Surah Ar Rum Notes (23-32)

Source: Ibn Kathir

(23) And among His Signs is the sleep that you take by night and by day, and your seeking of His Bounty. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who listen.

(And among His signs is your sleep by night and by day, and your seeking of His bounty.) Among His signs is the cycle of sleep that He has created during the night and the day, when people are able to cease moving and rest, so that their tiredness and exhaustion will go away. And He has enabled you to seek to earn a living and to travel about during the day, this is the opposite of sleep.

(Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who listen.) meaning, understand.

(24) And among His Signs is that He shows you the lightning, by way of fear and hope, and He sends down water (rain) from the sky, and therewith revives the earth after its death. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who understand.

(And among His signs) which speak of His greatness,

(He shows you the lightning, for fear and for hope,) Sometimes you fear the heavy rain and destructive thunderbolts that follow it, and sometimes you feel hope, when you see a flash of lightning, that much-needed rain will come. Allah says:

(and He sends down water from the sky, and therewith revives the earth after its death.) After it was barren, with nothing growing there, then the water comes to it and

(it is stirred, and it swells and puts forth every lovely kind (of growth).) (22:5). 

In this is a clear sign and proof of the resurrection and the coming of the Hour. Allah says:

(Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who understand.) Then Allah says:

(And among His signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His command.) This is like the Ayat:

(He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except by His leave) (22: 65).

(25) And among His Signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His Command, then afterwards when He will call you by single call, behold, you will come out from the earth (i.e from your graves for reckoning and recompense).

(And among His signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His command.) This is like the Ayat:

(He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except by His leave) (22: 65).

(Then afterwards when He will call you by a single call, behold, you will come out from the earth.) 

This is like the Ayat:

(On the Day when He will call you, and you will answer with His praise and obedience, and you will think that you have stayed but a little while!) (17:52)

Repeating the Creation is easier for Allah

(26) To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. All are obedient to Him.

(To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth.) means, He owns it and it is enslaved to Him.

(All are obedient to Him.) they are humble before Him and submit to Him, whether willingly or unwillingly.

Repeating the Creation is easier for Allah

(27) And He it is Who originates the creation, then will repeat it (after it has been perished), and this is easier for Him. His is the highest description (i.e. none has the right to be worshipped but He, and there is nothing comparable unto Him) in the heavens and in the earth. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

Allah's saying:

(And He it is Who originates the creation, then He will repeat it; and this is easier for Him.) Ibn Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "This means it is easier for Him.'' Mujahid said: "Repeating it is easier for Him than originating it, and originating it is easy for Him.'' This was also the view of `Ikrimah and others.

A Parable of Tawhid

(28) He sets forth for you a parable from your ownselves, - Do you have partners among those whom your right hands possess (i.e your slaves) to share as equals in the wealth We have bestowed on you? Whom you fear as you fear each other? Thus do We explain the signs in detail to a people who have sense.

(He sets forth for you a parable from yourselves) `something which you yourselves can see witness, and understand.'

(Do you have partners among those whom your right hands possess to share as equals in the wealth We have bestowed on you...) `None of you would like to have his servant as a partner in his wealth, each of them having an equal share.'

(whom you fear as you fear each other.) `You fear that they will have a share in your wealth with you.' Abu Mijlaz said, "You do not fear that your servant will have a share in your wealth, because he has no such right; similarly, Allah has no partner.'' The point is, that since any one of you would abhor such a thing, how can you attribute rivals to Allah from among His creation At-Tabarani recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "The people of Shirk used to say in their Talbiyah, `At Your service, You have no partner except the partner that You have, You own Him and whatever he owns.' Then Allah revealed the words:

(Do you have partners among those whom your right hands possess to share as equals in the wealth We have bestowed on you, whom you fear as you fear each other)'' If humans have this characteristic, this parable shows that it is even less befitting for Allah to have a partner.

(Thus do We explain the signs in detail to a people who have sense.) Then Allah points out that when the idolators worship others instead of Him, doing so out of their own folly and ignorance:

(29) Nay, but those who do wrong follow their own lusts without knowledge, Then who will guide him whom Allah has sent astray? And for such there will be no helpers.

(Nay, but those who do wrong follow...), meaning, the idolators,

(...their own lusts) means, in their worship of false gods without knowledge.

(Then who will guide him whom Allah has sent astray) means, no one can guide them if Allah has decreed that they will be misguided.

