Tafsir Al-Tustari (Great Commentaries of the Holy Qur'an Volume IV)

A collection ofthe long-unavailable tafasir , orcommentaries on the Qur'an, which help to properly explain and contextualize the revelation, this series aims to make leading exegetical worksin translation, unabridged, and faithful to the letter and meaning of the Arabicwidely availablefor study and research. The earliest surviving Sufi commentary on the Qur'an, thisrecord is not only one of the few authenticated works in Tustari's name but is also akey source for understanding the mystical thought and teachings of this important and influential Sufi. In addition to insights into the spiritual significance of almost 1,000 verses of the Qur'an, this commentary, presented in complete English translation for the first time,includes numerous references to traditions of the Prophet, explanations of the ethical and mystical dimensions of the religious life, stories of the prophets, and anecdotes about earlier mystics. Generously augmented with explanatory footnotes throughout, the book will provide readers with an invaluable introduction to the Sufi tradition of Qur'anic interpretation and acquaint them with spiritual doctrines fundamental to the later development of Sufism. by Sahl b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Tustarī Annabel Keeler and Ali Keeler Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought FONS VITAE i. Sahl al-Tustarī’s Spiritual Formation and his Teachers1 ii. Tustarī as Spiritual Master, and his Disciples iii. Tustarī’s Works iv. The Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm v. Tustarī’s Approach to Qurʾān Interpretation vi. Mystical Teachings A. The Qurʾān and the Prophet B. The Muḥammadan Light C. Theology D. The Spiritual Destiny of Human Beings: Cosmology and Eschatology E. Spiritual Psychology 1. The inner make-up of the human being 2. The nafs 3. The heart (qalb) 4. Knowledge, faith and certainty F. The Spiritual Path 1. Precepts and proprieties 2. Emulation and aspiration 3. Trust, mindfulness of God and sincerity 4. Remembrance of God (dhikr) vii. Conclusion In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. A section on those who seek the understanding of the Qurʾān [1:4] The Master of the Day of Judgement: [1:5] You [alone] we worship..., [2:3] The [ones who are] mindful of God are those who believe in the unseen... [2:3] ...And spend out of what We have provided them: [2:5] Those are upon guidance from their Lord... [2:25] ...They shall be given it [the fruits] in perfect semblance; ...and there for them shall be spouses, purified..., [2:30] ...I am appointing on earth a vicegerent... [2:37] Thereafter Adam received certain words from his Lord, and He relented towards him... [2:30] ...Whilst we glorify You with praise and sanctify You... [2:42] And do not obscure the truth with falsehood, and do not conceal truth wittingly. [2:45] Seek help in patience and prayer... [2:48] ...and no intercession shall be accepted from it [the soul], nor shall compensation be taken, neither shall they be helped. [2:55] ...and the thunderbolt took you even as you looked on56 [2:72] And when you killed a living soul and disputed thereon... [2:175] ...Ah! What boldness [they show] for the Fire! [2:102] ...But they could not thus harm anyone except by God’s permission... [2:59] ...So we sent upon the transgressors a plague... [2:112] Nay, but whoever submits his purpose to God, being virtuous... [2:78] ...Who know not the Book, but only [see therein their own] desires... [2:128] ...and of our progeny, a community submissive to You... [2:134 and 141] That is a community that has passed away. Theirs is what they have earned... [2:143] ...For God is gentle with people, merciful. [2:148] Every person has a direction to which he turns... [2:155] ...Yet give good tidings to those who are patient. [2:157] They are those on whom [descend] blessings from their Lord, and mercy; it is they who are truly guided. [2:161] ...Upon them shall be the curse of God... [2:197] And take provision, but the best of provisions is mindfulness