Surah As-Saff 61:1
ﱽ ﱾ ﱿ ﲀ ﲁ ﲂ ﲃ ﲄ ﲅ ﲆ ﲇ ﲈ
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth exalts Allah, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
Tafsir of As-Saff 61:1
Tafsir
Al-Kashshaf
Verse range: 61:1
Surah al-Saff
Classification: Medinan. Its verses are 14 (revealed after al-Taghabun).
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Verse 1 **{Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.}**
Verse 2 **{O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do?}**
Verse 3 **{Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do.}**
Verse 4 **{Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a [single] structure joined firmly.}**
{ لِمَ } The *lam* is the preposition of attribution (*idafa*), prefixed to the interrogative *ma* (what), just as other prepositions are prefixed to it, such as *bi-ma* (with what), *fi-ma* (in what), *min-ma* (from what), *an-ma* (about what), *ila-ma* (to what), and *ala-ma* (upon what). The *alif* was dropped because *ma* and the preposition are treated as a single word, and their usage is frequent in the speech of one who is questioning. The original form is rarely used, and pausing on it involves either adding the *ha* of silence (*ha al-sakt*) or keeping it vowelless (*iskan*). Those who keep it vowelless during *wasl* (continuous speech) do so by treating it as a pause, similar to what has been heard: *thalatha*, *arba'a* (using the *ha* and dropping the vowel of the *hamza* onto it).
{ كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ } This statement addresses lying and breaking promises. It is reported that before the command to fight was given, the believers said: "If we knew which deeds were most beloved to Allah, we would perform them and sacrifice our wealth and souls for them." Allah guided them to *Jihad* in His path, but they turned away at the Battle of Uhud, so He rebuked them.
Others say: When Allah informed them of the reward for the martyrs of Badr, they said: "If we encounter battle, we will surely exert our utmost effort," yet they fled at Uhud and did not fulfill their word.
Others say: A man would claim, "I killed," when he did not kill; "I stabbed," when he did not stab; "I struck," when he did not strike; and "I remained steadfast," when he did not.
Another account: A man had harmed the Muslims and caused them injury, so Suhayb killed him. Another man claimed the killing for himself. Umar said to Suhayb, "Inform the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that you killed him." Suhayb replied, "I only killed him for the sake of Allah and His Messenger." Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah, Suhayb killed him." The Prophet asked, "Is that so, O Abu Yahya?" He replied, "Yes." Thus, this verse was revealed regarding the one who falsely claimed the act. According to al-Hasan, it was revealed regarding the hypocrites.
Calling them to faith is a mockery of them and their faith. This is among the most eloquent and expressive speech in its meaning. The word kabura (how great) is intended to express wonder (ta'ajjub) without using the standard form of wonder, similar to the saying: "May the spear of Kulayb be ransomed for its equal." The meaning of ta'ajjub is to magnify the matter in the hearts of the listeners, for wonder only occurs regarding something that deviates from its peers and types.
The verb is attributed to the phrase an taqulu (that you say). Maqtan (as hatred) is in the accusative case as an explanatory noun (tamyiz), indicating that their saying what they do not do is pure hatred, without any mixture, due to the intensity of the hatred's hold upon it. The word maqt was chosen because it is the most intense and expressive form of hatred. Hence, it is said: Nikah al-Maqt (the marriage of hatred) for marrying one's stepmother. It does not stop at making the hatred "great," but makes it the most intense and heinous form of it.
Inda Allah (in the sight of Allah) is more expressive than that, for if its greatness is established in the sight of Allah, its magnitude and intensity are complete, and all doubts are removed. One of the predecessors was asked to speak, and he remained silent. When asked again, he said: "Do you command me to say what I do not do, so that I may hasten the hatred of Allah?"