Transliteration:( Amman huwa qaanitun aanaaa'al laili saajidanw wa qaaa'imai yahzarul Aakhirata wa yarjoo rahmata Rabbih; qul hal yastawil lazeena ya'lamoona wallazeena laa ya'lamoon; innamaa yatazakkaru ulul albaab (section 1) )
"Can someone who remains in the hours of the night in devotion [32], prostrating and standing in fear of the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord, be like the one who is disobedient? Please declare: 'Are those who know equal to those who do not know [33]?' Surely, only those understand who are wise [34]."
This verse highlights the virtue of Tahajjud (late night prayer), showing the superiority of those who stand and prostrate before Allah, driven by both fear of the Hereafter and hope for divine mercy.
Qayaam (standing) and Sajdah (prostration) are mentioned as the loftiest acts in Salah. The verse also emphasizes that fear of Allah should remain even in worship, preventing the worshipper from falling into pride or self-righteousness.
Reason for Revelation:
This verse was revealed in honor of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq and Hazrat Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with them). Some scholars include Hazrat Uthman Ghani as well, due to his dedication to Tahajjud, during which he would not wake his servants, choosing instead to complete his own tasks silently in the night.
This portion establishes that the scholar of Islam is superior to one who is merely a worshipper. Even though angels were engaged in constant worship, Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him) was given superiority due to knowledge—the angels were ordered to prostrate before him.
This verse gives a clear command that knowledge of religion raises one’s rank. Whether the other person is a worshipper or not, the scholar holds a higher position.
True scholars are those who are well-versed in Islamic knowledge, and it is due to this rank that Bibi Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) is considered not only superior to the wives of the Prophet ﷺ, but to all women, because of her deep understanding of Islamic knowledge.
This closing part hints that true wisdom lies in benefiting from the teachings of the Prophets.
The person who fails to derive benefit from the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, despite worldly intelligence, is still ignorant and foolish in the spiritual sense.
Thus, understanding and wisdom are not just about intellect, but about recognizing and following prophetic truth.
9. Is one who is obedient to Allah, Ana’a Al-Layl prostrating and standing fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord Say: “Are those who know equal to those who know not” It is only men of understanding who will remember.
Allah says, `is the one who is like this equal to one who associates others in worship with Allah and sets up rivals to Him’ They are not equal before Allah, as He says:
(Not all of them are alike; a party of the People of the Scripture stand for the right, they recite the Ayat of Allah Ana’a Al-Layl, prostrating themselves (in prayer).) (3:113). And Allah says here:
(Is one who is obedient to Allah, Ana’a Al-Layl prostrating and standing) meaning, one who is humble and fears Allah when he prostrates and stands (in prayer). It was reported that Ibn Mas`ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The obedient one is one who obeys Allah and His Messenger .” Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Al-Hasan, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd said, Ana’a Al-Layl means in the depths of the night.
(fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord.) means, in his worship he feels both fear and hope. Both are essential in worship, and fear should be stronger during one’s lifetime. Allah says:
(fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord. ) At the time of death, hope is uppermost, as Imam `Abd bin Humayd recorded in his Musnad from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said, “The Messenger of Allah entered upon a man who was dying, and said to him,
(How do you feel) He said, `I am both afraid and hopeful.’ The Messenger of Allah said:
(These do not co-exist in a person’s heart at times such as this, but Allah will give him what he hopes for and protect him from that which he fears.)” This was recorded by At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i in Al-Yawm wal-Laylah, and Ibn Majah from the Hadith of Yasar bin Hatim from Ja`far bin Sulayman. At-Tirmidhi said, “Gharib.” Imam Ahmad recorded that Tamim Ad-Dari, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah said:
(Whoever recites one hundred Ayat in one night, it will be recorded as if he prayed all night.) This was also recorded by An-Nasa’i in Al-Yawm wal-Laylah.
(Say: “Are those who know equal to those who know not”) means, is this one equal with the one who sets up rivals to Allah to mislead (men) from His path
(It is only men of understanding who will remember. ) means, the only one who will understand the difference between them is the one who has understanding. And Allah knows best.
(39:9) Is such a person (preferable or he) who is obedient, and prostrates himself in the watches of the night, stands (in Prayer), is fearful of the Hereafter, and looks forward to the mercy of His Lord? Ask them: “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?”[28] Only those endowed with understanding take heed.
28. It should be noted that two kinds of the men are being contrasted here. First, those who turn to Allah when a calamity befalls them, but worship others than Allah normally. Second, those who have made it their permanent way of life to obey Allah and worship and serve Him, and their worshiping Him in solitude during the night is a proof of their sincerity. The first kind of the men have been called ignorant by Allah, even if they might have devoured whole libraries. And the second kind of the men have been called the learned, even if they might be illiterate. For the real supremely important thing is the knowledge of the truth and man’s action according to it, and on this depends his true success. Allah asks: How can these two be equal? How can they possibly follow the same way together in the world, and meet with the same end in the Hereafter?
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