Tafsir of Ar-Rum 30:60

(So be patient) i.e., when you know their state and that Allah the Exalted has set a seal upon their hearts, then be patient regarding their detestable actions, consisting of false speech and evil deeds. (For the promise of Allah is true) and He, the Mighty and Majestic, has promised you victory, the manifestation of the religion, and the exaltation of the word of truth; its fulfillment and realization are inevitable. (And let them not disquiet you) meaning, let them not cause you to experience levity or anxiety—(those who have no certainty) in what you recite to them of clear verses, by virtue of their denial of them and their harm toward you with their falsehoods, among which is their saying: (You are nothing but followers of falsehood). For they are doubters who have gone astray, and it is not surprising for such things to come from them. It is also said: it means they have no certainty that the promise of Allah is true, and this is as you see. Although the command is directed at someone other than him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the prohibition returns to him, peace and blessings be upon him; it is of the category of "I do not wish to see you here," the verification of which has already passed. Thus, it is as if it were said: Do not feel anxious because of them. In the verse, there is an indication of His guidance—exalted is He—to His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and a teaching from Him—glorified is He—on how to encounter detestable things with an open heart, in a manner that is not hidden.

Ibn Abi Ishaq and Ya’qub recited (wa la yastahiqqannaka) with an undotted ḥā’ and a qāf, from al-istiḥqāq (to deserve or prevail). The meaning is: "Do not let those who have no certainty prevail over you," or "let them not be more entitled to you than the believers." This is a metaphor for that, because whoever seduces someone entices them to himself until he becomes more entitled to him than others. The prohibition in this reading returns to his nation, peace and blessings be upon him, not to him, due to his state of infallibility (‘iṣmah), and similar examples have preceded, along with the discussion of the scholars regarding them.

The majority recited it with the nūn doubled, while Ibn Abi ‘Ablah and Ya’qub lightened it. Among the subtle anecdotes narrated is that which Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Hakim, and al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan recorded from ‘Ali—may Allah honor his countenance—that a man from the Khawarij called out to him while he was in the dawn prayer, saying: "(And it has been revealed to you and to those before you: If you associate [anything with Allah], your work will surely become worthless, and you will surely be among the losers)." ‘Ali—may Allah honor his countenance—replied while in prayer: (So be patient; indeed, the promise of Allah is true. And let them not disquiet you—those who have no certainty). There is no wonder in this reply from the gate of the city of knowledge and the brother of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

(Alif Lām Mīm. The Byzantines have been defeated in the nearest land, and they, after their defeat, will overcome) to the end: It is said that Alif is an indication of the intimacy (ulfah) of the believers' nature; Lām is an indication of the baseness (lu’m) of the disbelievers' nature; and Mīm is an indication of the forgiveness (maghfirah) of the Lord of the worlds, glorified is His majesty. The "Byzantines" (al-Rūm) are an indication of the heart, and the "Persians" (Fāris)—referred to by the pronoun acting as the agent—are an indication of the self (nafs). The "believers" are an indication of the spirit (rūḥ), the secret (sirr), and the intellect (‘aql). The verse indicates that the state of the seekers changes with the change of times; sometimes the Persians (the self) defeat the Byzantines (the heart), and at other times, by the support and victory of Allah, the Byzantines (the heart) defeat the Persians (the self), and that is "within a few years" of the days of the journey. "And that day the believers will rejoice"—the spirit, the secret, and the intellect.

Al-Naysaburi followed this path. (They know what is apparent of the worldly life) contains an indication of the state of the veiled and their standing only upon the exteriors of things. There is nothing that does not have an exterior—which is what the external senses perceive of it—and an interior—which is what the intellect perceives by one of the ways of perception regarding the aspects of wisdom within it—and among it is that which is beyond the capacity of the intellect, which is what is obtained by means of divine effusion and the refinement of the self to the utmost degree. Even if this is not among what the intellect deduces, the intellect accepts it; "beyond the capacity of the intellect" does not mean that the intellect considers it impossible or rejects it, as is mistakenly imagined. From what we have mentioned, it is known that the interior does not have to be reached via the exterior; rather, it may be obtained without it, and that is higher in rank than obtaining it through the exterior. Therefore, the statement of those who say that it is impossible to reach the interior without crossing through the exterior is not free from debate.

(But those who have believed and done righteous deeds, they shall be in a garden, rejoicing) i.e., they are made happy by listening in the garden of witnessing, and that is the sustenance and delight of their spirits. The highest types of listening in this realm, according to the Sufi masters, is that which comes from the Divine Presence through the holy spirits and the angelic hearing. This hearing has never parted from the hearing of "Am I not your Lord?" It is well-known among them that listening to beautiful sounds and things that move the states that prevail over them—of fear, hope, love, and veneration—is like listening to the Quran, preaching, the duff, the flute, strings, the pipe, the camel-driver's song (ḥidā’), and poetry. In that, there is both the praiseworthy and the blameworthy. In the major foundations of ‘Izz al-Din ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd al-Salam, there is a detailed discussion on this in the most complete manner. We will mention, if Allah the Exalted wills, what pertains to this shortly. Allah the Exalted is the Granter of what is correct.

(So exalt Allah when you reach the evening) etc.: It contains an indication that one ought to occupy all times with the glorification of Allah, the Exalted, and praising Him—glorified and exalted is He—as He is worthy of, for that is the garden of this realm. In the tradition, it is said: "The circles of remembrance are the gardens of Paradise."

(He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living): This contains an indication that the branch does not necessarily have to be like its root. Indeed, the rose comes from the thorn, and the narcissus does not grow except from an onion bulb.

(And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them): This contains an indication that commonality in nature is one of the causes of intimacy; truly, birds of a feather flock together.

(Each faction in what they have, they rejoice): This contains an indication that He, the Mighty and Majestic, did not compel anyone regarding what they are upon, whether it be truth or falsehood. Rather, the mutual attraction between the souls occurred according to their readiness and what they are upon. So He, the Exalted whose power is glorious, gave every lover the beloved that his heart—due to its readiness—craved, and whose love became the fullness of his heart. This is the secret of joy. How subtle is what Qays ibn Dharih said: My soul became attached to hers before our creation, And before we were even a drop of fluid. It grew in the cradle as we grew, So it became developed and shall not be severed when we die; Rather, it remains through every incident, and visits us in the darkness of the grave and the tomb.

(And when the people suffer) the verse contains an indication that the nature of man is blended from the guidance of the spirit and its obedience, and the misguidance of the self and its rebellion. When adversity overshadows the people, affliction reaches them, calamity touches them, their selves are broken, their urges subside, and their spirits are liberated from the captivity of the darkness of their desires, their spirits return to the [Divine] Presence, and the selves agree with them contrary to their nature, so they call upon their Lord, turning penitently to Him. But when He—the Exalted—bestows upon them the removal of what reached them and looks—glorified is He—with kindness upon what afflicted them, those among them who were rebellious return to their blameworthy habit and their low, ominous nature.

(Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea) etc.: It contains an indication that evils are not intended for their own sake; rather, they are like lancing a wound or amputating a finger that has gangrene.

(So be patient; indeed, the promise of Allah is true. And let them not disquiet you—those who have no certainty): It contains an indication to the people of the Muhammadan inheritance, the people of guidance, that they should be patient regarding the detestable actions of the deniers, the veiled ones who do not have certainty in the truthfulness of their states. For this reason, they look down upon them, view them with contempt, blame them, and denounce them for what they say and do. We ask Allah the Exalted to make us among the certain, and to protect us, our children, and our brothers from the diseases of the heart and the body, by the sanctity of His trustworthy Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace and upon his family and all his companions.