"I seek refuge in Allāh from Satan the accursed. By Allāh's Name, The Entirely Merciful, The Especially Merciful."

O Allah, bestow blessings upon our master Muḥammad, the opener of what had been closed and the seal of what had preceded, the helper of truth through truth, the guide to Your straight path, and upon his family, the true measure of his worth and his immense station. May Allah be pleased with the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, ṣ.a.w.s.

Having described the elect among His slaves with those qualities and mentioned their ultimate destination, He followed this with the description of His enemies. He dedicated four verses to the characteristics of the believers, two verses to the disbelievers, and thirteen verses to the hypocrites.

Kufr (disbelief) linguistically means covering and concealing. In the terminology of Islamic law, it signifies the denial of something whose arrival from the Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., is necessarily known. Al-kāfir (the disbeliever) appears in the Qurʾān in four categories: (1) the disbeliever as the opposite of the believer, as in "Verily those who disbelieve and hinder from the path of Allah" (Q. 4:167); (2) the disbeliever in the sense of one who denies, as in "whoever rejects it — Allah is Self-Sufficient, above all the worlds" (Q. 3:97), meaning whoever denies the obligation of ḥajj; (3) the disbeliever as the opposite of the grateful, as in "Give thanks to Me and do not disbelieve" (Q. 2:152); and (4) the disbeliever in the sense of one who disavows, as in "then on the Day of Resurrection you will disavow one another and curse one another" (Q. 29:25), meaning you will disavow one another.^[1]

The varieties of kufr are as follows. The kufr of the knowing denier: one who knows the existence of the True, Blessed and Exalted, and yet denies Him by tongue, as in the kufr of Iblīs and the kufr of the Jews: "and when there came to them that which they recognized, they disbelieved in it" (Q. 2:89). The kufr of absolute negation: denying the existence of the Creator entirely, as with most disbelievers. The kufr of one who knows the truth inwardly but does not profess it by tongue and does not practice the religion, as occurred with Abū Ṭālib, who said in verse: "Verily I know that the religion of Muḥammad / is among the best of all the religions of mankind." He uttered this with his tongue and believed it in his heart, yet he did not enter Islām and thus died a disbeliever. And the kufr of hypocrisy (al-nifāq): professing belief by tongue while denying it in the heart.

Kufr, as we established, is the denial of something whose arrival from the Prophet Muḥammad, ṣ.a.w.s., is necessarily known: the oneness of Allah, Blessed and Exalted; the performance of prayers; fasting Ramaḍān; the obligatory nature of zakāh on wealth; ḥajj; and the Resurrection. Whatever is necessarily known to have come from the Prophet, its denial is kufr. As for what cannot be known to have come from the Prophet except through careful investigation and discernment, one who denies it does not become a disbeliever. The distinguishing marks which the scholars have enumerated as acts of kufr — such as wearing the zunnār (the monk's belt) and the ghiyār — are signs of kufr, not kufr in themselves. Whoever is seen wearing the zunnār is declared with certainty to be no believer, because the Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., forbade it; yet it carries no self-gratification the way fornication or wine-drinking do. Those are forbidden by the Law, but they contain pleasure for the lower self, and whoever commits them is not a disbeliever because the self overcame him through desire. But wearing the zunnār carries no pleasure whatsoever: whoever wears it has contemptuously dismissed the Islamic religion, and he is a disbeliever. Anyone who meets Allah, Blessed and Exalted, bearing any form of kufr will dwell forever in the Fire: "Verily Allah does not forgive that anything be associated with Him, and He forgives what is less than that for whomever He wills" (Q. 4:48).

(Verily those who disbelieve) — that is, people such as Abū Jahl, Abū Lahab, and those like them among the disbelievers — (it is equal to them whether you warn them or you do not warn them: they will not believe), because Allah, Blessed and Exalted, knew this of them; so do not aspire to their faith.

The True, Blessed and Exalted, informed His Prophet that these disbelievers would never believe. He did not say "it is equal to you whether you warn them or not," for warning and leaving warning are not equal concerning the Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., since he is obligated to convey the message. If he conveys it, whether anyone believes or not, he is rewarded. But as for the disbelievers who will not believe: warning and not warning them are equal to them, for they will never believe. Allah informed His Prophet of this in advance so as to cut off his hope for their faith, so that he might not suffer as Nūḥ suffered. After spending one thousand minus fifty years among his people, Allah revealed to him: "None of your people will believe except those who have already believed" (Q. 11:36). After enduring those tribulations, Allah informed him. But the Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., was told in advance, so that he would not long for their faith. And when Nūḥ came to know that his people would not believe, he called down destruction upon them; but the Prophet, upon learning that his people would not believe, did not call down destruction upon them, for he is the Prophet of Mercy: "We did not send you save as a mercy to all the worlds" (Q. 21:107).

