Surah Hajj ayat 31 Tafsir Quran 22:31

﴿حُنَفَاءَ لِلَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ﴾
[ الحج: 31]

22:31 Inclining [only] to Allah, not associating [anything] with Him. And he who associates with Allah - it is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place.

being hanīfs to God being of those who have submitted to God inclining away from every religion except His religion not ascribing partners to Him this clause emphasises the preceding one both clauses being circumstantial qualifiers referring to the third person plural indicator wāw of ijtanibū ‘avoid’. For whoever ascribes partners to God it is as though he had fallen from the heaven and been snatched away by vulture birds that is as though they had seized him swiftly or as though the wind had blown him dropped him into a far-off place so that there is no hope of his being saved.

Sincerely maintaining the precepts of Allahs system of faith and worship authoritatively established by Him and not incorporating with Him other deities. And he who incorporates with Him other deities shall stand similitude exact of someone who has fallen from heaven and been snatched by the birds of prey -which make a rapid sweeping descent upon its prey- or been swept away by a storm in its fury to a distant and far off place

The Reward for avoiding Sin Allah says: `This is what We have commanded you to do in the rituals ( of Hajj ), and this is the great reward that the person who does that will gain.' وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَـتِ اللَّهِ ( whoever honors the sacred things of Allah, ) means, whoever avoids disobeying Him and does not transgress that which is sacred, and regards committing sin as a very serious matter, فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ ( then that is better for him with his Lord. ) means, he will attain much good and a great reward for doing that.
Just as the one who does acts of obedience will earn a great reward, so too, the one who avoids sin will earn a great reward. Cattle are Lawful وَأُحِلَّتْ لَكُمُ الاٌّنْعَـمُ إِلاَّ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ ( The cattle are lawful to you, except those (that will be ) mentioned to you.) means, `We have made permissible for you all the An`am ( cattle etc. ),' and Allah has not instituted things like Bahirah or a Sa'ibah or a Wasilah or a Ham. إِلاَّ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ ( except those mentioned to you. ) the prohibition of Al-Maytah, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering ( that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah, or has been slaughtered for idols ) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns -- and that which has been ( partly ) eaten by a wild animal -- unless you are able to slaughter it ( before its death ) - and that which is sacrificed ( slaughtered ) on An-Nusub.
This was the view of Ibn Jarir, who recorded it from Qatadah. The Command to shun Shirk and Lying فَاجْتَنِبُواْ الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الاٌّوْثَـنِ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ ( So shun the Rijis of the idols, and shun false speech. ) From this it is clear what Ar-Rijs means, i.e., avoid the abomination, which means idols.
Shirk is mentioned in conjunction with false speech, as in the Ayah: قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْىَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُواْ بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَـناً وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ( Say: "(But ) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish ( immoral sins ) whether committed openly or secretly, sins ( of all kinds ), unrighteous oppression, joining partners with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge".) 7:33 This includes bearing false witness.
In the Two Sahihs it was reported from Abu Bakrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«أَلَا أُنَبِّــئُكُمْ بِأَكْبَرِ الْكَبَائِرِ؟»
( Shall I not tell you about the worst of major sins ) We said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said:
«الْإِشْرَاكُ بِاللهِ وَعُقُوقُ الْوَالِدَيْنِ ( Associating others with Allah, disobeying one's parents. ) He was reclining, then he sat up and said: أَلَا وَقَوْلُ الزُّورِ،أَلَا وَشَهَادَةُ الزُّور»
( and indeed giving false statements, and indeed bearing false witness... ) and he kept on repeating it until we wished that he would stop." Imam Ahmad recorded that Khuraym bin Fatik Al-Asadi said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed As-Subh ( Al-Fajr ), and when he had finished, he stood up and said:
«عَدَلَتْ شَهَادَةُ الزُّورِ الْإِشْرَاكَ بِاللهِ عَزَّ وَجَل»
( Bearing false witness is on a par with the association of others with Allah. ) Then he recited this Ayah: فَاجْتَنِبُواْ الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الاٌّوْثَـنِ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِحُنَفَآءَ للَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ ( So shun the Rijs of the idols, and shun lying speech.
Hunafa' Lillah, not associating partners unto Him; ) حُنَفَآءَ للَّهِ ( Hunafa' Lillah ) means, sincerely submitting to Him Alone, shunning falsehood and seeking the truth.
Allah says: غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ ( not associating partners unto Him; ) Then Allah gives a likeness of the idolator in his misguidance and being doomed and being far away from true guidance, and says: وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ ( and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, ) meaning, فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ ( the birds caught him in midair, ) أَوْ تَهْوِى بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِى مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ ( or the wind had thrown him to a far off place. ) means, remote and desolate, dangerous for anyone who lands there.
Hence it says in the Hadith of Al-Bara':
«إِنَّ الْكَافِرَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُ مَلَائِكَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَصَعِدُوا بِرُوحِهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، فَلَا تُفْتَحُ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ بَلْ تُطْرَحُ رُوحُهُ طَرْحًا مِنْ هُنَاك»
( When the angels of death take the soul of the disbeliever in death, they take his soul up to the heaven, but the gates of heaven are not opened for him; on the contrary, his soul is thrown down from there. ) Then he recited this Ayah.
The Hadith has already been quoted in our explanation of Surah Ibrahim.
Allah gives another parable of the idolators in Surat Al-An`am, where He says: قُلْ أَنَدْعُواْ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَنفَعُنَا وَلاَ يَضُرُّنَا وَنُرَدُّ عَلَى أَعْقَـبِنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ كَالَّذِى اسْتَهْوَتْهُ الشَّيَـطِينُ فِى الاٌّرْضِ حَيْرَانَ لَهُ أَصْحَـبٌ يَدْعُونَهُ إِلَى الْهُدَى ائْتِنَا قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللَّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى ( Say: "Shall we invoke others besides Allah, that can do us neither good nor can harm us, and shall we turn back on our heels after Allah has guided us -- like one whom the Shayaلtin have made to go astray in the land in confusion, his companions calling him to guidance (saying ): `Come to us."' Say: "Verily, Allah's guidance is the only guidance.") 6:71