of God...68 [2:201] ...Our Lord, give us good in this world... [2:224] Do not make God’s [name] an excuse in your oaths not to be righteous... [2:235] ...But do not make arrangements with them secretly... [2:204] ...Yet he is the most stubborn in altercation.85 [5:2] ...Help one another to righteousness and mindfulness of God... [2:246] Have you not seen the chiefs of the Children of Israel... [2:255] God, There is no god except Him, the Living, the Eternal Sustainer... [2:257] God is the protector of the believers... [2:257] And the disbelievers — their protectors are false deities... [2:260] And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord! Show me how You give life to the dead’... ...And stand before God in submission [2:268] Satan promises you poverty and enjoins you to indecency... [2:269] ...And he who is given wisdom has been given much good. [2:273] [Charity is] for the poor, who are constrained in the way of God... [2:281] And fear the Day wherein you shall be returned to God. [2:286] God charges no soul save to its capacity... [2:177] ...those who show fortitude in misfortune and hardship... [2:206] ...he is seized by vainglory in his sin... [2:165] (Yet there are people who take to themselves idols), loving them as if loving God; but those who believe love God more ardently... [3:1, 2] Alif, Lām, Mīm.  God! There is no god except Him, the Living, the Eternal Sustainer. [3:4] ...and He revealed the criterion... [3:7] ...As for those in whose hearts is deviation, they follow the allegorical part, desiring sedition... [3:8] Our Lord, do not cause our hearts to deviate after You have guided us... [3:26] Say: ‘O God! Master of the Kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will... [3:103] And hold fast, all together to the rope of God and be not divided among yourselves... [3:28] ...God warns you to beware of Him... [3:35] When the wife of ʿImrān said: ‘O Lord, I have consecrated what is in my womb solely to You...’19 [3:37] Her Lord accepted her [the infant Mary] graciously... [3:43] O Mary, be obedient to Your Lord... [3:47] ...‘Even so. God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it only: “Be” and it is.’21 [3:64] Say: ‘O People of the Scripture! Come to a word agreed upon (kalimatin sawāʾin) between us and you: that we worship none but God...’ [3:73] And He is All-Embracing, All-Knowing. [3:79] ...Rather [he should say], ‘Be masters (rabbāniyyūn) by virtue of what you know of the Book and in what you study,28 [3:85] If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him... [3:92] You will not attain mindfulness of God until you expend of that which you love... [3:96] The first House established for the people was that at Bakka, a blessed place... [3:106] On the Day when some faces are whitened... [3:141] And that God may prove the believers... [3:155] Truly, those of you who turned back the day the two hosts met, truly, it was Satan who caused them to slip, because of some of what they had earned... [3:159] It was by the mercy of God that you [Muḥammad] were lenient with them... [3:160] If God helps you, then no one can overcome you; but if He forsakes you, then who is there who can help you after Him?... [3:173] ...God is sufficient for us; an excellent guardian is He. [3:187] ...But they rejected it behind their backs...51 [3:191] Those who remember God, standing, sitting, and [reclining] on their sides... [3:200] O you who believe, be patient, and vie in patience; be steadfast and fear God that you may prosper. A Section on Faith [4:4] And give women their dowries as a free gift... [4:17] The repentance that God accepts is only of those who do evil in ignorance and repent shortly thereafter... [4:31] If you avoid the grave sins that you are forbidden, We shall absolve you of your [minor] misdeeds... [4:36] ...to the neighbour who is close, and the neighbour who is a stranger, to the companion at your side, and to the wayfarer...4 [4:41] So how shall it be, when We bring forward from every community a witness, and We bring you as a witness against these? [4:47] ...Before We obliterate faces... [4:48] God forgives not that anything should be associated with Him. But He forgives other than that, to whomsoever He wills... [4:63] ...and say to them regarding their souls a penetrating word. [4:76] Those who believe fight in the way of God, and those who disbelieve fight in the way of a false deity... [4:77] Say: ‘The enjoyment of this world is trifling...’ [4:81] ...So turn away from them, and put your trust in God... [4:85] ...Whoever intercedes with an evil intercession will receive a share of it... [4:86] When you are offered a greeting, respond with a better one, or [at least] return it... [4:88] ...When God Himself has cast them back because of what they earned?... [4:90] ...Or those who come to you with their breasts constricted...21 [4:105] ...so that you may judge between people by that which God has shown you... [4:117] What they pray to instead of Him are but females. [4:121] ...And will find no refuge from it. [4:139] ...Do they desire power with them?... [4:141] ...Did we not gain mastery over you?... [4:142] The hypocrites try to deceive God, but it is He who causes them to be deceived... [4:142] ...When they stand up to pray they do so lazily... [4:171] O People of the Scripture do not go to excess in your religion... [5:2] ...Help one another to righteousness and mindfulness of God... [5:3] ...Yet fear them not, but fear Me... [5:5] This day the good things are permitted to you... [5:6] When you prepare for prayer, wash your faces... [5:6] ...But He wishes to purify you... [5:23] Two men among those who feared, whom God had blessed, said... [5:54] ...Stern towards the disbelievers...3 [5:55] Your patron is God only, and His Messenger, and the believers... [5:56] As to those who ally themselves with God, His Messenger and the believers, it is the party of God that is certainly triumphant. [5:64] Truly God’s hands are extended wide. He expends however He wills... [5:66] And had they observed the Torah and the Gospel and what was revealed to them from their Lord, they would surely have received nourishment from above them and from beneath their feet... [5:67] ...God will protect you from people... [5:83] And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflow with tears because of the truth that they recognise... [5:109] The Day when God will assemble all the messengers and ask, ‘What response did you re- ceive?’ They will say, ‘We have no knowledge...’ [5:116] ...You know what is in my self, though I do not know what is in Your Self...9 [6:52] Do not drive away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, desiring His coun- tenance... [6:54] ...Your Lord has prescribed for Himself mercy. Truly, whoever of you does evil in ignorance, and repents thereafter and makes amends — truly He is Forgiving, Merciful. [6:69] ...but it is a reminder, so that they may be mindful of God10 [6:76] When the night descended upon him, he saw a star and said, ‘This is my Lord...’ [6:77] ...If my Lord does not guide me...? [6:98] ...Then gave you a dwelling place and a repository... [6:120] And avoid committing sin, whether openly or in secret... [6:125] When God wishes to guide someone, He expands their breast to Islam... [6:127] Theirs shall be the abode of peace with their Lord... [6:129] So, We let some evildoers have power over others because of what they were earning. [6:147] If they deny you, say, ‘Your Lord has all-encompassing mercy...’ [6:151] ...Do not draw near any acts of lewdness, whether openly or in secret... [6:159] As for those who have divided their religion and broken up into factions... [6:165] ... Surely your Lord is swift in punishment, and surely He is Forgiving, Merciful. [7:16] Verily I shall sit in ambush for them on Your straight path. [7:20] Then Satan whispered to them... [7:29] ...And call on Him, devoting your religion to Him... [7:31] ...And eat and drink, but do not be excessive; He truly does not love those who are excessive. [7:33] Say: My Lord only forbids indecent acts, such of them as are apparent and such as are hid- den... [7:33] ...And [forbids] that you say concerning God that which you do not know. [7:43] We shall strip away all rancour that is in their breasts... [7:56] And work not corruption in the land, after it has been set right... [7:68] ...I am your [sincere] truthful advisor.13 [7:94] And We did not send a prophet to any city but that We seized its people with misery and hardship... [7:95] Then We gave them in place of evil, good, until they multiplied... [7:99] Do they feel secure from God’s plotting?... [7:128] Moses said to his people, ‘Seek help from God and be patient.’ [7:146] I shall turn away from My signs those who behave arrogantly in the earth without right... [7:146] ...[those who] if they see the way of error, adopt it as a way... [7:148] In his absence, Moses’ people made of their ornament a calf; a body, which lowed... [7:163] ...How they would transgress the Sabbath... [7:169] ...And they have studied what is in it... [7:172] And remember when your Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seeds, and made them testify about themselves... [7:176] Had We willed, We would have raised him up [with Our signs]... [7:180] And to God belong the Most Beautiful Names, so invoke Him by them. [7:182] We shall draw on those who deny Our Signs, by degrees, in such a way that they will not perceive it. [7:185] Have they not contemplated the dominion of the heavens and the earth... [7:187] He alone will reveal it at its proper time...41 [7:187] ...They will question you as if you were eager to find it out... that is, as if you knew the time it would occur.44 [7:188] I have no power to benefit or harm myself except as God wills... [7:198] ...You see them staring at you, but they do not perceive. [7:205] And remember your Lord inwardly, humbly and fearfully... [7:205] ...and do not be one of the heedless... [8:1] ...So have full awareness of God, and set things right between you... [8:2] The believers are those whose hearts tremble [with awe], when God is mentioned... [8:11] Remember when He caused drowsiness to overcome you, as a reassurance from Him... [8:19] If [O disbelievers] you were seeking a judgement, the judgement has now come to you... [8:23] For had God known any good in them, He would indeed have made them hear... [8:37] In order that God may separate the wicked from the good... [8:53] Because God will never change a grace that He has conferred on a people, until they change that which is in themselves... [8:69] But [now] enjoy what you took in war, lawful and good... [8:72] Truly those who believed and emigrated and strove with their wealth and their lives in the way of God... [9:2] Journey freely in the land... [9:2] ...[neither bond of] kinship nor treaty...2 [9:29] ...Nor do they practise the religion of truth... [9:32] They desire to extinguish God’s light with their mouths... [9:67] ...They have forgotten God, so He has forgotten them... [9:71] And the believers, both men and women, are protecting friends of one another. [9:73] O Prophet, struggle against the disbelievers and the hypocrites... [9:108] ...In it are men who love to purify themselves... [9:111] Indeed God has purchased from the believers their selves and their possessions, so that theirs will be [the reward of] Paradise... [9:112] Those who repent, those who worship... [9:122] ... a party from each group should go forth so that they may become learned in religion [10:2] ...And give good tidings to those who believe that they have a sure footing with their Lord... [10:12] If trouble should befall a man, he cries out to Us [in supplication], whether lying on his side... [10:22] ...Then they pray to God, becoming sincere [in their] faith in Him... [10:25] And God summons to the Abode of Peace, and He guides whomsoever He wills to a straight path. [10:51] Is it [only then], when it has come to pass, that you will believe therein? Now when [until now] you have been hastening it on? [10:58] Say: ‘In the bounty of God, and in His mercy, in that let them rejoice...’ [10:62] Assuredly God’s friends, no fear shall befall them, neither shall they grieve. [10:109] And [Muḥammad] follow what is revealed to you, and be steadfast until God gives judge- ment, for He is the Best of Judges. [11:1] ...then detailed from One Wise, Informed1 [11:3] Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance... [11:15] He who desires the life of this world and its adornment, We shall repay them their deeds... [11:23] ...and humble themselves before their Lord... [11:75] For Abraham was forbearing, tender-hearted, and penitent. [11:78] ...Here are my daughters, they are purer for you...14 [11:88] ...And I do not desire to be different from you in what I forbid you to do...16 [11:91] ...And were it not for your clan (rahṭ), we would have stoned you... [11:113] And do not incline toward the evildoers... [12:6] ...And perfect His grace upon you... [12:21] ...Give him an honourable place. Maybe he will be useful to us...4 [12:24] And she certainly desired him, and he would have desired her [too], had it not been that he saw the proof of his Lord. [12:53] ‘Yet I do not exculpate my own soul; verily the soul is ever inciting to evil...’ 8 [12:52] That is so that he may know that I did not betray him behind his back...11 [12:88] ...They said, ‘O mighty Governor, misfortune has befallen us and our family.’...14 [12:86] ...I complain of my anguish and grief only to God... [12:87] ...And do not despair of God’s [gracious] spirit... [12:101] ‘...Take me [in death] in a state of submission [to You], and join me to the virtuous.’ 20 [12:106] And most of them do not believe in God without ascribing partners [to Him]. [12:108] I call to God being upon sure knowledge... [13:11] For him are attendants (muʿaqqibāt) in front of him and behind him, guarding him by God’s command... [13:12] It is He that shows you the lightning [inspiring] fear and hope... [13:13] And the thunder proclaims His praise, and so too the angels are in awe of Him... [13:28] ...Truly, it is in the remembrance of God that hearts find peace. [13:36] ...Say, ‘I have been commanded to worship God, and not to associate anything with Him...’ [13:39] God erases whatever He will and He fixes whatever He will, and with Him is the Mother of the Book. [13:43] And he who possesses knowledge of the Book. [14:7] If you are thankful then assuredly I will give you more... [14:11] ...But God favours whomever He will of His servants... [14:19] Have you not seen that God created the heavens and Earth in truth?... [14:25] It produces its fruit every season (ḥīn), by leave of its Lord... [14:24] Have you not seen how God has coined a similitude? A goodly saying is as a goodly tree; its roots set firm and its branches in heaven. [14:34] ...If you tried to enumerate God’s favour[s] you could never calculate them... [15:3] Leave them to eat and enjoy [themselves]. Let them be diverted by [false] hope; for they will come to know. [15:40] [All] except those servants of Yours who are sincerely devoted to You. He [Sahl] said: [15:72] ...In their drunkenness they were bewildered. [15:85] ...So be forgiving with gracious forgiveness. [15:92] By your Lord, We will question them all, [15:94] So, proclaim what you have been commanded... [15:97, 98] And verily We know that your heart is [at times] oppressed by what they say,  But celebrate the glory of your Lord... [16:8] ...And He creates what you do not know [about]. [16:11, 12] ...and all kinds of fruit... [And He disposed for you the night and the day and the sun and the moon and the stars.] Surely in that there are signs... [16:21] They are dead, not living, and they are not aware... [16:36] And verily We sent forth among every community a messenger, [to say] ‘Worship God...’ [16:53] Whatever grace you have, it is from God. Then when misfortune befalls you, to Him you cry for help. [16:53] ...Then when misfortune befalls you, to Him you cry for help. [16:55] ...So enjoy, for soon you will know. [16:67] And of the fruits of date-palms and vines from which you draw wine and goodly provision. [16:88] ...We shall add torment upon torment ... [16:97] Whoever acts righteously, whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily, We shall revive with a good life, a new life... [16:110] Then indeed your Lord — towards those who emigrated after they were persecuted, and then struggled and were steadfast [will be most Forgiving and most Merciful]. [16:119] But towards those who did wrong out of ignorance, and afterwards, repent and make amends, your Lord is Forgiving and Merciful. [16:127] So be patient: and your patience is only by [the help of] God... [17:8] ...but if you revert, We too revert... [17:11] And man prays for ill as [avidly] as he prays for good... [17:13] And We have attached every person’s omen to his neck... [17:14] Read your record! This day your own soul suffices as your own reckoner. [17:25] ...If you are righteous, then truly He is Forgiving to those who keep turning [to Him] in repentance. [17:57] ...and they hope for His mercy and fear His chastisement... [17:67] And when distress befalls you at sea, those whom you are wont to invoke are no longer present, except Him... [17:72] And whoever has been blind in this [world] will be blind in the Hereafter... [17:80] And say, ‘My Lord make me enter with veracity...’ 14 [17:107] ...Those who were given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration. [18:7] ...that We may try them, as to which of them is best in conduct.2 [18:13] ...They were indeed young men who believed in their Lord... [18:13] ...And We increased them in guidance. [18:17] ...whomsoever He leads astray, you will not find for him a guiding friend. [18:18] ...If you had observed them you would have turned away from them in flight, and would have been filled with awe... [18:21] ...Those who prevailed regarding their affair said... [18:28] ...And do not obey him whose heart We have made oblivious to Our remembrance... [18:30] ...Indeed, We do not let the reward of those of good deeds go to waste. [18:39] ...What God has willed.11 There is no power except in God... [18:55] What has prevented people from believing, when the guidance has come to them? [18:109] Say, ‘If the ocean were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, it would run dry...’ [18:110] So whoever hopes to encounter his Lord, let him do virtuous work and not associate any- one with the worship of his Lord. [19:31] And He has made me blessed wherever I may be...4 [19:32] ...He did not make me arrogant and wretched. [19:61] Gardens of Eden, which the Compassionate One has promised to His servants in the un- seen... [19:76] And God increases in guidance those who found [right] guidance... [19:85] [Mention] the day on which We shall gather those who are mindful of God to the Compas- sionate One, [honoured] on mounts (wafdan). [19:83] Have you not seen that We unleash the devils against the disbelievers to urge them on impetuously? [20:7] ...He knows [that which you keep] secret and that which is yet more hidden (akhfā). [20:40] ...And We tried you with various ordeals...6 [20:44] And speak to him gentle words... [20:46] He said, ‘Do not fear, for I shall be with the two of you, hearing and seeing’. [[20:81] Eat of the good things We have provided for you, but do not transgress regarding them...]17 [20:111] And faces shall be humbled before the Living, the Eternal Sustainer... [20:123] ...then whoever follows My guidance will not go astray, nor fall into misery. [20:131] Nor extend your gaze to what We have given to some pairs among them to enjoy [as] the flower of the life of this world... 21 Al-Anbiyāʾ [21:7] ...Ask the People of Remembrance, if you do not know. [21:10] And now We have sent down [as revelation] to you a Book in which is remembrance that is yours... [21:27] They do not [venture to] speak before He speaks, and they act according to His command. [21:35] ...We test you with ill and good by way of a trial... [21:83] And [mention] Job, when he called out to his Lord, ‘Indeed, harm has befallen me...’ [21:69] We said: ‘O Fire! Be coolness and safety for Abraham.10 [21:105] Indeed the land shall be inherited by My righteous servants. [21:106] ...Indeed there is in this [Qurʾān] a proclamation for people who are devout... 