Surah Taha, Ayah 3

Which was revealed at Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Qur'an is a Reminder and a Revelation from Allah

We have already discussed the separated letters at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah, so there is no need to repeat its discussion here. Allah says,

مَآ أَنَزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْءَانَ لِتَشْقَى

(We have not sent down the Qur'an unto you to cause you distress,) Juwaybir reported that Ad-Dahhak said, "When Allah sent the Qur'an down to His Messenger , he and his Companions adh- ered to it. Thus, the idolators of the Quraysh said, `This Qur'an was only reve- aled to Muhammad to cause him distress.' Therefore, Allah revealed,

إِلَّا تَذْكِرَ‌ةً لِّمَن يَخْشَىٰ (Rather to remind him who has the fear - 20:3). Ibn Kathir has narrated that in the early days following the revelation of the Qur'an while the believers spent whole nights in prayers, the infidels mocked and taunted them that the revelation of the Qur'an brought nothing to them but hardship, allowing them no rest and peace. In this verse, Allah Ta’ ala says that these wretched and miserable people cannot sense that the Qur'an and the knowledge communicated through it can bring only blessings and felicity. This fact is not appreciated by them because they are ignorant and misguided. In a Hadith which has been related by Sayyidna Mu` awiyah ؓ " the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "When Allah intends to reward a person, He gives him the correct perception of religion". (Sahihain)

Here Imam Ibn Kathir has recorded another authentic Hadith which has been related by Tabarani from Tha'labah Ibn Al-Hakam and which will be good news for the learned people:

قال رسول اللہ ﷺ : یقول اللہ تعالیٰ للعلماء یوم القیامۃ اذا قعد علی کرسیّہ لقضاء عبادہٖ : انّی لم اجعل علمی و حکمتی فیکم الّا و اناارید ان اغفر لکم علی ما کان منکم ولا ابالی (ابن کثیر ص 141 ج 3)

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "On the Day of Judgment when Allah will ascend His Kursiyy (Chair) to pronounce judgment on the actions of His servants He will tell the learned people that He had placed His knowledge and wisdom in their hearts for the sole reason that He wished to forgive them in spite of their failings, and that these matters were of no concern to Him."

It is evident that in this Hadith the reference to learned people applies to those only who possess the fear of Allah Ta` ala which is a sure sign of Qur’ anic knowledge.