Surah Al-Insan 76:8

The Recompense of the Disbelievers and the Righteous

Allah informs of what he has waiting for those who disbelieve in Him from His creatures of chains, iron collars and Sa`ir. Sa`ir is the flame and fire of the Hell. This is as Allah says,

إِذِ الاٌّغْلَـلُ فِى أَعْنَـقِهِمْ والسَّلَـسِلُ يُسْحَبُونَ - فِى الْحَمِيمِ ثُمَّ فِى النَّارِ يُسْجَرُونَ

(When iron collars will be rounded over their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along, in the boiling water, then they will be burned in the Fire.) (40:71,72) After mentioning the blazing Fire He has prepared for these wretched people, Allah goes on to say,

إِنَّ الاٌّبْرَارَ يَشْرَبُونَ مِن كَأْسٍ كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا كَـفُوراً

(Verily, the Abrar (righteous believers) shall drink of a cup mixed with Kafur.) The properties of the Kafur (camphor) are well known; cooling, having a nice fragrance and in addition to this its taste will be delicious in Paradise. Al-Hasan said, "The coolness of the camphor will be in the pleasantness of ginger." Thus Allah said,

عَيْناً يَشْرَبُ بِهَا عِبَادُ اللَّهِ يُفَجِّرُونَهَا تَفْجِيراً

(A spring wherefrom the servants of Allah will drink, causing it to gush forth abundantly.) meaning, this (drink) that will be mixed for these righteous people will be taken from Kafur, which is a spring that Allah's close servants will drink directly from, without it being mixed with anything, and they will drink to their fill from it. The word Yashrabu (to drink) includes the meaning of Yarwa (to quench one's thirst). Allah then says,

يُفَجِّرُونَهَا تَفْجِيراً

(causing it to gush forth abundantly (Tafjir).) meaning, they will have control of it however and wherever they wish. They will have access to it from their castles, their homes, their sitting rooms and their residences. At-Tafjir means to cause to gush forth or flow out. This is as Allah says,

وَقَالُواْ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الاٌّرْضِ يَنْبُوعًا

(And they say: "We shall not believe in you until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us.) (17:90) And Allah says,

وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَـلَهُمَا نَهَراً

(We caused a river to gush forth in the midst of them.) (18:33) Mujahid said,

يُفَجِّرُونَهَا تَفْجِيراً

(causing it to gush forth abundantly.) "This means that they will divert it to wherever they wish." `Ikrimah and Qatadah both made similar statements. Ath-Thawri said, "They will cause it to flow wherever they wish."

The Deeds of these Righteous People

Allah says,

يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ وَيَخَـفُونَ يَوْماً كَانَ شَرُّهُ مُسْتَطِيراً

(They fulfill vows, and they fear a Day whose evil will be wide-spreading.) meaning, they devote to worship Allah using that which He made obligatory upon them from actions of obligatory obedience that is based on Islamic legislation. They also worship Him by fulfilling their vows. Imam Malik reported from Talhah bin `Abdul-Malik Al-Ayli, who reported from Al-Qasim bin Malik, from `A'ishah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«مَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يُطِيعَ اللهَ فَلْيُطِعْهُ، وَمَنْ نَذَرَ أَنْ يَعْصِيَ اللهَ فَلَا يَعْصِه»

(Whoever makes a vow to obey Allah, then he should obey Him. And whoever makes a vow to disobey Allah, then he should not disobey Him.) Al-Bukhari also recorded this Hadith from Malik. These people also abandon those forbidden things which He (Allah) has prohibited for them, due to their fear of having an evil reckoning on the Day of Return. This is the Day when the evil will spread out among all people except for those upon whom Allah has had mercy. Ibn `Abbas said, "Spreading." Qatadah said, "By Allah! The evil of that Day will spread until it fills the heavens and the earth." Concerning Allah's statement,

وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ

(And they give food, inspite of their love for it,) It has been said that this means the love of Allah, the Most High. In their view the pronoun refers to Allah. However, the most apparent meaning is that the pronoun refers to the food. This would mean, they give food while they themselves love it and desire it. This was stated by Mujahid and Muqatil, and it was the preferred opinion of Ibn Jarir. This is similar to Allah's statement,

وَءَاتَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ

(And gives his wealth, in spite of love for it.) (2:177) Allah also says,

لَن تَنَالُواْ الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنفِقُواْ مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ

(By no means shall you attain Al-Birr unless you spend of that which you love.) (3:92) In the Sahih, there is a Hadith which states,

