Pathways of ˹Heavenly˺ Ascent

This surah is a warning to those who mock the Prophet (PBUH) and make fun of Judgment Day.

The surah also talks about the qualities and reward of the believers, especially those who keep up their prayers.

It also talks about the horrors waiting for the deniers and how they will be trying hard to save themselves from the Fire.

An-Nadr ibn Al-Harith, an evil Makkan idol-worshipper, used to make fun of Judgment Day and encourage other idol-worshippers to abuse the Prophet and his followers. He challenged Allah (as mentioned in 8:32), If this is the truth from You, then shower us with stones from the sky or put us through a painful punishment.An-Nadr later lost his life in the Battle of Badr. {Recorded byImam Ibn Kathir)

According to verses 8-18, evil friends will not help each other on Judgment Day. But the be- lievers will ask Allah to make it easy for their good friends, who might have done bad things.

We share in the reward or punishment by being around good or bad friends.Let's say you are sitting in a Quran class with some friends and someone comes in to give prizes to that class. You will be getting a prize even if you don't know how to read properly. In the same way, if you are sitting with thieves somewhere and the police officers come in, you will be arrested even if your only job is to make tea. Imam lbn Kathir said in his explanation of Surah Al-Kahf (18:18 and 22) that Allah honoured a dog by mentioning him 4 times for being in good company, and Allah shamed some human beings in Surah Al-Qaşaş (28:8) for being in the bad company of Pharaoh.

A scholar by the name of ibn Al-Qayim said that there are 4 types of friends:

1. Good friends who guide us to do good and keep us away from evil. We cannot live without them because they are like the air we breathe and the water we drink.:

2. Classmates and workmates, we just study and work with them. They are like medi-cine, which we use only if there is a need.

3.Those we hang out with just to pass the time, not doing anything good or bad.The more we stay away from them, the healthier our life will be:

4. Those who encourage us to do evil and stop us from doing good. They are like poi son; we should avoid them completely.

Salah is a very important act of worship in Islam. To understand the value of salah, think about the following:

1.Those who are poor don't have to pay zakah, pregnant women don't have to fast in Ra- madan, and those who are very sick don't have to go for hajj. But, a Muslim has to pray even if they are poor, pregnant, or sick.:

2.The Prophet said that the first thing that we will be questioned about on Judgmen# Day is salah. {Recorded by Imam At-Tirmizi}:

3.The last advice the Prophet gave us before he passed away was about salah. He said Salah! Keep up your salah! {Recorded by Imam Al-Bukhari & Imam Muslim}

4.The Prophet said that the closest a person can get to Allah is when they bow down in salah. (Recorded by Imam Muslim)

5.They say, if you want to talk to Allah, you need to call: 24434. Do you know what this number stands for?

In verses 19-35 of this surah, Allah says good things about those who try to focus in salah, pay attention, and do things properly. This is why salah has an impact on their life and attitude, making them patient, honest, and kind. Those who just pray like robots or parrots, their hearts are not connected and their manners are not improved. The Prophet said that we will get the reward based on how much we try to focus in salah. (Recorded by Imam Ahmad}

The Prophet said that it is important for children to be trained on how to do salah between the age of 7 and 10. {Recorded by Imam Ahmad & Imam Abu Dawood} This will help them get used to it and master all the movements and sayings at a young age. As the saying goes, Led ing at a young age is like writing on stone, and learning at an old age is like writing on water..