Al-Muminun (, ; "The Believers") is the 23rd chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 118 verses (āyāt). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), it is a "Meccan surah" during the end period, which means it is believed to have been revealed before the migration of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina (Hijra).
This surah deals with the fundamentals of faith (Aqidah), Tawheed (Islamic monotheism), Risalah (Messengership), Resurrection and the supreme Judgement of God. The surah drives these themes home by drawing attention to God's creation of man through different stages in the mother's womb, His creation of the heavens and the earth, His sending down rains and growing plants, trees and fruits, and His providing of domestic animals with various benefits for man, all together with an emphasis on the fact that man shall die and shall be raised up on the Day of Resurrection. (See also: Islamic eschatology)
The theme of Risalah is emphasized with reference to the accounts of some prophets of Islam such as Nuh (Noah), Hud, Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus), noting that all of them delivered the same message of monotheism, but were disbelieved and opposed by the people they preached to, and that all of them were helped and rescued by Allah. A reference is also made to the similar unbelief and opposition of the Meccan leaders to the message delivered to them by Muhammad. The Surah ends with another reference to the inevitability of the Day of Resurrection and pointing out that man will not have a second chance to return to the worldly life and make amends for his lapses and mistakes.
Summary
1-9 True believers described 10-11 Their reward hereafter 12-14 God the creator of mankind 15, 16 The dead shall be raised by him 17 God created the seven heavens 18-23 God the author of all our blessings 24 Noah, sent as an apostle of God, preaches against idolatry 25-27 The people reject Noah as a madman 28-32 Noah is commanded to make the ark, to save himself and true followers from the Flood 33-46 Hud is sent to the Aad tribe after Noah, they reject him and are destroyed. 47-50 Moses and Aaron are rejected as impostors 50-51 The unbelievers are destroyed, but God gives a book to Moses for the direction of believers 52 Jesus and Mary created a sign 53-54 Apostles exhorted to be steadfast in the true faith 55-58 The sectarians to be left in their confusion 59-62 True believers sure of their reward 63 God judges men according to their ability 64-65 The idolatrous Quraysh will not believe the Quran 66-68 Idolaters will cry unto God in vain when in distress 69-72 The Quraish reject their Prophet as a madman 73-75 A gracious invitation rejected by them 76 God continues the calamity of the Makkans in mercy to them 77-78 The chastisements of the Lord rejected 79-81 God, the author of life and intellect, can raise the dead 82-84 The Quraish persist in denying the resurrection 85-91 They are judged out of their own mouths 92-93 Angels not the offspring of God 94-99 The Prophet takes refuge in God against every evil spirit 100-101 Repentance after death will be in vain 102-109 The awful doom of unbelievers 110-112 They are punished for persecuting believers 113-115 Time will pass slowly in hell 116-118 Triumph of the faithful over the unbelieving idolaters
The Surah begins with an assertion, "Most certainly the Believers have attained true success", intending to put across a point that the criterion of success and failure which people who disbelieve in Islam, hold in mind is in fact erred because it is based on misconceptions and is transitory and limited in nature, in turn leading to eventual failure and not true success.
On the contrary, those who follow the teachings of Islam taught by Muhammad, regarded by the disbelievers as failures are actually the ones who are truly successful. Because by their acceptance of the invitation to Islam, they are guaranteed of true success and everlasting bliss in this world as well as in the Hereafter. By rejecting the message of Islam, the non-believers have incurred a profound loss and would meet with the evil consequences both in this world and the next.
This is the main theme of the Surah and the whole discourse, from the beginning to the end, is meant to impress the same.Islamic Foundation UK, Towards Understanding the Quran, Surah 23
Q23:1-11 Qualities of the believers The first eleven verses mention the desired qualities of the believers, they are blessed and will attain victory:
A brief translation of the first 11 verses is as follows:The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics), M. A. S. Abdel Haleem (2008) (1) The believers have indeed attained true success! (2) Those who pray humbly, (3) who shun idle talk, (4) who pay the prescribed alms, (5) who guard their chastity (6) except with their spouses or their slaves ––with these they are not to blame, (7) but anyone who seeks more than this is exceeding the limits–– (8) who are faithful to their trusts and pledges (9) and who keep up their prayers, (10) will rightly be given (11) Paradise as their own, there to remain.
2 Possess Al-Khushoo The first quality as described in verse 2 of this Surah is, "Those who are humble in their prayers"; the Arabic word used to describe the people is 'Khashi'oon' meaning those of who possess 'Al-Khushoo'.
