Surah Al-Hijr 15:87

A Reminder of the Blessing of the Qur'an and the Command to focus on its Message

Allah is saying to His Prophet : Since We have given you the Grand Qur'an, then do not look at this world and its attractions, or the transient delights that we have given to its people in order to test them. Do not envy what they have in this world, and do not upset yourself with regret for their rejection of you and their opposition to your religion.

وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِمَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(And lower your wings to the believers who follow you) (26:215) meaning - be gentle with them, like the Ayah,

لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from among yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is anxious for you, for the believers - he is full of pity, kind and merciful)(9:128). There were some differences among the scholars over the meaning of "seven of the Mathani". Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Umar, Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ad-Dahhak and others said that they are the seven long (Surahs), meaning Al-Baqarah, Al- `Imran, An-Nisa', Al-Ma'idah, Al-An`am, Al-A`raf and Yunus. There are texts to this effect reported from Ibn `Abbas and Sa`id bin Jubayr. Sa`id said: "In them, Allah explains the obligations, the Hudud (legal limits), stories and rulings." Ibn `Abbas said, "He explains the parables, stories and lessons." The second opinion is that they (the seven of the Mathani) are Al-Fatihah, which is composed of seven Ayat. This was reported from `Ali, `Umar, Ibn Mas`ud and Ibn `Abbas. Ibn `Abbas said: "The Bismillah, is completing seven Ayah, which Allah has given exclusively to you (Muslims)." This is also the opinion of Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, `Abdullah bin `Umayr, Ibn Abi Mulaykah, Shahr bin Hawshab, Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Mujahid. Al-Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, recorded two Hadiths on this topic. (The first) was recorded from Abu Sa`id bin Al-Mu`alla, who said: "The Prophet passed by me while I was praying. He called out for me but I did not come until I finished my prayer. Then I came to him, and He asked,

«مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَنِي؟»

(What stopped you from coming to me) I said, `I was praying'. He said,

«أَلَمْ يَقُلِ اللهُ (`Did not Allah say

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ

(O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you...) 8:24

أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكَ أَعْظَمَ سُورَةٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَخْرُجَ مِنَ الْمَسْجِد»

(Shall I not teach you the most magnificent Surah before I leave the Masjid) Then the Prophet went to leave the Masjid, and I reminded him, so he said,

الْحَمْدُ للَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

("Al-Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil-'Alamin All praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists)(1:2).

هِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنُ الَّذِي أُوتِيتُه»

(This is the seven of the Mathani and the Qur'an which I have been given.)" (The second Hadith) was reported from Abu Hurayrah who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«أُمُّ الْقُرْآنِ هِيَ السَّبْعُ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنُ الْعَظِيم»

(Umm Al-Qur'an (the Mother or the Essence of the Qur'an,) is the seven Mathani, and the Grand Qur'an.) This means that Al-Fatihah is the seven Mathani and the Grand Qur'an, but this does not contradict the statement that the seven Mathani are the seven long Surahs, because they also share these attributes, as does the whole Qur'an. As Allah says,

اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَـباً مُّتَشَـبِهاً مَّثَانِيَ

(Allah has sent down the best statement, a Book (this Qur'an), its parts resembling each other in goodness and truth, oft-recited) (39:23). So it is oft-recited in one way, and its parts resemble one another in another way, and this is also the Grand Qur'an.

لاَ تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَى مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّنْهُمْ

(Look not with your eyes ambitiously at what We have given to certain classes of them) 20: 131 meaning, be content with the Grand Qur'an that Allah has given to you, and do not long for the luxuries and transient delights that they have.

لاَ تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ

(Look not with your eyes ambitiously) Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "He in this Ayah forbade a man to wish for what his companion has."

إِلَى مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّنْهُمْ

(at what We have given to certain classes of them,) Mujahid said: "This refers to the rich."

Ayat ini menerangkan bahwa Allah telah menurunkan kepada Nabi Muhammad "as-sab'ul matsani" (tujuh ayat yang dibaca berulang-ulang) dan Al-Qur'an yang agung. Tidak diterangkan dalam ayat ini yang dimaksud dengan "as-sab'ul matsani" dan "Al-Qur'an yang agung itu". Tetapi, ada hadis menerangkan bahwa yang dimaksud dengan as-sab'ul matsani dan Al-Qur'an yang agung itu ialah Surah al-Fatihah. Hadis itu ialah:

Dari Abi Said Al-Mu'alla ia berkata, "Telah lewat di hadapanku Nabi saw sedang saya dalam salat, maka dia memanggilku dan aku tidak mendatanginya hingga aku selesai salat. Kemudian aku datang kepadanya, kemudian Nabi berkata, "Kenapa engkau tidak datang kepadaku." Aku menjawab, "Aku sedang salat." Beliau berkata, "Bukanlah Allah telah berfirman, "Hai orang-orang yang beriman perkenankanlah seruan Allah dan rasul," kemudian beliau berkata, Ketahuilah! Aku akan mengajarkan kepadamu surah yang paling agung di dalam Al-Qur'an, sebelum aku keluar dari mesjid ini." Maka Nabi saw pergi untuk keluar lalu beliau kuingatkan, maka katanya,"Al-hamdu lillahi rabbil-'alamin adalah "as-sab'ul-matsani" dan "Al-Qur'an yang agung" yang telah diberikannya kepadaku." (Riwayat al-Bukhari)

Pada hadis yang lain, Rasulullah saw bersabda:

Ummul-Qur'an itu ialah as-sab'ul-matsani dan Al-Qur'an yang Agung. (Riwayat al-Bukhari)

Banyak hadis sahih lain yang menerangkan bahwa as-sab'ul-matsani dan Al-Qur'an yang Agung adalah nama-nama lain dari Surah al-Fatihah.

Sebagian ahli tafsir berpendapat bahwa yang dimaksud dengan as-sab'ul matsani dalam ayat di atas ialah as-sab'uth-thiwal (tujuh surah Al-Qur'an yang terpanjang ayat-ayatnya), yaitu Surah al-Baqarah, Ali 'Imran, al-Ma'idah, an-Nisa, al-A'raf, al-An'am, dan at-Taubah atau al-Anfal. Surah-surah yang tujuh itu disebut as-sab'ul-matsani, karena dalam surah yang tujuh itu diulang-ulang penyebutan kisah-kisah, hukum-hukum, ketauhidan, dan lain-lain. Akan tetapi, pendapat ini bertentangan dengan hadis-hadis sahih di atas. Sementara itu, sebagian dari surah as-sab'uth-thiwal diturunkan di Medinah, sedangkan ayat yang menerangkan tentang as-sab'ul-matsani ini adalah Makkiyah.

Disebut as-sab'ul-matsani (tujuh berulang-ulang) karena Surah al-Fatihah itu terdiri atas tujuh ayat yang diulang-ulang membacanya pada tiap-tiap rakaat dalam salat. Seorang muslim sekurang-kurangnya salat tujuh belas rakaat dalam sehari semalam. Oleh karena itu, mereka sekurang-kurangnya membaca al-Fatihah tujuh belas kali dalam sehari semalam. Disebut Al-Qur'an yang agung karena isi Surah al-Fatihah itu merupakan pokok-pokok isi dari seluruh Al-Qur'an, dan sesuai pula dengan maksud hadis di atas.