Tafseer of Mary · Maryam · 19:59
But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil -
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah the Exalted says: After all these mentioned prophets, of whom He has related that He described them as being among those favoured with grace in this sūra, there appeared in the earth an evil progeny who neglected the prayer (al-ṣalāh).
The scholars of tafsīr then differed concerning the manner in which they neglected the prayer. Some said: their neglect consisted in delaying it beyond its appointed times and letting those times lapse.
* Mention of those who said this:
ʿAlī ibn Saʿd al-Kindī related to me, he said: ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus related to us, on the authority of Al-Awzāʿī, on the authority of Mūsā ibn Sulaymān, on the authority of Al-Qāsim ibn Mukhaymarah, concerning His word فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ ("after them there appeared a progeny who neglected the prayer"): he said: they only neglected the appointed times; had they abandoned it entirely, that would have been disbelief (kufr).
Isḥāq ibn Zayd al-Khaṭṭābī related to us, he said: Al-Firyābī related to us, on the authority of Al-Awzāʿī, on the authority of Al-Qāsim ibn Mukhaymarah — to the same effect.
ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn Abī ʿUmayr related to us, he said: Al-Walīd ibn Muslim related to me, on the authority of Abū ʿAmr, on the authority of Al-Qāsim ibn Mukhaymarah, who said: they neglected the appointed times; but had they abandoned it entirely, they would by that abandonment have become disbelievers (kuffār).
Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, he said: Al-Walīd ibn Muslim related to us, on the authority of Al-Awzāʿī, on the authority of Al-Qāsim — to the same effect.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Al-Awzāʿī, on the authority of Ibrāhīm ibn Yazīd: that ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz sent a man to Egypt for a matter he deemed urgent for the Muslims. He went out to his guard, having instructed them beforehand not to rise for him when they saw him. They made room for him and he sat down among them. He said: "Which of you knows the man whom we have sent to Egypt?" They answered: "We all know him." He said: "Let the youngest of you rise and call him." The messenger went to him; he said: "Do not hurry me — let me put on my clothing." When he came to him, he said: "Today is Friday; do not depart until you have prayed. We sent you for a matter we deemed urgent for the Muslims, but let not the purpose for which we sent you lead you to delay the prayer (al-ṣalāh) beyond its appointed time, for you will pray it regardless." Then he recited: فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا ("after them there appeared a progeny who neglected the prayer and followed lusts — they shall soon meet with destruction"). Then he said: their neglect was not that they abandoned it, but that they delayed the appointed time.
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: my father related to us, on the authority of Al-Masʿūdī, on the authority of Al-Qāsim ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān and Al-Ḥasan ibn Masʿūd, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd: that it was said to him: "Allah mentions the prayer (al-ṣalāh) frequently in the Qurʾān: الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ ('those who are heedless of their prayer') and عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ ('who are constant in their prayer') and عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ('who guard their prayer')." Ibn Masʿūd — may Allah be pleased with him — said: "concerning its appointed times." They said: "We thought it concerned only the abandonment of it." He said: "That is disbelief (kufr)."
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: ʿUmar Abū Ḥafṣ al-Abbār related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr ibn al-Muʿtamir, who said: Masrūq said: "No one who consistently performs the five prayers (al-ṣalawāt al-khams) need be recorded as among the heedless; their excess (ifrāṭ) brings destruction, and their excess is delaying it beyond their appointed times."
Others said: rather, their neglect consisted in abandoning it entirely.
* Mention of those who said this:
Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Abū Ṣakhr informed us, on the authority of Al-Qurẓī: that he said concerning this verse فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ — he says: they abandoned the prayer.
Abū Jaʿfar said: the more correct of the two interpretations for this verse, in my view, is the opinion of him who says: their neglect meant that they abandoned it entirely; for this is indicated by the word of Allah the Exalted thereafter: إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ("except whoever has repented and believed and done righteous deeds") — for if those whom He describes as neglecting it were believers (muʾminūn), He would not have made an exception from among them of whoever believes; for they are believers. Rather, they were disbelievers (kuffār) who did not pray to Allah nor perform His obligation (farīḍa), profligates (fasaqa) who preferred their own lusts over obedience to Allah. It is said that those whom Allah has described with this attribute are a people of this community who will appear in the end times.
Muhammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and Al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: Al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning His word فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا : he said: at the coming of the Hour, and the passing away of the righteous among the community of Muhammad ﷺ — they will throw themselves upon one another in the alleyways. Muhammad ibn ʿAmr said: committing adultery. And Al-Ḥārith said: adulterers.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — to the same effect; he said: adultery — as Ibn ʿAmr said.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Abū Tumaylaʾ related to us, on the authority of Abū Ḥamza, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of ʿIkrima and Mujāhid and ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, concerning فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ ... the verse: he said: these are the community of Muhammad.
And Al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: Al-Ashīb related to us, he said: Sharīk related to us, on the authority of Abū Tamīm ibn Muhājir, concerning the word of Allah: فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ — he said: they are in this community — they will crawl upon one another as cattle and donkeys crawl upon one another on the roads, neither fearing Allah in heaven nor being ashamed before the people on earth.
As for His word فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا ("they shall soon meet with destruction"): it means that this evil progeny which arose after those to whom Allah granted graces shall soon enter "ghayy" — which is the name of a valley among the valleys of Hell (jahannam), or the name of a pit among its pits.
As ʿAbbās ibn Abī Ṭālib related to me, he said: Muḥammad ibn Ziyād ibn Razān related to us, he said: Sharqī ibn Quṭāmī related to us, on the authority of Luqmān ibn ʿĀmir al-Khuzāʿī, who said: I came to Abū Umāma Ṣadiyy ibn ʿAjlān al-Bāhilī and said: "relate to us a tradition you heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ." He said: he had food brought, then he said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "If a rock the weight of ten ūqiyya were cast from the edge of Hell (jahannam), it would not reach its bottom until after fifty years; then it ends at 'ghayy' and 'athām'." I said: "What is 'ghayy' and what is 'athām'?" He said: "Two pits in the lowest depths of Hell (jahannam) from which flow the blood and pus of the inhabitants of the Fire (al-nār); these are the two that Allah mentioned in His Book: أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا and His word in Al-Furqān: وَلَا يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا ('and they do not commit fornication (zinā); and whoever does that shall meet the requital')."
Muhammad ibn Bishār related to us, he said: ʿAmr ibn ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: Al-Muʿtamir ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Abū Ayyūb, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr: فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا — he said: a valley in Hell (jahannam).
Muhammad ibn Bishār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū ʿUbayda, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh: فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا — he said: a valley in the Fire.
Muhammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, he said: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū ʿUbayda, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh: that he said concerning this verse: فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا — he said: a river in Hell (jahannam) with foul water, far from the bottom.
Muhammad ibn ʿUbayd al-Muḥāribī related to me, he said: Abū al-Aḥwaṣ related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū ʿUbayda, on the authority of his father, concerning His word فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا : he said: "al-ghayy" is a river of Hell (jahannam) in the Fire, in which those who followed lusts are punished.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Abū al-Aḥwaṣ related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū ʿUbayda, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh: أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا — he said: a river in the Fire to which those who followed lusts are cast.
Others said: rather, what is intended by "al-ghayy" in this context is: loss (al-khusrān).
* Mention of those who said this:
ʿAlī related to me, he said: ʿAbdullāh related to us, he said: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا : he says: loss (khusrānan).
Others said: rather, it means evil (al-sharr).
* Mention of those who said this:
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا : he said: "al-ghayy" is evil (al-sharr). And among that is also the saying of the poet:
"Whoever meets with good, the people praise his affair; but whoever goes astray (yaghwā), he surely finds one who rebukes him over the error (al-ghayy)."
Abū Jaʿfar said: all these opinions are in substance akin; for whoever enters the two pits which the Prophet ﷺ mentioned, and the valley which Ibn Masʿūd mentioned in Hell, and goes into it, has thereby met with loss and evil — more than enough evil.