Ghafir

Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Everything has an essence and the essence of the Qur'an is the family of Ha Mim,'' or he said, "the Ha Mims.'' Mis`ar bin Kidam said, "They used to be called `the brides'.'' All of this was recorded by the the Imam, great scholar, Abu `Ubayd Al-Qasim bin Sallam, may Allah have mercy upon him, in his book Fada'il Al-Qur'an. Humayd bin Zanjuyah narrated that `Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The parable of the Qur'an is that of a man who sets out to find a place for his family to stay, and he comes to a place where there is evidence of rainfall. While he is walking about, admiring it, he suddenly comes upon beautiful gardens. He says, `I liked the first traces of rainfall, but this is far better.' It was said to him, `The first place is like the Qur'an, and these beautiful gardens are like the splendor of family of Ha Mim in relation to the rest of the Qur'an'.'' This was recorded by Al-Baghawi. Ibn Mas`ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "When I reach the family of Ha Mim, it is like reaching a beautiful garden, so I take my time.''

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.