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Copyright 2014 by Mariam Muzaffar Hoopoe Media House Researched and written by Asif Shiraz All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission. For permission requests, please contact: info@hoopoemedia.com Printed in USA ISBN: 978-1508539308
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To Hamza and Mihaal The most beloved to me of all kids, after Ali Asghar and Sakina
Foreword In the holy name of ہللا, the most Compassionate, the most Benevolent, to whom belongs all praise on earth and in heaven. And blessings and peace be upon His beloved Prophet and our Master, Syedna Muhammad (sm), and all the messengers. “When a man reads the Quran,” it is narrated, “and still entertains the thought that God has been more beneficient on someone else than on him, he has indeed considered small, what God Almighty has considered great.” There are, without doubt, immense blessings and spiritual guidance in recitation of the Holy Quran, but the necessity of understanding the text is also fundamentally important. In non-Arabic speaking countries, however, children often memorize Surahs without being taught their meanings. In this series of books, we have attempted to make the Quran more accessible to children, offering them a visual representation of each Ayah, which is sure to readily engross the attention of our young readers and establish an intuitive context for the verse. The translations also have been carefully curated from accepted mainstream sources, to make them as child friendly as possible, without deviating from the primary phraselogy used either by Sahih International, Muhsin Khan, Marmaduke Pickthall, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Habib Shakir, or Mahmoud Ghali.
In the Ayah descriptions, however, we have gone ahead in extending and customizing selections from popular exegisis, to create a beautiful blend of elementary level descriptions that introduce our young readers to the wonderful world of Tafseer. The primary goal of the simplified explanations is to establish a bond bewteen the child and the Quran, which can deepen and grow in maturity over time. We would welcome any feedback or comments for further improving this endeavour. We are sure that parents and children will enjoy reading it, as much as we enjoyed creating it. Feb 28, 2015
Mariam Muzaffar mariam@hoopoemedia.com
Asif Shiraz asif@dinarwakala.com
َوالْ َف ْجرِ
By the dawn Witness how Allah makes the sun rise every morning, to lighten up our day for a fresh start. See the beauty of the morning light, as it replaces the darkness of night. Waking up all the birds to sing new songs, all the plants to bloom new flowers, and all the people to get up for their morning prayers.
َولَ َي ٍالِ َع ٍْ شِ
And by the ten nights See how Allah showers His blessings through the ten nights in the month of Zul Hijjah, and the ten nights in the month of Muharram. And see how he makes the amazing system of shortening and lengthening the days and night by the amount of ten nights, every year. And in it there are many more mysteries that man has yet to discover.
َوال َّش ْفع َِوالْ َوتْرِ
And by the even and the odd See how Allah has created some things single, like the Sun, and other things dual, like the Night and Day, Hot and Cold, Good and Bad. Similarly, Allah himself is single, as there is no one like Him, but he has created humans in pairs, like male and female. He has created everything in a great divine order of measurement. And within this order, He has made some days special, like the ninth and tenth day of Zil Hijjah and Muharram, in which He blesses his creation immensely.
َوالل َّ ْيلِا َذاِي َ ْسِ ِ
And by the night when it passes See how Allah causes the night to slowly pass, neither too fast nor too slow. But just enough for us to be able to take some sleep, as well as get up for Tahajjud and prostrate before Him. And see how he showers his blessings in the night of Muzdalfah, where all the pilgrims of Hajj gather together to pray and seek forgiveness.
َه ْلِِفِِِ َذَٰ َِلِقَ َس ٌم ِِّليِح ْج ٍرِ
Is there not in all that an oath for the thinking man In this great universe and all the things in it that Allah has created, He has left many signs for people. Signs to show that all these beautiful plants and animals did not come into existence all by themselves, but Allah created them. And He alone is the one true God. And these signs show that everything which Allah tells us in this Surah, and the Quran, is true and perfect.
َألَ ْمِتَ َرِ َك ْي َفِفَ َع َل َِرب ُّ َكِب َعا ٍدِ
Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with Aad The nation of Aad lived in the country of Yemen, many thousands of years ago. Allah sent the Prophet Hud, peace be upon him, to invite them to Islam. But they refused to believe in him, and continued spreading mischief on the earth. Then Allah punished them with a very fast, cold wind. It blew continuously on their city for seven nights and eight days. They tried to hide from it, but gusts of wind reached everything, even their hearts. It left all the sinners lying dead, just as if a bunch of palm trees had been cut down and spread around.
