Evidence of Allah’s Existence
Imam Ibn Kathir

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 1
© 2000 Darussalam

“O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may acquire taqwa (piety).

Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He alone has the right to be worshipped.”

Qur’an, 2:21-22

Several scholars of Tafsir, like Ar-Razi and others, used this Ayat (verse) as an argument for the existence of the Creator, and it is a most worthy method of argument. Indeed, whoever ponders over the things that exist, the higher and lower creatures, their various shapes, colors, behavior, benefits and ecological roles, then he will realize the ability, wisdom, knowledge, perfection and majesty of the Creator. Once a Bedouin was asked about the evidence to Allah’s existence, he responded: “All praise is due to Allah! The camel’s dung testifies to the existence of the camel, and the track testifies to the fact that someone was walking. A sky that holds the giant stars, a land that has fairways and a sea that has waves, does not all of this testify that the Most Kind, Most Knowledgeable exists?” [Ar-Razi 2:91]

(more…)

Enjoining certain Manners so that the Mothers of the Believers may be an Example; and the Prohibition of Tabarruj
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

These are the good manners which Allah enjoined upon the wives of the Prophet so that they would be an example for the women of the Ummah to follow. Allah said, addressing the wives of the Prophet that they should fear Allah as He commanded them, and that no other woman is like them or can be their equal in virtue and status. Then Allah says:

[فَلاَ تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ]

(then be not soft in speech,) As-Suddi and others said, this means, do not be gentle in speech when addressing men. Allah says:

[فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِى فِى قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ]

(lest he in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire,) means, something unclean.

[وَقُلْنَ قَوْلاً مَّعْرُوفاً]

(but speak in an honorable manner.) Ibn Zayd said: “Decent and honorable talk that is known to be good.” This means that she should address non-Mahram men in a manner in which there is no softness, i.e., a woman should not address a non-Mahram man in the same way that she addresses her husband.

(more…)

A Story of a Woman who had Taqwa
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Allah’s statement; (Allah will grant after hardship, ease.)

This is a sure promise from Him, and indeed, Allah’s promises are true and He never breaks them, This is an Allah’s saying; (Verily, along with every hardship is relief. Verily, along with every hardship is relief.) [94:5-6]

There is a relevant Hadith that we should mention here. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, “A man and his wife from an earlier generation were poor. Once when the man came back from a journey, he went to his wife saying to her, while feeling hunger and fatigued, `Do you have anything to eat’ She said, `Yes, receive the good news of Allah’s provisions.’ He again said to her, `If you have anything to eat, bring it to me.’ She said, `Wait a little longer.’ She was awaiting Allah’s mercy. When the matter was prolonged, he said to her, `Get up and bring me whatever you have to eat, because I am real hungry and fatigued.’ She said, `I will. Soon I will open the oven’s cover, so do not be hasty.’ When he was busy and refrained from insisting for a while, she said to herself, `I should look in my oven.’ So she got up and looked in her oven and found it full of the meat of a lamb, and her mortar and pestle was full of seed grains; it was crushing the seeds on its own. So, she took out what was in the mortar and pestle, after shaking it to remove everything from inside, and also took the meat out that she found in the oven.”

Abu Hurayrah added, “By He in Whose Hand is the life of Abu Al-Qasim (Prophet Muhammad )! This is the same statement that Muhammad said, (Had she taken out what was in her mortar and not emptied it fully by shaking it, it would have continued crushing the seeds until the Day of Resurrection.)”

The Life of this World is Fleeting Enjoyment
Imam Ibn Kathir
Tafsir Ibn Katheer (Abridged) Volume 9

“Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children.  (It is) like a rain (Ghayth), thereof the growth is pleasing to the tiller; afterwards it dries up and you see it turning yellow; then it becomes straw.  But in the Hereafter (there is) a severe torment, and (there is) forgiveness from Allah and (His) pleasure.  And the life of this world is only a deceiving enjoyment.” [57:20]

Allah the Exalted degrades the significance of this life and belittles it by saying,

“that the life of this world is only play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children.”

Meaning, this is the significance of this life to its people, just as He said in another Ayah,

“Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land.  This is the pleasure of the present world’s life; but Allah has the excellent return with Him.” ( 3:14 )

(more…)

The isolation of the youth from surah Kahf from an astray, oppressing nation
Imâm Ibn Kathîr

” We narrate unto you their story with truth: Truly, they were young men who believed in their Lord (Allah), and We increased them in guidance. And We made their hearts firm and strong when they stood up and said: “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, never shall we call upon any god other than Him; if we did, we should indeed have uttered an enormity in disbelief. These our people have taken for worship gods other than Him. Why do they not bring for them a clear authority And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against Allah. The young men said to one another:) “And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allah, then seek refuge in the cave; your Lord will open a way for you from His mercy and will make easy for you your affair.” [Surah Kahf 17:13-16]

From here Allah begins to explain the story in detail. He states that they were boys or young men, and that they were more accepting of the truth and more guided than the elders who had become stubbornly set in their ways and clung to the religion of falsehood. For the same reason, most of those who responded to Allah and His Messenger were young people. As for the elders of Quraysh, most of them kept to their religion and only a few of them became Muslims. So Allah tells us that the people of the cave were young men. Mujahid said,

“I was informed that some of them wore some kind of earrings, then Allah guided them and inspired them to fear Him, so they recognized His Oneness, and bore witness that there is no god besides Him.”

“and We increased them in guidance.”

From this and other similar Ayat, several scholars, such as Al-Bukhari and others, understood that faith may increase, that it may vary in degrees, and that it may fluctuate. Allah says:

“and We increased them in guidance.”

(more…)