to enlist themselves for His causes in order to reward them. He does the rest Himself (Au.).

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَجَعَلْنَا فِي ذُرِّيَّتِهِمَا النُّبُوَّةَ وَالْكِتَابَ ۖ فَمِنْهُمْ مُهْتَدٍ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ (26)

(57:26) And We did send Nuh and Ibrahim, and We appointed Prophethood and the Book to be among their seed. Yet, of them some are rightly guided, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.

ثُمَّ قَفَّيْنَا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ بِرُسُلِنَا وَقَفَّيْنَا بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْإِنْجِيلَ وَجَعَلْنَا فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ رَأْفَةً وَرَحْمَةً وَرَهْبَانِيَّةً ابْتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبْنَاهَا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ فَمَا رَعَوْهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَا ۖ فَآتَيْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ (27)

(57:27) Then We sent, following in their footsteps59 Our Messengers; and sent `Isa, son of Maryam, giving him Injil; and We placed in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy;60 and monasticism61 which they invented62 - We did not prescribe it upon them - except to seek Allah’s approval.63 Thereafter they did not observe it as they should have observed.64 So We gave those of them who believed their reward, but most of them are corrupt.65

59. Actually the word “qaffa” lends the meaning of sending one after another (Alusi), in quick succession (Au.).

60. While some commentators have pointed out the difference between “ra’fah” and “rahmah” is that the former expresses greater intensity, Alusi says that “ra’fah” expresses that kindness which comes in between a man and a harm befalling him, while “rahmah” expresses that kindness which helps obtain what is good and beneficial.

61. Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri narrated that:
A man came to him and said, “Admonish me.” He said, “You have asked me what I had asked the Prophet earlier. He told me, ‘I admonish you to fear Allah. It is the head of everything. And upon you is Jihad for it is the monasticism of Islam. And upon you is Allah’s remembrance and recitation of the Qur’an for it is your (portion of) mercy in the heaven and a (means of) reminder for you on the earth.” (Ibn Kathir).

62. “Bid`ah” is a much abused term in our times. Alusi, and following him Thanwi, point out that the word has been used here in its linguistic sense (to start up a new practice, to innovate), and not in its technical sense. (When the Prophet said, “Every innovation is an error,” he was using the word in its technical sense: Mufti Shafi`). It may be noted that the specific bid`ah mentioned here has not been condemned, but rather the fact that it was not observed in the spirit it deserved has been criticized.
“Rahbaniyyah” itself, explains Shafi`, as defined by Islam (viz., observing celibacy, treating the lawful as unlawful and living in seclusion: Thanwi; not on a temporary basis, but as permanent and irreversible practice: Shafi`) stands prohibited in Islam – unless, once again, one has been left with no option between either severing all his relationships with the society, or abandoning faith. If someone faces a sure and definite threat to his faith, he may take to mountains and deserts without earning any censure, the way those of the Jews and Christians who were put to the ordeal did. They chose deserts and mountains but have not been censured by the Qur’an.
Alusi does well to quote Nawawi from his commentary on Muslim. We translate in brief:
“Scholars have said that innovation in religion (bid`ah) is of five kinds: mandatory, non-mandatory, forbidden, undesirable and acceptable. Of those that are mandatory, the arguments of the philosophers for refuting the atheists and innovators, is an example. The non-mandatory type is to author books, establish schools of study, set up border posts to (deter the enemy), etc. Of those that are acceptable are such as variety in food, etc. As for the forbidden and undesirable, they are quite well known. The hadith (which says, “every bid`ah is a misguidance”) is speaking of a particular type of bid`ah and is not generally applicable to all its kind. Our statement is strengthened by `Umar’s words concerning the taraawih he instituted: ‘A good bid`ah it is.’”
The topic deserves greater elaboration. But none of the commentators under this author’s scheme of study has attempted it. It is on such occasions that one misses Rashid Rida’s thoroughgoing investigations (Au.).

63. Ibn Jarir explains this passage in the following manner: “They invented a monasticism that We had not prescribed, although they did it hoping to attain Allah’s approval.” Zamakhshari is with him in this understanding.

