ترجمة معاني القرآن الكريم - الترجمة الإنجليزية - د. وليد بليهش العمري * - فهرس التراجم
سورة الرعد - Ar-Ra‘d
الٓمٓرۚ تِلۡكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِۗ وَٱلَّذِيٓ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ
(1) Alif, Lām, Mīm, Rā’[2846]; those[2847] are the Signs of the Book; ˹verily˺ what was sent down to you ˹Muhammad˺ from your Lord is the Truth[2848] but most people Believe not.
[2846] The sura opens with these four disjointed letters so as to highlight the Qur’an’s inimitable nature and which are meant as a challenge to those who argue with the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Believers regarding the Truthfulness of the Message (c.f. 2: 1).
[2847] The far demonstrative pronoun tilka (those) is employed here to signify the loftiness of the Qur’an’s ayas (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Basīṭ, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr).
[2848] This aya, as much as the very last aya of this sura, sends a firmly assuring message to the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) that he stands on solid ground and needs not be worn out by the criticism of his adversaries and their preposterous demands. What follow are further supporting Signs and argumentations.
[2847] The far demonstrative pronoun tilka (those) is employed here to signify the loftiness of the Qur’an’s ayas (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Basīṭ, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr).
[2848] This aya, as much as the very last aya of this sura, sends a firmly assuring message to the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) that he stands on solid ground and needs not be worn out by the criticism of his adversaries and their preposterous demands. What follow are further supporting Signs and argumentations.
التفاسير العربية:
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي رَفَعَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ بِغَيۡرِ عَمَدٖ تَرَوۡنَهَاۖ ثُمَّ ٱسۡتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلۡعَرۡشِۖ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمۡسَ وَٱلۡقَمَرَۖ كُلّٞ يَجۡرِي لِأَجَلٖ مُّسَمّٗىۚ يُدَبِّرُ ٱلۡأَمۡرَ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُم بِلِقَآءِ رَبِّكُمۡ تُوقِنُونَ
(2) ‘Allah’[2849] is He Who elevated the Heavens – without pillars you see them[2850] – then Established[2851] Himself on the Throne and subjected the sun and the moon – each runs until a specified term[2852]; He conducts ˹all˺ affairs[2853]. ˹Thus˺ He details the Signs—may you ˹people˺ be certain of meeting your Lord[2854].
[2849] As in Sura al-Anʿām, given that the ones being implicated as Denying are the Makkan pagans, who knew ‘Allah’ but had a distorted perception of Him, the Majestic Name ‘Allah’ is employed here as much as it is there to set aright their misconception and make them appreciate His Signs (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr); this is most clearly apparent in Aya 16 below.
[2850] Exegetes give bi ghayri ʿamadin tarawnahā (lit. without pillars you see them) two explanations. First, and the more agreed one, is that which signifies that the Heavens are actually raised without pillars as is plain to the eye (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān). This reasoning accords with Aya 22: 65: “And ˹He˺ holds off the Heavens not to fall on Earth except by His permission!” and is the more becoming in highlighting God’s unmatchable Ability. So, accordingly, tarawnahā (lit. you see them) is meant to emphasize the nonexistence of pillars (cf. Ibn Kathīr). The second reading is that there are pillars but invisible ones (cf. Ibn Kathīr and Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, who account for this reading).
[2851] The verb istawā literally means rose and ascended in a manner befitting His Majesty only and unlike any of His creation. This Attribute of Almighty God (سبحانه وتعالى) should be established as it is without tashbīh (drawing analogies), takyīf (adaptation) or taʿṭīl (repudiation). (Ibn Kathīr, al-Shawkānī)
[2852] This ‘specified term’ is the end of the world and the coming of the Day of Judgement (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2853] God Almighty, in His infinite Ability, runs and oversees all of the affairs of His creation (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, al-Shawkānī): “There is not a single moving creature on Earth except its provision being from Allah and He knows its place of stay and place of storage; all ˹the details˺ are in a clarifying Book” (11: 6).
