B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m
Teachings of the Qur'aan
An-Nasr
Soorah 110:1-3
Name and Background
Teachings and Commentary
Ayub A. Hamid
Name and Background
The Soorah came to be identified by the word An-Nasr (The
help) from the first verse.
It talks about the help of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, the
resultant victory the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam had over the
Makkans, the acceptance of Islam by Arabs en masse and the completion of the
mission for which the Prophet was sent. It exhorts the Prophet sall Allaahu
'alayhi wa sallam to express his gratitude towards and seek forgiveness of
Allaah who made the attainment of these goals possible.
The previous Soorah, Al-Kaafiroon, marked the rejection of
the offers of compromise from Makkans. It announced the steadfast continuity of
the Islamic mission in an uncompromising way until its objectives were fully
achieved and Islam was fully established as a complete and dominant way of life
in Arabia. As discussed in the past, the objectives of the Prophet sall Allaahu
'alayhi wa sallam's mission were to:
a.. Bring Arabs back to the Deen of Islam and Towheed as it
was preached and practised by Ibraaheem 'alayhissalaam[1] so that all Arabs
adopt the exclusive submission to and worship of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala;
b.. Remove the Makkans from the leadership of Arabs and
control of the Holy Ka'abah; and
c.. Re-dedicate the Holy Ka'abah to its original purpose of
being the centre of Towheed and Islamic movement in the world.
This Soorah announces the completion of the mission and
achievement of these objectives.
It is evident that this is a Madani Soorah revealed in the
last part of the Prophetic mission. However, there are two views about the time
of its revelation. Some believe that it was revealed just before the conquest
of Makkah informing the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam of how the
events were going to unfold. Others are of the opinion that it was the last
Soorah (i.e., complete Soorah) to be revealed and that its revelation indicated
to the Prophet that, with the completion of the mission, it was time for the
Prophet to depart from this world. Thus, it gave to the Prophet sall Allaahu
'alayhi wa sallam the news of his death and he died within months of its
revelation.
In reality, the difference of opinion regarding the timing is
moot. The essential point is clear. It announces the successful completion of
the mission of the Prophet and exhorts the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam to get ready to meet his Lord through extra devotion, glorification and
request for forgiveness.
Teachings
In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
1 When Allaah's help and triumph comes, 2 and you see people
entering into Allaah's Deen[2] in droves; 3 then glorify your Lord with praise
and gratitude and seek His forgiveness. He is ever so Accepting of repentance.
Commentary
The triumph herein means the conquest of Makkah and the
acquisition of control of the Holy Ka'bah. This conquest not only opened the
hearts and minds of the Prophet's Makkan adversaries to Islam, it also opened
the doors for all Arab tribes to enter into Islam. Arab tribes were watching
the struggle between the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and his Makkan
adversaries with keen interest. To them, the Prophet's success over his own
people and his own city would prove that he was the true prophet of Allaah. It
would also show the viability of his movement and mission. As soon as they saw
him succeed in this crucial test in 8 AH[3], they started entering into Islam
in droves. The year 9 AH was called the year of delegations because the
delegations from different tribes from all over Arabia were coming to visit the
Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and entering into Islam. So much so that
by year 10 AH, the whole of Arabia had become Muslim.
The Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam has been commanded
to "glorify your Lord with praise and gratitude and seek His forgiveness". The
first part of this command is expressed by the word Sabbih (Tasbeeh) which
means glorifying Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala to be above and beyond any
weaknesses or imperfections that human beings can think of. The second part is
Hamd, which means praise that ensues from deep gratitude. The third part is
seeking forgiveness.
We know that the prophets are under direct and active
supervision of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, Who protects them from making
mistakes or committing sins. This quality differentiates them from other human
leaders. Every human being makes mistakes. So do the leaders. That is why we
cannot follow the model of any human being other than a prophet, because that
is the only model which is free from mistakes, errors and sins. So when the
Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, like other prophets, was sin-free, why
was he being asked to seek forgiveness from Allaah?
This forgiveness is not from sins or mistakes, but rather it
is an expression of humility in acknowledging and seeking forgiveness for any
instance where any of the prophetic responsibilities may not have been
performed in its most excellent form or way. These were the kind of matters
that were already publicly mentioned in the Qur-aan. Otherwise, his performance
was so superb that there is no example of that kind of performance even among
all of the prophets and messengers, much less any other human being. He
accomplished the most profound revolution, in the most peaceful manner (with
the least amount of bloodshed), in the outlook of the biggest number of people
in the shortest time. Within 23 years, he made a scattered, illiterate,
ignorant, and warring faction of the Peninsula change their beliefs, outlook,
manners, morals, ethics, lifestyle, and their social, political and economic
systems, united them under law and order and made them the leaders of the
civilized world and champions of goodness.
