Al-Muminoon (The Believers)
Verse 1 - 2
Table of Contents
(Revealed in Mecca)
118 verses in 6 sections
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful
There are many virtues have been stated about this Sura in the recorded narrations quoted from the Prophet (S) and the Imams (as).
On the virtue of reciting this Sura, for example, Imam Sadiq (as) says:
“Frequent recitation of this Sura, especially on Fridays, brings bliss in this world and the Hereafter, and it also leads to the enjoyment of the company of the Divine prophets in the lofty Paradise.”1
In a tradition by the Prophet (S), we read:
“On the Day of Hereafter, the angels will give whoever recites Sura al-Mu’minun good tidings about the breath of life and a Garden of delight, and when the Angel of Death comes to take his soul, he will give him such good tidings that he will be delighted.”2
Imam Sadiq also said:
“Whoever reads Sura al-Mu’minun and continues reading it every Friday, Allah will render the end of his life blissful and his place will be raised high in Paradise alongside the prophets and the messengers.”3
It is necessary to reiterate this point that mentioning the virtues of reciting the Suras of the Qur’an never means reading them without pondering upon them and practicing them, for this heavenly Book is a book with a practical program for the training and education of man.
If someone really harmonizes his practical and doctrinal programs with the content of this Sura, or even with a few of the verses which are found at the beginning of it that refer to the attributes of the believers, on the Day of Judgment, all these glories will certainly be granted to him.
Thus, in some Islamic narrations we read that when the first verses of this Sura were revealed, the Prophet (S) said:
“Ten verses have been revealed to me (that) whoever puts them into practice will enter Paradise.”4
Using the Arabic word /’aqama/ (put into practice) instead of the word /qara’a/ (recite) refers to the same fact mentioned above, that the main aim is not only bare reading them but applying the meaning of these verses to everyday life.
The Content of the Sura
As the name of this Sura suggests, its content is mostly about the special attributes of the believers, and, at the end, it mentions some statements upon the beliefs and practice that complete these attributes.
The contents of this Sura can be divided into seven parts:
The First Part
Beginning with the noble verse:
“Successful indeed are the believers”
and continuing for several verses afterwards, this Sura mentions some of the attributes that lead to the salvation and deliverance of the believers. These practical attributes are so comprehensive and accurate that they also cover various aspects of social and personal life.
The Second Part
Since their essence is totally belief and monotheism, these verses proceed to mention the different signs of knowing Allah and His signs in the macrocosm and microcosm of the world of existence. It recounts some examples of the wonderful system of the world of creation, such as the sky, the earth, and the creation of man, plants and animals.
The Third Part
To complete the practical dimensions of the noble Sura, the verses here cite the instructive biography of some of the great prophets such as Noah, Hud, Moses, and Jesus (peace be on them) as a few examples by mentioning certain aspects of their lives.
The Fourth Part
This part addresses the arrogant, sometimes by appealing to their logical reason and sometimes by warning them in harsh tones in order to arouse the consciences of the receptive ones and find their way back to Allah.
The Fifth Part
This part contains some concise discussions on the subject of Resurrection.
The Sixth Part
It speaks about both Allah’s Sovereignty over the world of existence and irresistibility of His command over the entire universe.
The Seventh Part
The Resurrection, the weighing of deeds, the reward for those who do right and the punishment for those who do wrong are again mentioned here, and the noble Sura ends by mentioning the aim of the creation of man.
Thus, the content of this holy Sura is a collection of some cognitive issues that encourages us to reflect, and the doctrinal and practical lessons, and from the beginning of the Sura to the end talk about the entire path the believers must pave.
As was mentioned before, this holy Sura was revealed in Mecca, yet some commentators of the holy Qur’an have said that some of its verses had been revealed in Medina. This is because it contains a verse that refers to the alms-tax (zakat).
Since the alms-tax was legislated for the first time in Medina, this fact has led them to think that the complete Sura could not have been revealed in Mecca, because it is known that alms-tax was at first legislated in Medina and after the revelation of the verse:
“...Take alms out of their possessions...”5 ,
the Prophet (S) ordered alms-tax collectors to go around and collect this tax from the people.
