Surah As Saff Notes (1-4)

Source: Ibn Kathir

Which was revealed in Al-Madinah

The Virtues of Surat As-Saff

Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Salam said, "We asked, `Who among us should go to the Messenger and ask him about the dearest actions to Allah' None among us volunteered. The Messenger sent a man to us and that man gathered us and recited this Surah, Surat As-Saff, in its entirety.'''

Chastising Those Who say what They do not do

(1) Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

We mentioned in many a place before the meaning of Allah's statement,

(Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah. And He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.) Therefore, we do not need to repeat its meaning here. Allah's statement,

(O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do) This refutes those who neglect to fulfill their promises. This honorable Ayah supports the view that several scholars of the Salaf held, that it is necessary to fulfill the promise, regardless of whether the promise includes some type of wealth for the person receiving the promise or otherwise. 

They also argue from the Sunnah, with the Hadith recorded in the Two Sahihs in which Allah's Messenger said, (There are three signs for a hypocrite: when he promises, he breaks his promise; when speaks, he lies; and when he is entrusted, he betrays.) 

And in another Hadith in the Sahih,

(There are four characteristics which if one has all of them, he is the pure hypocrite, and if anyone has any of them, he has a characteristic of hypocrisy, until he abandons it.) So he mentioned breaking the promise among these four characteristics. We mentioned the meaning of these two Hadiths in the beginning of the explanation of Sahih Al-Bukhari, and to Allah is the praise and the thanks. 

Therefore Allah implied this meaning when He continued His admonishment by saying,

(2) O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?

(O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do) Allah says here, `The dearest of you to Me, is he who fights in My cause.''' Some said that it was revealed about the gravity of fighting in battle when one says that he fought and endured the battle, even though he did not do so. Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak said that this Ayah was sent down to admonish some people who used to say that they killed, fought, stabbed, and did such and such during battle, even though they did not do any of it. 

(3) Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do.

(Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do.) Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amir bin Rabi`ah said, "Allah's Messenger came to us while I was a young boy, and I went out to play. My mother said, `O `Abdullah! Come, I want to give you something.' Allah's Messenger said to her, (What did you want to give him) She said, `Dates.' He said, (If you had not given them to him, it would have been written as a lie in your record.)'' 

Muqatil bin Hayyan said, "The faithful believers said, `If we only knew the dearest good actions to Allah, we would perform them.' 

Thus, Allah told them about the dearest actions to Him, saying,

(4) Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in rows (ranks) as if they were a solid structure.

(Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in rows) Allah stated what He likes, and they were tested on the day of Uhud. However, they retreated and fled, leaving the Prophet behind. It was about their case that Allah revealed this Ayah:

Sa`id bin Jubayr said about Allah's statement,

(Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in rows (ranks)) "Before Allah's Messenger began the battle against the enemy, he liked to line up his forces in rows; in this Surah, Allah teaches the believers to do the same.''