«أَفْضَلُ الصَّدَقَةِ أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ شَحِيحٌ، تَأْمُلُ الْغِنَى وَتَخْشَى الْفَقْر»

(The best charity is that which you give while you are healthy, covetous, hoping for wealth and fearing poverty.) This means in the condition of your love for wealth, your eagerness for it and your need for it. Thus, Allah says,

وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ مِسْكِيناً وَيَتِيماً وَأَسِيراً

(And they give food, inspite of their love for it, to the poor, the orphan and the captive,) Concerning the poor person and the orphan, an explanation of them and their characteristics has already preceded. In reference to the captive, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Al-Hasan and Ad-Dahhak all said, "He is the captive among the people of the Qiblah (i.e., the Muslims)." Ibn `Abbas said, "At that time (when this Ayah was revealed) their (the Muslims') captives were idolators." Proof for this is that on the day of Badr the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded his Companions to treat the captives respectfully. They (the Companions) would give them preference over themselves when eating their meals. `Ikrimah said, "They (captives) are the slaves." Ibn Jarir preferred this opinion since the Ayah generally refers to both the Muslim and the idolators. Sa`id bin Jubayr, `Ata', Al-Hasan and Qatadah all made similar statements. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ advised treating servants well in more than one Hadith. This held such importance with him that the last statement of advice that he gave (before dying) was his saying,

«الصَّلَاةَ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُم»

(The prayer (As-Salah) and what your right hand possesses (slaves).) Mujahid said, "He (the captive) is the prisoner." This means that these (righteous) people give food to others even though they themselves desire it and love it, saying at the same time,

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ

(We feed you seeking Allah's Face only.) meaning, hoping for the reward of Allah and His pleasure.

لاَ نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَآءً وَلاَ شُكُوراً

(We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you.) meaning, `we do not seek any reward from you in return for it. We also are not seeking for you to thank us in front of the people.' Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr both said, "By Allah! They do not say this with their tongues, but rather, Allah knows it in their hearts and He commends them for it. Every seeker should seek after this."

إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوْماً عَبُوساً قَمْطَرِيراً

(Verily, We fear from our Lord a Day that is `Abus and Qamtarir.) meaning, `we only do this so that perhaps Allah may have mercy on us and treat us with gentleness on the Day that is `Abus and Qamtarir.' `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas, "`Abus means difficult and Qamtarir means long." `Ikrimah and others said from Ibn Abbas,

يَوْماً عَبُوساً قَمْطَرِيراً

(a Day that is `Abus and Qamtarir (hard and distressful, that will make the faces look horrible from extreme dislike to it.)) "The disbeliever will frown on that day until sweat will flow between his eyes like tar." Mujahid said, "Abus `Abis means (frowning with) the two lips and Qamtarir means drawing up the face in a scowl." Sa`id bin Jubayr and Qatadah said, "Faces will be made to frown due to dismay. Qamtarir is the contraction of the forehead and what is between the two eyes due to dismay." Ibn Zayd said, " `Abus is the evil and Qamtarir is the severity."

Some Details concerning the Reward of the Righteous in Paradise and what it contains of Delights

Allah says,

فَوَقَـهُمُ اللَّهُ شَرَّ ذَلِكَ الْيَومِ وَلَقَّـهُمْ نَضْرَةً وَسُرُوراً

(So, Allah saved them from the evil of that Day, and gave them Nadrah (a light of beauty) and joy.) This is used as a way of eloquence in stating similarity (i.e., two similar things).

فَوَقَـهُمُ اللَّهُ شَرَّ ذَلِكَ الْيَومِ

(So, Allah saved them from the evil of that Day,) meaning, He protects them from that which they fear of it.

وَلَقَّـهُمْ نَضْرَةً

(and gave them Nadrah (a light of beauty)) meaning, in their faces.

وَسُرُوراً

(And joy) in their hearts. Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Qatadah, Abu `Aliyah and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas all stated this. This is similar to Allah's statement,

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُّسْفِرَةٌ - ضَـحِكَةٌ مُّسْتَبْشِرَةٌ

(Some faces that Day will be bright, laughing, rejoicing at good news.) This is because if the heart is happy, then the face will be enlightened. As Ka`b bin Malik said in his lengthy Hadith about Allah's Messenger ﷺ, whenever he was happy, then his face will be radiant until it will be as if it is a piece of the moon. `A'ishah said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered into my home happy and his facial expression was glowing." And the Hadith continues. dAllah then says,

وَجَزَاهُمْ بِمَا صَبَرُواْ

(And their recompense because they were patient) meaning, due to their patience He will give them, bestow upon them and accommodate them with Paradise and silken garments. This means a home that is spacious, a delightful life and fine clothing. Al-Hafiz Ibn `Asakir said in his biography of Hisham bin Sulayman Ad-Darani, "Surat Al-Insan was recited to Abu Sulayman Ad-Darani, and when the reciter reached the Ayah where Allah says,

وَجَزَاهُمْ بِمَا صَبَرُواْ جَنَّةً وَحَرِيراً

(And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient.) he (Abu Sulayman) said, `Because they were patient in leaving off their desires in the world."'