[2854] The Signs are detailed over and over again so that Believers may find enough assurance in them, but Deniers are bent on not paying heed: “He is the One Who made the sun a glow and the moon a light and ordained for it stations so that you ˹may˺ know the number of years and calculation ˹of time˺. Never has Allah created that except for the Truth; He details the Signs for those who attain knowledge. *Verily in the alternation of night and day, and whatever Allah has created in the Heavens and Earth are Signs for the Mindful ones. *Verily those who hope not in meeting Us, contented themselves with the worldly life and took comfort in it; the ˹very˺ ones who are ˹deliberately˺ heedless of Our Signs” (10: 5-7).
[2850] Exegetes give bi ghayri ʿamadin tarawnahā (lit. without pillars you see them) two explanations. First, and the more agreed one, is that which signifies that the Heavens are actually raised without pillars as is plain to the eye (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān). This reasoning accords with Aya 22: 65: “And ˹He˺ holds off the Heavens not to fall on Earth except by His permission!” and is the more becoming in highlighting God’s unmatchable Ability. So, accordingly, tarawnahā (lit. you see them) is meant to emphasize the nonexistence of pillars (cf. Ibn Kathīr). The second reading is that there are pillars but invisible ones (cf. Ibn Kathīr and Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, who account for this reading).
[2851] The verb istawā literally means rose and ascended in a manner befitting His Majesty only and unlike any of His creation. This Attribute of Almighty God (سبحانه وتعالى) should be established as it is without tashbīh (drawing analogies), takyīf (adaptation) or taʿṭīl (repudiation). (Ibn Kathīr, al-Shawkānī)
[2852] This ‘specified term’ is the end of the world and the coming of the Day of Judgement (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2853] God Almighty, in His infinite Ability, runs and oversees all of the affairs of His creation (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, al-Shawkānī): “There is not a single moving creature on Earth except its provision being from Allah and He knows its place of stay and place of storage; all ˹the details˺ are in a clarifying Book” (11: 6).
[2854] The Signs are detailed over and over again so that Believers may find enough assurance in them, but Deniers are bent on not paying heed: “He is the One Who made the sun a glow and the moon a light and ordained for it stations so that you ˹may˺ know the number of years and calculation ˹of time˺. Never has Allah created that except for the Truth; He details the Signs for those who attain knowledge. *Verily in the alternation of night and day, and whatever Allah has created in the Heavens and Earth are Signs for the Mindful ones. *Verily those who hope not in meeting Us, contented themselves with the worldly life and took comfort in it; the ˹very˺ ones who are ˹deliberately˺ heedless of Our Signs” (10: 5-7).
التفاسير العربية:
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي مَدَّ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَٰسِيَ وَأَنۡهَٰرٗاۖ وَمِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوۡجَيۡنِ ٱثۡنَيۡنِۖ يُغۡشِي ٱلَّيۡلَ ٱلنَّهَارَۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّقَوۡمٖ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
(3) [2855]He is the One Who spread out the Earth[2856] and made in it firmly-set ˹stabilizers˺ and rivers[2857]; and of all fruits, He made in it ˹Earth˺ a pair, two, of each[2858]; He shrouds night over day. Indeed in that are Signs to people who ˹ever˺ contemplate!
[2855] Now that the heavenly (extra-terrestrial) Signs have been talked of, other earthly (terrestrial) Signs are provided here (cf. Ibn Kathīr).
[2856] A great bounty of God’s (سبحانه وتعالى) whereby He made the planet on which humans exist conducive to their living: “He Who made the land a carpet and the sky a roof for you, and sent water down from the sky and grew with it ˹all sorts of˺ produce as provisions for you”. (2: 22)
[2857] Part of making Earth fit to live on is that its crust is maintained with stabilizing mountains and flowing rivers, which carry water, the substance of life to all creatures, easily running through it (cf. al-Qurṭubī, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr): “He cast into Earth firmly-set ˹stabilizers˺ – lest it should shift with you – and ˹made˺ rivers and paths that you may be guided” (16: 15); “We made in it ˹Earth˺ soaring firmly-set ˹stabilizers˺ and gave you sweet water to drink”. (77: 27)
[2858] Zawjayn means a pair of divergent nature; sweet and sour, hot and cold, black and white (cf. al-Rāzī, Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Shawkānī). This is both a bounty and a cause for contemplation; how then would the same nature be able to produce two things of contrasting natures, yet complementing each other, had not God Almighty (سبحانه وتعالى) willed it so! (Cf. al-Rāzī, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān.) This is followed by mention of the obvious complementary/contrasting dualism of night and day.