ا َر َمِ َذاتِالْع َمادِ ِ
Of the city of Iram, with lofty pillars The Aad nation lived in a city called Iram. They made wonderful buildings in it and decorated it with tall, lofty pillars. But their skill in making these buildings made them arrogant, causing them to disobey Allah and his Prophet Hud. They thought that their buildings can protect them from any calamity. Even till the very end, when Allah’s punishment was in plain sight in the form of a cloud bearing fast wind, they still refused to listen to the Prophet or obey him.
ِيلَ ْ ِثلْلُاَاِِفِالْل َادِ الَِّتِلَ ْم ُِْ
The like of which was not created in the lands before
The people of Aad made wonderful houses and lived a life of luxury and comfort. No other city on earth could compare to the beauty and grandeur of the city of Iram. Today also, people can make tall sky scrapers, buildings made of glass, and other wonderful structures never built before. It is Allah who has given us this knowledge and intelligence to make these things. We should remain thankful to him for this gift of knowledge, and never become too arrogant or proud of these things.
َّ اِالصخ َْرِِبلْ َوادِ و ب ا ج ِ ين ِاّل َوثَ ُمو َد َ َ ُ َّ
And with the tribe of Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley The nation of Thamud was another people that lived thousands of years ago. They were skilled at carving their dwellings inside mountains. And cutting huge stones and moving them around to make monuments in their valley. The Prophet Saleh, peace be upon him, was sent to guide them to Allah, but they refused to obey him. So Allah punished them also, and this whole nation was also destroyed.
َوف ْر َع ْو َنِذ ْ َ يِاْل ْوَتَ دِ
And with Pharaoh, owner of the stakes The Pharoah of Egypt was another arrogant ruler who refused to believe in the Prophet Moosa, peace be upon him. They too were highly skilled in their ability to construct wonderful structures. Their famous landmark of the Pyramids of Giza still stand today in Egypt. They are as huge as mountains, which is why the Quran calls them stakes, because the mountains too act as stakes in providing stability to the earth’s crust.
َّاّل َين َِطغ َْواِِفِالْل َادِ
All of whom oppressed within the lands Allah loves all his creation, and wants them to live in peace and love among each other. So he has made all those things unlawful, which can cause others to be hurt. These are called the limits of Allah, which we must not cross. But the nations of Aad, Thamud, and Pharoah all disbelieved in Allah, hurt and killed each other, and spread injustice and oppression in the land, thus surpassing the bounds of Allah.
فَأَ ْك َ َُثواِفهيَاِالْ َف َسا َدِ
And caused great mischief in it Spreading mischief on earth is called Fasaad, and it is one of the worst things in the sight of Allah. This is because other crimes result in hurting individuals, but fasaad results in hurting lots and lots of people together. All the evil kings of old times, like Pharoah and Aad, were punished because they spread mischief on earth. They robbed and enslaved other people, and prevented them from worshipping Allah. Even today, bad rulers prevent the establishment of Allah’s commands, forcing people to participate in unjust wars, engage in usury, and accept immoral things.
فَ َص َّبِعَلَ ْهي ْم َِرب ُّ َك َِس ْو َطِعَ َذابٍِ
So your Lord poured on them different kinds of severe punishments Just like a shepherd keeps his sheep safe by chasing away the wolf, Allah punishes and stops evil people from harming the rest of his creation. He first sends his Prophets to guide and warn them, but if they do not listen, then he sends down his punishment. Sometimes, his punishment is like the wind that destroyed Aad, and sometimes like water that drowned the Pharoah. He is all powerful, and even today, if he wills, his punishment can come upon the transgressors no matter how many advancements they make in science or technology.
ا َّنِ َرب َّ َكِلَلالْم ْر َصادِ ِ
Most surely, your Lord is watching Many people start driving carefully when a policeman is watching. And children become more behaved when a teacher is there. But Allah tells us in this verse, that even when you think no one is watching, Allah is always watching His servants. He is watching each and every move that we make. He saw how the disbelievers denied His Prophets, and he also noted with love how the Companions served and obeyed the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). We too, must always act with kindness, knowing that Allah’s eyes are always on us.