With respect to this issue we must be aware, however, that the alms-tax also has a general meaning that includes both obligatory and recommended alms-taxes. Its meaning is not limited to the obligatory alms-tax alone, for we see in the Islamic narrations that the ritual prayer and the payment of this tax have often been mentioned together.
A narration by Imam Sadiq and Imam Baqir (as) says:
“Allah has made the alms-tax along with the ritual prayer obligatory.”6
Moreover, some Islamic scholars believe that the alms-tax had, also been obligatory in Mecca, but it was general and undefined, meaning that every one was obliged to give some part of his possessions to the needy.
When the Islamic government was established in Medina, a precise system was devised for regulating, collecting and distributing the alms-tax along with specifying the minimum value of property upon which it should be levied and collected by the Prophet’s agents.
Section 1: The Faithful
Surah al-Mu’minun , Verses 1-2
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ (1) الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلاتِهِمْ خاشِعُونَ (2)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
1. “Successful indeed are the believers, ”
2. “Who are humble in their prayers, ”
In The Holy Qur’an, there are eleven cases in which the Arabic word /falah/ (salvation) is used along with the word /la‘ alla/, (perhaps), and in only three cases the word /falah/ is mentioned without /la‘alla/ in a sense implying certainty.
One of them is in this Sura, the other is in Sura Ash-Shams, No, 91, verse 9,
“He is indeed successful who purifies it”
and the third case is found in Sura Al-’A‘la’, No. 87, verse 14, where it says:
“Indeed, he will prosper who purifies himself.”
By comparing these three cases, it becomes clear that faith and purification are one in essence.
The ultimate and supreme aim of every program in Islam is success and salvation. Many verses of the holy Qur’an that mention piety and religious decrees also aim to achieve piety:
“...so that you may guard yourselves (against evil).”7
whereas the categorical aim of piety is:
“...and be in awe of Allah; that you may be prosperous.”
It is interesting that the most important and the ultimate definitive objective of the religion of Islam has manifestly been mentioned in its first testimony:
“Say there is no god but Allah, (so that) you will be successful.” As we said earlier, the choice of the title, “Al-Mu’minun” for this Sura is because of the beginning verses of the Sura that enumerate the attributes of the believers in some short, lively, significant and comprehensive phrases.
In addition, it is interesting that this Sura first mentions the delightful and glorious destiny of the believers before talking about their attributes in order to kindle the flames of love and enthusiasm in them for reaching this goal and great honour in their souls.
The Qur’an implies, having gained their final goal in all dimensions, the believers are prosperous.
It says:
“Successful indeed are the believers”
The Arabic term /aflaha/ is derived from the word /falaha/ and /falah/. It originally means ‘cutting and splitting’ and is then applied to every kind of victory and achievement that results in man’s happiness and success.
In fact, the successful, prosperous and triumphant persons manage to overcome obstacles that lie in their way to reach the goal.
Of course, true success and salvation have such extended meanings that include both material and spiritual victories and both of them have also been considered with respect to the qualified believers.
Victory and success in the present world mean that man would live freely, independently, prosperously, and honorably and these good conditions are only achieved under the shadow of faith. Success in the Hereafter means to abide respectfully and prosperously under the mercy of Allah, showered by eternal blessings and having the company of purified and amenable friends.
Twenty times every day and night we say /hayya ‘alal-falah/ (Come to success!) in the call to prayer and in the prologue to the daily ritual prayers, clearly declaring this final aim so that we do not lose our path.
Islam says:
“Those who have faith and purify their souls are indeed successful”.
But Pharaoh uttered the blasphemy:
“...whoever is uppermost this day will be indeed successful”.8
The Arabic word /falah/ means to prosper. Maybe the reason that the farmer in Arabic is called a /fallah/ is because he makes the conditions ready for plants to grow and prosper. When a seed is placed in the soil, it rescues itself by 3 actions and reaches open space:
It plants its roots in the depths of the ground.
It absorbs the nutrients of the soil.
It moves the soil away from its path in its growth upward.
Like a seed, the human being must accomplish these three actions in order to free himself and reach the open space of monotheism delivering himself from false gods and the dark world of materialism:
He must fortify the roots of his beliefs through reasoning.
He must gain Allah-given potentialities as much as possible for spiritual development and perfection.
