English Translation of Al-Quran
[37].Surah As-Saffat (Those Ranged in Ranks)
Ayat 1. By those (angels) ranged in ranks (or rows).
Ayat 2. By those (angels) who drive the clouds in a good way.
Ayat 3. By those (angels) who bring the Book and the Qur’an from Allah to mankind.
Ayat 4. Verily your Ilah (God) is indeed One (i.e. Allah);
Ayat 5. Lord of the heavens and of the earth, and all that is between them, and Lord of every point of the sun’s risings. (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah).
Tafseer of Surah As-Saffat (Those Ranged in Ranks) Ayat 1. By those who range themselves in ranks, At a later stage, we shall study the general meaning of the adjurations in the Qur’an indicated by the particle wa. Here we may note that the last Surah (Yaseen) practically began with the adjuration “by the Qur’an, full of wisdom”, emphasizing the fact that Revelation was the evidence by which we could learn the highest wisdom of the spiritual world. Here our attention is called in three verses or clauses, to three definite attitudes which illustrate the triumph of Good and the frustration of Evil. See the notes following. Two questions arise: (1) are the doers of the three things noted in verses 1-3 the same persons, whose actions or qualities are differently described, or are they three distinct sets of persons? (2) In either case, who are they? As to (1) the most authoritative view is that the three clauses describe the same set of persons in different aspects. As to (2) some take them to refer to angels, and others understand by them the good men, the men of God, who strive and range themselves in Allah’s service. The words are perfectly general, and I interpret them to refer to both classes. The feminine form is grammatically used in Arabic idiom for the indefinite plural. In 37:165 below, the word saffun is used in the definite plural, and seems to be spoken by these beings, angels or men of God or both, according to how we interpret this verse. Ayat 2. And so are strong in repelling (evil), the three acts in verses 1-3 are consecutive, as shown by the particle fa. I understand them to mean that angels and good men (1) are ever ready to range themselves in ranks in the service of Allah and work in perfect discipline and accord at all times; (2) that they check and frustrate evil wherever they find it and they are strengthened in doing so by their discipline and their ranging themselves in ranks; and (3) that this service furthers the Kingdom of Allah and proclaims His Message and His glory to all creation. Ayat 3. And thus proclaim the Message (of Allah! Ayat 4. Verily, verily, your Allah is one! – That divine Message is summed up in the gospel of Divine Unity, on which the greatest emphasis is laid: “verily, verily your God is One”. It is a fact intimately connected with our own life and destiny.’ Your Lord is one Who cares for you and cherishes you; you are dear to Him. And He is One. it is only He that you have to look to, the source of all goodness, love, and power. You are not the sport of many contending, forces or blind chances. There is complete harmony and unity in heaven and you have to put yourselves into unison with it-by discipline in ranks, by unity of plan and purpose in repelling evil, and by concerted action in promoting the Kingdom of God.’ Here is the mystery of the manifold variety of creation pointing to the absolute Unity of the Creator. Ayat 5. Lord of the heavens and of the earth and all between them, and Lord of every point at the rising of the sun! Allah is the Lord of everything that exists-‘the heavens and the earth, and all between them’. He is the Lord of the Mashariq of every point at the rising of the sun. As the Commentators tell us, there are in the solar year only two equinoctial days, when the sun rises due east: on every other the sun rises at a shifting point either north or south of due east. In 7:137 we have Mashreq al ardi wa magharibaha, where the plural of the words for East and West is negligible, as the conjunction of the two embraces all points. The same may be said of 70:40, where Allah is called “Lord of all points in the East and the West”. If we are speaking of longitudes, they may embrace all latitudes. In 55:17 Allah is called “Lord of the two Easts and the two Wests”, referring to the extreme points in either case. A cursory reader may ask, why is only the East referred to here? The reply is that it is not so much the East as the rising of the sun, on which stress is laid. The Arabic Mashreq or mashariq is close enough to the root word sharaqa, to suggest, not so much the East as the rising of the sun, especially when the plural form is used. The glorious sun rises from different points, as seen by us, but it illuminates the whole heaven and earth. It is an emblem of Unity.
English Translation of Hadith
Hazrat Abu Dharr (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) said, “I see what you do not see and I hear what you do not hear; heaven has squeaked, and it has right to do so. By Him, in Whose Hand my soul is, there is not a space of four fingers in which there is not an angel who is prostrating his forehead before Allah, the Exalted. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little, weep much, and you would not enjoy women in beds, but would go out to the open space beseeching Allah”.
[At-Tirmidhi Hadith # 2312]
Lesson: as mentioned above in Surah As-Saffat Ayat 1. By those (angels) ranged in ranks (or rows)”
1. This Hadith also highlights the importance of fear of Allah because the more awareness a Muslim has of the Majesty and Magnificence of Allah, the greater shall be the terror in his heart for His punishment and hope of His Mercy. With this state of mind, he will perform greater acts of obedience and abstain more rigidly from sins.
2. The Hadith also mentions the heaven teeming with angels who are all the time prostrating before Allah in worship. When this is the condition of the angels, who do not slack for a moment in the obedience of Allah, how important it is for man to worship Him because he is all the time violating commands of Allah. It is, therefore, incumbent on man to obey Allah and always seek His Help and Refuge.
