Surah At-Tur

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The Mount

Introduction

Name of Chapter and Reason for its Name

This chapter is called Surah At-Tur and it gets its name from the first verse which begins by swearing upon Toor. The word Toor could be taken to mean a (general) mountain, or it could be referring to the mountain where Allah spoke to Prophet Musa, and the reason for the sanctity of this place has been referred to in the opening verse of this chapter. [1]

Chapter Number

Surah At-Tur/Toor is the 52nd chapter of the Quran.

Number of Verses

Surah At-Tur has 49 verses. [2] [3] [4] A number of commentators have propounded that this chapter may have 48 verses. [5]

Place of Revelation

This chapter was revealed in Mecca. [3]

Content

Important Concepts in this Chapter

Verses 1-16

Oaths sworn with regard to the reality of punishment on the deniers and a description of their punishments. The intended meaning of “By the Book inscribed, on an unrolled parchment” in verses 2 and 3 refers to the Lawh al-Mahfuz, [6] or that the Quran is written in the Lawh al-Mahfuz; another intended meaning is that the Torah has been written and sent to be read. [3]

Verse 4, “By the House greatly frequented” is a reference to the Kabah [3] - and it is said that this Kabah (on the earth) is one that is parallel to a Kabah in the fourth and seventh sky which is the place of the circumambulation of the angels. [6] [3]

Verses 17-29

Qualities of the faithful and their salvation.

In addition to explaining the position of the faithful and their pleasures in Paradise, these verses also refer to some other points. For instance in verse 20, “The faithful and their descendants who followed them in faith - We will make their descendants join them,” means that in the case when the offspring of the faithful follow the righteous ways of their parents, the offspring will be joined with their fathers and will also benefit from the blessings of Paradise. [7] [8]

Verses 30-44

Challenging the enemies and those that accused the Prophet, and proofs of their weakness and irrationality.

In verse 34, “Let them bring a discourse like it, if they are truthful” the intention was to challenge those who perceived the Quran to be poetry or magic or that it was brought by man - [9] to bring a Quran of their own, or ten chapters, or even one chapter to prove their claims. [10]

Verses 45-49

An explanation of the oppressors’ end; an order to be patient in the face of Allah’s judgement; all-night vigils; and the glorification of Allah for them.

Verse 45 which says: “The day when they will be thunderstruck,” is taken to mean the day when trumpets will be blown or the Day of Judgement. [11] [12]

Discussions on this Chapter

According to the Sunni Traditions

Benefits of Reciting this Surah

عن محمد بن جبير بن مطعم عن أبيه: سمعت النبي صلى اللّه عليه و سلم يقرأ في المغرب بالطور، فما سمعت أحدا أحسن صوتا أو قراءة منه

Muhammad ibn Jubayr ibn Matam narrates from his father that: “I heard the Prophet recite the chapter of Toor in the Maghrib (prayer). I never heard anyone better than him in voice or in the recitation.” [13]

عن زينب بنت أبي سلمة عن أم سلمة قالت: شكوت إلى رسول اللّه صلى اللّه عليه و سلم أني أشتكي فقال: «طوفي من وراء الناس و أنت راكبة» فطفت و رسول اللّه يصلي إلى جنب البيت يقرأ بالطور و كتاب مسطور

Zaynab bint Abu Salamah narrates from Umm Salamah who said: “I complained to the Prophet that I was ill. He said: ‘Perform the Tawaaf behind the people while riding.’ Thus I performed the Tawaaf while the Prophet was praying by the Kabah and reciting the chapter of Toor.” [13]


Verse 4: “By the House greatly frequented.”

