Surah Hijr

Surah Hijr is the last of the six surahs beginning with Alif Lam Meem. It is a Mekkan surah that was revealed shortly after the revelation of Surah Yusuf, a time of great trials for the Muslim community just before the Hijrah to Medinah. The title Al Hijr is taken from the 80th verse of the surah. It can refer to a geographic location, the northernmost area of the Hijaz, or the tribe of Thamud, to whom Prophet Salih was sent. Surah Hijr uses the stories of Prophets Ibrahim and Lut to examine the regret of the disbelievers on the Day of Judgment, the protection of Allah's message and the protection of the Truth, the evil of Shaytan and the difficulties the unbelievers placed upon the prophets of Allah to try to weaken them.

Allah swt opens this surah with three letters to which we can not be certain of there meaning. He immediately moves to discussing the regret the disbelievers will face on the Day of Judgment. They will wish they had believed but their regret will come too late. As Allah swt explains in verse 3 that they will wish they had embraced Islam and bowed down in worship. Sadly, even today, we see many Muslims compromising the commands of Allah in order to enjoy aspects of the dunya that are beyond the boundaries of Islam. After time, they attempt to use unauthentic interpretations of the words of Allah to justify their transgressions. Allah is indicating here, that whatever we do we will inevitably be asked to justify our actions before Him and He knows well what is in His book and what is in our hearts.

The disbelievers at the times of the Prophets did what they could to convince themselves that the Message was false. As was discussed in an earlier chapter, the language of the Qur'an was so unique that the Arabs were not able to counter the message by attacking the Qur'an itself. In a way this was an acknowledgement on their part of the uniqueness of the Qur'an. As a result the disbelievers turned from attacking the message to attacking the messengers. In verse 8 and 9, they accuse Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of being a madman and ask him to bring down the angels to prove he is conveying the truth. But Allah reveals that the angels are not sent down to satisfy their curiosity or entertain their arrogant suggestions but that the angels are on a mission to provide inspiration to the Messengers of Allah. He swt responds to their audacious remarks with a powerful statement in Surah Furqan, "On that Day that they do see the angels- there will be no good news given on that day to the guilty. And the angels will say: 'All kinds of glad tidings are forbidden for you.'" The disbelievers questioned the Messengers as to why Allah had not sent them in the form of a more powerful being if they were indeed the messengers of Allah. What they did not realize was what a great blessing it was to have the model of good and righteousness walking the earth in the form of a human. It allows us to believe that we are able to attain what the Prophets would preach. Would we follow the Prophet in fasting if he was a being that did not require sustenance? Would we relate to his emotions if he went through life and did not feel sadness? Allah, in His infinite Wisdom, understands the Human need to relate and feel connected, so He granted us Prophets like ourselves. As we travel through the stories of the Qur'an we must remember that while the Prophets were more superior human beings, they were human beings and we must use the examples they left behind to establish and increase our Iman.

Surah Hijr explains the Seven Gates of Hell. The followers of Shaytan have each been assigned a gate according to the weight of their deeds. The intensity of the descriptions of Hell should shake the heart of any reader. The punishment is severe and Allah reminds us of Shaytan's vow to cause people to stray. But in verse 42 Allah says to Shaytan, "For over My servants No authority shall you have, except such as put themselves in the wrong and follow you." It is made clear here that our wrong doings cannot be blamed on anyone other than ourselves. Shaytan may invite us to sin but the decision to engage is our own. Verses 45-49 then speak about the People of Paradise and the reward they are granted for their efforts in this world. These verses describe the beautiful images of Paradise and remind us that Allah will make it perfect for each person. Any displeasure with their life in this world will be resolved and Allah will grant His servant all that he wanted in this life and more. No harm will come to the people of Paradise.

This surah really puts into perspective our life on earth. Allah has granted us the Prophets as examples of what we should be, He warns us of Shaytan's promise and that the decision to follow him or follow Allah remains in our hands, and He makes clear the two options we have for the akhirah. We must reflect on what are we doing and where our actions are taking us. May Allah forgive our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.