[2856] A great bounty of God’s (سبحانه وتعالى) whereby He made the planet on which humans exist conducive to their living: “He Who made the land a carpet and the sky a roof for you, and sent water down from the sky and grew with it ˹all sorts of˺ produce as provisions for you”. (2: 22)
[2857] Part of making Earth fit to live on is that its crust is maintained with stabilizing mountains and flowing rivers, which carry water, the substance of life to all creatures, easily running through it (cf. al-Qurṭubī, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr): “He cast into Earth firmly-set ˹stabilizers˺ – lest it should shift with you – and ˹made˺ rivers and paths that you may be guided” (16: 15); “We made in it ˹Earth˺ soaring firmly-set ˹stabilizers˺ and gave you sweet water to drink”. (77: 27)
[2858] Zawjayn means a pair of divergent nature; sweet and sour, hot and cold, black and white (cf. al-Rāzī, Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Shawkānī). This is both a bounty and a cause for contemplation; how then would the same nature be able to produce two things of contrasting natures, yet complementing each other, had not God Almighty (سبحانه وتعالى) willed it so! (Cf. al-Rāzī, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān.) This is followed by mention of the obvious complementary/contrasting dualism of night and day.
التفاسير العربية:
وَفِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ قِطَعٞ مُّتَجَٰوِرَٰتٞ وَجَنَّٰتٞ مِّنۡ أَعۡنَٰبٖ وَزَرۡعٞ وَنَخِيلٞ صِنۡوَانٞ وَغَيۡرُ صِنۡوَانٖ يُسۡقَىٰ بِمَآءٖ وَٰحِدٖ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعۡضَهَا عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٖ فِي ٱلۡأُكُلِۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّقَوۡمٖ يَعۡقِلُونَ
(4) [2859]And on Earth there are adjacent plots ˹of land˺, gardens of grapes, ˹different˺ plants, and date palms – joined at the truck and unjoined – irrigated with the same water but We make some better than others in fruit[2860]; indeed in that are Signs to people who heed!
[2859] This is a parable of the hearts of people who are all showered with the same life giving water, the Message. Although existing next to each other, and prone to the same conditions, they receive it differently, like adjacent plots of land whose soil is different. Some will thrive, flower and flourish while others will only turn salty and foul! (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah).
[2860] Fruits are the produce of plants (al-ukul, lit. what is eaten) varying in taste, shape, colour, smell, benefit and use (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2860] Fruits are the produce of plants (al-ukul, lit. what is eaten) varying in taste, shape, colour, smell, benefit and use (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
التفاسير العربية:
۞ وَإِن تَعۡجَبۡ فَعَجَبٞ قَوۡلُهُمۡ أَءِذَا كُنَّا تُرَٰبًا أَءِنَّا لَفِي خَلۡقٖ جَدِيدٍۗ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِرَبِّهِمۡۖ وَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ ٱلۡأَغۡلَٰلُ فِيٓ أَعۡنَاقِهِمۡۖ وَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِۖ هُمۡ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ
(5) [2861]Should you ˹Muhammad˺ be astonished, then astonishing indeed is their saying: “Should we become dust, are we to be created anew!” Those are the ones who Denied their Lord; those in whose necks are yokes[2862]; those are the Companions of the Fire—in it they abide forever!
[2861] This passage is interpolative, reflecting on the intransigence and lack of willingness to Believe that marred the Deniers (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr) and that much troubled the Messenger (ﷺ); further underlining the Deniers’ lack of Truth, by projecting some of their aberrations and absurd demands.
