All glory belongs to God
- There has glorified for God whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Almighty, the Wise. (57:1).
Note: Whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies God, the Almighty, the Wise.
To God belongs a dominion of the heavens and the earth
- To Him belongs a dominion of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and causes death, and He has power over all things (57:2). He is the First and the Last. He is the Apparent and the Hidden, and He is Knower of everything (57:3). He is the One who has created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He has established Himself on the Throne. He knows what enters into the earth and what comes out of it, and what descends from the sky and what ascends into it, and He is with you wherever you have been. And God is Seer of what you do (57:4). To Him belongs a dominion of the heavens and the earth, and to God all matters are returned (57:5). He merges the night into the day, and merges the day into the night, and He is Knower of what is in the breasts (57:6),
Note: God has created the heavens and the earth in six days and has established Himself on the Throne. He knows what enters into the earth and what comes out of it, and what descends from the sky and what ascend to it. He does not only give us life and cause death but He knows what is in our mind, and He merges the night into the day and the day into the night. Thus, He controls all matters, while we all will return to Him.
God has sent down clear revelations to bring us from darkness into light
- You shall believe in God and His messenger, and shall spend from what He has made you trustees in it. Then those who have believed among you and have spent, for them there is a great reward (57:7). And what is for you that you do not believe in God, while the messenger calls you that you should believe in your Lord? And certainly, He has taken your covenant, if you have been believers (57:8). He is the One who sends down to His servant clear revelations that He may bring you out of the darkness into the light. And indeed, God with you is surely Kind, Merciful (57:9).
Note: God has commanded us to believe in Him and His messenger and has sent down clear revelations through His servant to bring us out of darkness into light. His revelation has always been sufficient for us to guide us to the light, while His merciful compassion has always been upon us.
God gives higher status to those who spend and fight in His cause
- And what is for you that you do not spend in God’s path, while God is a heritage of the heavens and the earth? Whoever among you has spent before the victory and has fought does not equal; those are greater in rank than those who have spent after and have fought, while to all God has promised the best. And God is Cognizant of what you do (57:10). Who is that the one who would loan a good loan to God, then He will multiply it for him, and for him there is an honorable reward? (57:11).
Note: There is honorable reward for those who fight for God and spend in His cause, and He will multiply loan for him who loans a good loan to Him.
The believers will be in the Gardens and the hypocrites will be in the Fire
- A day you will see the believing men and the believing women are radiating their lights of their ahead and on their right. Your good news on the day is gardens flowing the rivers of their underneath being dwellers therein. That is the greatest success (57:12). A day the hypocrite men and the hypocrite women will say to those who had believed, “Wait for us, we may acquire from your light.” It has been said, “Go back to your behind, then seek light.” Then has been set up between them with a wall to it a gate of its interior is mercy in it, while of its exterior facing of it towards the punishment (57:13). They (hypocrites) will call upon them (believers), “Would we not be with you?” They (believers) have said, “Yes, but you have tempted yourselves, and you have awaited, and you have doubted, and the wishful thinking has deceived you until God’s command has come. And the deceiver (Satan) has deceived you about God.” (57:14). “So, today no ransom will be accepted from you, nor from those who had disbelieved. Your abode is the fire; it is your protector, and has been miserable is the destination.” (57:15).
Note: On a day of the Judgment the believing men and women will radiate their light ahead of them and on their right. The believing men and women will be in Gardens flowing the rivers of their underneath as dwellers therein, while the hypocrite men and women will be in Fire, a miserable destination being deceived by the Satan.
Believers are followers of God’s revelations while disbelievers are deniers
- Is it not a time for those who have believed to be humble their hearts for remembrance of God, and what has come down of the truth? They would not be like those who had been given the scripture before; as the term had prolonged for them, so had hardened their hearts, and many of them were disobedient (57:16). You shall know that God gives life to the earth after its death. Certainly, we have made clear the revelations for you so that you may understand (57:17). Indeed, the charitable men and the charitable women and those have loaned a good loan to God – it will be multiplied for them, and for them there is an honorable reward (57:18). And those who have believed in God and His messengers; those – they are the truthful and the martyrs, with their Lord for them is their reward and their light, while those who have disbelieved and have denied in our revelations, those are companions of the Hellfire (57:19).
Note: The believers in God’s revelations remember Him being humble to Him and they loan a good loan to Him, and there is reward and light for them with their Lord, while the disbelievers in God and the deniers in His revelations are dwellers of the Hellfire.
Either severe punishment or forgiveness and pleasure from God
- You shall know that the life of the world is play and amusement and adornment, and boasting between yourselves, and competing in the wealth and the children, is like an example of rain – its growth has pleased the farmers, then it dries, so you see it to turn yellow, then it becomes debris. And in the Hereafter there is a severe punishment as well as forgiveness from God and pleasure, while in the life of the world there is not except an enjoyment of delusion (57:20). You shall race towards forgiveness from your Lord, and gardens – their width is like an width of the heaven and the earth has been prepared for those who have believed in God and His messengers. That is a bounty of God, He gives to whomever He wills. And God is a Possessor of the great bounty (57:21).