It would have been natural to celebrate and feel pride for
this achievement that was and remains unparalleled in human history, but
instead he was being exhorted to praise the Lord and seek forgiveness with
humility. By teaching the Prophet sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam to praise the
Lord, express his Gratitude to Him and seek His forgiveness, the Muslims are
being taught that:
§ We should never be proud of any of our
achievements; because the success, results, triumph and victory comes from
Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala's help and mercy. Only He makes our humble
attempts produce fruitful results;
§ Instead of being proud of what we have achieved, we
must thank Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala, glorify Him and appreciate His
kindness for making our imperfect and less than desirable efforts accomplish
good results.
§ We should rather seek Allaah's forgiveness for the
weaknesses and shortcomings that we may have shown while performing our duty to
Allaah; we should also seek His forgiveness for our shortcomings in glorifying
and thanking Him.
This is the lofty ideal that Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala
wants Muslims to pursue. It frees a person from any kind of egoistic feelings
and develops constructive humility in him.
This attitude makes the people kind to those conquered and to
those over whom victory has been achieved. It is in contrast to the vicious
behaviour adopted by those who do not know or practice Islamic teachings and
the world has observed the viciousness of their behaviour when they gain
victory over others.
It will be good to recall that when the Prophet sall Allaahu
'alayhi wa sallam was entering Makkah after gaining victory over those arrogant
Makkans who had persecuted him and his followers so viciously, the Prophet sall
Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam had bowed his head so much in humility and gratitude
to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala that his face was almost touching the camel's
back.
According to the exhortation given in this Soorah, he
increased the frequency of Allaah's glorification to an unprecedented level. He
frequently was heard saying phrases such as:
Glorified are You O Allaah, for You is all praise and
gratitude, I seek your forgiveness and I turn to you in repentance.
Glorified are You O Allaah, for You is all praise and
gratitude, O Allaah forgive me.
Glorified is our Lord, for Him is all praise and gratitude,
O Allaah forgive me, You indeed are kindly accepting of repentance and
forgiving.
(These and similar du'aas have been reported by Bukhaari,
Muslim, Musnad Ahmad, Aboo Dawood, Nasaai, Ibn Maajah, Ibn Jareer, Ibn Abee
Haatim, etc.)
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[1] 'alayhissalaam - peace be upon him
[2] Allaah's Deen means Islam. People usually translate
"Deen" into "religion", but Deen is much more than a religion. Religion usually
implies a set of rules and rituals about so called "spiritual" aspects of life.
Islam as Deen implies adopting servitude and submission to Allaah Subhaanahu wa
Ta'aala in every aspect of life whether considered public, private, carnal or
spiritual, both individual as well as collective. In other words, "Entering
into Allaah's Deen" means bringing the whole life, its every aspect, under the
rule of and in submission and obedience to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala,
seeking His pleasure.
[3] Counting from the year of Hijrah (Prophet sall Allaahu
'alayhi wa sallam's migration to Madeenah).
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Copyright © 2008 Ayub A. Hamid
All rights reserved
This document may be used, only with this copyright notice
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attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all
other rights, which are reserved.
Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur'aan,
not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives
interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details.
Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur'aan is in fact only an
expression of the translator's understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur'aan itself. Only the
original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur'aan.
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Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic
thinker residing in Canada for the last 33 years. His recently published books
are:
1. Islam - Does It Make Sense?
2. Unveiling the Commands-The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar
and Jilbaab.
3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth.
4. A Book Unlike Any Other.
5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms.
6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs.
http://soundvisioncanada.com/shop/pbrowse.asp?Pg=3&Cat=10004
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The following soowar 'Teachings of the Qur'aan' series by
Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid, are available on request:-
Al Faatihah
Al Baqarah
Aali 'Imraan
A Nisaa'
Al Maaidah
Al An`aam
Al A`raaf
Al Anfaal
At Teen
Al`Alaq
Al Qadr
Al Bayyinah
Al Zilzaal
Al Aadiyatt
Al Qaari`ah
At Takaathur
Al`Asr
Al-Humazah
Al-Feel
Al-Quraish
Al-Maa`oon
Al-Kowthar
Al Kaafiroon
K a r i m a
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