وَٱلۡبَيۡتِ ٱلۡمَعۡمُورِ ٤ وَالْبَيْتِ الْمَعْمُورِثبت في الصحيحين أن رسول اللّه صلى اللّه عليه و سلم قال في حديث الإسراء بعد مجاوزته إلى السماء السابعة: «ثم رفع بي إلى البيت المعمور، و إذا هو يدخله كل يوم سبعون ألفا لا يعودون إليه آخر ما عليهم»

It has been recorded in the Sahihayn that the Prophet said in the narration of al-Isra after ascending to the seventh heaven that: “Then, I was taken to al-Bayt al-Mamoor. It is visited every day by 70 000 angels who will not come back again to visit it.” [14]

عن خالد بن عرعرة، أن رجلا قال لعلي: ما البيت المعمور؟ قال: بيت في السماء يقال له الضراح، و هو بحيال الكعبة من فوقها، حرمته في السماء كحرمة البيت في الأرض، يصلي فيه كل يوم سبعون ألفا من الملائكة ثم لا يعودون فيه أبدا

Khalid ibn Arrah narrates: “A man asked Ali: ‘What is al-Bayt al-Mamoor?’ He replied: ‘It is a house in the sky which is called al-Darah (the furthest point). It is parallel to the Kabah from above it. Its sanctity in the sky is like the sanctity of the Kabah on earth. 70 000 angels pray in it every day who will never return to it ever again.’” [15]


Verse 6: “By the surging sea.”

وَالْبَحْرِ الْمَسْجُورِ٦ حدثنا عمر بن الخطاب عن رسول اللّه صلى اللّه عليه و سلم قال: «ليس من ليلة إلا و البحر يشرف فيها ثلاث مرات، يستأذن اللّه تعالى أن ينفضخ عليهم، فيكفه اللّه عز و جل»

Umar ibn al-Khattab narrates from the Prophet that he said: “There is no night except that the sea gets elevated in it three times [over the dwellers of the earth], asking Allah’s permission to pour itself onto them, but Allah restrains it.” [16]


Verse 20: “They will be reclining on arrayed couches, and We will wed them to big-eyed hooris.”

مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَى سُرُرٍ مَصْفُوفَةٍ وَزَوَّجْنَاهُمْ بِحُورٍ عِينٍ٢٠ حدثنا صفوان بن عمرو أنه سمع الهيثم بن مالك الطائي يقول: إن رسول اللّه صلى اللّه عليه و سلم قال: «إن الرجل ليتكئ المتكأ مقدار أربعين سنة ما يتحول عنه و لا يمله، يأتيه ما اشتهت نفسه و لذت عينه»

Safwaan ibn Amr narrates that he heard al-Haytham ibn Malik al-Tai quote the Prophet who said: “Man will be reclining like forty years without any change and without getting bored, and he will get whatever he desires and whatever pleasures his eyes fall upon.” [17]


Verse 21: “The faithful and their descendants who followed them in faith -We will make their descendants join them, and We will not stint anything from [the reward of] their deeds. Every person is hostage to what he has earned.”

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ بِإِيمَانٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَا أَلَتْنَاهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ٢١ عن ابن عباس، أظنه عن النبي صلى اللّه عليه و سلم قال: «إذا دخل الرجل الجنة سأل عن أبويه و زوجته و ولده، فيقال إنهم لم يبلغوا درجتك، فيقول: يا رب قد عملت لي و لهم فيؤمر بإلحاقهم به»

Ibn Abbas presumably narrated from the Prophet that he said: “When a man enters Paradise, he will ask about his parents, his wife and his child. Then it will be said to him: ‘They have not reached the level that you hold.’ Then he will say: ‘O my Lord! My actions were for myself and for them.’ Then it will be commanded that they also be made to join him.” [18]


Verse 48: “So submit patiently to the judgement of your Lord, for indeed you fare before Our eyes; and celebrate the praise of your Lord when you rise [at dawn].”

وَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ٤٨ عن أبي برزة الأسلمي، قال: كان رسول اللّه صلى اللّه عليه و سلم يقول بآخر عمره: إذا أراد أن يقوم من المجلس «سبحانك اللهم و بحمدك، أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت، أستغفرك و أتوب إليك». فقال رجل: يا رسول اللّه، إنك لتقول قولا ما كنت تقوله فيما مضى، قال: «كفارة لما يكون في المجلس»

Abu Barzah al-Aslami narrates that the Prophet, at the end of his life, whenever he wanted to get up from a gathering, he used to say: “Glory be to You O Allah, and with Your praise, I testify that there is no Allah (worthy of worship) except You, I seek Your forgiveness, and I repent to You.” A man said to him: “O Prophet of Allah! You are saying something that you did not used to say in the past.” He said: “It is compensation for whatever [wrong] may have happened in the gathering.” [19]

