(110–111) “Say, ‘Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever you call upon, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Do not be too loud in your prayer or too quiet, but seek a way between the two. And say, “All praise is for Allah, who has not taken a son, has no partner in dominion, and has no protector out of weakness. Proclaim His limitless greatness.”’”
The Exalted says to His servants: “Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful”; that is, whichever of the two you wish. “Whichever you call upon, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.” That is, He has no name that is not beautiful and by which one would therefore be forbidden to call upon Him. Whichever name you use to call upon Him, the objective is attained. What is proper in every request is to invoke Him in a manner befitting that Name.
“Do not be too loud in your prayer,” meaning in your recitation, “or too quiet,” for each of these two extremes entails harm. As for reciting aloud, when the polytheists who deny it hear it, they revile it and the one who brought it.
As for reciting quietly, anyone who wishes to listen will not attain the intended benefit when it is concealed. “But seek a way between the two”—between reciting aloud and quietly; that is, follow a middle course.
“And say, ‘All praise is for Allah.’” Perfection, commendation, praise, and glory belong to Him in every respect. He is exalted above every defect and deficiency.
⦗469⦘
“Who has not taken a son and has no partner in dominion.” Rather, all dominion belongs to Allah, the One, the All-Subduing. Everyone in the upper and lower worlds belongs to Allah, and no one possesses any share of dominion.
“And has no protector out of weakness.” That is, He does not take any of His creatures as an ally in order to gain strength through him or receive his assistance. He is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy, who needs none of His creatures, whether on earth or in the heavens. Yet He makes servants His close allies out of kindness and mercy toward them: “Allah is the Guardian of those who believe; He brings them out of darkness into light.”
“Proclaim His limitless greatness.” That is, magnify and exalt Him by proclaiming His majestic attributes, praising Him by His Most Beautiful Names, extolling Him for His holy acts, and magnifying and venerating Him by worshipping Him alone without partner and devoting the whole of one’s religion sincerely to Him.
The commentary on Surah al-Isrā’ is complete. To Allah belong all praise and favor, and to Him is the finest praise. It was completed by its compiler, Abd al-Rahmān ibn Nāsir ibn Abd Allāh ibn Sa‘dī—may Allah forgive him, his parents, and all Muslims. Amen. May Allah bless Muhammad and grant him abundant peace. This was on 7 Jumādā al-Ūlā in the year 1344 AH.
Volume Five of Taysīr al-Karīm al-Rahmān min Tafsīr Kalām al-Mannān (The Gracious, Most Merciful One’s Facilitation of the Exegesis of the Bestower’s Word), compiled by the one in need of Allah, Abd al-Rahmān ibn Nāsir al-Sa‘dī. (1).
Commentary on Surah al-Kahf
It is a Meccan surah.
(1) On 30/2/1374 AH, the Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—asked Shaykh Muhammad Nāsif—may Allah have mercy on him—to select someone to undertake the printing of five thousand copies of the fifth volume of the *tafsīr* (Quranic commentary). He suggested Muhibb al-Dīn al-Khatīb and Shaykh Hāmid al-Fiqī—may Allah have mercy on them both. Shaykh Muhammad Nāsif then sent the work to Muhibb al-Dīn al-Khatīb for printing, and it was duly published in 1375 AH. The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—wrote an introduction to this volume and followed it with a conclusion containing foundational principles and overarching maxims of *tafsīr*. This is the Shaykh’s introduction to the volume; I have placed the conclusion at the end of the *tafsīr*. He—may Allah have mercy on him—said:
“In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and I invoke blessings and peace upon Muhammad, his family, and his Companions. To proceed: The science of Quranic exegesis is unquestionably the noblest and most important of all sciences, and the one most deserving of careful investigation into the Quran’s meanings and an understanding of its wording. This is because the Quran is a revelation from One All-Wise and Praiseworthy, who sent it down as guidance and mercy for His servants, as an explanation of all things, and as a detailed exposition of everything they require for their religion, worldly lives, and Hereafter.
“One distinctive feature of knowledge of the Quran is that understanding one part or section of it aids in understanding it as a whole. From beginning to end, the Quran revolves around affirming beneficial foundations, established truths, major religious laws, sound rulings, and correct beliefs. It directs people toward every good and warns them against every evil. It repeatedly affirms and presents these matters in varied and appropriate forms, with the utmost ease, accessibility, precision, and unsurpassable beauty.
“Many companions have repeatedly asked me to publish this *tafsīr* in its entirety and have persisted because of the great benefit they see in it. I declined, explaining that this would be extremely difficult because the work is extensive and because, in the present age, people have little interest in lengthy books. I therefore wished to grant part of their request by publishing only one volume of the *tafsīr*. The middle portion, from Surah al-Kahf through the end of Surah al-Naml, was selected, for what cannot be obtained in full should not be abandoned entirely.
“I hope and beseech Allah to make this work sincerely for His sake, to benefit us and our brothers through it, and to grant us His aid, care, and divinely granted success. He is Bountiful, Generous, Compassionate, and Merciful. I have appended general maxims and principles of *tafsīr* to make up for material that the reader may miss because it lies outside this volume. Subsidiary and particular matters are founded upon principles and universal rules; despite their brevity, these provide benefits not found in lengthy discourse. Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Trustee.”