فَأَ َّث ْ اِاْلن َس ُانِا َذاِ َثاِابْ َت َا ُه َِرب ُُِّهِفَأَ ْك َر َث ُه َِون َ َّع َم ُِهِفَِيَ ُُق ُ ولِ ِ ِ َ َر ِّبِأ ْك َر َثنِ
As for man, when Allah tries him by giving him honors and gifts, he becomes puffed up with pride, saying my Lord has honored me All the good things that Allah gives us in life are a test from Him to see if we share them with others, be thankful to Him, and not act with pride and arrogance. Our Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, taught us that Allah loves those of his servants who are humble and thankful. And he himself used to spend his nights crying before Allah in prostration.
َو َأ َّثاِا َذاِ َثاِابْ َت َا ُهِفَ َُقدَ َرِعَلَ ْيهِر ْزقَ ُهِ ِ فَيَ ُُق ُ ول َِر ِ ِّبِ َأ َهانَنِ
But when he tries him by restricting his provision, man falls in despair, saying my Lord has disgraced me Hardships in life are also a test from Allah, to see if we remain strong and faithful. The person who faced the most difficulties in life, was none other than the Prophet, peace be upon him. He was born an orphan, often went hungry, was made fun of, and got cast out of his city. His companions too were attacked and killed. But in spite of all of these hardships, he never complained, and never became angry or bitter.
َ َّّلَكِِۖب َ َّ ونِالْ َيت َيِ لِْلِتُ ْكر ُث َ
No! But you do not honor the orphan Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was the most beloved person to the children of Mecca. He played with them, shared food with them, and was always kind to them. He taught us that all humans are one big family, and if anyone among us loses a parent, we must care for such children and make friends with them. But some people, instead of being thankful for Allah’s gifts, become so proud that they never help others, and do not honor the orphans.
َو َْل َ َ ونِعَ َ َٰل َِط َعامِالْم ْسكيِ َِتاضُّ َ
Nor do you encourage one another to feed the poor Sharing our food with others is a definite quality of a Muslim. When we fast in Ramadhan, we learn how hard it is to go hungry, and learn the importance of sharing our food. In a Muslim community, nobody should go hungry, and everyone should make sure that their neighbor has enough food. Allah gives more rewards and gifts to those people, who share their food with their friends, neighbors, and family.
ْ ُ ُ الُّت َاث َِأ ْ اّلَكِل َّ ًّما ُك ونِ ُّ َ َوتَأ َ
And you consume inheritance of others with greed Another trait of wicked people is that they are greedy. They steal money from wherever they can, even from people who have died and left an inheritance for their children. But instead of giving that inheritance to the children, they steal that money, behaving like vultures who feed on the dead. They leave nothing for the poor person’s family. But Allah promises, that I am the guardian of all those who are orphaned, or poor. He promises to inflict a terrible punishment on such people, and warns us to never steal from an inheritance.
ونِالْ َما َلِ ُحبًّ َ ًّ اَِجا َو َُت ُّل َ
And you love wealth with immense love
A Muslim’s heart is full of love, foremost for Allah and His Prophet, peace be upon him. And also full of love for our parents, our family, and our friends. But the wicked people only love money, and the things which money can buy. They love money so much that they start to hurt and trick others to steal their money. They do not know that money cannot buy happiness. True happiness comes from having friends and family, and doing good deeds like feeding the poor, caring for the orphans, obeying our parents, and praying to Allah.
َ َّّلَكِا َذاِ ُدكَّت ْ َ ضِ َد ًًّّكِ َد ًًّّكِ ِاْل ْر ُ ِ ِ
No, but when the Earth is crumbled into pieces, pounded and crushed No, we should not spend all our time trying to obtain wealth, and make our individual lives comfortable, without caring for others. For one day, the Earth will shatter down into pieces. It might be that an asteroid comes and hits us, smashing us into pieces. Or the earth may explode from inside. Or some other catastrophe may destroy it. Allah tells us that on the last day, it will crumble down into pieces, and all life on it will end. That is when the Day of Judgment will be established, and our wealth will not help us anymore. But only the good deeds that we did to others.
َو َج َاء َِرب ُّ َك َِوالْ َم َ ُ اِصفًّا َل َِصفًّ َ
And your Lord shall come with His angels, rank upon rank In this world, only the Prophets could see the Angels. And only our Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, saw Allah on the night of Miraaj. But on the Day of Judgment, when we will be raised to life again, Allah will appear before us, followed by his angels. There are countless angels, who will all appear grouped together in ranks like a large army. And all the people who have ever lived on the earth, will be raised again and gathered together in front of Allah.