Allah, Blessed and Exalted, established in this verse that warning them and not warning them are equal. The disbelievers themselves acknowledged this regarding their prophet Hūd: "It is equal to us whether you admonish us or are not among those who admonish" (Q. 26:136). And in the hereafter, when they are cast into the Fire, they will be told: "Bear it patiently or do not — it is the same for you" (Q. 52:16). Just as Allah declared it equal for them in this world regarding warning, so they are made to know in the Fire that their patience and their impatience are alike. And they themselves say: "Whether we are distressed or patient, it is the same for us: there is no way out for us" (Q. 14:21).

(Allah has set a seal on their hearts), stamped upon them and locked them so that no good enters them, (and on their hearing), so they are unable to benefit from the truth they hear, (and on their eyes is a covering), so they cannot see the truth. (And for them is a mighty punishment): a powerful and eternal chastisement, which is the Fire. "Mighty" (ʿaẓīm) is the opposite of paltry, just as "great" (kabīr) is the opposite of small, and ʿaẓīm surpasses kabīr in degree. This punishment is exceedingly severe, severer than every other punishment. This concerns the disbelievers.

And this was revealed concerning the hypocrites, such as ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl and his companions, who when they came to the Muslims said to them "We are with you," and when they went to the disbelievers said "We are with you."

(And among the people are those who say: "We believe in Allah and in the Last Day"), that is, the Day of Resurrection, called "the Last Day" because it is the final of all days, (yet they are not believers). The plural form is used in accordance with the sense of "those among the people." (They seek to deceive Allah and those who believe), by displaying outwardly the opposite of what they conceal inwardly of disbelief, so as to ward off from themselves the worldly consequences of kufr. (Yet they deceive none but themselves): because the harm of their deception returns to them. They are exposed in this world through Allah's informing His Prophet of what they concealed, and they will be punished in the hereafter. (And they do not perceive it.)

As for the grammatical note: yukhādiʿūna here is a form of the pattern fāʿala, which normally denotes mutuality between two parties, but here it applies to one party alone, just as one might say in Arabic "I punished the thief" or "I treated the patient," using fāʿala without a partner. The mention of Allah in "they seek to deceive Allah" is an elevation of the Muslims' station, for in truth they are only deceiving the believers; but Allah made the deception of the Muslims equivalent to deceiving Him, Blessed and Exalted.

(In their hearts is a disease), that is, doubt and hypocrisy, which ail their hearts. (So Allah increased their disease) through what He sent down of the Qurʾān, because they rejected it. This disease may be understood as spiritual: the doubt and hypocrisy in their hearts is a moral sickness. Or it may be understood as a genuine physical pain, because the continuous and ever-increasing strength of the Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., and the growing might of the Muslims caused them anguish until it became as though a bodily disease. (And for them is a painful punishment), a torment that causes pain, (because they used to lie) — in the reading of Ḥafṣ — or "because they used to disbelieve" in the reading of Warsh.^[2]

(And when it is said to them), these hypocrites, ("Do not spread corruption in the earth"), through disbelief and diverting people from faith, (they say: "We are only reformers"), claiming that what they do is not corruption but rather merely maintaining relations with both sides and serving their own interests. But in truth they are only corrupters. Allah declared: (Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters — but they do not perceive it). Alā is a particle of alertness. "Innahum hum al-mufsidūn" carries double emphasis. But the triple emphasis with the lām of affirmation is absent, because they do not actively perceive their own corruption; they genuinely believe themselves to be reformers.

A philosopher once posed a question to a scholar: "We see redundancy in Arabic speech — people say 'Zayd is standing,' then 'Indeed Zayd is standing,' then 'Indeed Zayd is certainly standing.' Is this not mere padding?" The Arab scholar replied: "'Zayd is standing' is a straightforward declaration of Zayd's standing. 'Indeed Zayd is standing' is an answer to an implied question. 'Indeed Zayd is certainly standing' is a refutation of someone who denies it." The hypocrites said "We believe" using a verbal form (āmannā), a lighter and less committed expression. Allah replied to them: "They are not believers," using the nominal form with the negation of mā, which is stronger, for it expels them entirely from the totality of believers. Had He said only "they did not believe," that alone would not have removed them from the community of believers.

