سُوْرَةُ الْحِجْرِ
Surah Al-Hijr (15) — Ayah 18
إِلَّا مَنِ ٱسْتَرَقَ ٱلسَّمْعَ فَأَتْبَعَهُۥ شِهَابٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴿18﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Except him (devil) who steals the hearing then he is pursued by a clear flaming fire.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِلَّا
illā
Except
مَنِ
mani
(one) who
ٱسْتَرَقَ
is'taraqa
steals
ٱلسَّمْعَ
l-samʿa
the hearing
فَأَتْبَعَهُۥ
fa-atbaʿahu
then follows him
شِهَابٌۭ
shihābun
a burning flame
مُّبِينٌۭ
mubīnun
clear
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
18. 1. Its meaning is that the devils go to the heavens to eavesdrop, upon whom the shooting stars fall, from which some die and some are saved, and some manage to hear. In the hadith, its explanation comes as follows. The Prophet ﷺ says, "When Allah makes a decision in the heavens, the angels hear it and flutter their wings or arms, as if it is the sound of a chain on a rock. Then, when the fear of Allah is removed from the hearts of the angels, they ask each other, 'What did your Lord say?' They say, 'He said the truth, and He is the Most High, the Great.' (After this, Allah's decision is conveyed from above to below, one after another.) At this moment, the devils secretly listen. And these devils who secretly listen are positioned one above the other at short distances, and after hearing a part of the command, they whisper it into the ear of their friend, the astrologer or soothsayer, and he mixes it with a hundred lies and narrates it to the people." (Summarized. Sahih Bukhari, Tafsir Surah Al-Hijr)