64. That is, a few remained true to their undertaking and so earned their rewards, but most of them did not observe monasticism the way it should have been observed but rather, proved to be incorrigibly corrupt. (Based on Zamakhshari).
Ibn Jarir (as also Qurtubi) presents a report on his own authority, which has been preserved in several hadith collections such as Nasa’i, Tabarani and Ibn Marduwayh. The authenticity of some versions has been doubted but Ibn Kathir thinks that certain versions hold a strong position. It says that after `Isa (asws), the rulers altered Torah and Injeel and gave the options to their populace to either accept the altered versions or face the sword. Those who did not acquiesce were murdered. A third or so of the populace begged to be allowed into deserts where they could live in seclusion, away from the civilized life, and in no way disturbing the peace of others. They were allowed to take such a step, and it is in this connection that Allah revealed, “and monasticism which they invented - We did not prescribe it upon them - except to seek Allah’s approval.” By the time the Prophet arrived, few of them had survived so that when the news of his advent spread, this one came down from a monastery, that one from his recluse, yet another from his retreat, to embrace Islam. It is in reference to them that Allah said, “O those who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger. He will award you a two-fold portion of His mercy and provide for you a Light whereby you can walk, and forgive you; Allah is All-forgiving, All-merciful.”
Abu Umamah al-Bahiliyy is reported to have applied this verse to this Ummah’s introduction of “tarawih” Prayers. He said, “Allah enjoined you to ‘siyam’ (fasts), but not ‘qiyam.’ It is something that you introduced. Now, (observe it in the manner of true observation: Qurtubi, and) do not forget that there were a people who introduced things in their religion that they were not commanded, but rather, did it on their own, and yet did not observe them in the spirit they should have been observed, so Allah reproached them for it saying, ‘and monasticism which they invented - We did not prescribe it upon them - except to seek Allah’s approval.’” (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi).
Ibn Kathir cites a few other cases of Allah’s favor upon those He wills. The Sahihayn, Ibn Hibban and Ahmad have the following (the version here is from Muslim):
“The poor immigrants went to the Prophet and said, ‘The wealthy attained high ranks and lasting bliss.’ He asked, ‘How is it?’ They said, ‘They Pray like we do, fast like we do, but they expend in charity while we cannot, and free slaves while we cannot.’ The Prophet told them, ‘Should I not teach you something whereby you will attain (to the same ranks) as those who went by, and overtake those who will come after you, and none will be equal to you except he who did like you do?’ They said, ‘Sure do it, Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Chant out Allah’s glory, might, and praises after every Prayer thirty-three times each.’ Abu Saleh said, ‘(Later) the poor immigrants returned to the Prophet to say, ‘Our wealthy brothers came to know of what we were doing and have begun to do the same.’ He answered, ‘That is Allah’s mercy that He bestows upon whom He will.’”
Qurtubi mentions a hadith in reference to monasticism. It is in Ahmad. It seems one of the Companions passed by a cave attached to a small pond. The place won his approval for its distance from the towns, away from the humdrum of life. When he returned, he described it to the Prophet and sought his permission to spend the rest of his life there worshipping Allah without any disturbance. He said,

“I have not been sent with Judaism or Christianity but rather with the easy-to-practice religion of devotion to one God. By Him in whose hand is Muhammad’s life, a morning or a day out in Allah’s path (in Jihad) is better than the world and all that it contains; and the act of one of you standing in a congregational row, is better than his personal Prayers of sixty years.”
The Prophet’s words as in the Arabic text were declared trustworthy by Albani, while Haythami questioned the earlier half (Au.).
Alusi adds another hadith worth quoting. It is from Abu Da’ud (that has, according to Haythami, a narrator whom some accepted while others rejected: Au.),
The Prophet said, “Do not go to extremes (by being harsh) on yourselves. A people before you were stern with their selves, so Allah also tightened upon them (by issuing tough commands). Those in the monasteries and cloisters are the leftovers of them.”
That is, do not set upon yourselves harsh standards, nor take up difficult religious practices. In the end you will be defeated (Au.).

65. Majid quotes a Christian: “With the passing of the concubine, the nuns in the convents provided the ‘holy men’ with the means of satisfying their sexual cravings” (Scot, History of Prostitution, p. 112). “Asceticism gave to sex an extravagantly important position, and the unhappy twist which the cult of celibacy gave to European morals was the natural result. There grew up a new hypocrisy, such as the old world had not troubled to practice and at the same time the extravagant license of medieval literature, and the squalor and degradation which have since then surrounded and accompanied prostitution” (UHW, I, p. 381). The outstanding features of these monasteries were ‘that they absorbed lands which would have been more useful in the hands of private owners, that they withdrew men from a life of active usefulness, and too often made them lazy and worthless.” (IV. P. 2627) “The rich endowments granted by kings had brought with them, as was inevitable, the seeds of luxury and self-indulgence, and of the very popularity of the ‘religious’ life gave occasion to unreality of professing it.” (DCD. I. p. 191).
The Qur’anic remark that most of them were corrupt is not even the tip of the iceberg. History of monasticism is so full of corruption that none but the most die-hard Christian can have any respect for it. Mawdudi places a long note describing monasticism at its best, and it is far from pleasing. Although the account is familiar, we hesitate to reproduce any part of it because the author has not quoted the sources.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (28)

(57:28) O those who have believed,66 fear Allah and believe in His Messenger. He will award you a two-fold portion of His mercy67 and provide for you a Light whereby you can walk,68 and forgive you; Allah is All-forgiving, All-merciful;

