Sūrat Sabaʾ

Meccan 54 Verses

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

{ Praise be to God, to Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and to Him belongs praise in the Hereafter; and He is the Wise, the Acquainted. }

• "Praise be to God": A declaration of His perfection and a statement that all praise is His alone.
• "To Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth": He is the Owner of all things, and they are His creation and His servants.
• "And to Him belongs praise in the Hereafter": Just as He is praised in this world, He is praised in the next, for He is the One who rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked.
• "And He is the Wise": In His creation and His commands.
• "The Acquainted": Who knows the hidden realities of all things.

{ He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein; and He is the Merciful, the Forgiving. }

• "He knows what penetrates into the earth": Such as rain, seeds, the dead, and treasures.
• "And what emerges from it": Such as plants, springs, minerals, and the resurrected.
• "And what descends from the heaven": Such as rain, angels, and decrees.
• "And what ascends therein": Such as angels, the deeds of servants, and souls.
• "And He is the Merciful": To His servants by delaying their punishment.
• "The Forgiving": Of those who repent among them.

"All praise is due to Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth..."

Everything in the heavens and the earth is a blessing from Allah, and He is the One truly worthy of praise and commendation for it. When He said, "All praise is due to Allah," and then described His Essence as the Bestower of all worldly blessings, the meaning is: He is the One praised for the blessings of this world. It is like saying, "Praise your brother who clothed you and carried you," meaning: praise him for his clothing and his carrying.

When He said, "And to Him is praise in the Hereafter," it is understood that He is the One praised for the blessings of the Hereafter, which is the reward.

If you ask: What is the difference between the two praises? I say: Praise in this world is obligatory, because it is for a blessing bestowed by grace, and it is the path to attaining the blessing of the Hereafter, which is the reward. As for praise in the Hereafter, it is not obligatory, because it is for a blessing that is necessarily delivered to those who deserve it. Rather, it is the completion of the believers' joy and the perfection of their delight; they take pleasure in it just as the thirsty take pleasure in cold water.

"And He is the Wise," who has perfected the affairs of both abodes and managed them with His wisdom. "The All-Aware," of everything that exists.

"He knows what penetrates into the earth"—such as rain, as in His saying: "And He caused it to flow as springs in the earth" (Az-Zumar: 21), as well as treasures, buried things, the dead, and everything that the earth contains. "And what emerges from it"—such as trees, plants, spring water, crops, animals, and other things. "What descends from the heaven"—such as rain, snow, hail, lightning bolts, provisions, angels, and various blessings and decrees, as the Exalted said: "And in the heaven is your provision and whatever you are promised" (Adh-Dhariyat: 22). "And what ascends into it"—such as the angels and the deeds of the servants.

"And He is," despite the abundance of His blessings and the fullness of His grace, "the Merciful, the Forgiving" to those who fall short in fulfilling the duties of gratitude for them.

Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) recited: tunazzilu (with a nun and a shadda).

"But those who disbelieve say, 'The Hour will not come to us.' Say, 'Yes, by my Lord, it will surely come to you. [He is] the Knower of the unseen. Not absent from Him is an atom's weight within the heavens or within the earth or [what is] smaller than that or greater, except that it is in a clear record. That He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds. Those will have forgiveness and noble provision.'"