(And for such there will be no helpers.) means, there is no one who can save them from the power of Allah or grant them a way out, for what He wills, happens and what He does not will, does not happen.

The Command to adhere to Tawhid

(30) So set you (O Muhammad SAW) your face towards the religion of pure Islamic Monotheism Hanifa (worship none but Allah Alone) Allah's Fitrah (i.e. Allah's Islamic Monotheism), with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Khalq-illah (i.e. the Religion of Allah Islamic Monotheism), that is the straight religion, but most of men know not.

Allah says: `so set your face and persevere in the religion which Allah has prescribed for you, the worship of Allah Alone, the religion of Ibrahim, to which Allah has guided you and which He has perfected for you with the utmost perfection. In this manner, you will also adhere to the sound Fitrah with which He created His creation.' Allah created His creation to recognize Him and know His Tawhid, and that there is no God except Him, as we have already seen when discussing the Ayah,

(and made them testify as to themselves (saying): "Am I not your Lord'' They said: "Yes!...'') (7:172). 

And according to a Hadith, Allah said,

("I created my servants Hunafa (i.e., monotheists), then the Shayatin misled them from their religion.'') We will see in the Hadiths that Allah created His creation with the Fitrah of Islam, then among some of them there emerged corrupt religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism.

(No change let there be in Allah's Khalq,) Some of them said that this means, `do not change the creation of Allah, for if you do, you will divert the people away from the Fitrah with which He created them.' So it is instructive; just as His saying:

(And whoever enters it, he is safe) This is a good and correct interpretation. Others said that this means, Allah made all of His creation equal, all of them have the same sound Fitrah and are by nature upright; they are all born with this nature and there is no disparity among people in this regard. Ibn `Abbas, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and Ibn Zayd said that the Ayah:

(No change let there be in Allah's Khalq) means, the religion of Allah. 

Al-Bukhari said:

(No change let there be in Allah's Khalq,) "It means, the religion of Allah, and the religion, and the Fitrah is Islam.''

(Allah's Fitrah with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Allah's Khalq, that is the straight religion.)'' This was also recorded by Muslim.

(that is the straight religion,) means, adherence to the Shari`ah and the sound Fitrah is the true, straight religion.

(but most men know not.) means, most people do not know this and they deviate far astray from it,

(31) (Always) Turning in repentance to Him (only), and be afraid and dutiful to Him; and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and be not of Al-Mushrikun (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, polytheists, idolaters, etc.).

(turning in repentance to Him) Ibn Zayd and Ibn Jurayj said, "This means, returning to Him.''

(and have Taqwa of Him;) means, fear Him and remember that He is always watching.

(and perform the Salah), which is the greatest act of worship.)

(and be not of the idolators.) Be of those who single out Allah, devoting their worship sincerely for Him alone, not anyone or anything other than Him. Ibn Jarir recorded that Yazid bin Abi Maryam said: "`Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by Mu`adh bin Jabal and asked, `What is the foundation of this Ummah' Mu`adh said, `Three things, and they are the things that will bring salvation: Al-Ikhlas (doing a deed for Allah alone), which is the Fitrah with which Allah created mankind; Salah, which is the thing that tells a believer apart from a disbeliever; and obedience, which is protection.' `Umar said: `You have spoken the truth.

Splitting into Sects and the Saved Sect

(32) Of those who split up their religion (i.e. who left the true Islamic Monotheism), and became sects, [i.e. they invented new things in the religion (Bid'ah), and followed their vain desires], each sect rejoicing in that which is with it.

His saying:

(Of those who Farraqu Dinahum (split up their religion), and became sects, each sect rejoicing in that which is with it.) means, do not be of the idolators who split up their religion, i.e., changed it by believing in parts of it and rejecting other parts. Some scholars read this as Faraqu Dinahum, meaning "neglected their religion and left it behind them.'' These are like the Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, idol worshippers and all the followers of false religions, besides the followers of Islam, as Allah says:

(Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects, you have no concern in them in the least. Their affair is only with Allah) (6:159). 

The followers of the religions before us had differences of opinions and split into false sects, each group claiming to be following the truth. This Ummah too has split into sects, all of which are misguided apart from one, which is Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jama`ah, those who adhere to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah and what was followed by the first generations, the Companions, their followers, and the Imams of the Muslims of earlier and later times.