[2862] Exegetes interpret these aghlāl as material yokes which will collar their necks on the Day of Judgement (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Shawkānī). Others see it as the ‘yokes’ of misguidedness which tightly surround their necks so that they cannot see the Truth for what it is (cf. al-Baiḍāwī, al-Saʿdī). al-Qāsimī opines that it means the ‘yokes’ of their minds which prevent them from seeing God’s Signs!
[2862] Exegetes interpret these aghlāl as material yokes which will collar their necks on the Day of Judgement (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Shawkānī). Others see it as the ‘yokes’ of misguidedness which tightly surround their necks so that they cannot see the Truth for what it is (cf. al-Baiḍāwī, al-Saʿdī). al-Qāsimī opines that it means the ‘yokes’ of their minds which prevent them from seeing God’s Signs!
التفاسير العربية:
وَيَسۡتَعۡجِلُونَكَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ قَبۡلَ ٱلۡحَسَنَةِ وَقَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِن قَبۡلِهِمُ ٱلۡمَثُلَٰتُۗ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغۡفِرَةٖ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ ظُلۡمِهِمۡۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ
(6) They ˹further˺ ask you ˹Muhammad˺ to hasten the evil before the good[2863], while the examples have come to pass before them[2864]; indeed your Lord extends forgiveness to people despite their wrongfulness; indeed your Lord is severe in punishment![2865]
[2863] This just shows the utter disregard with which they treated the Message (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “˹Mention Muhammad˺ When they ˹the Deniers˺ said: “O Allah, if this is the Truth from You, then rain on us stones from the sky or bring us a painful punishment!” (8: 32)
[2864] The Qurayshites had many of the ruins of previous, much more prosperous, nations all around them, which the Qur’an always points out to them: “Verily You ˹Makkans˺ pass by their ruins morning *and night. Will you not use your reason?” (37: 137-138). They could also see many more of these majestic ruins, especially those of the wealthy Nabateans in Hegra (al-Ḥijr) and Petra (al-Batrā’) respectively, during their famed winter and summer journeys (cf. 106: 2); “Have they not travelled throughout the land to see what was the end of those ˹destroyed˺ before them? They were far superior in might; they cultivated the land and developed it more than these ˹Makkans˺ ever have. Their Messengers came to them with clear proofs. Allah would have never wronged them, but it was they who wronged themselves” (30:9).
The fact that they fully knew about what befell other nations before them when they Denied is called to attention three times in this sura; here and in Ayas 30 and 42 (at the beginning, middle and end of the sura). Among the many rational arguments and irrevocable facts that where presented before them, they were also shown the fate of the Deniers of the Truth before them as ‘social proof’ and yet they still would not heed!
[2865] This replies to their request about why God Almighty does not hasten evil on them; rain stones on them from the sky or bring about a painful punishment on their heads (cf. 8: 32). That their punishment is delayed is not a sign of the incapacity of the warner, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), but rather of the boundless Mercy of His Lord, Who wants them to reason and repent (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “If they call you a liar then say ˹Muhammad to them˺: “Your Lord is of vast Mercy and His affliction is never to be warded off away from the criminal people” (6: 147).
[2864] The Qurayshites had many of the ruins of previous, much more prosperous, nations all around them, which the Qur’an always points out to them: “Verily You ˹Makkans˺ pass by their ruins morning *and night. Will you not use your reason?” (37: 137-138). They could also see many more of these majestic ruins, especially those of the wealthy Nabateans in Hegra (al-Ḥijr) and Petra (al-Batrā’) respectively, during their famed winter and summer journeys (cf. 106: 2); “Have they not travelled throughout the land to see what was the end of those ˹destroyed˺ before them? They were far superior in might; they cultivated the land and developed it more than these ˹Makkans˺ ever have. Their Messengers came to them with clear proofs. Allah would have never wronged them, but it was they who wronged themselves” (30:9).
