62:10 And when the
prayer is finished, go about in the land and seek of the bounty of Allah, and
remember Allah much so that you may succeed.
62:11 And when they
see merchandise or diversion, they disperse heading to it and leave you
standing. Say, ‘What is with Allah is better than diversion and merchandise.
And Allah is the Best of Sustainers.’
Relationship with the
Previous Part
The
previous part mentions that the Jews flee from death because of their love for
the life of this world. Thus, Allah, Exalted be He, seeks to educate the believers
and direct them to balance their efforts between the life of this world and the
Hereafter. He commands them to attend the Friday prayer to attain the reward of
the Hereafter and then directs them to go about in the land to seek lawful
subsistence for the life of this world.
Allah,
Exalted be He, then strongly criticizes the believers who left Messenger
Muhammad while he was delivering the Friday sermon in order to attend to their
business. Thereafter, Allah permits the believers to go about in the land and
seek livelihood after performing the Friday prayer.
Cause of Revelation
Jabir
Bin Abdul Allah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘While we were performing
the Friday prayer with Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him], a caravan carrying
food arrived. Thereupon, the people went towards it until only twelve persons
remained with the Prophet. Thereafter, the following Ayah was revealed: [62:11
And when they see merchandise or diversion, they disperse heading to it and
leave you standing. Say, ‘What is with Allah is better than diversion and
merchandise. And Allah is the Best of Sustainers.’]’
Tafsir
62:9
O you who believe, when a proclamation is made for the prayer on the Day of
Friday, proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave off business; that is
better for you if you but know.
The
previous part criticized the Jews, who claimed that they were the chosen people
of Allah to the exclusion of others. In contrast, in this part, Allah, Exalted
be He, addresses the believers, commanding them to proceed promptly to the
prayer upon hearing the call and forbidding them from occupying themselves with
worldly matters at the expense of remembering and obeying Him.
O
you who believe in the Oneness of Allah and His Prophet Muhammad, when the call
for the Friday prayer is proclaimed, you should proceed to the remembrance of
Allah and the performance of the prayer. You should be eager to benefit from
listening to the Friday sermon, as it contains beneficial knowledge, and you
will be rewarded immensely for doing so. You should leave off business regardless
of the profit you may attain.
Proceed
to the remembrance of Allah and leave off business…
When
proceeding to the prayer, the believers should walk with solemnity and dignity.
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that Messenger Muhammad
[peace be upon him] said: ‘When you proceed to pray, do not walk swiftly;
rather, proceed to it with calmness. Whatever you catch up of it, pray, and
whatever you miss, make up for it. Whoever is proceeding to perform the prayer
is in the prayer.’
The
remembrance of Allah refers to the Friday sermon and the prayer, as both
contain the remembrance of Allah.
That
is better for you if you but know.
Leaving
off business upon hearing the call for the Friday prayer, proceeding to perform
it, and listening to the sermon are better for you than any worldly gain, if
you know. Verily, complying with the commands of Allah is better for you if you
possess sound understanding, as it leads to happiness in both the life of this
world and the Hereafter.
62:10
And when the prayer is finished, go about in the land and seek of the bounty of
Allah, and remember Allah much so that you may succeed.
O
believers, after you have performed the prayer as properly as you can, you may go
about in the land and resume your previous activities. You may seek the bounty
of Allah by engaging in trade and any form of permissible business. Moreover,
you should continue to remember Allah frequently so that you may succeed and
attain reward in both this world and the Hereafter.
It
should be noted that the command to seek livelihood after the prayer is not
obligatory; rather, it is permissible. The believers may seek it after the
prayer or at any other time.
The
intended meaning is to draw people’s attention to the abundance of time
available after the prayer to pursue livelihood and attend to business.
However, when they hear the call for the prayer—especially the Friday
prayer—they should leave whatever occupation they are engaged in and immediately
prepare for and perform the prayer.
And
remember Allah much so that you may succeed.
O
believers, after performing the prayer and going about in the land to seek
livelihood, you should remember Allah frequently and not allow the pursuit of
livelihood to distract you from the remembrance of Allah and obedience to His
commands. Verily, all success lies in prioritizing matters of religion over
worldly concerns and preferring what is lasting over what is transient.
Reflecting
on this Ayah, one finds that it presents a well-balanced methodology for the
Muslim, combining the requirements of the Hereafter with those of the life of
this world. It commands the Muslim to seek lawful livelihood while also
instructing him to leave all worldly matters when the time of prayer arrives,
so that he may remember Allah and attain His pleasure, in which all success
lies.
Surah
Al-Jumu’ah then concludes with a criticism that offers both guidance and
reproach to those who prefer the gains of the life of this world over the sublime
rewards of the Hereafter.
62:11
And when they see merchandise or diversion, they disperse heading to it and
leave you standing. Say, ‘What is with Allah is better than diversion and
merchandise. And Allah is the Best of Sustainers.’
O
noble Prophet of Allah, when the believers who were listening to your Friday
sermon saw a caravan carrying merchandise entering the city or observed a form
of amusement, they dispersed towards it and left you standing on the pulpit
while you were still delivering the sermon.
O
noble Prophet of Allah, say to them: ‘What is with Allah—the great reward that
He has prepared for the sincere believers in the Hereafter—is better than
diversion, amusement, and merchandise. Allah is the Best of Sustainers;
therefore, you should seek sustenance from Him alone. You should strive to
attain His pleasure by obeying His commands and performing righteous deeds,
which are among the causes of attaining lawful sustenance. Allah has
apportioned sustenance for His servants, and He will never deprive anyone of
their decreed provision for attending the prayer.’
Ibn
Malik reported that Dihyah Bin Khalifah brought oil merchandise from Ash-Sham
while Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him] was delivering the Friday sermon.
When the people saw him, they went towards him for fear that others might reach
him before them. Thus, the following Ayah was revealed: [62:11 And when they
see merchandise or diversion, they disperse heading to it and leave you
standing.]’
The Learned Lessons
from Surah Al-Jumu’ah Ayah 9–11
- It is obligatory to answer the call for the Friday
prayer, which must be performed in congregation in the mosque. Books of
Fiqh provide detailed discussions regarding those upon whom it is
obligatory.
- It is prohibited to engage in business at the time of
the Friday prayer for those who are required to attend it.
- The believer should remember Allah as much as possible.
- The believer’s pursuit of worldly livelihood should be
accompanied by remembrance and fear of Allah, lest love for it overwhelms
him.
- Constant fear of Allah leads to success in both the
life of this world and the Hereafter.
- It is permissible to engage in business and seek
livelihood after performing the Friday prayer.
