The meaning of Shaytan

In the Arabic language, Shaytan is derived from Shatana, which means the far thing. Hence, the Shaytan has a different nature than mankind, and his sinful ways are far away from every type of righteousness. It was also said that Shaytan is derived from Shata, (literally `burned’), because it was created from fire. Some scholars said that both meanings are correct, although they state that the first meaning is more plausible. Further, Siybawayh (the renowned Arab linguistic) said, “The Arabs say, `So-and-so has Tashaytan,’ when he commits the act of the devils. If Shaytan was derived from Shata, they would have said, Tashayyata (rather than Tashaytan).” Hence, Shaytan is derived from the word that means, far away. This is why they call those who are rebellious (or mischievous) from among the Jinns and mankind a `Shaytan’.

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thumma lam yatooboo

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ

Hasan al basri rahimahullah said, regarding this ayah:

“contemplate the mercy of Allah; they killed His fellows though He calls them to repentence and forgiveness.”

This ayah as we know, is referring to the story of ashaab ul ukhdood, those who persecuted the believers and made a fire to throw them into it alive. Can we really think of something that is more evil than that? It is hard to get something worse than that, its really on the top level: extreme evil what they were doing to innocent people. and what was their motivation? hatred of their deen, because they were Muslims (that is made totally clear in a previous ayah: wa maa naqamoo minhum ilaa an yu2minoo billaah il 3azeez il hameed – they only hate them because they believe in Allah)

So first in the surah we get the explanation about what they have done to the believers, how they set the fire, and they are fully concious of all they are doing, of all the evil they commited, but then Allah says:

thumma lam yatooboo

then after that they did not turn back in repetence, they didn’t do tawbah for it.

okay when we read this normally its probably just without thinking too deeply: they did this, they didn’t repent for it, they go to jahannam.. that’s it.

but this point if you reflect about Allah’s saying “thumma lam yatooboo” its like subhanallah, after what they did, the door of repentence could have actually been open for them. they had that option. Allah did not cut them off from the possibilty of forgiveness, they could have done tawbah.
even after that extreme evil, they could have done tawbah. Look at the mercy of Allah, look at how forgiving Allah is; that this option was even available to them, that the possibilty of tawbah could have even been considered or mentioned for such a people.

How can anyone of us then think that we could do something and its too bad for us to turn back to Allah with repentence. The chance of repentence is even mentioned for these people, so we can never dispair of Allah’s mercy sincere tawbah can change the result of something. The way that this is mentioned in the ayah, it goes thumma lam yatooboo fa lahum jahannama…
so their being in Jahannam is a result of what? directly its a result of the fact that they did not repent. “fa” is a particle of cause and effect.
they did not repent – fa – they are in jahannam.. it shows a clear cause and effect there.

From just those few small words in the ayah if we reflect on them we can actually learn so much, & get so much out of it subhanallah.

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Grammar <3

إنَّ النَّحْوَ فِي الكَلاَمِ كَالملحِ في الطَّعَامِ

Indeed an-Nahw in speech is like salt in food.

Shu’bah (rahimahullah) once said

مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَحْفَظُ بَلْ يَتَعَلَّمُ الحَدِيْثَ و لا يتعلّمُ النَّحْوَ مثل السرير لا رأسَ له

“The likeness of one who memorizes, rather he learns the prophetic narrations but does not learn an-Nahw is like the bed with And on the no headboard.”

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Yaa Dahr

It is reported that the night before he was martyred, Husayn bin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنهماsaid the following words:

أُوفِي لَكَ يَا دَهْرُ مِنْ خَلِيلِيكَمْ لَكَ بِيإِشْرَاقِي وَأَصِيلِيمِنْ صَاحِبٍ أَوْ طَالَبٍ كَفِيلِيوَالدَهْرُ لَا يَتْرُكُ بِالْبَدِيلِيإِنٌمَا الْأَمْرُإِلَى الْجَلِيلِيوَكُلُ حَيْئٍ مِثْلُ الْسَبِيلِي

“O’ Time! What an awful friend you are! For all those who have pursued you, you have killed them by day and night And you have always attained your target, And the time does not leave replacement for it,Verily all matters will go back to the Sublime One, And every person who is living will walk my path.”

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Al Tabari reported on the authority of Ibn Masud that:

The fairest verse in the Quran is:

“Allah, there is no god except He…”

وَهُوَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ لَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي الْأُولَى وَالْآخِرَةِ وَلَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

[28:70]

and the most comprehensive verse concerning the good and the evil is:

“Surely Allah commands to justice and fairness…”

إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاء ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

[16:90]

And the most rejoicing verse is

“Say, O My bondsmen who have been extravagent against themselves, do not feel despondant of the Mercy of Allah…”

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

[39:53]

And the verse that makes us completely trust in Allah is:

“And whosoever is pious to Allah, He will make for him (a way) of going out, and He will provide for him where he does not (expectedly) reckon…”

وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا

وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ

[65:2-3]

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O you servants of Mine who have transgressed against your own selves!

