Surah Al-Hadid
Devotion needs revealed balance.
ثُمَّ قَفَّيْنَا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِم بِرُسُلِنَا وَقَفَّيْنَا بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْإِنجِيلَ وَجَعَلْنَا فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ رَأْفَةً وَرَحْمَةً وَرَهْبَانِيَّةً ابْتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبْنَاهَا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ فَمَا رَعَوْهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَا ۖ فَآتَيْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
“Then We sent following their footsteps Our messengers and followed [them] with Jesus, the son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel. And We placed in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy and monasticism, which they innovated; We did not prescribe it for them except [that they did so] seeking the approval of Allah. But they did not observe it with due observance. So We gave the ones who believed among them their reward, but many of them are defiantly disobedient”.
Messengers followed one another along the same path
The opening language presents revelation as an uninterrupted succession. Each Messenger continues the path carried by those before him.
Following closely upon their footsteps
قَفَّيْنَا (Qaffainaa) comes from قَفَّى (Qaffaa). القِفْوَة (Al-Qifwah) refers to an animal’s tail, while القَفَا (Al-Qafaa) refers to the back of the neck. The underlying verb conveys close pursuit, like a tail following an animal.
The intensified form depicts someone placed immediately behind another. Joined to عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ, it pictures one Messenger stepping exactly into the footprints of the previous Messengers without interruption.
The path is established
Allah sends Messengers with guidance, the Book, and the Balance.
The footsteps remain
Each Messenger continues the same prophetic direction.
‘Isa son of Maryam follows
Allah sends ‘Isa (as) and gives him the Injeel.
كَانَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ تَسُوسُهُمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ كُلَّمَا هَلَكَ نَبِيٌّ خَلَفَهُ نبيٌّ
“The Children of Isra’eel were governed by the Prophets. Every time a Prophet died he would be succeeded by another Prophet”
And the repetition of the verb قَفَّيْنَا (Qaffainaa) “We made follow” without repeating the phrase عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِم “Upon their footsteps” hints at the length of the interval between the last of the Israelite Prophets and ‘Isa. That is because the last Prophet of the Israelites was Yunus son of Mattaa, who was sent to the people of Neenawaa (Nineveh) at the beginning of the eighth century before the Maseeh (i.e., ‘Isa (as)). For this reason, ‘Isa was not sent ‘upon the traces’ of the Messengers who came before him.
‘Isa was given the Injeel and a heart-softening mission
The ayah moves from the succession of Messengers to the scripture given to ‘Isa and the qualities placed within those who truly followed him.
“And We gave him the Injeel”
The Injeel is the book given to ‘Isa (as). The dominant classical view identifies it as a single divine scripture revealed to ‘Isa, just as the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ.
- Another view identifies it as the original source from which the later Gospels drew, without making the Gospels identical to it.
- A contemporary view identifies it as a lost revealed scripture, reaffirming the classical majority view.
- Another view holds that it was partially preserved in the Gospels.
Deep compassion and caring love
The hearts of Bani Isra’eel had become hard toward guidance, as described in ayah 17. The teachings brought by ‘Isa (as) renewed the spiritual dimension and softened hearts toward the Deen.
رَأْفَةً (Ra’fah) is an intense concern for the pain of others: deep compassion and empathy that feels another person’s suffering. رَحْمَةً (Rahmah) is care and love.
Allah placed compassion, empathy, love, and care in the hearts of those who followed ‘Isa (as).
Reverential fear overflowed into withdrawal
Monasticism arose as a self-imposed ascetic system: withdrawal from society, deprivation of worldly pleasures, life in monasteries, and abandonment of marriage.
“And a monasticism, which they innovated”
رَهْبَة (Rahbah) means fear and awe. رَهْبَانِيَّةً (Rahbaaniyah) conveys a state of living in fear and awe of God through withdrawal.
ابْتَدَعُوا (Ibtada’oo) comes from اِبْتَدَعَ (Ibtada’a): to innovate something or make it up.
Intensity beyond balance
The فَعْلَان (Fa’laan) pattern supports an intensified, overwhelming state. In رَهْبَانِيَّةً, fear and awe overflow into withdrawal and become an extreme reaction rather than balanced reverence.
Trauma, guilt, and overcompensation
Christians turned toward monasticism to protect themselves from worldliness, corruption, persecution, hostile societies, and corrupted religious institutions.
They saw that ‘Isa (as) had sacrificed everything and felt that they had not matched his devotion. Guilt over falling short developed into radical renunciation, extreme asceticism, and deprivation of worldly life.
سَابِقُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ
“Race to forgiveness from your Lord” — Al-Hadid 57:21
إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ
“Indeed, the good deeds do away with the bad deeds” — Hud 11:114
Guilt is resolved through guidance, not invented burdens
A believer feels regret after sin or failure. Allah directs that regret toward sincere repentance, the pursuit of forgiveness, and good deeds that erase bad deeds. Self-imposed religious extremity is not the prescribed remedy.
A sincere goal does not make an innovation divinely prescribed
مَا كَتَبْنَاهَا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ
Monasticism was not prescribed by Allah, while the pleasure of Allah remained the object being sought.
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The first interpretation
“We did not prescribe it upon them; rather, We only mandated that which seeks the pleasure of Allah.” What Allah mandated was the simple pursuit of His pleasure. They went beyond that command and innovated monasticism.
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The majority interpretation
“We did not prescribe it upon them, except [that they did so] seeking the approval of Allah.” Allah did not command monasticism. They adopted it on their own initiative in an attempt to gain His pleasure.
Majority view
Allah’s pleasure was the object of their striving
ابْتِغَاءَ (Ibtighaa’) comes through اِبْتَغَى (Ibtaghaa) from بَغَى (Baghaa). It carries seeking, desiring, and striving after something. بُغْيَة (Bughyah) is the object of a person’s desire.
ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ therefore means “Seeking the pleasure of Allah”: Allah’s pleasure was what they wanted to attain.
Two opposite extremes depart from revealed guidance
Worldliness can distort revelation, and unrestrained spirituality can also distort revelation. Both abandon the Balance established by Allah.
The worldly extreme
The Children of Isra’eel changed the Book for worldly purposes and became absorbed in law, legalities, and technicalities while neglecting spiritual balance.
The spiritual extreme
Christians altered religious practice toward excessive spirituality, withdrawal from worldly matters, deprivation, and invented burdens.
Correct balance rests on correct guidance
This section of Surah Al-Hadid begins with الْمِيزَانَ (Al-Meezaan), “The Balance.” Monasticism demonstrates how a sincere spiritual impulse loses balance when it becomes an innovation and an unsustainable burden.
They could not uphold the burden they created
“But they did not observe it with due observance”
They did not live up to the standards they imposed. Extremity in worship and deprivation proved impossible to sustain.
Religious intensity that exceeds divine prescription creates obligations human beings cannot consistently maintain.
أَحَبُّ الأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَدْوَمُهَا وَإِنْ قَلَّ
“The most beloved acts to Allah are those which are most consistently done and even if they are small (or few)”
Faith and sincerity received their reward
Allah gave the believers among them their reward. This includes those who sincerely sought Allah’s pleasure through the monastic and ascetic life they adopted.
Many became defiantly disobedient
The monastic and ascetic system led many toward corruption and rebellious disobedience. Sincere beginnings did not prevent destructive consequences.
“Do not make things hard for yourselves, whereby things becomes hard on you. There was a people who made things hard on themselves, and so things were made it hard on them. That is their traces which can be found in the hermitages and remote dwellings”
Then he quoted:
رَهْبَانِيَّةً ابْتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبْنَاهَا عَلَيْهِمْ
“Monasticism, they invented it; we did not prescribe it for them”
Religious withdrawal produced social distance and concentrated authority
Monasticism divided Christian communities into a dedicated religious class and a common population increasingly distant from scripture.
A separate religious class
Pious and dedicated monastics became distinct from the common people.
Dependence on religious authorities
The common people became distant from the Book and relied upon the religious class for matters of religion.
Corruption and exploitation
Distinct religious authority created opportunities to exploit the masses and consume wealth unjustly.
اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ
“They have taken their religious scholars (or leaders) and monks as lords besides Allah” — At-Tawbah 9:31
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْأَحْبَارِ وَالرُّهْبَانِ لَيَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
“O you who have believed, indeed many of the scholars and the monks devour the wealth of people unjustly and block from the way of Allah” — At-Tawbah 9:34
The monk’s withdrawal grows from intensified fear
“As for the term رَاهِب (Raahib) “A monk”, to which رَهْبَانِيَّةً (Rahbaaniyah) is attributed, it is originally a descriptive adjective that came to be treated as a noun. It refers to the Christian worshipper who withdraws completely for the sake of worship. It is a description derived from رَهْب (Rahb), meaning fear, because he is intensely fearful of the anger of Allah, exalted is He, or of violating the religion of Christianity. In Christian custom, this state necessarily involves isolation from people in order to avoid anything that distracts from worship. This is done by living in hermitages and monasteries and by abstaining from marriage to avoid worldly preoccupations.
