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Tafsir Ishraq al-Ma'ani

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Introduction | Wiki
1. Al-Fatihah
2. Al-Baqarah
3. Al-Imran
4. Al-Nisa
5. Al-Maidah
6. Al-Anam
7. Al-Araf
8. Al-Anfal
9. Al-Taubah
10. Yunus
11. Hud
12. Yusuf
13. Al-Rad
14. Ibrahim
15. Al-Hijr
16. Al-Nahl
17. Bani Israil
18. Al-Kahf
19. Maryam
20. Ta-Ha
21. Al-Anbiya
22. Al-Hajj
23. Al-Muminun
24. An-Nur
25. Al-Furqan
26. Ash-Shuara
27. An-Naml
28. Al-Qasas
29. Al-Ankabut
30. Ar-Rum
31. Luqman
32. As-Sajdah
33. Al-Ahzab
34. Saba
35. Fatir
36. Yasin
37. As-Saffat
38. Saad
39. Az-Zumar
40. Al-Mumin
41. Ha-Meem-As-Sajdah
42. AShura
43. Az-Zukhruf
44. Ad-Dukhan
45. Al-Jathiyah
46. Al-Ahqaf
47. Muhammad
48. Al-Fath
49. Al-Hujurat
50. Al-Qaf
51. Adh-Dhariyat
52. At-Tur
53. An-Najm
54. Al-Qamar
55. Al-Rahman
56. Al-Waqiah
57. Al-Hadid
58. Al-Mujadalah
59. Al-Hashr
60. Al-Mumtahinah
61. As-Saff
62. Al-Jumuah
63. Al-Munafiqun
64. Al-Taghabun
65. At-Talaq
66. At-Tahrim
67. Al-Mulk
68. Al-Qalam
69. Al-Haqqah
70. Al-Maarij
71. Nuh
72. Al-Jinn
73. Al-Muzzammil
74. Al-Muddhththir
75. Al-Qiyamah
76. Ad-Dahr
77. Al-Mursalat
78. An-Naba
79. An-Naziat
80. Abas
81. At-Takwir
82. Al-Infitar
83. At-Tatfif
84. Al-Inshiqaq
85. Al-Buruj
86. At-Tariq
87. Al-Ala
88. Al-Ghashiyah
89. Al-Fajr
90. Al-Balad
91. Ash-Shams
92. Al-Lail
93. Ad-Duha
94. Al-Inshirah
95. At-Tin
96. Al-Alaq
97. Al-Qadr
98. Al-Bayyinah
99. Az-Zilzal
100. Al-Adiyat
101. Al-Qariah
102. At-Takathur
103. Al-Asr
104. Al-Humazah
105. Al-Fil
106. Al-Quraish
107. Al-Maun
108. Al-Kauthar
109. Al-Kafirun
110. An-Nasr
111. Al-Lahab
112. Al-Ikhlas
113. Al-Falaq
114. An-Nas
Surah 26. Ash-Shu'ara
Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-33 [2], 34-51 [3], 52-68 [4], 69-104 [5], 105-122 [6], 123-140 [7], 141-159 [8], 160-175 [9], 176-191 [10], 192-227 [11]

Quran Text of Verse 1-9
26. Ash-Shu'ara Page 36726. Ash-Shu'araبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِطٰسٓمّٓ Ta Seem Meem تِلْكَTheseاٰیٰتُ(are the) Versesالْكِتٰبِ(of) the Bookالْمُبِیْنِ clear لَعَلَّكَPerhaps youبَاخِعٌ(would) killنَّفْسَكَyourselfاَلَّاthat notیَكُوْنُوْاthey becomeمُؤْمِنِیْنَ believers اِنْIfنَّشَاْWe willنُنَزِّلْWe can send downعَلَیْهِمْto themمِّنَfromالسَّمَآءِthe skyاٰیَةًa Signفَظَلَّتْso would bendاَعْنَاقُهُمْtheir necksلَهَاto itخٰضِعِیْنَ (in) humility وَ مَاAnd (does) notیَاْتِیْهِمْcome to themمِّنْanyذِكْرٍreminderمِّنَfromالرَّحْمٰنِthe Most Graciousمُحْدَثٍnewاِلَّاbutكَانُوْاtheyعَنْهُfrom itمُعْرِضِیْنَ turn away فَقَدْSo verilyكَذَّبُوْاthey have deniedفَسَیَاْتِیْهِمْthen will come to themاَنْۢبٰٓؤُاthe newsمَا(of) whatكَانُوْاthey usedبِهٖat itیَسْتَهْزِءُوْنَ (to) mock اَوَ لَمْDo notیَرَوْاthey seeاِلَیatالْاَرْضِthe earthكَمْhow manyاَنْۢبَتْنَاWe producedفِیْهَاin itمِنْofكُلِّeveryزَوْجٍkindكَرِیْمٍ noble اِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیَةً ؕsurely (is) a signوَ مَاbut notكَانَareاَكْثَرُهُمْmost of themمُّؤْمِنِیْنَ believers وَ اِنَّAnd indeedرَبَّكَyour Lordلَهُوَsurely Heالْعَزِیْزُ(is) the All-Mightyالرَّحِیْمُ۠the Most Merciful
Translation of Verse 1-9
In the name of Allah, The Kind, The Compassionate

(26:1) Ta Sin Mim2

(26:2) These are verses of a clear Book.3

(26:3) Perhaps you will grieve yourself to death4 that they will not be believers.5

(26:4) Had We so willed, We could have sent down to them a sign out of heaven, so that their necks would stay humbled to it.6

(26:5) But7 there comes not to them a fresh reminder from the All-merciful, except that they remain turning away from it.8

(26:6) They have already cried lies,9 therefore, soon there will come to them the tidings of that they were mocking at.10

(26:7) Have they not considered the earth, how many of every kind11 of beautiful12 (vegetation) We have caused to grow therein?13

(26:8) Surely, in that is a sign. But most of them were not to be believers.14

(26:9) Surely your Lord - He indeed is the All-mighty, the All-compassionate.15


Commentary

2. To repeat the repeated, writes Ibn Jarir, is to say that several opinions have been offered over these letters. For example Ibn `Abbas has said that Taa Seen Meem are Allah’s names which He used here to swear. On the other hand, Qatadah said they are one of the several names of the Qur’an. Some others have said that it is the name of this Surah.