Disebutkan bahwa latar belakang turunnya ayat ke 8 ini berkaitan dengan seorang laki-laki Ansar bernama Abu Dahdah yang pada suatu hari mengerjakan puasa. Ketika waktu berbuka datang, berkunjunglah ke rumahnya satu orang miskin, seorang anak yatim, dan seorang tawanan. Ketiganya dijamu oleh Abu Dahdah dengan tiga potong roti. Untuk keluarga dan anak-anaknya akhirnya hanya tersedia sepotong roti padahal dia hendak berbuka puasa. Maka Allah menurunkan ayat ini.

Riwayat lain mengatakan bahwa Ali bin Abi thalib mendapat upah bekerja dengan seorang Yahudi berupa sekarung gandum. Sepertiga gandum itu dimasak, ketika siap dihidangkan datanglah seorang miskin memintanya. Tanpa berpikir panjang, Ali langsung saja memberikannya. Kemudian dimasaknya sepertiga lagi. Setelah siap dimakan, datang pula seorang anak yatim meminta bubur gandum itu. Ali pun memberikannya. Kali ketiga sisa gandum itu dimasak semuanya, dan secara kebetulan datang pula seorang tawanan yang masih musyrik dan mohon dikasihani. Ali memberikan lagi sisa bubur gandum itu, sehingga untuk dia sendiri tidak ada lagi yang tersisa. Demikianlah untuk menghargai sikap sosial itulah Allah menurunkan ayat ke 8 ini.

Ayat ini menerangkan bahwa orang-orang abrar memberikan makanan yang sangat diperlukan dan disukainya kepada orang miskin, anak yatim, dan orang yang ditawan. Memberikan makan dalam hal ini dapat pula berarti memberikan bantuan dan sokongan kepada orang yang memerlukan. Makanan disebutkan di sini karena merupakan kebutuhan pokok hidup seseorang. Boleh jadi pula memberikan makanan berarti berbuat baik kepada orang yang sangat membutuhkannya dengan cara dan bentuk apa pun. Boleh jadi pula yang dimaksud dengan memberikan makanan berarti pula berbuat baik kepada makhluk yang sangat memerlukannya dengan cara dan bentuk apa pun. Disebutkan secara khusus memberikan makanan karena itulah bentuk ihsan (kebaikan) yang paling tinggi nilainya.

Bentuk ihsan lain yang juga tinggi nilainya disebutkan dalam ayat lain, yakni:

Dia mengatakan, "Aku telah menghabiskan harta yang banyak." Apakah dia mengira bahwa tidak ada sesuatu pun yang melihatnya? Bukankah Kami telah menjadikan untuknya sepasang mata, lidah, dan sepasang bibir? Dan Kami telah menunjukkan kepadanya dua jalan (kebajikan dan kejahatan), tetapi dia tidak menempuh jalan yang mendaki dan sukar? (al-Balad/90: 6-11)

Dari ayat ini dapat diambil kesimpulan bahwa memberikan bantuan (pertolongan) diutamakan kepada orang yang kuat berusaha mencari keperluan hidupnya, namun penghasilannya tidak memenuhi kebutuhan hidupnya sehari-hari. Miskin juga berarti orang yang tidak berharta sama sekali dan karena keadaan fisiknya tidak memungkinkan untuk berusaha mencari nafkah hidup.

Adapun orang yang ditawan, selain berarti tawanan perang, dapat pula berarti orang yang sedang dipenjarakan (karena melanggar ketentuan syara atau berbuat kesalahan), atau budak yang belum dapat memerdekakan dirinya dan yang patut dibantu. Dengan demikian, bantuan berupa makanan kepada orang yang memerlukan tidak terbatas kepada orang Islam saja, tetapi juga non muslim. Yang perlu diingat oleh seseorang yang hendak beramal sosial seperti itu adalah keikhlasan dalam mengerjakannya tanpa pamrih.