Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim.

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All the praises and thanks be to Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn . The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense. You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help. Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace , not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray .

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95: (Al-Tin)- The Fig 

(The Fig)Number of Verses: 8

Sūra al-Tīn (سورة التین, the fig) or Wa l-tīn wa l-zaytūn (والتین والزیتون) is ninety fifth sura of the glorious quran and among makki suras. It is among short suras located in thirty of the Qur'an.

The general theme of sura al-Tin is the hereafter and rewards there. God began this sura with four oaths and calls the creation of human being the best and most perfect. In commentaries of the Qur'an based on hadiths, some of the verses of this sura are attributed to some of the Infallible ones (a); for example, it is said that by "Wa l-tin wa l-zaytun", Imam al-Hasan (a) and Imam al-Husayn (a) are meant.

About the merits of recitation of this sura, it is narrated that well-being and certainty in faith are among its worldly fruits and the reward equal with the reward for fasting is among its fruits in the hereafter.

The theme in this Surah, indeed, pivots on the subject of the creation of Man; the finest mould, and the processes of his development and his lowliness. The subject begins with some comprehensive oaths at the beginning of the Surah, and then, after enumerating some of the sources of Man's victory and salvation, it concludes with the emphasis on Resurrection and the absolute Sovereignty of Allah.

The holy Prophet (S) is narrated to have said:

"Allah will endow, in this world, the two qualities of safety and certainty to the person who recites it (Surah Tin). and when he dies, He will give him rewards equal to the reward of fasting one day (multiplied) by the number of all those who have recited this Surah."

This Surah has been revealed in Mecca.

The evidence is the verse, itself:

"And this city of security (Mecca)",

containing the demonstrative adjective

'this'

which refers to something near.

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Benefits

This Surah was revealed in Makkah and has 8 verses. Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) has said the reward for reciting this Surah in prayers is a great palace in Jannah

It is narrated from the Holy Prophet (S) that the reward given to the person who recites this Surah cannot be counted. If recited on food, it's evil effects are removed. The one who recites this Surah is compared to the person who has visited the Holy Prophet (S) and had his needs fulfilled by him.

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Lessons

1 By the fig, by the olive, 2 by Mount Sinai, 3 by this safe town, 4 We create man in the finest state 5 then reduce him to the lowest of the low, 6 except those who believe and do good deeds––7 they will have an unfailing reward. After this, what makes you [man] deny the Judgement? 8 Is God not the most decisive of judges? [Quran, 95:1-8]

1. Allah honours His Prophets (peace be upon them) in various different ways.

Allah subhana wa ta'ala honours His Prophets and Messengers in their lives and even after their deaths. The mention of the Prophets in the Quran is itself an honour, as their lives and stories have been immortalized until the end of time. Allah honours Prophets in different ways. Allah honoured Eesa, alayhi salam, by giving him a miraculous birth, giving him power to cure the blind, the leper, and even to bring a dead man back to life among many other miracles. Allah also honoured him to be raised up alive and return at the end of times.

Similarly, Allah honoured Ibrahim alayhi salam by asking him to rebuild the Ka'aba. Ibrahim alayhi salam was also honoured in that Allah saved him from burning and made his progeny a line of various Prophets and Messengers through Bani Israeel and also through the Arab lineage of Ismaeel and our beloved Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

Allah honoured Nuh alayhi salam by asking him to make the Ark which saved the believers and destroyed the rejectors.

Allah honoured Musa alayhi salam by speaking directly to Him and allowing him to part the Red Sea. The way Allah honoured our beloved Messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is beyond the scope of this small article.

However, in Surat At-Tin Allah honours all of these five great Prophets— Nuh, Musa, Eesa, Ibrahim, and Muhammad alayhimussalatu wassalam. Allah takes an oath, not by their names by rather by symbols of their achievements. Allah says "by the fig," and scholars of Tafseer say that the fig refers to a Masjid of Nuh alayhi salam built upon Mount Judi [1].

The olive refers to the land of Jerusalem and Bayt al-Maqdis[2] and thus refers to Eesa alayhi salam. The mention of Mount Sinai is clear, as this was where Allah subhana wa ta'ala talked to Musa alayhi salam. And the "safe town" refers to the city of Makkah which is the symbol of both Ibrahim alayhi salam and Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

Allah taking an oath using these symbols, and in effect with the lives of these great Prophets (collectively in Arabic called the Ulul-Adham) He is making a statement. Allah is taking the lives, message and legacy of the great Prophets and using them to be His witness to a great statement

2. Human beings have been created "in the finest state"

Allah takes four different oaths marking four symbols which refer to the five greatest Prophets to walk on the face of the earth. And putting the lives and the symbols of these Prophets as His oath, Allah makes the statement that human beings are created in the finest of states.

