Surah Al-Hijr 15:88

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."

Pada ayat di atas diterangkan bahwa Allah swt telah meng-anugerahikan sesuatu yang besar nilainya kepada orang-orang yang beriman, yaitu Surah al-Fatihah. Pemberian itu berupa petunjuk ke jalan yang benar dan tidak dapat dinilai dengan harta berapa pun banyaknya. Oleh karena itu, Allah swt memperingatkan orang-orang yang beriman agar jangan merasa berkecil hati dan bersedih atas kesenangan duniawi yang telah diberikan Allah kepada orang-orang kafir. Tidak pantas seseorang memalingkan perhatiannya dari sesuatu yang mulia dan tinggi nilainya kepada sesuatu yang kurang bernilai, apalagi jika kesenangan dunia itu diperoleh dengan cara yang tidak dibenarkan Allah. Semua itu adalah kesenangan yang bersifat sementara, kemudian mereka akan dimasukkan ke dalam api neraka yang menyala-nyala. Ayat ini senada dengan firman Allah swt yang melarang Rasul melihat kenikmatan yang diberikan kepada orang-orang kafir:

Dan janganlah engkau tujukan pandangan matamu kepada kenikmatan yang telah Kami berikan kepada beberapa golongan dari mereka, (sebagai) bunga kehidupan dunia agar Kami uji mereka dengan (kesenangan) itu. Karunia Tuhanmu lebih baik dan lebih kekal. (thaha/20: 131)

Allah swt melarang Nabi Muhammad saw bersedih hati terhadap orang kafir yang tidak mengindahkan seruannya. Larangan Allah ini disebabkan karena Nabi saw sangat mengharapkan agar seluruh manusia beriman dan mengharapkan agar orang-orang kafir tidak ditimpa siksa Allah di akhirat nanti karena keluasan rahmat-Nya. Larangan Allah juga mengingatkan Nabi saw bahwa tugasnya hanya menyampaikan agama Allah, bukan memaksa manusia untuk beriman. Kemudian Allah memutuskan agar Nabi saw berlaku lemah lembut dan mengatakan kepada orang-orang kafir bahwa mereka akan ditimpa azab Allah jika mereka terus-menerus dalam kekafiran dan kesesatan, sebagaimana yang telah ditimpakan kepada umat-umat sebelum mereka.