Surah Al-Fajr (89): Read Online and Download - English Translation

يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ( O contented soul...89:27). Here the soul of the believer is referred to as nafs mutma'innah 'the contented soul'. The word mutma'innah literally means 'calm'. It refers to the soul that is 'peaceful and tranquil' as a result of remembrance and obedience of Allah. When he abandons it, he feels restless. This is probably the same soul as is made pure, through spiritual exercises and discipline, from the evil traits and bad conduct. Obedience of Allah and His remembrance becomes his predisposition. Shari'ah becomes his nature.

ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ (come back to your Lord....89:28). The words 'come back' indicate that his first place was with his Lord, and now he is commanded to go back to Him. This confirms the narration that the souls of the believers, together with their Book of Deeds, will be in ` illiyin. ` Illiyin is a place on the seventh heaven in the shade of the Throne of the Most-Merciful Lord. This is the original resting-place of all human souls, from where they are brought out and put into human body. After death, the souls are returned to that place.

رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً (...well-pleased, well-pleasing....89:28). [ The true believer's ] soul is well-pleased with decrees destined by Allah and His legislative commands, and Allah too is well-pleased with His slave. The slave's being pleased with Allah's decrees and injunctions is a sign that Allah is pleased.

فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي (So, enter among My [ special ] servants...89:29). In other words, the contented soul will be addressed [ compassionately ], and first asked to enter the fold of righteous and sincere slaves, and then to enter Paradise. This indicates that entry into Paradise depends on their being, first and foremost, in the fold of the righteous believers. Then they will enter Paradise all together. This shows that joining the company of the righteous in this world is a sign that he will enter Paradise with them. Thus Prophet Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) prayed:

وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَ‌حْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ

'...and admit me, by Your mercy, among Your righteous slaves...[ 27:19] '

Prophet Yusuf (علیہ السلام) prayed:

وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ

'...and make me join the righteous. [ 12:101] '

The above supplications indicate that the company of the righteous is such a great blessing that even the Holy Prophets cannot do without, as a result they pray for it.

وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي (and enter My Paradise 89:30]. In this verse, Paradise is attributed to Allah, and Allah said 'My Paradise'. This is a great honour, and indicates that Paradise will not only have all sorts of eternal comfort, but above all it is a place of Allah's pleasure.

The preceding verses describe the reward of the believers in such a manner that on behalf of Allah, the angels will address their souls honourably and in a befitting manner, as in the verses. It is not clear when they will be addressed. Some commentators say that they will be addressed on the Day of Reckoning after the reckoning is over. The context of the verses confirms this. The punishment of the unbelievers was described above. That will take place in the Hereafter after the Judgment has been passed. It is obvious that the believers will be addressed at the same time. Other scholars indicate that the believers will be addressed in this world at the time of death. Many authentic traditions bear testimony to the veracity of this view. Ibn Kathir, on the other hand, reconciles the apparently conflicting statements thus: Allah will address the soul of the believers twice with these words. Once at the time of death, and again on the Day of Judgment.

Sayyidna ` Ubadah Ibn Samit's narration cited earlier supports the view that the address will be at the time of death. In a lengthy narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah, recorded in Musnad of Ahmad, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: "When death approaches a believer, the angels of mercy bring to him a piece of white silk and say: اخرجی راضیۃ مرضیّۃ الی روح اللہ وریحانہ 'Come out [ from this body ], well-pleased and well-pleasing, to Divine mercy and to the eternal comforts of Paradise' [ to the end of narration.] " Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that one day he recited the verse يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ (0 contented soul) in the presence of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، Abu Bakr ؓ who was present in the assembly, said: "0 Allah's Messenger, what a fine address and honour!" The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: "Behold, the angel will address you thus after your death."

A Few Strange Incidents

Said Ibn Jubair رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ reports that Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ passed away in Ta'if. After the funeral was prepared, a strange bird, the like of which was never seen before, came and entered the body, but no one saw it coming out of it. When it was lowered into the grave for burial, an invisible voice was heard reciting from the side of the grave: يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ Everyone looked around, but could not find anyone. Another incident is recorded by Hafiz Tabarani in his book Kitab-ul-` Aja'ib. He narrates with his chain of authorities, an incident about Fattan Ibn Razin Abi Hashim that once they were imprisoned in a Roman city. They were presented before their king. The king was an infidel. He coerced them to adopt his religion, and threatened them that if anyone refuses to comply with his command, he would be beheaded. They were a few people. Three of them feared for their lives, adopted his religion and thus became apostates. The fourth person refused to adopt the king's religion. He was beheaded and his head was thrown into a nearby river. When it was thrown, the head went to the bottom of the river. Later, it emerged from the water and came to the surface. Then it looked at the other three persons, and calling each one of them by name, recited:

يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ﴿27﴾ ارْ‌جِعِي إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّكِ رَ‌اضِيَةً مَّرْ‌ضِيَّةً ﴿28﴾ فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي ﴿29﴾ وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي ﴿30﴾

"0 contented. soul, [ 27] come back to your Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing [ 28] So, enter among My (special) servants, [ 29] and enter Paradise."[ 30]

After that it dived back into the water.

This was an unusual incident which everyone witnessed and heard. When the Christians of that place witnessed this, almost all of them embraced Islam which shook up the king's throne. The three persons who had become apostates reverted to Islam. Caliph Abu Ja'far Mansur had them all released from their [ enemy's ] prison.

Al-hamdulillah

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Surah Al-Fajr

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