According to Tafsir ibn Kathir, a classical Tafsir (i.e. a commentary of the Quran written by Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir), the Arabic word 'Khushoo' encompasses the meanings of calmness, serenity, tranquility, dignity, and humility.",Tafsir ibn Kathir, Dar al-Sha'ab Edition, (6/414) while Ibn Abbas explains 'Khashi'oon' to mean, with fear and tranquility.At-Tabaree (19:9) Al-Khushoo is a necessary component of Salaah, however can be very easily lost. In a hadith, Muhammad said "The first thing to be lifted up (taken away) from this Ummah will be al-Khushoo; until you will see n o one who has al-Khushoo."Saheeh at-Targheeb, hadith No: 543
To attain al-Khushoo one must forget everything about the world and concentrate in the prayer acts, reciting the Qur'an and thinking of the verses one reads and bearing death, grave and the torment in mind so that he never loses concentration. In his Tafseer, Ibn Kathir writes, "Khushoo is gained by the fear of Allah and the sense that He is always watching." In another section he says, "The site of al-Khushoo is in the heart and heart is the king of the limbs, so if one intends to pray wholeheartedly the limbs will follow the heart as Allah says (in the Qur'an): 'And seek help in patience and Salaat and truly it is extremely heavy and hard, except for Khashi'oon.' The meaning is that the burden of prayer is heavy indeed; except for those who have Khushoo."
Regarding the same verse, i.e. 'And seek help in patience and Salaat and truly it is extremely heavy and hard, except for Khashi'oon.', Ibn Taymiyyah is of the opinion that "This (verse) implies condemnation of those who are not Khashi'oon... Condemnation only applies when something obligatory is not done, or when something forbidden is done. If those who do not have Khushoo are to be condemned, this indicates that Khushoo is obligatory."Majmoo al-Fatawa (Compilation of Fatwā), 22/553-558
In his book titled Towards Understanding the Qur'an, Islamic thinker and philosopher Abul Ala Maududi cites a notion that "Al-Khushoo of the heart is to fear and stand in awe of a powerful person, and al-Khushoo of the body is to bow one's head and lower one's gaze and voice in his presence. In Salaah one is required to show al-Khushoo, both of the heart and of the body, and this is the essence of this Islamic Prayer. It has been reported that when Muhammad once saw a person offering Salaah, as well as playing with his beard, he remarked: "Had he khushu in his heart, his body would have manifested it."
Maududi then continues, "Though al-Khushoo is actually a condition of the heart, as stated by the above tradition, it is manifested by the body as a matter of course. The Shariah has enjoined certain etiquette which, on the one hand, helps produce al-Khushoo in the heart, and on the other, helps sustain the physical act of the Prayer in spite of the fluctuating condition of the heart. According to this etiquette, one should neither turn to the right or left, nor raise one's head to look up: one may, however, look around from the corner of the eye, but as far as possible, one must fix the gaze on the place where the forehead would rest in prostration; one is also forbidden to shift about, incline side ways, fold the garments or shake off dust from them. It is also forbidden that while going down for prostration, one should clean the place where one would sit or perform prostration. Similarly it is disrespectful that one should stand stuffy erect, recite the verses of the Qur'an in a loud resounding voice, or sing them, or belch or yawn repeatedly and noisily. It has also not been approved that one should offer the Prayer in a hurry. The injunction is that each article of the Prayer should be performed in perfect peace and tranquility, and unless one article has been completely performed, the next should not be begun. If one feels hurt by something during the Prayer, one may cast it aside by one hand, but moving the hand repeatedly or using both the hands for the purpose is prohibited. with this etiquette of the body, it is also important that one should irrelevant things during the Prayer. If thoughts come to the mind intention, it is a natural human weakness, but one should try one's best and try to ensure with one's utmost that the mind and heart are wholly turned towards Allah, and the mind is in full harmony and tune with the tongue, and as soon as one becomes conscious of irrelevant thoughts one should immediately turn the attention to the Prayer".
3 Turn away from Al-Lagw The next quality gathered from verse 3 is that the believers turn away from Al-Lagw. The Arabic word Al-Lagw, as explained by Ibn Kathir.The Success is for the Believers , Surah 23, Tafsir ibn Kathir in his Tafseer, refers to falsehood, which encompasses all acts of sin, including the greatestAbout Islam - The Muslim's Creed , Fatwa-Online.com of them i.e. Shirk in Islam, and any words or deeds that are of no benefit. In a Sahih hadith from the al-Tirmidhi collection of aḥadīth, Muhammad is reported to have said: "Out of a person being a good Muslim is his leaving alone, what does not benefit him"; while in the Sahih al-Bukhari (the Sahih of Muhammad al-Bukhari) he is also reported to have said "Let he who truly believes in Allah and the Last Day speak good or be silent.".
In his Musnad Ahmed, Imam Ahmed has reported,Musnad Ahmed "The faith of a man cannot be straight unless his heart is straight, and his heart cannot be straight, unless his tongue becomes straight." It was from the manners of the Sahabah to speak very little, while Abu Dharr al-Ghifari said: "Adopt silence, this is the way of causing Shaytan to run away; it is a supporter to you in the matter of your religion." Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud is reported to have said: "By the One other than whom there is no God on this earth there is no one more deserving of long imprisonment that the tongue."