The fact that they fully knew about what befell other nations before them when they Denied is called to attention three times in this sura; here and in Ayas 30 and 42 (at the beginning, middle and end of the sura). Among the many rational arguments and irrevocable facts that where presented before them, they were also shown the fate of the Deniers of the Truth before them as ‘social proof’ and yet they still would not heed!
[2865] This replies to their request about why God Almighty does not hasten evil on them; rain stones on them from the sky or bring about a painful punishment on their heads (cf. 8: 32). That their punishment is delayed is not a sign of the incapacity of the warner, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), but rather of the boundless Mercy of His Lord, Who wants them to reason and repent (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “If they call you a liar then say ˹Muhammad to them˺: “Your Lord is of vast Mercy and His affliction is never to be warded off away from the criminal people” (6: 147).
التفاسير العربية:
وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوۡلَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيۡهِ ءَايَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦٓۗ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُنذِرٞۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَوۡمٍ هَادٍ
(7) [2866]And the Deniers say: “If only a sign[2867] were sent down to him from his Lord!” You are none but a warner[2868]; for each people there is a guide[2869].
[2866] This is yet another cause for wonder; their asking for a ‘sign’ while they had already been amply presented with many Signs, both Qur’anic and cosmic, given that Signs are all the same in proving the Truthfulness of the Message (cf. al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar).
[2867] Āyah (sign) means a miracle here (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “And they ˹the Makkan Deniers˺ say: “We shall not Believe in you ˹Muhammad˺ till you make a spring gush forth for us from the ground; *or till you have a garden of date palms and grapevines, and you make streams gush forth in the midst of it; *or till you make the sky fall upon us in pieces, as you have claimed, or you bring Allah and the angels before us; *or till you have a house of gold ornament, or you ascend to Heaven. And we shall not Believe in your ascension till you bring down unto us a book we can read”. Say: “Glory be to my Lord! Am I aught but a human being, a Messenger?” (17: 90-93)
[2868] That is, a Messenger not a miracle worker! (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr)
[2869] The sending of Messengers is mainly meant to invite people to look at evidences (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “We surely sent a Messenger to every nation ˹saying˺: “Worship Allah and shun false idols!” Some of them were guided by Allah, while among them were ˹others˺ whom misguidedness was their rightful lot” (16: 36).
[2867] Āyah (sign) means a miracle here (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “And they ˹the Makkan Deniers˺ say: “We shall not Believe in you ˹Muhammad˺ till you make a spring gush forth for us from the ground; *or till you have a garden of date palms and grapevines, and you make streams gush forth in the midst of it; *or till you make the sky fall upon us in pieces, as you have claimed, or you bring Allah and the angels before us; *or till you have a house of gold ornament, or you ascend to Heaven. And we shall not Believe in your ascension till you bring down unto us a book we can read”. Say: “Glory be to my Lord! Am I aught but a human being, a Messenger?” (17: 90-93)
[2868] That is, a Messenger not a miracle worker! (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr)
[2869] The sending of Messengers is mainly meant to invite people to look at evidences (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “We surely sent a Messenger to every nation ˹saying˺: “Worship Allah and shun false idols!” Some of them were guided by Allah, while among them were ˹others˺ whom misguidedness was their rightful lot” (16: 36).
التفاسير العربية:
ٱللَّهُ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تَحۡمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَىٰ وَمَا تَغِيضُ ٱلۡأَرۡحَامُ وَمَا تَزۡدَادُۚ وَكُلُّ شَيۡءٍ عِندَهُۥ بِمِقۡدَارٍ
(8) [2870]‘Allah’ Knows what each female is pregnant with[2871] and what the wombs recede and increase with[2872], and everything with Him is in ˹precise˺ measure[2873];
[2870] In this passage and the next two the Makkan pagans’ misconception about ‘Allah’ is set aright; so that they may let go of their ‘yokes’ and gain a new perspective on the Message. Here God Almighty’s (سبحانه وتعالى) Omniscience is the focal point.