According to the Shia Traditions

Benefits of Reciting this Surah

أبي بن كعب عن النبي ص أنه قال‏ و من قرأ سورة و الطور كان حقا على الله أن يؤمنه من عذابه و أن ينعمه في جنته

Ubay ibn Kab narrates from the Prophet that he said: “Whoever recites Surah al-Toor, it will be upon Allah to protect him from His punishment, and to bestow favours upon him in His paradise.” [20]

عن جبير بن مطعم قال‏ سمعت رسول الله ص يقرأ بالطور في المغرب‏ روى محمد بن هشام عن أبي جعفر قال‏ مَنْ‏ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ وَ الطُّورِ جَمَعَ اللَّهُ لَهُ خَيْرَ الدُّنْيَا وَ الْآخِرَة

Jubayr ibn Matam narrates: “I heard the Prophet recite the chapter of Toor in the evening.” Muhammad ibn Hisham narrates from Abu Jafar that he said: “Whoever recites Surah al-Toor, Allah will gather for him the good of this world and the Hereafter.” [21]


Verse 4: “By the House greatly frequented.”

وَالْبَيْتِ الْمَعْمُورِ٤ عن أميرالمؤمنين علی بن ابی طالب قال: يَدْخُلُهُ‏ كُلَ‏ يَوْمٍ‏ سَبْعُونَ‏ أَلْفَ‏ مَلَكٍ لَا يَعُودُونَ إِلَيْهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

It has been narrated from Amir al-Momineen Ali ibn Abi Talib that he said: “70 000 angels enter into it (al-Bayt al-Mamoor) every day, and they will never return to it until the Day of Judgement.” [22]


Verse 21: “The faithful and their descendants who followed them in faith - We will make their descendants join them, and We will not stint anything from [the reward of] their deeds. Every person is hostage to what he has earned.”

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ بِإِيمَانٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَا أَلَتْنَاهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ٢١ في الكافي، بإسناده عن أبي بكر عن أبي عبد الله : في قول الله عز و جل:«وَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَ اتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ بِإِيمانٍ- أَلْحَقْنا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ‏» قَالَ فَقَالَ قَصَرَتِ‏ الْأَبْنَاءُ عَنْ‏ عَمَلِ‏ الْآبَاءِ فَأَلْحَقُوا الْأَبْنَاءَ بِالْآبَاءِ لِتَقَرَّ بِذَلِكَ أَعْيُنُهُمْ

It has been narrated in Al-Kafi from Abu Bakr, that Abu Abdillah said regarding this verse, ‘The faithful and their descendants who followed them in faith - We will make their descendants join them’ that: “The deeds of the offspring are less than that of their fathers, so the offspring will be made to join their fathers so that they be a comfort for them.” [23]

References

  1. ↑ Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran (1971), Volume 19, Page 6
  2. ↑ Mahmud Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf an Haqaiq Ghawamid al-Tanzil (1986), Volume 4, Page 408
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran (1971), Page 6
  4. ↑ Ismail ibn Umar ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim (1998), Volume 7, Page 397
  5. ↑ Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf an Haqaiq Ghawamid al-Tanzil (1986), Page 408
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim (1998), Page 398
  7. ↑ Ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim (1998), Page 407
  8. ↑ Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, (1971), Page 13
  9. ↑ Ibid., Page 19
  10. ↑ Ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim (1998), Page 405
  11. ↑ Ibid., Page 407
  12. ↑ Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran (1971), Page 23
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim, Volume 7, Page 397
  14. ↑ Ibid., Page 398
  15. ↑ Ibid., Page 399
  16. ↑ Ibid., Page 400
  17. ↑ Ibid., Page 401
  18. ↑ Ibid., Page 403
  19. ↑ Ibid., Page 409
  20. ↑ Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Volume 9, Page 245
  21. ↑ Tabrisi, Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran (Beirut, Muassasa al-Ilmi li al-Matbuat (1998), Page 245
  22. ↑ Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Volume 19, Page 8
  23. ↑ Ibid., Page 16
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