Imam Razi breaks the line to say, taa is for tarb (rapture of the Gnostics, seen for the suroor (delight) of the lovers, and meem for the munaajaah (secret talk) of the seekers (of Allah).

There are a few other opinions too (Alusi).

3. Or, the Book that makes (things) clear. Ibn Kathir combines both the meanings, Asad being close to it.

Mawdudi elaborates: “That is, the verses of this surah are from a clear and lucid Book. Everyone who reads or listens to this Book can understand, without any difficulty, what it is calling people to: what it enjoins and what it forbids; what it regards as Truth and what it condemns as falsehood. To believe or not to believe is a different matter, but no one has any valid excuse to say that he cannot understand the teachings of the Book or cannot ascertain what that Book would like him to follow and what it urges him to give up.

“To call the Qur’an a clear Book has another aspect too: that it is abundantly clear that the Qur’an is a Divine Book. Its language and diction, its subject matter and themes, the truth that it expounds and the circumstances in which it was revealed, all these testify that it is indeed the Book of the Lord of the Universe.”

4. The textual word baakhi` is for killing oneself out of grief. It is rooted in al-bakh` which is for reaching up to the neck-bone (al-bikhaa`) with the knife during the slaughter of an animal (Zamakhshari, Razi, Alusi). Also see Al-Kahf, note 5 for another connotation.

The above explains the depth of the Prophet’s anguish at the refusal of the Makkans to heed. He went beyond the limits of empathy and compassion to evoke these words from Allah (Au.).

5. Majid comments, “Tinged as it is, by antipathy and hostility, the testimony of a Christian writer is remarkable: ‘In the materialistic commercial town of Mecca, where lust of gain reigned supreme, where women, wine and gambling filled up the leisure time, where might was right, and widows, orphans, and the feeble were treated as superfluous ballast, an unfortunate being Muhammad, if his constitution were sensitive, must have experienced most painful emotions..’”

It might be noted how accurately the above describes the state of the Western, and now close on heal the Eastern world of today (Au.).

6. If Allah did not do it, it is because, He wished that people choose to believe rather than be forced to do it (Ibn Kathir), “(which) would make them automata” (Majid).

The translation expresses the connotation forwarded by Ibn Zayd, otherwise, as Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Ibn Jurayj, and others said, ‘they would hang their necks (and not commit any sin).’ Yet others have understood a`naaq in the sense of the “chiefs (of the Quraysh)” [i.e., not an allusion, but as the meaning of the word].

Ibn Jarir quotes several poetic pieces followed by detailed discussions why the feminine form has been employed in zallat, and if, by a`naaq the allusion is to necks, then why khade`een is masculine. Zamakhshari, Imam Razi, Qurtubi and Alusi also discuss the issue on similar lines quite lengthy to reproduce.

Verses of this kind spread over the Qur’an also imply that Truth will never be manifested in such a manner as to leave no room for any doubt, which would mean no role for the free play of human will, and no trial of his inner good or evil. Thus, an element of doubt will always remain, for man to match this element with the mass of truth and reach rightful conclusions – if he stays honest. This is applicable to the whole message in question, as well as to its parts (Au.).

7. That is, since We do not force the people to believe, “there does not come ...”

8. The allusion is to the passages of revelations sent down to the Prophet following short or long intervals. But every fresh revelation was treated as cursorily and heedlessly as the previous one (Ibn Jarir, Razi). Ibn Kathir however believes that the address is to the humankind that whenever a new Messenger was raised and a new message given, people rejected (in the old manner).

9. That is, in a manner similar to the habits of the past, mankind has cried lies to this message also (based on Asad).

10. Imam Razi draws our attention to various levels of disbelief. It starts with “turning away in heedlessness,” (v. 5) grows into “denial” (v. 6), which develops into outright “mocking” (also v. 6).

11. Zawj is (not necessarily for pairs but: Au.) for kinds and classes too (Alusi).

12. The textual kareem rendered as beautiful here has the backing of Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari and Qurtubi who cite examples of such usage in the Arabic language.

13. Sha`bi assumed the meaning of kareem as noble and commented: People are of the earth’s product. He who entered Paradise is kareem (noble), while he who entered Hellfire is la’eem (ignoble) – Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir.

The implied meaning is, adds Alusi, man is included in the allusion to “what Allah causes the earth to grow.”

14. That is because, even before any revelation, they had already decided not to accept anything that would morally bind them and restrain their freedom. So, rejection was a foregone decision (Au.)

15. That is, as Ibn Jurayj said, He is All-mighty who destroyed the past rebellious nations and All-compassionate who rescued the believers in Him (Ibn Jarir).

Asad adds a note to verses 8 and 9: “The above two verses appear eight times in this surah. Apart from the present instance, they conclude, like a refrain, each of the subsequent seven stories of earlier prophets, which – by means of their, in places, almost identical phrasing – are meant to stress the essential identity of the ethical teachings of all the prophets, as well as to illustrate the statement, in verse 5, that a rejection of God’s message is a recurrent phenomenon in the history of mankind despite the fact that His existence is clearly manifested in all living creatures.”