In his Tafsir of this Ayah, Al-Bukhari narrated from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah was standing before the people one day when a man came to him and said, `O Messenger of Allah, what is Iman' He said:

«الْإِيمَانُ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ، وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَلِقَائِهِ، وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْبَعْثِ الْآخِر»

(Iman is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and in the meeting with Him, and to believe in the Resurrection in the Hereafter.) He said: `O Messenger of Allah, what is Islam' He said:

«الْإِسْلَامُ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ الْمَفْرُوضَةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَان»

(Islam is to worship Allah Alone and not associate anything in worship with Him, to establish regular prayer, to pay the obligatory Zakah, and to fast in Ramadan.) He said, `O Messenger of Allah, what is Ihsan' He said:

«الْإِحْسَانُ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاك»

(Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then He sees you.) He said, `O Messenger of Allah, when will the Hour come' He said:

«مَا الْمَسْؤُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنَ السَّائِلِ، وَلكِنْ سَأُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ أَشْرَاطِهَا: إِذَا وَلَدَتِ الْأَمَةُ رَبَّتَهَا فَذَاكَ مِنْ أَشْرَاطِهَا، وَإِذَا كَانَ الْحُفَاةُ الْعُرَاةُ رُؤُوسَ النَّاسِ فَذَاكَ مِنْ أَشْرَاطِهَا فِي خَمْسٍ لَا يَعْلَمُهُنَّ إِلَّا اللهُ:

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى الاٌّرْحَامِ﴾

(The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking, but I will tell you of some of its signs: when the servant woman gives birth to her mistress, that is one of its signs; when the barefoot and naked become leaders of the people, that is one of its signs. The timing of the Hour is one of the five things which no one knows except Allah: (Verily, Allah, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs....)) Then the man went away, and the Prophet said,

«رُدُّوهُ عَلَي»

(Bring him back to me.) They went to bring him back, but they could not find him. He said:

«هَذَا جِبْرِيلُ جَاءَ لِيُعَلِّمَ النَّاسَ دِينَهُم»

(That was Jibril who came to teach the people their religion.) It was also recorded by Al-Bukhari in the Book of Faith, and by Muslim with several chains of narration. We have discussed this at the beginning of our commentary on Al-Bukhari, where we mentioned at length some Hadiths narrated by the Commander of the faithful `Umar bin Al-Khattab. These were recorded only by Muslim.

﴿وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ﴾

(and no person knows in what land he will die.) Qatadah said, "There are some things which Allah has kept to Himself, and they are not known to any angel who is close to Him or any Prophet who was sent by Him.

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ﴾

(Verily, Allah, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, ) no one among mankind knows when the Hour will come, in which year or month, or whether it will come at night or during the day.

﴿وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ﴾

(He sends down the rain,) and no one knows when rain will come, night or day.

﴿وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى الاٌّرْحَامِ﴾

(and knows that which is in the wombs.) No one knows what is in the wombs, male or female, red or black, or what it is.

﴿وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَداً﴾

(No person knows what he will earn tomorrow,) whether it will be good or bad. You do not know, O son of Adam, when you will die. You might die tomorrow, you might be stricken by calamity tomorrow.

﴿وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ﴾

(and no person knows in what land he will die.) means, no person knows where his resting place will be, on the land or in the sea, on a plain or in the mountains. It says in the Hadith:

«إِذَا أَرَادَ اللهُ قَبْضَ عَبْدٍ بِأَرْضٍ جَعَلَ لَهُ إِلَيْهَا حَاجَة»

(If Allah wants to take a person's soul in a particular land, He will give him a reason to go there.) In Al-Mu`jam Al-Kabir, Al-Hafiz Abu Al-Qasim At-Tabarani recorded that Usamah bin Zayd said, "The Messenger of Allah said:

«مَا جَعَلَ اللهُ مِيتَةَ عَبْدٍ بِأَرْضٍ إِلَّا جَعَلَ لَهُ فِيهَا حَاجَة»

(Allah does not will that a person should die in a certain land but He gives him a reason to go there.)'' This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Luqman. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Sufficient for us is Allah and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.