No other commandment in Qur'an is so oft repeated except the commandment to enforce As Salat. Importance of praying Salah on time can be understood by these hadith: "Abdullah asked the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) "Which deed is the dearest to Allah?" He replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." (Sahih al-Bukhari 527).
Thus, it is incumbent on every parent to enjoin As Salat on their children as has been commanded in the 132th verse of Surah 20. Ta Ha given below:
وَاۡمُرۡ اَهۡلَكَ بِالصَّلٰوةِ وَاصۡطَبِرۡ عَلَيۡهَا ؕ لَا نَسۡـئَلُكَ رِزۡقًا ؕ نَحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُكَ ؕ وَالۡعَاقِبَةُ لِلتَّقۡوٰى
(20:132) Enjoin Prayer on your household, and do keep observing it. We do not ask you for any worldly provision; rather, it is We Who provide you, and ultimately the pious will end up the best.
That is, "Teach your children also that lawful provision is much better than the unlawful riches of the wicked people. For this purpose, enjoin them to say their prescribed Prayers, for this will change their attitude, their standard of values, and make them contented with pure provisions and virtuous life in preference to the life of sin and luxury."
"We do not ask you to offer your Prayers for any benefit of Our own. We ask you to do that for your own good, because this will create piety in you which will bring about true success for you in this world and in the Hereafter."
Tafsir Ibn-Kathir:
(And enjoin the Salah on your family, and be patient in offering them.) This means to save them from the punishment of Allah by the establishment of the prayer, and you also be patient in performing it.
This is as Allah says, (O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell).) [66:6]
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Zayd bin Aslam reported from his father that he and Yarfa' would sometimes spend the night at `Umar bin Al-Khattab's. `Umar had a certain time of night that he would get up and pray. However, sometimes he would not get up for it. Then, we would say, "He is not going to get up like he usually does.' When he would awaken, he would make his family get up as well. He would say, (And enjoin the Salah on your family, and be patient in offering them.)''
Allah said; (We ask not of you a provision: We provide for you.) This means that if you establish the prayer, your sustenance will come to you from where you did not expect. This is as Allah says:
(And whosoever has Taqwa of Allah, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.) [65:2-3]
Allah also says, (And I (Allah) created not the Jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).) until, (Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong.) [51:56-58]
Thus, Allah says, (We ask not of you a provision: We provide for you.)
Verily, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said, (Allah, the Exalted, says, "O son of Adam, perform My worship and I will fill your chest with wealth and fulfill your needs. If you do not do so, then I will fill your chest with toil and I will not fulfill your needs.') It is also reported from Zayd bin Thabit that he heard the Messenger of Allah saying:
(Whoever makes worldly life his major concern, then Allah will scatter his situation for him (i.e. make it difficult) and his poverty will be placed between his eyes. He will not get from this world anything except that which has already been written for him. Whoever makes the Hereafter his intention, then his situation will be gathered for him (i.e. made easy) and his wealth will be placed in his heart. The worldly life will come to him anyway (in spite of his not seeking it).)
Concerning Allah's statement, (وَالْعَـقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَى and the good end is for those who have Taqwa.) This means the good end to this life and in the Hereafter. In the Hereafter the good end will be Paradise for whoever feared Allah.
Muhammad Asad Explanation:
(And bid thy people to pray, and persevere therein. [But remember:] We do not ask thee to provide sustenance [for Us] :) My interpolation of the words "for Us" is based on Razi’s interpretation of the above sentence: "God makes it clear that He has enjoined this [i.e., prayer] upon men for their own benefit alone, inasmuch as He Himself is sublimely exalted above any [need of] benefits." In other words, prayer must not be conceived as a kind of tribute to a "jealous God" - as the Old Testament, in its present corrupted form, frequently describes Him - but solely as a spiritual benefit for the person who prays.
(It is We who provide sustenance for thee. And the future belongs to the God-conscious.) Lit., "to God-consciousness".
Yusuf Ali Explanation:
Sustenance, in the sense of the ordinary needs of life, the man of Allah does not worry about. That is provided by Allah for all, the just and the unjust. But the special provision, the Real Sustenance, the spiritual fruit, is for a righteous life in the service of Allah.
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
(Urge your people) The actual word is: اَهْلَكَ. It refers to all those people who until that time had accepted faith. The word اَهْل in Arabic has this vastness in it. Here the eloquence found in its usage is that the status of the poor and the needy is raised such that they have become members of the Prophet’s (sws) family.
(To the prayer and adhere to it yourself also. We do not ask for any sustenance from you [for them so that for it you may need to look at the means and resources of anyone].) The implication is that the Prophet (sws) should not think that if these people do not accept faith, then the message of God and the poor and needy who come forward to accept it will be left helpless in this land. He should not think along any of these lines. The Prophet (sws) does not require the help of these ingrates for his followers and for furthering his message. He has God with him and He is sufficient to help and strengthen him and his companions.
(It is We Who shall provide sustenance to you.) Ie., to him and to those who will become his associates in his preaching mission. It is God’s responsibility to provide it to them and when He assigns some task to someone, He takes upon Himself the responsibility of providing for him. Hence the Prophet (sws) should do God’s work and be diligent in the prayer. The rest is God’s responsibility and he should leave it to Him and not be worried about it. If he is fulfilling his duty, then in the words of Jesus (sws), he deserves his remuneration.
([We require piety from you) Ie., piety both in knowledge and in deeds and also in the task God has assigned him.
Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:
We must not understand this verse as encouraging self-denial or disdain for the comforts of this life. It is rather an encouragement to hold on to true and lasting values, to maintain one’s ties with God and be contented. This is the best way to resist the temptation of the splendour and attractions of this life. When we maintain such values, we are free to rise above the lure of false temptations, splendid as they may appear. “Enjoin prayer on your people.” (Verse 132) The first duty of a Muslim is to make his home a Muslim home, enjoining his family to attend to their prayers so that they all maintain their ties with God. Thus, they are united in their approach to life. Life in a home where all members turn to God for worship is certainly a happy one. “And be diligent in its observance.” (Verse 132) Be diligent so that you offer your prayers completely and its effect becomes a reality. Prayer restrains man from loathsome deeds and indecency. This is its true effect. To attain the level where prayer provides such restraint requires diligence in its observance. Unless we reach the stage that our prayer yields this fruit, it remains a mere sequence of phrases and movements. Prayer and worship generally are duties assigned to the Prophet and believers. God does not gain anything by them. He is in need of no one: “We do not ask you for any provisions. It is We who provide for you.” (Verse 132) Worship nurtures God- consciousness within the worshipper. Hence, “the future belongs to the God-fearing.” (Verse 132) It is man who benefits by prayer, both in this life and in the life to come. He offers his worship to God and he enjoys, as a result, a state of contentment. He is comfortable and reassured. Furthermore, he ultimately receives a much greater reward in the hereafter. As for God, He needs nothing from anyone.
Now you may listen to the following short clipped video to explanation of the aforesaid Ayat by eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan:
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from the following sources:
- Tafsir Ibn Khatir
- Muhammad Asad Translation
- Yusuf Ali Translation
- Translation Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
- Qur'an Wiki
- Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
- Towards Understanding the Quran
In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.
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