The Prophets, their lives and their characters are a testament to the fact that Allah has created human beings in their finest state, and a sign of the potential of good that Allah has put in human beings. Allah also mentions in Surah Israa, "and we have honoured the children of Adam." [Quran 17:70] However, while Allah has created us in the "finest state" and also honoured us, He has given us the free will to decide between good and evil, and that is where things go wrong.

3. Allah honours man, man dishonours himself

While Allah honours man by creating him in the finest state, mankind dishonours himself by being sinful and disobeying the commandments of his Lord. And by disobedience and rebelliousness, man brings on himself humiliation in both this life and the next.

Allah says in Surah Alaq, "If he does not desist, We will surely drag him by the forelock, A lying, sinning forelock" [Quran 96:15-16]. Allah created human beings in the finest of states, and one of the greatest blessings of Allah upon human beings is the front of the brain (forelock in the translation of the ayah). The frontal cortex, as it's called in medical books, is the executive center of the brain, where decisions are made. And thus that part of the brain will be held, and as Allah mentions in this Surah, then reduce him to the lowest of the low.

4. All will fall except . . .

However, Allah is Ar-Rahman The Most Merciful, and He is also Arhamar Raahimeen, The Most Merciful of those who show Mercy and He would just not let us feel depressed and staring at doom. Instead He always gives His slaves another chance. He lets us know that there is a way out of falling into the trap and being of the lowest of the low.

The answer is simple— believe in Allah, His Prophets that have been referred to, and do good deeds as Allah wants and as the Prophets have shown. Do your best and Allah promises an unfailing reward. All we need to do is do our best to work on ourselves and do good deeds with faith. Having done so, even if we fail, Allah will look at our efforts and our intentions, our faith and our actions, and judge based on that. And we can be safe in the knowledge that "Is God not the most decisive of judges?"

Ramadan is a month of great barakah. You too can learn to understand the Quran, and benefit from it and understand it. Perhaps then you would not be reading this article, but rather writing one like it or even better! Join one of the UnderstandQuran courses, whether you are , or if you are placed better than going forwards to the !

[1] Reported from Abdullah Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu

[2] Reported from the Tabiee, Qatadah rahimahullah

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Hadiths

Al-Tirmidhi, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in his Sunan: Ibn Abi Umar told us, Sufyaan told us from Ismaaeel ibn Umayyah who said: I heard a Bedouin Arab man say, I heard Abu Hurayrah say, narrating this, Whoever recites Wal-teeni wal-zaytoon (By the fig, and the olive) [al-Teen 95:1 interpretation of the meaning] then recites Alaysa Allaahu bi ahkam il haakimeen (Is not Allaah the Best of judges?) [al-Teen 95:8 interpretation of the meaning], let him say, Balaa wa ana ala dhaalika min al-shaahideen (Yes indeed, and I am one of those who testify to that). Abu Eesa said: This hadeeth was narrated with this isnaad from this Bedouin from Abu Hurayrah, but his name is not given. Thus al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) explained the fault in this isnaad, which is the fact that this Bedouin is not known (jahaalah). On this basis, the isnaad is daeef (weak), and the hadeeth is not saheeh. Abu Dawood (may Allaah have mercy on him) also narrated this report (753) from the same Bedouin. Al-Allaamah al-Albaani also classed the hadeeth as daeef in his book Daeef al-Jaami, no. 5784. As the hadeeth is not proven, we cannot follow it. And Allaah knows best.

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A tradition narrated from Imam Ali-ibn-Musa-ar-Riza (S) says:

"The fig removes the bad smell of the mouth. It strengthens the gums and bones, causes the hair to grow, puts an end to some ailments so that medicine is not needed."

Then he added:

"The fig is the most comparable things to the fruits of heaven."

It is narrated from Amir-al-Mo'mineen Ali (as) thus:

"(the people of) the house where vinegar and olive oil are used in their meal will not be in poverty, and this has been in the prophets' meal."

A tradition narrated from Imam Ali-ibnMusa-ar-Riza (S) says:

"Olive oil is a good food stuff. It makes the smell of the mouth sweet, removes phlegm, makes the colour of the face cheerful, strengthens the nerves, puts an end to sickness and weakness, and quenches the fire of wrath."

Let us conclude this subject with a tradition from the holy Prophet (S) who said:

"Have olive oil in your food and grease your body with it since it is from a Holy Tree."

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