3) He ought to discard enemies and obstacles and pushes aside any deity other than Allah with the phrase ‘La ’ilaha ’ilia Llah’ (“There is no god save Allah”) in order to reach the open space of monotheism.
Who Are the Successful?
1- Worshippers:
“...and worship your Lord, and do good, that haply you may prosper.”9
2- Those whose deeds are valuable and heavy:
“...Then whoever’s scales be heavy, those are they who shall be prosperous.”10
3- Those who avoid jealousy:
“...And whoso is saved from his own avarice such are who are successful.”11
4- Allah’s party:
“...Beware! Verily the party of Allah are the successful ones.”12
5- Those who remember Allah much:
“...and remember Allah much, that you may be prosperous.”13
6- The God-fearing:
“...So be in awe of Allah, O’ possessors of intellects, that you may be prosperous.”14
7- Warriors for faith:
“...and strive hard in His way, that you may be prosperous.”15
8- Penitents:
“...And turn unto Allah all together, O believers, in order that you may succeed.”16
Some Traditions On Success and Salvation
- Imam Ali (as) said:
“Anyone whose passions are overcome by (his reason and) his wisdom would be successful.”17
- He also said:
“Follow knowledge and disobey ignorance so that you may prosper.”18
- The Prophet (S) said:
“Successful is he who renders his soul sincere for faith, makes his heart clean and sound, makes his tongue veracious, makes his psyche calm, makes his morals fair, makes his ears heedful and makes his eyes watchful”19 .
- Imam Ali (as) said:
“O’ People! Steer clear through the waves of mischief by boats of deliverance, turn away from the path of dissention and put off the crowns of pride. Prosperous is he who rises with wings, or he surrenders and finds peace.”20
- Qummi narrates a tradition from Imam Sadiq (as) who said:
“When Allah, the Mighty, created Paradise, He told it to speak. It said:
“Successful indeed are the believers.”21
The next verse looks at the attributes of the believers, and in this context, at first and foremost, singles out the importance of the ritual prayer. It says:
“Who are humble in their prayers”.
The Qur’anic term /xaši‘un/ (who are humble) is from the word /xušu‘/, meaning the state of spiritual and physical modesty, which is adopted outwardly by the body in man when in the presence of a great person or an important truth.
Here, the Holy Qur’an does not count merely performing the ritual prayer itself as a sign of the believers, but it considers ’humility‘ in the ritual prayer as one of their attributes. This refers to the fact that their prayers are not meaningless and some soulless words and movements.
When they perform the ritual prayer, they give their complete attention to Allah, detaching themselves from all other than Allah and thus achieving a meeting with Him.
They are so absorbed in contemplating and supplicating to the Divine presence that every particle of their beings is influenced by it. They see themselves as a mere atom in the presence of an Unlimited Being and as a drop in a Vast Ocean.
For the believer, every moment of this prayer is a lesson of self-development and training in being truly human and a means for refining the heart and soul.
An Islamic tradition indicates that the Prophet (S) once saw a man playing with his beard while praying. The Prophet (S) said:
“If he was humble in his heart, limbs of his body would also be humble.”22
This statement refers to the fact that humility is an inward state that affects one’s exterior. The great spiritual leaders of Islam were so humble in their prayers that when they were in a state of prayer they became estranged from all other than Allah.
There is a tradition that says when the Prophet (S) was standing to perform the prayers, he would occasionally look up to the heavens, but when this verse was revealed, he began looking downwards from that time onwards and never raised his head while at prayer.
Some Points
1- The Prophet (S) said:
“One who is not humble in his ritual prayer, never receives its virtue.”23
2- Allah, The Almighty, said to Christ:
“Shed tears for Me from your eyes and be humble (and modest) in your heart.”24
3- Imam Ali (as) said:
“There is no goodness in a heart that is not humble, and in an eye that does not shed tears (out of fear of Allah) and in a deed that has no benefit.”25
4- Amir ul Mu’mineen Ali (as) said:
“Whoever is humble (and modest) before the grandeur of Allah (Glory be to Him), the disobedient will bow down before him and whoever takes Allah as a supporter his difficulties will be solved.”26
5- The Prophet (S) was asked about humility. He said:
“It is humbleness (and modesty) at the time of the ritual prayer and that the servant (of Allah) focuses his whole heart upon Allah, the Almighty and Glorious.”27