(And when they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe"), using the verbal form: lighter in expression. But when they returned (to their satans), their chiefs and leaders, (they say: "We are with you"), using the nominal form with inna, a stronger assertion of loyalty. ("We were only mocking") them by displaying belief. (Allah mocks them), requiting them for their mockery. (And He extends them in their transgression), giving them respite in their exceeding of all bounds through kufr, (wandering blindly). (Those are they who purchased error in exchange for guidance): they took misguidance in place of guidance. (So their trade brought no profit, and they were not guided) in what they did.

Then Allah struck two parables for the hypocrites, for a parable affords the clearest possible illustration: it represents what is absent through what is present, and what is conceptual through what is sensory. (Their likeness), their condition in their hypocrisy, (is as the likeness of one who kindled a fire), one who lit a fire in darkness. (When it illumined all around him), when he could see and had found warmth and protection from what he feared, (Allah took away their light), extinguishing it. He did not say "took away their fire" because the purpose in kindling a fire is the light it produces. (And He left them in darknesses unable to see), confused and confounded about the way, fearful. Just so, these hypocrites believed by uttering the word of faith; when they die, fear and punishment come upon them. (Deaf): they are deaf to the truth and do not hear it with a hearing of acceptance. (Dumb): mute in goodness and unable to utter it. (Blind): to the path of guidance and unable to see it. (They will not return) from misguidance.

(Or like a rainstorm from the sky), or their likeness is as those beneath a rain shower, (in which are darknesses): the darkness of night, the darkness of heavy cloud, and the darkness of falling rain. (And thunder), the angel charged with the rain, or its sound. (And lightning), its flash. (They put their fingers into their ears against the thunderbolts, fearing death) from hearing it. Just so, these hypocrites: when the Qurʾān descended containing the mention of kufr, likened to darkness, and threats against it, likened to thunder, and its clear proofs, likened to lightning, they stopped their ears so as not to hear it, lest they be moved to believe in what they heard that they desired, and lest they be held to what they loathed. This is the parable of the hypocrites.^[3]

The hypocrite is a disbeliever at heart; yet seeing the Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., bearing a sword, killing those who opposed him and seizing their wealth, he came and pronounced the two testimonies of faith: "There is no god but Allah; Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah," though he was not sincere in his heart. He prayed with the Muslims and gave charity. By this he protected himself and his wealth in life. But death is inevitable; and when he dies, he enters a punishment far more severe than what he had feared in life.

(Had Allah willed, He would have taken away their hearing), meaning their ears, (and their sight. Verily Allah is over all things powerful), including the taking of what has been mentioned.

The Qurʾān has now established the descriptions of the believers, the disbelievers, and the hypocrites. The Qurʾān began with the "clear" (muḥkam), Sūrat al-Fātiḥa, a perfectly composed sūra, and followed with Sūrat al-Baqara, the first verse of which is "ambiguous" (mutashābih): "Alif. Lām. Mīm." These letters are the weightiest thing for the Arabs, because they understood nothing of what these letters contain. The Qurʾān, in its miraculous nature, is recognized through its eloquence, its rhetorical excellence, and its knowledge of the unseen. The Arabs understood everything that appeared in the Qurʾān until these letters appeared at the openings of certain sūras, and they could discern not the faintest trace of their meaning. These letters are the hardest thing upon them.

Every Arabic word drawn from the roots of the language carries a meaning that matches the nature of the root. For example, the root k-l-m carries in the Arabic language the meaning of force and intensity. This meaning appears in all its derivations: the kalima (word) is so called because it strikes the hearing and the mind of a person until he grasps its meaning; kalam in another sense is the grievous wound, a severe strike. Every word of the Arabs has a derivation and variations. The kalima appears in the Qurʾān in the sense of ʿĪsā, who is called "a word" because he came into being from the command "kun" (Be!), without the agency of a father. And in the usage of the Arabs, they call a full ode a kalima and a sermon a kalima. The Messenger, ṣ.a.w.s., said: "The truest word the poet ever uttered is the word of Labīd: 'Truly, everything besides Allah is vanishing.'" Yet these disconnected letters: the Arabs found in them no trace of meaning. They are therefore the greatest miracle for the Arabs, surpassing all the other miracles of the Qurʾān.^[4][5]

