to the udder; nor will dust raised in the cause of Allah and the smoke of Hell ever come together in a Muslim’s nostrils.” (1)
Abu al-Qasim ibn Abd al-Karim ibn Hawazin al-Qushayri informed us; Abu al-Qasim Abd al-Khaliq ibn Ali ibn Abd al-Khaliq al-Mu'adhdhin informed us; Ahmad ibn Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Hamdan informed us; Muhammad ibn Yunus al-Kudaymi narrated to us; Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Bahili informed us; Abu Habib al-Ghanawi narrated to us; Bahz ibn Hakim narrated to us from his father, from his grandfather, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “The Fire has been forbidden to three eyes: an eye that weeps out of fear of Allah, an eye that stays awake in the cause of Allah, and an eye that lowers its gaze from what Allah has forbidden.” (2)
“Say: ‘Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful: whichever name you call, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Do not be too loud in your prayer, nor too quiet, but seek a middle way.’” (110)
His saying, exalted is He, “Say: ‘Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful’”: Ibn Abbas said: One night in Mecca, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prostrated and began to weep, saying in his prostration, “O Allah, O Most Merciful.” Abu Jahl then said, “Muhammad forbids us from worshipping our gods, yet he calls upon two deities!” So Allah, Most High, revealed this verse. (3) Its meaning is that these are two names of One.
“Whichever name you call”: the word ma is supplementary; its meaning is: whichever of these two names—or any of His names—you call upon, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.
“And do not be too loud in your prayer, nor too quiet”: Abd al-Wahid ibn Ahmad al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Na'imi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Isma'il narrated to us; Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim informed us; Hushaym narrated to us; Abu Bishr narrated to us from Sa'id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, regarding His saying, exalted is He, “And do not be too loud in your prayer, nor too quiet.” He said: This was revealed while the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was concealing himself in Mecca. Whenever he led his Companions in prayer, he would raise his voice in reciting the Quran. When the idolaters heard it, they would revile the Quran, the One who had sent it down, and the one who had brought it. So Allah, Most High, said to His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “And do not be too loud in your prayer”—that is, in your recitation, lest the idolaters hear it and revile the Quran—“nor too quiet,” away from your Companions, so that they cannot hear it—