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

وَأَنِيبُوا إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوا لَهُ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ الْعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ

وَاتَّبِعُوا أَحْسَنَ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ العَذَابُ بَغْتَةً وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ

أَن تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ يَا حَسْرَتَى علَى مَا فَرَّطتُ فِي جَنبِ اللَّهِ وَإِن كُنتُ لَمِنَ السَّاخِرِينَ

أَوْ تَقُولَ لَوْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ هَدَانِي لَكُنتُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ

أَوْ تَقُولَ حِينَ تَرَى الْعَذَابَ لَوْ أَنَّ لِي كَرَّةً فَأَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

بَلَى قَدْ جَاءتْكَ آيَاتِي فَكَذَّبْتَ بِهَا وَاسْتَكْبَرْتَ وَكُنتَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ

SAY: “[Thus speaks God:] ‘O you servants of Mine who have transgressed against your own selves! Despair not of God’s mercy: behold, God forgives all sins – for, verily, He alone is much-forgiving, a dis­penser of grace!’ ”

Hence, turn towards your Sustainer [alone] and surrender yourselves unto Him ere the suffering [of death and resurrection] comes upon you, for then you will not be succoured.

And ere that suffering comes upon you of a sudden, without your being aware [of its approach], follow the most goodly [teaching] that has been revealed unto you by your Sustainer,

lest any human being should say [on Judgment Day], “Alas for me for having been remiss in what is due to God, and for having been indeed one of those who scoffed [at the truth]!”

or lest he should say, “If God had but guided me, I would surely have been among those who are conscious of Him!”-

or lest he should say, when he becomes aware of the suffering [that awaits him], “Would that I had a second chance [in life], so that I could be among the doers of good!”

[But God will reply:] “Yea, indeed! My mes­sages did come unto thee; but thou gavest them the lie, and wert filled with false pride, and wert among those who deny the truth!”

[Surat az-Zumar ayahs 53-59]

“This glorious verse is a call for all wrong doers, Muslims and Non Muslims, to repent and return to Allah. It is also a notification that Allah forgives all sins for those who repent and relinquish them, however numerous they are. This (forgiving of sins) can not be attained without performing repentence, since disbelief can not be forgiven for whom he did not repent from. It is reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas that some persons amongst the polytheists had committed a large number of murders and had excessively indulged in fornication. Then they came to Muhammad saws and said “Whatever you assert and call to is indeed good. But if you inform us that there is atonement of our past deeds (We would embrace Islam). Then the follwoing verse was revealed: “Say: O My bondsmen who have been extravagent against themselves, do not feel despondent of the mercy of Allah.” (reported by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud)

On the authority of Amr ibn Anbasah r who said: “An aged man came to the Messenger of Allah saws leaning on a staff and said “O Messenger of Allah I have comitted many grievous sins. Would I have my sins forgiven?” The prophet saws said: Dont you testify that there is no god but Allah? The main replied “Yes, and I testify that you are the Messenger of Allah” RasoolAllah saws said “Now, you have your sins forgiven.” (reported only by Ahmed from the Hadith of Amr bin Unaizah)

[Flee to Allah – Abu Dharr al Qalamuni]

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Seek to understand

Yahyaa ibn Khaalid (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

لَا تُرَدَّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ جَوَاباً حَتَى تَفْهَمُ كَلَامَهُ

Do not respond to anyone until you have understood their words,

فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يَصْرِ فُكَ عَنْ جَوَابِ كَلَامِهِ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ وَ يُؤَكِّدُ اَلجَهْلَ عَلَيْكَ

For that will cause you to respond to what they have not said, and thus confirm your own ignorance.

وَ لَكِنِ اَفْهَمْ عَنْهُ، فَإِذَا فَهِمْتَهُ فَأَجِبْهُ، وَ لَا تَتَعَجَّلْ بِالجَوَابِ قَبْل َالِاسْتِفْهَامِ

Rather you must understand his speech properly. So when you understand him, then respond. And do not rush to answer before asking for clarity.

وَ لَا تَسْتَحْيِ أَنْ تَسْتَفْهِمَ إِذَا لَمْ تَفْهَمْ، فَإِنَّ اَلجَوَابَ قَبْلَ اَلْفَهْمِ حُمْقٌ

And do not be shy to seek clarity when you do not understand. For verily answering before understanding is sheer idiocy!

وَ إِذَا جَهِلْتَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَسْأَلَ، فَيَبْدُو لَكَ

So if you do not know before asking, then ask! Then it will come to you.

فَسُؤَالُكَ وَاسْتِفْهَامُكَ أَحْمَدُ بِكَ وَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنَ السُّكُوتِ عَلَى الْعَيِّ.

Your questioning and seeking clarity is more praiseworthy and better for you then being silent and incapable of expressing yourself!

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Pick good names

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

Because names have meanings, these meanings will inevitably have an effect on the person who carries the name. Names have an effect on the things that are named, and the things that are named have an effect on their names, whether they are beautiful or ugly, light or heavy, subtle or crude.

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