When the first of the disconnected letters, "Kāf. Hā. Yā. ʿAyn. Ṣād.," was revealed, Jibrīl would normally recite the whole verse to the end and then explain it, and the Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., would repeat it as Jibrīl had recited it and explain it as well. But when Jibrīl brought the revelation "Kāf," the Prophet said: "I understand." "Hāʾ" — "I understand." "Yāʾ" — "I understand." "ʿAyn" — "I understand." "Ṣād" — "I understand." The Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., knew their meanings before Jibrīl knew them. Jibrīl thereby came to know that this is a secret concealed even from him, the very one charged with conveying the revelation.^[6]

The Sheikh, r.a., describes the believers and adorns them with the finest qualities: taqwā (God-consciousness), faith in the unseen (al-ghayb), the establishment of prayer (iqāmat al-ṣalāh), and spending from what Allah has provided them.

Prayer is mentioned by Allah in the Qurʾān in a number of verses: "Establish the prayer" (aqīmū al-ṣalāh), meaning not merely to perform a prayer but to establish it, to erect it and perfect it and correct it in every aspect so that it contains no deficiency. Allah commanded the performance of prayer in congregation: "and bow with those who bow" (Q. 2:43). And He commanded that it be performed with full inward submission: "those who are humble in their prayers" (Q. 23:2).

The Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., and those who followed him, may Allah make us and you among them, fulfilled all of these commands entirely: they established the prayer, performed it in congregation and in its proper time, and humbled themselves within it. Allah mentioned them and mentioned their final destination: "Those are the inheritors who shall inherit al-Firdaws; therein they shall abide" (Q. 23:10-11).

He also mentioned those who stand in contrast: those who "belied and turned away" (Q. 75:32) and their recompense: "What has brought you into Saqar? They said: 'We were not among those who prayed'" (Q. 74:42-43). And those who came after and neglected prayer: "Then there followed after them a generation who wasted the prayer and followed desires; they shall encounter perdition" (Q. 19:59). Whenever Allah mentions prayer, He joins it with zakāh, because prayer is the greatest act of bodily worship and spending in charity is the greatest act of worship with wealth; and no one's religion is complete unless he worships with both his body and his wealth.

Having described the disbelievers, the hypocrites, and the believers, Allah, Blessed and Exalted, then called all of humanity to His oneness, which is the greatest of all things.

(O Mankind), the people of Mecca and all who surround them from throughout the world, (worship), that is, unify, (your Lord who created you), who brought you into existence when you were nothing, (and those before you), and who created those before you, (so that perhaps you might be God-conscious): laʿalla in the speech of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, carries the force of certainty and confirmation. But from the perspective of the slave: Allah commands him to worship and to unify his Lord, yet the slave must not feel safe but must rather hope and fear. Thus "perhaps you might be God-conscious" requires no reinterpretation; the slave hopes to be among the muttaqīn and fears that he may not attain it.

He then explains the rationale for singling out Allah alone for worship: (He who made the earth a resting place for you), a spread-out expanse upon which to recline, not so hard that nothing can find rest upon it nor so soft that nothing can stand upon it. Allah made it firm yet yielding so that you may settle upon it standing, seated, or lying down. (And the sky a canopy): He who raised this roof above us. (And sent down from the sky water): the rain descends first from the sky, then reaches the clouds, then descends from the clouds to the earth. (By it He brought forth all kinds of fruits as provision for you), which you eat and with which you feed your animals. (So do not set up rivals to Allah), partners in worship, (while you know): do not worship other than Allah, Blessed and Exalted, while you know that He alone is the Creator. If a person knows that Allah is the Creator, he knows that none deserves his worship except Allah.

Among those of the deluded: one who knows that Allah created him yet does not worship Him; one who knows that Allah provides for him yet does not rely upon Him; one who knows this world passes away yet clings to it; one who knows his heirs will be his adversaries yet gathers wealth for them; one who knows death is coming yet has not prepared for it; one who knows with certainty the grave is his dwelling yet has not prepared it; one who knows with certainty the Bridge (al-ṣirāṭ) is his crossing yet has not lightened his load; one who knows with certainty the Fire is the abode of the wicked yet has not fled from it; one who knows with certainty Paradise is the dwelling of the beloved of Allah yet does not seek it; and one who knows with certainty that Iblīs is his enemy yet does not do battle with him.^[7]

The categories of shirk (associating partners with Allah) are three: the manifest shirk, that practiced by the polytheists in the worship of idols; the hidden shirk, acting for the sake of reputation and public praise; and the most hidden shirk, perceiving anything other than Allah, Blessed and Exalted.