(22:31) And the cattle have been made lawful for you *55 except what has already been mentioned to you *56 ; therefore guard yourselves against the filth of idols, *57 and refrain from all false things. *58 Become Allah's sincere servants, turning away from everything and without associating any partner with Him, for the one who associates a partner with Allah, becomes like him who has fallen from heaven. Then either the birds will snatch him away or the wind will blow him off to a place where he will be shattered into pieces. *59

Inclining [only] to Allah, not associating [anything] meaning

*55) " And the cattle have been made lawful for you .... " has been cited here for two objects:
( 1 ) It is to refute the custom of the Quraish under which certain cattle-bahirah.
saibah, wasilah and ham-were considered unlawful.
They are being told that these are also lawful like other cattle.

( 2 ) It is not unlawful as was held by the Quraish to eat the flesh of the cattle even in the state of " Ihram ".

*56) This refers to VI: 145 and XVI: 11S in which Allah has forbidden the Muslims to eat what dies of itself, blood, flesh of swine or what has been slaughtered in any name other than Allah's.

*57) That is, " Refrain from and guard against the worship of idols just as you avoid filthy and dirty things ".

*58) Though the expression " false things " is general and implies lies, false evidence, calumny, etc., here it particularly refers to those false creeds, rites, and rituals and superstitious things on which kufr and shirk have been founded.
It is obvious that there is no greater lie than associating others with Allah in His Being, Attributes, Powers and Rights.
It was a falsehood to make bahirah, etc.
unlawful.
.
See also XVI :116.

To take a false oath and give a false evidence also come under this Commandment.
A Tradition from the Holy Prophet says:
" A false evidence is equal to shirk with Allah. " That is why according to the Islamic Law, a false witness should be punished and disgraced.
Imams Abu Yusuf and Muhammad have expressed the opinion that a person who brings a false witness in the court should be publicly exposed and sentenced to a long imprisonment.
This was the actual practice in the time of Hadrat `Umar.
According to Makhul, he said:
" Such a person should be whipped, his head shaved and face blackened and he should be sentenced to a long imprisonment. "
'Abdullah bin `Amir has reported from his father that a person's false evidence was established in Hadrat `Umar's court, whereupon the Caliph kept him exposed to public for a day, saying that he was so and so and a false witness so that people might recognize him, and then he imprisoned him.
These days this can be done by publishing the culprit's name in the newspapers, etc.

*59) In this parable " heaven " means the original human nature.
Man by nature is the servant of none else but AIIah and inherently accepts the Doctrine of Tauhid.
That is why the one who follows the guidance of the Prophets becomes firm in these dictates of his nature and soars higher and higher.
On the other hand, the one who rejects Allah or associates a partner with Him falls down from the " heaven "of his nature.
Then he either becomes a victim of satans and evil leaders like the birds of the parable, which snatch away the fallen man, or he becomes a slave of his lusts, passions, whims, etc., which have been likened to the wind i' the parable.
They lower him down from one wrong position to the other till he falls into the deepest abyss of degradation.

