Has The Time Not Come? — Commentary From al-Imām as-Sa'dī on Al-Ḥadīd, Āyah 16
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Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān bin Nāṣir as-Saʾdī - رحمه الله - mentioned in his Tafsīr (Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān):
After mentioning the Ḥāl (condition) of the believers and hypocrites in the Hereafter - which is from what invites the hearts to submissiveness to its Lord, and to surrender to His greatness - Allāh gently admonishes the believers for their lack of that (submissiveness), and says;
أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ
Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe (in the Oneness of Allāh - Islāmic Monotheism) to be affected by Allāh’s Reminder (this Qur’ān), and that which has been revealed of the truth.
Meaning, has the time not come for the hearts to be softened and humbled by the remembrance of Allāh, which is the Qurʾān. (Has the time not also come) to submit to His commands and prohibitions, and that which was revealed from the Truth which Muḥammad - ﷺ - came with?
In this is an encouragement to strive to make one’s heart submissive to Allāh, the Most High, and to that which He revealed from the Book and the Ḥikmah (the Wisdom; the Sunnah). (And an encouragement) for the believers to remember the divine admonitions and legislative rulings at all times, and take themselves to account concerning that.
وَلَا يَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَمَدُ
Lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the Taurāh (Torah) and the Injīl (Gospel)] before (i.e. Jews and Christians), and the term was prolonged for them.
Meaning, they should not be like those who Allāh previously revealed a Book to, which was supposed to make their hearts completely humble and submissive. Then, they were not consistent upon (following it) and they weren’t steadfast, rather a long period of time came over them and they remained upon heedlessness, so their Ēmān (True faith) faded (became weak) and their Yaqīn (certainty) went away,
فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ فَـٰسِقُونَ
and so their hearts were hardened, And many of them were Fāsiqūn (the rebellious, disobedient to Allāh)
Hence the hearts are at all times in need of being reminded of what Allah has revealed for it, and to be addressed with wisdom, and it is not befitting to be heedless with that, as that is a reason for hardness of the heart and drying up of the eyes.
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Pg 803 - 804 Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān fī Tafsīr Kalām al-Mannān [Dār ibn Ḥazm 2019 Publication]
Translation: MiU Editorial
