JUZ TWENTY-TWO
The twenty-second juz of the Qur’an begins at verse thirty-one of Surah al-Aḥzab. It includes all of Surah Sabaʾ and Surah al-Fatir and ends at verse twenty-seven of Surah Yasin. Aside from Surah al-Aḥzab, the rest of this juz are Makkan surahs focused on the Oneness of Allah and the pillars of faith. The core theme that runs through all four surahs concerns the fundamental pillars of belief, primarily our relationship with Allah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Surah al-Aḥzab focuses heavily on the rights of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his wives. In this surah, we are taught that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is the perfect role model, who was sent as a witness and a bringer of glad tidings and warnings. We are commanded to send salawat upon him and obey him. We are taught that his wives are our mothers and have special
rules they need to follow because of this status. All these verses focus on the rights of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم.
At the end of the surah, we are reminded of how some nations in the past disrespected their messengers and we are commanded not to be like them. “O you who believe! Do not be like those who abused Moses, but God cleared him of what they said. He was distinguished with God.”
The surah ends with a deep verse about the responsibility that lies upon mankind. Other types of creation refused to take up this responsibility, but humanity accepted it. We must use our free will to obey Allah and fulfill the trust upon us.
We offered the Trust to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains; but they refused to bear it and were apprehensive of it, but the human being accepted it. He was unfair and ignorant.
The next surah gives us two examples of how humanity deals with the responsibilities Allah gives them. In Dawud and Sulayman , we see the correct response. They were given authority over large kingdoms and responded with gratitude and justice. “O House of David, work with appreciation, but few of My servants are appreciative.”
The people of Sabaʾ were gifted with great wealth, but they abused that wealth and were ungrateful for it, so it was taken away from them. The test of abundance is passed by expressing gratitude. When we are grateful, Allah gives us more. When we are ungrateful, then the blessings are removed. All success then lies in living a life of gratitude.
Surah al-Fatir is a powerful reminder of the greatness of Allah. It is a short powerful surah focused on monotheism. Both Surah Sabaʾ and Surah al-Fatir begin with al-ḥamdu lillah; these are the final two out of five surahs that begin with this important phrase. As both surahs focus on gratitude towards Allah, they both begin with a reminder of the most common way of expressing our gratitude, by saying al-ḥamdu lillah.
The juz ends near the beginning of Surah Yasin. Surah Yasin is a surah that is close to the heart of every Muslim and is often recited in our homes. It focuses on the three central pillars of faith: belief in Allah, His Messenger, and the afterlife. The surah begins with a story about a nation that rejected its messengers, and the consequences of having done so. This is a firm reminder to us to obey the Messenger. This is followed by beautiful
passages about the signs of Allah and ends with a reminder of the Last Day. The primary beliefs of Islam can all be extracted from this surah. Its true importance lies in understanding these verses.
The juz ends in the middle of the story of the three messengers. The people of the town rejected all three messengers and only one person believed in them. This individual called his people towards the truth and was eventually murdered for it. Even after death and experiencing paradise, he remained concerned about his people and wished they could see his ending so that they would believe. This is the true heart of the believer; it is always concerned with the guidance of others and wants only good for them.
It was said, “Enter Paradise.” He said, “If only my people knew. How my Lord has forgiven me and made me one of the honored.” After him, we sent down no hosts from heaven to his people; nor would We ever send any down. It was just one Cry, and they were stilled.
By Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ismail Kamdar
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