رَهْبَانِيَّةً (Rahbaaniyah) is from the acts of the servants (i.e., something that some humans do), because it consists of exaggeration in worship through spiritual discipline and withdrawal from people. Its original meaning is the act attributed to the رَاهِب (Raahib) “Monk”, who is (literally) ‘The fearful one’, a form on the pattern فَعْلَان (Fa’laan) derived from the verb رَهَبَ (Rahaba) “to fear”, just as خَشْيَان (Khashyaan) “Fearful” is derived from the verb خَشِيَ (Khashiya) “to fear”.
Two groups of three reveal recurring patterns
The subjects in this section of Surah Al-Hadid form two groups of three. The first corresponds to the fourth, the second to the fifth, and the third to the sixth.
Messengers, the Book, and the Balance
Allah sends Messengers with revealed guidance and the Balance.
‘Isa follows the Messengers
When the Children of Isra’eel lose correct balance, Allah sends ‘Isa (as) to restore it.
Prophethood and the Book
The descendants of Nuh and Ibrahim (as) receive Prophethood and scripture.
Compassion and invented monasticism
The followers of ‘Isa receive Ra’fah and Rahmah, while some introduce a practice absent from the Book.
Some are guided; many are disobedient
Guidance remains among some, while many become Faasiqoon.
Believers are rewarded; many are disobedient
Allah rewards the believers among them, while many remain Faasiqoon.
Support connects the first and fourth subjects
نَصْر (Nasr) in “And so that Allah may know those who support Him and His Messengers” is closely connected to ‘Isa (as) and his followers. They are called أَنْصَار (Ansaar), “Helpers or supporters,” and are also referred to as نَصَارَى (Nasaaraa).
The repeated ending exposes a repeated danger
“But many of them were Faasiqoon” appears in both corresponding subjects. History repeats its patterns across generations: guidance remains available, some remain faithful, and many depart from it.
No community is immune to inherited extremes
The patterns found among earlier religious communities can reappear within the Muslim Ummah when law and spirituality are separated from revealed balance.
Legalism without spiritual renewal
Jewish religious development became absorbed in law, legalities, and technicalities. The balance associated with Musa (as) gave way to a highly legalistic orientation.
A similar tendency can arise when Muslims become absorbed in Fiqh and legal matters while neglecting the spiritual life of the heart.
Spirituality without revealed limits
Christian religious development moved toward the opposite extreme. Emotional spirituality, systems of saints, mediated forgiveness and protection, and the belief that ‘Isa (as) was the key to salvation displaced revealed balance.
A similar tendency can arise when the pursuit of closeness to Allah becomes detached from guidance or when salvation is attached to how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will save people on the Day of Resurrection and Judgement.
Historical resemblance can reach ritual self-harm
Some Muslim practices born from guilt over the suffering of righteous people have included beating the body and drawing blood. This resembles Catholic Stigmata, the infliction of wounds intended to connect a person to the suffering of ‘Isa (as). Such manifestations repeat paths taken by previous communities.
لَتَتْبَعُنَّ سَنَنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا شِبْرًا وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ، حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ تَبِعْتُمُوهُمْ
“You will surely follow the ways of those before you handspan by handspan and cubit by cubit (from middle finger to elbow) to the point that if they had entered a lizard’s hole, you would follow them”.
We said: “O Allah's Messenger, (do you mean) Jews and Christians?” He said: Who else?”
Exclusive religious authority concealed invented institutions
The common people lost direct access
The general Christian population was not connected directly to the Bible because the Catholic Church held exclusive access to scripture. Most people did not know that monastic life, monasteries, and priesthood had no original basis in the teachings brought by ‘Isa (as).
“They invented it”
The Qur’an identified monasticism as an invention while Christian society remained largely unaware of its invented character. That recognition emerged centuries later with the Protestant Reformation.
Spiritual sincerity remains sound only within the Balance Allah revealed
The followers of ‘Isa adopted monasticism while sincerely seeking Allah’s pleasure. Because it was a self-imposed excess rather than a divine prescription, they could not maintain it properly. It produced separation, dependence, corruption, and widespread disobedience.
Revelation establishes the path; devotion follows it rather than inventing another.
Compassion and mercy soften the heart without requiring withdrawal from life.
A sincere intention does not transform an innovation into a divine command.
Consistent, sustainable worship is more beloved than unsustainable excess.
Guilt is answered through repentance, forgiveness, and good deeds.
Communities remain vulnerable to the same patterns that distorted earlier religious histories.
وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ
“And many of them were defiantly disobedient.”