66. According to Dahhak, the address is to those of the people of the Book who embraced Islam (Ibn Jarir).

67. There will be others who will be doubly rewarded on the Day of Judgment. Says the Prophet in a hadith (preserved by Bukhari and others: Au.),
“There are three who will receive two fold rewards: (a) A man who owns a slave-girl. He educates her, and educates her well, he teaches her good manners, and teaches it well. Then he frees her, and then marries her. He shall have twice the reward. (b) A believer of the people of the Book, who was a believer earlier also, and then believed in the Prophet (of the time). He shall have twice the reward. (c) And a slave who renders Allah’s rights and is sincere to his owner as well.” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).
The above hadith ends on an interesting note. Sha`bi is one in the chain of narrators. He remarked as he narrated at Kufah,
“I give this (narration) to you at no cost. There was a time when a man had to travel to Madinah for (a narration) much less important than this one” (Au.).
Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir present another hadith in reference to two-fold rewards. (It is in Bukhari, Ibn Hibban, Ahmad and many other collections: Au.),
The Prophet said, “Your epoch among the epochs of those who went before you is (the time) between `Asr and Maghrib (prayers). And your example compared to those of Jews and Christians is like a man who hired some workers saying, ‘Who will work for me for half the day over a measure each?’ The Jews worked for half a day for a measure each. Then he asked, ‘Who will work for me from mid-day until the `Asr time for a measure each?’ The Christians worked from mid-day until the `Asr time for a measure each. Then he said, ‘Who will work for me from the `Asr time until Maghrib on two measures each?’ Lo, O Muslims. It is you will work between `Asr and Maghrib for two measures each. Undoubtedly, you shall have two-fold rewards. So the Jews and Christians became angry and said, ‘Should we work more and be paid less?’ Allah asked, ‘Did I deny anything of your right?’ The two said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘This is My grace, I bestow upon whom I will.’”
(For a better understanding of how the Fuqaha’ methodology works, it may be noted that the Hanafiyyah use this hadith – apart from others - to deduce that the time-gap between `Asr and Maghrib prayers should be shorter than the time gap between Zuhr and `Asr. They recommend therefore, that `Asr be done late: Au.).
However, there is another report in Bukhari which varies with the above to point to another historical reality. Ibn Kathir quotes it:
Abu Musa reports the Prophet as having said, “The example of the Muslims and Jews and Christians is like a man who hired a people to work for a day until the night, for a known wage. They worked until the mid-day, but said, ‘We have no need for the wage you had promised. Whatever we did was all waste.’ He told them, ‘Do not do that. Complete your work and take your wage in full.’ But they refused and abandoned the work. He hired two workers after them and said to them, ‘Complete this day of yours and you shall have your wages in full.’ They began to work but by the time it was `Asr-Prayer time, the two said, ‘Whatever we did for you was all waste. You may keep the reward you had promised us to yourself.’ He told the two, ‘Complete your work. What is left of the day is but little.’ The two refused. So he hired another set of people on condition that they will complete the work of the day. They worked for the rest of their day until the sun disappeared and completed the wages of the previous two parties. This is their example, and the example of what they took of this Light.”
Note that the employment of the word “two” that were hired to work between noon and `Asr time, throws the hint that the Jews were also allowed to work, and that Judaism remained valid, even after some of them formed a new sect called “Christianity” (Au.).

68. The Qur’an, the Criterion, and Allah’s guidance have been explained as being alluded to by the textual word “Nur.” But ‘the Qur’an’ is the preferable understanding, which is a source of Light for its holders (Ibn Jarir).
Alusi adds: The hidden meaning in “provide you with Light whereby you can walk” is best expressed in a saying that circulates among scholars: “Whoever lived by what he knows is led to greater learning.”

لِئَلَّا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلَّا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ (29)

(57:29) that the people of the Book may know69 that they have no power over anything of Allah’s grace and that all grace is in Allah’s hand. He bestows it upon whom He will;70 and Allah is possessor of great grace.

69. Not knowing the Arabic language well enough can lead to faulty understanding of the Qur’an. In this ayah, “li-‘alla” is equivalent of “li-kayla.” Ibn Jarir brings out a few other verses from the Qur’an in which “la” does not hold a negative meaning, but rather is used as a conjunction (lamu silah). For example,
“What prevented you that you should prostrate yourself when I ordered you?”
Or,
“And what will inform you that when it comes, they will believe?”
Or yet,
“It is impossible for the (people of) a town which We destroyed, that they should return.”
Qurtubi presents Farra’s position as agreeing with the above.

70. One way to understand the verse, and its connection with the passage, is that Allah detailed some happenings of the past in order to impress upon the Jews and Christians that Allah’s grace is not bound with them, but is vast and available to any qualifying individual or nation. Therefore, there should be no objection to Him raising the Final Prophet among the Arabs and revealing to him (Razi).