َوِج َءِي َ ْو َثئ ٍذ َ ِِبا َّ َََّنِِۚي َ ْو َثئ ٍذِ َ ْ ْ َ َّ ِ َّ َ ن ِي َ َتذك ُرِاْلِ َس ُان َِوأ َّٰنَِلُِاّلك َرى ِ
And brought within view, that Day, is Hell. That Day, man will remember his actions, but what good to him will be the remembrance? People who have done bad deeds to others will remember their mistakes with sadness. But then it will be too late to repent and seek forgiveness. It is in this life, before the Day of Judgment, that we must we must seek forgiveness do all the good deeds that we can do.
ي َ ُُق ُ ول ََِيِلَ ْيتَِنِقَ َّد ْث ُتِل َح َياتِ
He will say, "Oh would that I had forwarded some good for my next life This world is like a test, and like all tests, if you do not prepare for it, you can fail. In school, we prepare by studying our lessons so we can answer all the questions in the exam. In real life also, we are living out an exam, whose result will be given to us on the Day of Judgment. For this exam, we must prepare by caring for orphans, sharing our wealth with poor people, and living with honesty, always saying the truth. These good deeds are what Allah wants us to send ahead for our next life, so that we can be rewarded in it.
فَيَ ْو َثئ ٍذ َِّْلِيُ َع ِذ ُبِعَ َذاب َ ُهِ َأ َح ٌدِ
So on that Day, none will punish as severely as His punishment In this world, we are free to choose how we act. We can behave nicely, or we can be mean to others. But a person who is always mean, and always hurts others, needs to be stopped from doing that. Sometimes we punish such children by putting them in detention, and for grown-ups, they are put in Jail. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will also punish all the wicked people. And Allah’s punishment is the most severe of everyone else.
َو َْلِيُوث ُ َِو ََثقَ ُهِ َأ َح ٌدِ
And none will bind him as His binding Policemen usually keep criminals tied down in chains or handcuffs. Because if they let them go free, they can cause harm to others. Allah also promises that on the Day of Judgment, he will tie down all criminals in chains, because their actions in the world show that they are not capable of freedom. On that Day, no one will bind them as severely as Allah can bind.
ََيِ َأيَّ ُُتَاِالنَّ ْف ُسِالْ ُم ْط َمئنَّ ُةِ
To the righteous it will be said, O Soul, in complete rest and satisfaction Our bodies are made of clay, but our Souls come from the Spirit of Allah which He blew into Adam. The body desires worldly things like nice cars and expensive dresses. But the Soul wants to get close to Allah again. Even great kings, warriors, and billionaires who follow their worldly desires, never become happy and satisfied. But a poor man, who’s Soul frees itself from the world and attaches to Allah, can become tranquil and happy. The way to achieve this is to cheerfully accept whatever Allah decides for us. Then, if we remain happy with Him, He too will be happy with us.
ْارجعيِا َ َٰل َِرب ِك َِراض َي اةِ َّث ْرض َّي اةِ ِ
ہللا
Come back to your Lord, well pleased yourself, and well pleasing to Him The Prophet, peace be upon him, said that when a man takes one step towards Allah, then Allah takes ten steps towards him. When we become satisfied and thankful for what Allah has given us, then we find a special kind of happiness in our heart, as if we have become close to Allah. We start enjoying reading the Quran, remembering Allah, and sending salutations to the Holy Prophet. For such a person, Allah too welcomes him as a friend, and causes his heart to draw near to Him.
فَا ْدخُِلِِفِع َلادي
And enter among my honored servants Allah admits such a person into the group of his beloved servants. These include the Prophets (Anbiyaa), the truthful ones (Siddiqeen), the martyrs (Shuhadaa), and the righteous ones (Saliheen). These are all people who love Allah, and Allah loves them back.
َوا ْدخُِلِ َجنَِّتِ
And enter my Paradise These are the people, whom Allah will admit in His Paradise. It will be said to them to enter Jannah, and live in it for ever and ever, with no fear of death again. And the biggest reward for them would be that in Paradise, they will always be close to Allah. Indeed, a taste of this was granted to the Companions even in this world, when the Prophet announced that this Mosque of mine, is a garden out of the gardens of Paradise. Even to this day, Muslims stand next to the green carpet of Prophet’s Mosque, and remember the blessings which Allah has bestowed upon them by admitting them in his servants.