22 Al-Ḥajj [22:3] And among mankind are those who dispute about God without any knowledge... [22:11] And among mankind there is the one who worships God, as it were, on a knife edge... [22:11] ...if good [fortune] befalls him, he is reassured by it... [22:14] Truly God shall admit those who believe and perform righteous deeds into gardens... [22:26] ...Purify My House for those who circumambulate it... [22:26] ...And those who bow and prostrate themselves [22:27] And announce among the people the [season for] Pilgrimage. They shall come to you on foot... [22:28] ...And celebrate God’s name, on specified days, over the livestock He has provided for them... [22:29] ...And perform the circumambulation of the Ancient House. [22:46] ...Indeed, it is not the eyes that become blind, but it is their hearts that become blind within the breasts. [22:52] We did not send before you any Messenger or prophet but that when he recited [the scrip- ture] Satan cast [something] into his recitation... [22:54] ...so that they may believe therein and their hearts may be humbled to Him... 23 Al-Muʾminūn [23:1–2] Indeed, prosperous are the believers,  those who in their prayers are humbly submissive (khāshiʿūn), [23:17] And verily We created above you seven paths... [23:51] ...Eat of the good things and perform righteous acts... [23:57] Surely those who are in awe of their Lord are apprehensive, [23:76] ...Yet they did not humble themselves to their Lord, nor do they devote themselves to prayer. 24 Al-Nūr [24:1] [This is] a sūra which We have revealed and prescribed... [24:30] Say to the believing men to lower their gaze... [24:31] ...And rally to God in repentance, O believers... [24:35] God is the light of the heavens and the earth... [24:37] ...They fear a day when hearts and eyes will be tossed about, 25 Al-Furqān [25:1] Blessed is He who revealed the Criterion... [25:20] ...And We have made some of you a trial for others, will you be steadfast? Your Lord is ever Watchful. [25:28] Oh woe is me! Would that I had not taken so and so as a friend! [25:58] Put your trust in the Living One who does not die... [25:63] ...And when the ignorant address them they say [words of] peace... [25:72] And those who do not give false testimony... 26 Al-Shuʿarāʾ [26:3] It may be that you kill yourself with grief that they will not become believers. [26:5] And there would never come from the Compassionate One any reminder1 that is new, but that they used to disregard it. [26:78] ‘...[He] who created me, it is He who guides me,’ 4 [26:79] and provides me with food and drink, [26:80] and when I am sick, it is He who cures me, [26:81] Who will make me die and then give me life [again], [26:82] ‘And who, I hope, will forgive my iniquity on the Day of Judgement.’ [26:84] ‘And confer on me a worthy repute among posterity,’ [26:89] except him who brings to God a heart that is sound. [26:212] Truly they are barred from hearing [it]. [26:227] Save those who believe and perform righteous deeds and remember God frequently... 27 Al-Naml [27:10, 11] ...Surely in My presence the messengers do not fear,  except he who has wronged [others]... [27:19] ...[And he said] ‘My Lord, inspire me to be thankful for the blessings You have granted me...’ 1 [27:19] ...and include me, by Your mercy, among Your righteous servants. [27:52] So those, then, are their houses [lying] deserted because of the evil that they did... [27:59] [Say] ‘Praise be to God and peace be on His servants whom He has chosen...’ [27:62] Or [is] He who answers the destitute one when he calls to Him [better]...? 5 [27:65] Say, ‘No one in the heavens or on earth knows the unseen, except God...’ [27:73] And surely your Lord is bountiful to mankind... [27:88] And you see the mountains, supposing them to be fixed...He said: 28 Al-Qaṣaṣ [28:11] ...So she watched him from a distance, while they were not aware.1 [28:8] ...that he might become an enemy and a [cause of] grief for them... [28:10] The next day, Moses’ mother [felt] a void in her heart... [28:24] ...My Lord, I am in dire need of whatever good thing You may send me.4 [28:60] Whatever things you have been given are only the [short-lived] enjoyment of the life of this world and an ornament thereof... [28:76] ...