Surah Al-Jhatiya
The Crowling
Introduction
Name of Chapter and Reason for its Name
This chapter is called Surah Al-Jathiya which refers to one falling on his knees, and it comes in the 28th verse of this chapter as follow: “And you will see every nation fallen on its knees. Every nation will be summoned to its book: ‘Today you will be requited for what you used to do.’”
Chapter Number
Surah Al-Jathiya is the 45th chapter of the Quran, and it was revealed after Surah Al-Dukhan. [1]
Number of Verses
This chapter has 37 verses. [2] [3] Some sources suggest that the chapter has 36 verses. [3] [4]
Place of Revelation
Exegetes deem Surah Al-Jathiya to have been revealed in Mecca. [5] [6] [7] Some commentators have said that the 14th verse of this chapter was revealed in Medina. [8] [4]
Content
Important Concepts in this Chapter
Verses 1-13
Wisdom of Allah and His signs. Verse 3: “Indeed in the heavens and the earth there are signs for the faithful,” this refers to signs that lead a person to the one who created the signs. [9] The word affak in the 7th verse: “Woe to every sinful liar,” is an intensive adjective for the word ifk which means lie. [10] [11]
Verses 14-19
Story of Bani Israel, their dispute over the signs of Allah and the necessity of taking a lesson from them. In the 14th verse Allah says: “Say to the faithful to forgive those who do not expect Allah’s days,” those who do not expect Allah’s days is a reference to the disbelievers who would mock the Prophet and the signs of Allah during the early days of Islam in Mecca. The verse is commanding the believers to have patience, bear their remarks, and furthermore try to overlook them. Forgiveness in this verse means to ignore and restrain oneself from disputation and argumentation with the disbelievers, because they have no hope of attaining the Divine blessings. [12] [13]
Verses 20-37
The fate of those who displayed enmity towards the signs of Allah and a response to their criticism. In the 24th verse it says: “There is nothing but the life of this world: we live and we die, and nothing but time destroys us” - the word time (al-dahr) refers to a span of time from the beginning of creation until the moment that it will cease to exist, and takes into consideration all or any lengthy period of time. Contrary to the word al-zaman which is generally a reference to a shorter period of time. Therefore, based on the context of this verse, it is a reference to the polytheists who deny the existence of an afterlife, and not the Dahriyyah who believed that existence is governed by the course of time only. [14] Although some exegetes do state that this verse is a reference to the Dahriyyah and their philosophers. [15]
Discussions on this Chapter
According to the Sunni Traditions
Benefits of Reciting this Surah
عن رسول اللّه صلی اللّه علیه و سلم: من قرأ حم الجاثیة ستر اللّه عورته و سکن روعته یوم الحساب
The Prophet of Allah has said: “A person who recites Ha-Mim al-Jathiyah, Allah will conceal their defects and turn their fear into serenity on the Day of Accountability. [16]
Verse 24: “They say, ‘There is nothing but the life of this world: we live and we die, and nothing but time destroys us.’ But they do not have any knowledge of that, and they only make conjectures.”
وَقَالُوا مَا هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا وَمَا يُهْلِكُنَا إِلَّا الدَّهْرُ وَمَا لَهُمْ بِذَلِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَظُنُّونَ٢٤ عن سعید بن المسیب عن أبی هریرة رضی اللّه عنه قال: قال رسول اللّه صلی اللّه علیه و سلم: «یقول تعالی یؤذینی ابن آدم، یسب الدهر و أنا الدهر، بیدی الأمر أقلب لیله و نهاره»
It has been narrated from Saeed ibn al-Musayyib that Abu Hurayrah reports that the Prophet said: “The Exalted One says, ‘The son of Adam displeases Me by abusing time, whereas I am time. In My hand is the affair, because I am the One who alternates night and day.’” [17]
According to the Shia Traditions
Benefits of Reciting this Surah
روی أبو بصیر عن أبی عبد الله قال مَنْ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ الْجَاثِیةِ کانَ ثواب‌ها أَنْ لَا یرَی النَّارَ أَبَداً وَ لَا یسْمَعَ زَفِیرَ جَهَنَّمَ وَ لَا شهیق‌ها وَ هُوَ مَعَ مُحَمَّدٍ
It has been reported on the authority of Abu Baseer from Imam al-Sadiq who said: “Whoever recites Surah al-Jathiyah, the reward will be that one will not see the hell-fire ever, and that person will not hear the painful moans of hell, nor hear its sobbing, and one will be beside Muhammad.” [4]
References
- ↑ Mahmud Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf an Haqaiq Ghawamid al-Tanzil, Volume 4, Page 284
- ↑ Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Volume 18, Page 153
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf an Haqaiq Ghawamid al-Tanzil, Volume 4, Page 284
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Tabrisi, Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Volume 9, Page 106
- ↑ Ismail ibn ʿUmar ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim, Volume 7, Page 243
- ↑ Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Volume 18, Page 153
- ↑ Zamakshari, Al-Kashif an Haqaiq Ghawamid al-Tanzil, Volume 4, Page 284
- ↑ Zamakhshari, Al-Kashif an Haqaiq Ghawamid al-Tanzil, Volume 4, Page 284
- ↑ Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Volume 18, Page 154
- ↑ Ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim, Volume 7, Page 244
- ↑ Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Volume 18, Page 159
- ↑ Ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim, Volume 7, Page 245
- ↑ Tabatabai, Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Volume 18, Page 163
- ↑ Ibid., Page 174
- ↑ Ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim, Volume 7, Page 249
- ↑ Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf an Haqaiq Ghawamid al-Tanzil, Volume 4, Page 294
- ↑ Ibn Kathir Damishqi, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim, Volume 7, Page 247