'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful'

Tafsir of Surah Al-Mu'minun

His saying, exalted and glorified is He:

﴿Certainly the believers have succeeded﴾ ﴿Those who are in their prayers humbly submissive﴾ ﴿And those who turn away from vain talk﴾ ﴿And those who are doers of zakah﴾ ﴿And those who guard their private parts﴾ ﴿Except from their wives or what their right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed﴾ ﴿But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors﴾

Allah - blessed and exalted is He - has informed about the success of the believers and that they have attained their desire and secured everlasting existence. It has been narrated from Ka'b al-Ahbar that when Allah - exalted is He - created the Garden of Eden, He said to it: Speak. It said: "Certainly the believers have succeeded." It has been narrated from Mujahid that when Allah - exalted is He - created the Garden and perfected its beauty, He said: "Certainly the believers have succeeded." And Talhah ibn Musarif read: "Certainly the believers have succeeded" with a dammah on the letter ha, meaning: they have succeeded. This is a rejected reading. It has also been narrated from him: "Certainly the believers have succeeded" with a dammah on the hamzah and a kasrah on the lam.

Then He described - exalted is He - these successful ones, saying: ﴿Those who are in their prayers humbly submissive﴾. And humility (khushu') is: the lowering and stillness of the limbs and dignity. This only appears in the limbs for one whose heart has fear and submission. It has been narrated from some scholars that he saw a man playing with his beard during prayer and said: If this one were humble, his limbs would be humble. It has been narrated that the reason for this verse is that the Muslims used to look around in their prayers to the right and left, so this verse was revealed, and they were commanded that the sight of the one praying should be directed towards the qiblah or in front of him, and in the sacred mosque towards the Ka'bah. It has been narrated from Ibn Sirin and others that the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - used to look up to the sky during his prayer, so this verse was revealed regarding that.

And "vain talk" is: useless speech. This encompasses everything that has no good in it, and it includes the etiquettes of the Shari'ah. Likewise, the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - and his companions were. And it seems that the verse contains a friendly admonition.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And those who are doers of zakah﴾. Al-Tabari and others have stated that this refers to the obligatory zakah on wealth, and this is clear. The wording may also imply that zakah refers to virtuous deeds, as if He meant the best of every deed, as He said - exalted is He: ﴿Better than it is a zakah and closer to mercy﴾ [Al-Kahf: 81].

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿And those who guard their private parts﴾ is a description of chastity. And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Except from their wives or what their right hands possess﴾, this verse necessitates the prohibition of adultery, masturbation, and sexual relations with animals. All of this is included in His saying, glorified is He: ﴿Beyond that﴾, meaning: beyond this limit which has been set. And the meaning of "what their right hands possess" refers to women. And since "guarding" means (being reserved), it is appropriate to use "from". And "the transgressor" is the oppressor.