Surah 61 of 114 · Madinah · Juz 28

Surah As-Saf

The Ranks

الصف

14 ayahs Revealed in Madinah Translation: Saheeh International

About Surah As-Saf

The title comes from 61:4, where Allah says He loves those who fight in His cause in a row, as though they were a single structure joined firmly. Fourteen verses, revealed in Madinah, and the tone is set early by a rebuke that has nothing to do with the battlefield: 61:2 and 61:3 ask believers why they say what they do not do, and call it greatly hateful in the sight of Allah. The gap between what a person professes and what he is willing to put behind it is the thread running through the whole of it.

Two earlier prophets are brought in to show that the problem is old. Moses asks his people at 61:5 why they harm him when they know he is Allah's messenger to them. Jesus at 61:6 confirms the Torah before him and gives news of a messenger to come after him whose name is Ahmad, and is answered with the charge of obvious magic. 61:8 gives the image the surah is best known for, of people trying to put out the light of Allah with their mouths while He completes it. The closing section offers what 61:10 calls a transaction that saves from a painful punishment, spelled out at 61:11 as belief in Allah and His Messenger and striving with wealth and life. The last verse, 61:14, tells believers to be supporters of Allah as the disciples were when Jesus asked who would support him, and closes with one faction of the Children of Israel believing, one disbelieving, and the believers being supported until they became dominant.

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

61:1

سَبَّحَ لِلّٰهِ مَا فِی السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَا فِی الْاَرْضِ ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِیْزُ الْحَكِیْمُ

Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth exalts Allāh, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

61:2

یٰۤاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لِمَ تَقُوْلُوْنَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ

O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do?

61:3

كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ اَنْ تَقُوْلُوْا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ

Greatly hateful in the sight of Allāh is that you say what you do not do.

61:4

اِنَّ اللّٰهَ یُحِبُّ الَّذِیْنَ یُقَاتِلُوْنَ فِیْ سَبِیْلِهٖ صَفًّا كَاَنَّهُمْ بُنْیَانٌ مَّرْصُوْصٌ

Indeed, Allāh loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a [single] structure joined firmly.

61:5

وَاِذْ قَالَ مُوْسٰی لِقَوْمِهٖ یٰقَوْمِ لِمَ تُؤْذُوْنَنِیْ وَقَدْ تَّعْلَمُوْنَ اَنِّیْ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ اِلَیْكُمْ ؕ فَلَمَّا زَاغُوْۤا اَزَاغَ اللّٰهُ قُلُوْبَهُمْ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ لَا یَهْدِی الْقَوْمَ الْفٰسِقِیْنَ

And [mention, O Muḥammad], when Moses said to his people, "O my people, why do you harm me while you certainly know that I am the messenger of Allāh to you?" And when they deviated, Allāh caused their hearts to deviate. And Allāh does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.

61:6

وَاِذْ قَالَ عِیْسَی ابْنُ مَرْیَمَ یٰبَنِیْۤ اِسْرَآءِیْلَ اِنِّیْ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ اِلَیْكُمْ مُّصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیْنَ یَدَیَّ مِنَ التَّوْرٰىةِ وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُوْلٍ یَّاْتِیْ مِنْ بَعْدِی اسْمُهٗۤ اَحْمَدُ ؕ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ بِالْبَیِّنٰتِ قَالُوْا هٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِیْنٌ

And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O Children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allāh to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Aḥmad." But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, "This is obvious magic."

61:7

وَمَنْ اَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرٰی عَلَی اللّٰهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُوَ یُدْعٰۤی اِلَی الْاِسْلَامِ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ لَا یَهْدِی الْقَوْمَ الظّٰلِمِیْنَ

And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allāh untruth while he is being invited to Islām. And Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.

61:8

یُرِیْدُوْنَ لِیُطْفِـُٔوْا نُوْرَ اللّٰهِ بِاَفْوَاهِهِمْ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ مُتِمُّ نُوْرِهٖ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكٰفِرُوْنَ

They want to extinguish the light of Allāh with their mouths, but Allāh will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.

61:9

هُوَ الَّذِیْۤ اَرْسَلَ رَسُوْلَهٗ بِالْهُدٰی وَدِیْنِ الْحَقِّ لِیُظْهِرَهٗ عَلَی الدِّیْنِ كُلِّهٖ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُوْنَ

It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allāh dislike it.