 

The Reward for avoiding Sin Allah says: `This is what We have commanded you to do in the rituals ( of Hajj ), and this is the great reward that the person who does that will gain.' وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَـتِ اللَّهِ ( whoever honors the sacred things of Allah, ) means, whoever avoids disobeying Him and does not transgress that which is sacred, and regards committing sin as a very serious matter, فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ ( then that is better for him with his Lord. ) means, he will attain much good and a great reward for doing that.
Just as the one who does acts of obedience will earn a great reward, so too, the one who avoids sin will earn a great reward. Cattle are Lawful وَأُحِلَّتْ لَكُمُ الاٌّنْعَـمُ إِلاَّ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ ( The cattle are lawful to you, except those (that will be ) mentioned to you.) means, `We have made permissible for you all the An`am ( cattle etc. ),' and Allah has not instituted things like Bahirah or a Sa'ibah or a Wasilah or a Ham. إِلاَّ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ ( except those mentioned to you. ) the prohibition of Al-Maytah, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allah's Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering ( that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah, or has been slaughtered for idols ) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns -- and that which has been ( partly ) eaten by a wild animal -- unless you are able to slaughter it ( before its death ) - and that which is sacrificed ( slaughtered ) on An-Nusub.
This was the view of Ibn Jarir, who recorded it from Qatadah. The Command to shun Shirk and Lying فَاجْتَنِبُواْ الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الاٌّوْثَـنِ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ ( So shun the Rijis of the idols, and shun false speech. ) From this it is clear what Ar-Rijs means, i.e., avoid the abomination, which means idols.
Shirk is mentioned in conjunction with false speech, as in the Ayah: قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْىَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُواْ بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَـناً وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ( Say: "(But ) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish ( immoral sins ) whether committed openly or secretly, sins ( of all kinds ), unrighteous oppression, joining partners with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge".) 7:33 This includes bearing false witness.
In the Two Sahihs it was reported from Abu Bakrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «أَلَا أُنَبِّــئُكُمْ بِأَكْبَرِ الْكَبَائِرِ؟» ( Shall I not tell you about the worst of major sins ) We said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said: «الْإِشْرَاكُ بِاللهِ وَعُقُوقُ الْوَالِدَيْنِ ( Associating others with Allah, disobeying one's parents. ) He was reclining, then he sat up and said: أَلَا وَقَوْلُ الزُّورِ،أَلَا وَشَهَادَةُ الزُّور» ( and indeed giving false statements, and indeed bearing false witness... ) and he kept on repeating it until we wished that he would stop." Imam Ahmad recorded that Khuraym bin Fatik Al-Asadi said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed As-Subh ( Al-Fajr ), and when he had finished, he stood up and said: «عَدَلَتْ شَهَادَةُ الزُّورِ الْإِشْرَاكَ بِاللهِ عَزَّ وَجَل» ( Bearing false witness is on a par with the association of others with Allah. ) Then he recited this Ayah: فَاجْتَنِبُواْ الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الاٌّوْثَـنِ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِحُنَفَآءَ للَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ ( So shun the Rijs of the idols, and shun lying speech.
Hunafa' Lillah, not associating partners unto Him; ) حُنَفَآءَ للَّهِ ( Hunafa' Lillah ) means, sincerely submitting to Him Alone, shunning falsehood and seeking the truth.
Allah says: غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ ( not associating partners unto Him; ) Then Allah gives a likeness of the idolator in his misguidance and being doomed and being far away from true guidance, and says: وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ ( and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, ) meaning, فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ ( the birds caught him in midair, ) أَوْ تَهْوِى بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِى مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ ( or the wind had thrown him to a far off place. ) means, remote and desolate, dangerous for anyone who lands there.
Hence it says in the Hadith of Al-Bara': «إِنَّ الْكَافِرَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُ مَلَائِكَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَصَعِدُوا بِرُوحِهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، فَلَا تُفْتَحُ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ بَلْ تُطْرَحُ رُوحُهُ طَرْحًا مِنْ هُنَاك» ( When the angels of death take the soul of the disbeliever in death, they take his soul up to the heaven, but the gates of heaven are not opened for him; on the contrary, his soul is thrown down from there. ) Then he recited this Ayah.
The Hadith has already been quoted in our explanation of Surah Ibrahim.
Allah gives another parable of the idolators in Surat Al-An`am, where He says: قُلْ أَنَدْعُواْ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَنفَعُنَا وَلاَ يَضُرُّنَا وَنُرَدُّ عَلَى أَعْقَـبِنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ كَالَّذِى اسْتَهْوَتْهُ الشَّيَـطِينُ فِى الاٌّرْضِ حَيْرَانَ لَهُ أَصْحَـبٌ يَدْعُونَهُ إِلَى الْهُدَى ائْتِنَا قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللَّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى ( Say: "Shall we invoke others besides Allah, that can do us neither good nor can harm us, and shall we turn back on our heels after Allah has guided us -- like one whom the Shayaلtin have made to go astray in the land in confusion, his companions calling him to guidance (saying ): `Come to us."' Say: "Verily, Allah's guidance is the only guidance.") 6:71

( Turning unto Allah (only )) be sincere to Allah in your chanting and pilgrimage, ( not ascribing partners unto Him ) in your chanting or pilgrimage; ( for whoso ascribeth partners unto Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky and the birds had snatched him ) to take him wherever they wish ( or the wind had blown him to a far-off place ).

Hunafa' Lillah (i.e. to worship none but Allah), not associating partners (in worship, etc.) unto Him and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place.

Page 336 English transliteration