‘Do not gloat, for God does not like people who gloat...’ 7 [28:78] [He said] ‘In fact I have been given it [this wealth] because of knowledge I possess...’ 29 Al-ʿAnkabūt [29:1, 2] Alif Lām Mīm  Do people suppose they will be left to say, ‘We believe,’ without being put to the test? [29:17] ...So seek your provision from God... [29:21] He chastises whomever He wishes... [29:43] And such similitudes We strike for [the sake of] mankind, but none understands them except those who know. [29:56] ...My earth is [indeed] vast, so worship Me and Me [alone]. 30 Al-Rūm [30:4] ...To God belongs the command, before and after... [30:40] God is the One who created you, then provided for you... [30:41] Corruption has appeared on land and sea... [30:50] So behold the effects of God’s mercy... 31 Luqmān [31:6] But among people there is he who purchases idle talk, without knowledge, to mislead... [31:15] ...and follow the way of him who returns to Me [in penitence]... [31:19] ...for the most abominable of all voices is the braying of an ass. [31:20] ...and He has showered His favours upon you, [both] outwardly and inwardly... [31:18] Do not turn your cheek disdainfully from people... [31:34] ...No soul knows what it will reap tomorrow... [31:34] ...And no soul knows in what land it will die... 32 Al-Sajda [32:5] He directs the command from the heaven to the earth... [32:13] If it had been Our will, We would have given every soul its [means to] guidance... [32:15] Only those believe in Our signs, who, when they are reminded of them, fall down in prostra- tion... [32:16] Their sides withdraw from their beds... [32:16] ...[while] they supplicate their Lord in fear and in hope... [32:17] No person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden [in reserve] for them...7 33 Al-Aḥzāb [33:4] God has not placed two hearts inside any man... [33:6] The Prophet is closer to the believers than their [own] souls...3 [33:8] so that He may question the truthful (ṣādiqīn) about their veracity. And he has prepared for those who disbelieve a painful chastisement.6 [33:35] ...and the men who remember God often and the women who remember God often... [33:38] ...and God’s commandment is an inexorable destiny, [33:71] He will rectify your deeds for you and forgive you your sins... 34 Sabaʾ [34:39]1 Say, ‘My Lord extends provision to whomever He wills of His servants, and restricts it for him...’ [34:37] Nor is it your wealth or children that will b Introduction to the translation: Sahl al-Tustarī's spiritual formation and his teachers; Tustari as spiritual master, and his disciples; Tustarī's works; The Tafsīr al-Qurʼān al-ʻaẓim; Tustarī's approach to Qurʼān interpretation; Mystical teachings; Conclusion Introduction to the commentary: Al-Fātiha; Al-Baqara; Āl-ʻImrān; Al-Nisāʼ; Al-Māʼida; Al-Anʻām; Al-Aʻrāf; Al-Anfāl; Al-Tawba; Yūnus; Hūd; Yūsuf; Al-Raʻd; Ibrāhīm; Al-Ḥijr ; Al-Naḥl; Al-Isrāʼ; Al-Kahf; Maryam; Ṭā Hā; Al-Anbiyāʼ; Al-Ḥajj; Al-Mu̕ʼminūn; Al-Nūr; Al-Furqān; Al-Shuʻarāʼ; Al-Naml; Al-Qaṣaṣ; Al-ʻAnkabūt; Al-Rūm; Luqmān; Al-Sajda; Al Aḥzāb; Sabaʼ; Al-Malāʼika (or Fāṭir); Yā Sin; Al-Ṣāffāt; Ṣād; Al-Zumar; Al-Muʼmin (or Ghāfir); Al-Sajda (or Fuṣṣilat); Al-Shūrā (or Ḥā Mīm ʻAyn Sīn Qāf); Al-Zukhruf; Al-Dukhān; Al-Jāthiya; Al-Ahqāf; Muḥammad; Al-Fatḥ; Al-Hujurāt; Qāf; Al-Dhāriyāt; Al-Ṭūr; Al-Najm; Al-Qamar; Al-Raḥmān; Al-Wāqiʻa; Al-Hādīd; Al-Mujādila; Al-Ḥashr; Al-Mumtaḥana; Al-Ṣaff; Al-Jumuʻa; Al-Munāfiqūn; Al-Taghābun; Al-Talāq; Al-Taḥrim; Al-Mulk; Al-Qalam (or Nūn); Al-Ḥāqqa; Al-Maʻārj; Nūḥ; Al-Jinn; Al-Muzzammil; Al-Muddaththir; Al-Qiyāma; Al-Insān; Al-Mursalāt; Al-Nabaʼ; Al-Nāziʻāt; ʻAbasa; Al-Takwīr; Al-Infiṭār; Al-Muṭffifīn; Al-Inshiqāq; Al-Burūj; Al-Ṭāriq; Al-Aʻlā; Al-Ghāshiya; Al-Fajr; Al-Balad; Al-Shams; Al-Layl; Al-Ḍuhā; Al-Inshirāḥ; Al-Tīn; Al-ʻAlaq; Al-Qadr; Al-Bayyina; Al-Zalzala; Al-ʻĀdiyāt; Al-Qāriʻa; Al-Takāthur; Al-ʻAsr; Al-Humaza; Al-Fīl; Quraysh; Al-Māʻūn; Al-Kawthar; Al-Kāfirūn; Al-Naṣr; Al-Masad; Al-Ikhlāṣ; Al-Falaq; Al-Nās.