90:8 Have We not made for him two eyes,
90:9 and a tongue and two lips,
90:10 and shown him the two highways?
90:11 Yet he has not broken into the steep;
90:12 and what shall make you know what the steep is?
90:13 It is freeing of a slave,
90:14 or feeding on a day of hunger
90:15 an orphan of kin,
90:16 or a needy person in distress.
90:17 Then he becomes of those who believe and exhort one another to be patient and exhort one another to be merciful.
90:18 Those are the companions of the Right Hand.
90:19 And those who disbelieve in Our signs, they are the companions of the Left Hand;
90:20 over them is a Fire, closed.
Relationship with the Previous Part
In the previous part, man is reprimanded for some of his evil attributes. Then, this part mentions some proofs confirming Allah’s perfect ability, namely, He created man in the best form and gave him the eyes, the tongue, the lips, and the intellect so that he can distinguish the path of guidance from the path of misguidance. Then it mentions that man should thank Allah for all His blessings, follow the path of guidance, and perform righteous deeds so that he will be of the dwellers of Paradise.
Tafsir
90:8 Have We not made for him two eyes,
90:9 and a tongue and two lips,
90:10 and shown him the two highways?
Allah reminds man, who is deceived by his wealth and power, of His blessings on him. [Have We not….] The interrogation is for confirmation as Allah has given man all blessings he enjoys, but he is unthankful to Allah for all His blessings.
Allah has given man two eyes to see things, He has given him a tongue and two lips to speak, and He has shown him the two ways, namely, the path of guidance and the path of misguidance by sending him His Prophets and Messengers.
Allah’s Messengers and Prophets invited people to obey Allah’s commands, follow the right path that leads to salvation, and avoid disobeying Him, which will cause them to lose in this world and the Hereafter.
The eyes are specifically mentioned because they are of the most beneficial organs in the human body. In addition, man denies that none sees him when he spends of his wealth. Therefore, the eyes are mentioned to confirm that he is seen.
The tongue and the two lips are mentioned together because man cannot speak correctly without both of them. The tongue cannot pronounce without the two lips, and vice versa.
90:10 and shown him the two highways?
The Arabic version of the ayah reads as follows: [and shown him the two najdeen ‘highways.’] Najd is a raised area on the earth. The path of guidance and misguidance are called najdeen ‘highways’ because they are difficult and one needs to strive hard and control his soul to pass across them. Moreover, they are called highways because they have clear proofs on them that those who are endowed with sound minds can see them.
Allah, out of His bounty and generosity, shows man the two paths of guidance and misguidance. He has sent him His Prophets and Messengers to invite him to follow the path of guidance and avoid the path of misguidance. He has also given man the intellect whereby he can distinguish right from wrong, and good from evil. Then, Allah has given man the right to choose which path to follow. On the Day of Judgment, he will be justly recompensed according to the path he chose to follow in this world.
90:11 Yet he has not broken into the steep;
After referring to some of Allah’s blessings on man, man is exhorted to keep on doing righteous deeds and make himself better.
Allah has given man two eyes, a tongue, and two lips, and He has shown him the path of guidance and misguidance. Hence, will he act as Allah has commanded him by exerting efforts to control his soul’s whims, spending money on freeing the slaves, and feeding the needy?
The wording of the Arabic version of ayah [11] is as follows: ‘fala iq’tahama al-‘aqabat, which is translated into yet he has not broken into the steep.’ Iq’tahama means to break into, storm into, and embark boldly. Al-‘aqabat means a rugged and steep path in a mountain. The intended meaning is to strive hard to overcome the soul’s whims and make it acts as Allah has commanded it. The rugged and steep path is used figuratively to indicate that compelling the soul to perform righteous deeds and avoid wickedness is very hard and it needs great effort to overcome it. It is similar to someone walking on a very rugged and steep path. He needs to exert great efforts to pass across this path.
90:12 and what shall make you know what the steep is?
The interrogation is to emphasize the significance of the steep, show its seriousness, and motivate the listener to know it. In other words, what shall make you know how to cross the steep?