It is narrated that Allah has charged seven angels with the deeds of the slave. If he performs an act, the angels carry it upward; the angel of the lowest heaven examines it and says: "Return this deed upon its owner — he is a slanderer" or "a backbiter." In each successive heaven, deeds of arrogance, self-admiration, jealousy, ostentation, and love of fame are similarly returned. If a deed passes through all the heavens, Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says: "This person concealed from you what lies within him; but nothing is concealed from Me. This deed was not intended for My face — return it upon its owner, for he intended other than Me." For this reason it is narrated from the Messenger, ṣ.a.w.s.: "People are destroyed save the believers; the believers are destroyed save the scholars; the scholars are destroyed save those who act; those who act are destroyed save the sincere; and the sincere are in a state of peril."^[8]

(And if you are in doubt about what We sent down to Our slave), that is, the Prophet Muḥammad, ṣ.a.w.s., as to whether it is truly from Allah, (then bring a sūra like it): meet the challenge of the Qurʾān. Bring one sūra comparable to it in eloquence, beauty of composition, and knowledge of the unseen. The shortest sūra is Sūrat al-Kawthar, comprising three verses. (And call your witnesses), your gods whom you worship, (besides Allah, if you are truthful) in claiming that Muḥammad composed it himself. If you can do so, then do — for you are Arabs, eloquent and fluent like him.

The Qurʾān first challenged with the whole Qurʾān itself: "Say: if all of mankind and the jinn were to gather to produce the like of this Qurʾān, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to one another supporters" (Q. 17:88). Then it challenged them with ten sūras: "Then bring ten invented sūras like it" (Q. 11:13). Then it challenged them with a single sūra, even the size of "We have surely given you al-Kawthar" — and they were unable. The Arabs, with all their eloquence and rhetorical mastery, did not come forward to compete with the Prophet, ṣ.a.w.s., in producing the like of the Qurʾān. The only one who dared was Musaylama the Arch-Liar, and Allah so disfigured his attempt that his words sounded as though they were not those of an Arab at all. His imitation of Sūrat al-Kawthar was: "We have given you jewels; pray to your Lord and make yourself manifest." What connection is there between jewels and prayer? Jewels are something of the adornments of this world, far removed from "We have surely given you al-Kawthar; so pray to your Lord and sacrifice."^[9]

The Americans once commissioned a man learned in Arabic to compose something like Sūrat al-Fātiḥa. He said: "In the name of the Lord of all existence," abandoning the name Allāh, which is indispensable in speaking of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and saying instead "Lord of all existence" (rabb al-akwān), abandoning "all the worlds" (al-ʿālamīn) for a modern coinage not found in classical Arabic. He then said "Yours is the worship and in You I seek help," intending to condense "You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help" (iyyāka naʿbudu wa-iyyāka nastaʿīn) into four words; but he turned al-mustaʿān into a verbal noun, distorting the grammar entirely. Anyone who hears these words knows immediately that they are not the speech of a native Arab, that the speaker has never mastered classical Arabic.

(But if you do not do it — and you will never do it), if you are unable to produce what was asked of you, because you are incapable, and you never will be, (then fear) Allah through faith. (The Fire whose fuel is people), the disbelievers, (and stones), their idols which they had worshipped, (prepared for the disbelievers): it has been made ready for them; they will all be punished therein together.

(And give glad tidings to those who believe), who have affirmed faith in Allah, (and do righteous deeds), from the obligatory acts and the supererogatory acts, (that for them are gardens), orchards with trees and dwellings, (beneath which rivers flow): beneath their trees and their palaces flow the waters. The waters pour forth in Paradise without limit and without machinery; they flow with the inhabitants wherever they are needed.

(Every time they are given provision from its fruits, they say: "This is what we were given before" — and they are brought resemblance thereof): they are offered provision from the fruits of Paradise and say that this resembles what they received before. (And for them therein are purified spouses), purified from menstruation and from every impurity. (And therein they shall abide), dwelling there forever, neither dying nor ever departing from it.^[10]

O Allah, bestow blessings upon our master Muḥammad, the opener of what had been closed and the seal of what had preceded, the helper of truth through truth, the guide to Your straight path, and upon his family, the true measure of his worth and his immense station.