Note: The life of the world is a delusion has been made it clear citing an example like the growth of a plant that has pleased the farmers, then it dries and turns yellow, eventually becoming debris. It has been confirmed that in the Hereafter there is either severe punishment or forgiveness from God and pleasure. Thus, those who have prepared them believing in God and His messengers (messages) will have bounty from God and pleasure being forgiven avoiding severe punishment.
Disaster strikes in the earth and the people as recorded before
- A disaster has not stricken in the earth, nor in yourselves except in a record before that we bring it into existence. Indeed, that is easy for God (57:22). That you do not grieve over what has escaped you, nor do you exult for what He has given you. And God does not love any boastful boaster (57:23). Those who become stingy and enjoin the people with stinginess, and whoever turns away, then indeed, God is the Rich, the Praiseworthy (57:24).
Note: Disaster that strikes in the earth and the people is according to what has been recorded before. Thus, we should not grieve over what we have lost, nor should we boast ourselves for what God has given us. We should not become stingy nor should we enjoin others to be stingy, keeping in mind that God is Rich, Praiseworthy.
Messengers are sent with scripture and balance to establish justice
- Certainly, we have sent our messengers with the clear proofs, and we have sent down with them the scripture and the balance that it may establish the people with the justice, while we have sent down the iron, wherein there is strength and benefits for the people so that God may make known whoever helps Him in the unseen and His messengers. Indeed, God is Powerful, Almighty (57:25). And certainly, we had sent Noah and Abraham, and we had placed the prophethood and the scripture among their descendants; then of them there was guided one, while most of them were disobedient (57:26). Then we have followed on their footsteps with our messengers, and we have followed with Jesus, son of Mary, and we have given him the Injeel, and we have placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who had followed him. While they have invented monasticism we have not prescribed it for them except for seeking God’s pleasure but they have not observed it a right observance. So we have given those who have believed among them their reward, while most of them are disobedient (57:27).
Note: God has sent His messengers with the scripture and laws to establish justice between the people, and had given the Gospel to Jesus, son of Mary followed by messengers from the descendants of Noah and Abraham, but his people have invented monasticism what God has not decreed for them. Thus, among them who have observed a right observance seeking for God’s pleasure have been given them their reward but most of them are disobedient.
Those who fear God and believe in His messenger will receive from His bounty
- O you who have believed, you shall fear God and shall believe in His messenger. He will give you double from His mercy and will make for you a light you will walk with it and will forgive for you. And God is Forgiving, Merciful (57:28). That it may know the people of the scripture that they do not have power over anything of God’s bounty and that the bounty is in God’s hand; He gives it whomever He wills. And God is a Possessor of the great bounty (57:29).
Note: God has reminded the people of the scripture to fear God as well as to believe in God and His messenger to have mercy and light from Him to walk with it, while the bounty belongs to Him and He gives it whomever He wills.
Surah al-Hadeed (Surah 57: The Iron) is a short surah consisting of 29 verses but the most significant information that are covered in the surah: (1) surah begins with a statement that all glory belongs to God, (2) to God belongs a dominion of the heavens and the earth, (3) He has sent down clear revelations to bring people from darkness into light, (4) He gives higher status to those who spend for Him and fight in His cause, (5) the believers will be in the Gardens and the hypocrites will be in the Fire, (6) the believers are followers of God’s revelations but the disbelievers are deniers of them, (7) either severe punishment or forgiveness from God and pleasure, (8) disaster strikes in the earth and people as recorded before, (9) messengers are sent with scripture and balance to establish justice, (10) those who fear God and believe in His messenger will receive mercy and light from His bounty.
In conclusion, God has sent down the scripture and the balance to establish justice between the people and to bring them from the darkness into the light as well as for seeking of His pleasure. The believers are the followers of His revelations and the disbelievers are the deniers of them. Thus, those who fear God and believe in His messenger receive mercy and light to walk with it from His bounty. He will give higher status to those who spend for Him and fight for His cause. On a day of the Judgment the believing men and women radiating their light ahead of them and on their right will enter into the Higher Heaven and the Lower Heaven respectively, while the disbelievers and the hypocrites will enter into the Fire. God’s revelation has always been sufficient for the believers to guide them to the light as His merciful compassion has always been upon them. He has promised that anyone in any generations of people whoever has done right observance will receive reward and mercy from His bounty but whoever has invented anything that He has not decreed will face His punishment. There is no monasticism in the God’s religion, and no disaster strikes in the earth and in the people except what has not been recorded before, which we can be sure having no doubt about it in our hearts reflecting to the event of death (3:185) as well as the world wide wave of a disaster of COVID-19 (44:10-15). Hence, we may prepare ourselves for the Hereafter knowing that the life of the world is a delusion, while in the Hereafter there is either severe punishment or forgiveness and pleasure from God.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (04/29/2022).