90:13 It is freeing of a slave,
90:14 or feeding on a day of hunger
90:15 an orphan of kin,
90:16 or a needy person in distress.
To be able to cross the steep path of striving against the soul’s whim and the great love for this world and wealth, one should do righteous acts for Allah’s sake. The following are examples of these acts: 1) freeing slaves of bondage, or helping to free them. 2) feeding the needy, who are distressed, on a day of hunger when it is hard to find food.
Feeding on a day of hunger and famine is specially mentioned because one usually wants to keep the money for himself at times of famine and hunger. Moreover, needy orphans of kin are the most deserving people of help as they have lost their guardians. As for the needy in a state of distress, they cannot find the means for earning their living in times of famine. Thus, helping those people deserve a great reward from Allah. In another surah of the Quran, Allah says, interpretation of the meaning,
3:92 You will not attain true piety until you spend of what you love, and whatever thing you spend, indeed, Allah is All-Aware of it. [Surah al-Imran]
O people, you will not attain true piety and not have its great reward that will make you deserve Allah’s pleasure until you spend of what you love of wealth for Allah’s sake. Whatever thing you spend for Allah’s sake, Allah is All-Aware of it and He will immensely reward you.
90:17 Then he becomes of those who believe and exhort one another to be patient and exhort one another to be merciful.
Let the person, who claims that he spends abundant wealth, be of those who believe in Allah’s Oneness, and exhort one another to be patient with the afflictions they may face for Allah’s sake and exhort one another to be merciful. Then, let him perform righteous deeds, such as freeing slaves and feeding the orphans and the needy at times of famine.
Indeed, righteous deeds will not be accepted except after believing in Allah’s Oneness no matter how great these righteous deeds may be.
Patience is needed to be able to obey Allah’s commands and avoid His prohibitions, and face afflictions that may befall one in this world. Furthermore, those who have merciful hearts will easily help the orphans and the needy and do righteous deeds as much as they can.
Messenger Muhammad said, ‘He who is not merciful to people Allah will not be merciful to him.’
90:18 Those are the companions of the Right Hand.
Those who free the slaves and feed the needy and the orphans, and before doing so believe in Allah’s Oneness and advise one another to be patient will be the companions of the Right Hand, namely, the happy, who will be given the records of their deeds in their right hands. Their abode will be Paradise where they enjoy lasting happiness.
90:19 And those who disbelieve in Our signs, they are the companions of the Left Hand;
90:20 over them is a Fire, closed.
The ayah mentions the evil end of the wicked disbelievers.
As for those who disbelieve in Allah’s Oneness and proofs confirming His Oneness and ability, they will be the companions of the Left Hand, namely, the dwellers of Hell on the Day of Judgment. They will suffer the burning fire of Hell, which will be closed over them so that they will never be able to leave it. What an evil end Hell is! What painful punishment they will suffer therein!
Learned Lessons from Surah al-Balad Ayah 8-20
• Allah, the Giver of all blessings, has given man tools that enable him to see, communicate, and understand easily in this world. He has given him the eyes to see proofs confirming His Oneness, the tongue to utter the truth, and the intellect to distinguish the path of guidance from the path of misguidance, and then follow the path leading to what pleases Him.
• Allah, out of His generosity, has made the path of guidance and the path of misguidance clear to man and sent His Prophets and Messengers to invite him to follow the path of guidance. Then, he is free to choose which path to follow, and at the same time, he will be responsible for the outcomes of his choice, whether good or evil.
• Man should be thankful to Allah for all blessings and use them in a manner that pleases Him.
• The believers should advise one another to perform righteous deeds that please Allah, such as feeding the needy and freeing the slave, exhort one another to be patient with the afflictions that they may suffer in this world, and patiently fulfill Allah’s obligations on them.
• Belief in Allah’s Oneness is a must-present condition to accept righteous deeds. No matter how great righteous deeds may be, they will be fruitless if this condition is missed.
• On the Day of Judgment, Paradise will be the abode of the believers in Allah’s Oneness, while Hell will be the abode of the disbelievers in His Oneness, where they will suffer severe and lasting punishment.
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