[2871] God Knows what each and every female, human and otherwise, carries in her womb: the fetus’s gender, physical characteristics, fortune and fate in life, etc. (cf. al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “Indeed nothing, neither in Earth nor in the Heavens, is hidden from Allah. *He is the One Who forms you in ˹your mothers’˺ wombs as He wills – there is no god but Him, the All-Prevailing, All-Wise” (3: 5-6).
ʿAbdullāh Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Each of you is gathered in his mother’s belly for forty days, then he becomes a clinging clot ˹of blood˺ for as much ˹i.e. forty days˺, then he becomes a lump of flesh for as much ˹i.e. forty days˺. Then Allah sends an angel with four words ˹and˺ he records his ˹the fetus’s˺ deeds, lifespan, provision of sustenance, and whether fortunate or unfortunate. Then he blows the soul into it ˹i.e. the fetus˺” (al-Bukhārī: 3332; Muslim: 2643).
[2872] That is, what swells up and subsides in the wombs, these most secret loci of creation, especially, the volume of the fetus and the duration of pregnancy. The ‘receding/decrease’ is in, among other things, the number of fetuses, the limbs and size of the fetus and the duration of pregnancy or whether the baby is born prematurely. Conversely, the ‘increase’ is in all these and whether the duration of pregnancy lasts longer than what is naturally the case (cf. Ibn al-Qayyim, Tuḥfat al-Mawdūd bi Aḥkām al-Mawlūd, p. 268, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān). Yet, most exegetes agree that the decrease and increase are in the duration of pregnancy (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, al-Wāḥidī, al-Wasīṭ).
[2873] Given the context exegetes see this as referring to the duration of pregnancy, which also indicates that nothing goes beyond or falls short of its stated limit (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, al-Rāzī, Abū Ḥayyān). In a way, it reflects on the timing of punishment which the Deniers challengingly were in a hurry for. This is supported by the fact mentioned in the closing of this thematic unit, Aya 11 below.
[2871] God Knows what each and every female, human and otherwise, carries in her womb: the fetus’s gender, physical characteristics, fortune and fate in life, etc. (cf. al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “Indeed nothing, neither in Earth nor in the Heavens, is hidden from Allah. *He is the One Who forms you in ˹your mothers’˺ wombs as He wills – there is no god but Him, the All-Prevailing, All-Wise” (3: 5-6).
ʿAbdullāh Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Each of you is gathered in his mother’s belly for forty days, then he becomes a clinging clot ˹of blood˺ for as much ˹i.e. forty days˺, then he becomes a lump of flesh for as much ˹i.e. forty days˺. Then Allah sends an angel with four words ˹and˺ he records his ˹the fetus’s˺ deeds, lifespan, provision of sustenance, and whether fortunate or unfortunate. Then he blows the soul into it ˹i.e. the fetus˺” (al-Bukhārī: 3332; Muslim: 2643).
[2872] That is, what swells up and subsides in the wombs, these most secret loci of creation, especially, the volume of the fetus and the duration of pregnancy. The ‘receding/decrease’ is in, among other things, the number of fetuses, the limbs and size of the fetus and the duration of pregnancy or whether the baby is born prematurely. Conversely, the ‘increase’ is in all these and whether the duration of pregnancy lasts longer than what is naturally the case (cf. Ibn al-Qayyim, Tuḥfat al-Mawdūd bi Aḥkām al-Mawlūd, p. 268, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān). Yet, most exegetes agree that the decrease and increase are in the duration of pregnancy (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, al-Wāḥidī, al-Wasīṭ).
[2873] Given the context exegetes see this as referring to the duration of pregnancy, which also indicates that nothing goes beyond or falls short of its stated limit (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, al-Rāzī, Abū Ḥayyān). In a way, it reflects on the timing of punishment which the Deniers challengingly were in a hurry for. This is supported by the fact mentioned in the closing of this thematic unit, Aya 11 below.
التفاسير العربية:
عَٰلِمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ ٱلۡكَبِيرُ ٱلۡمُتَعَالِ
التفاسير العربية:
سَوَآءٞ مِّنكُم مَّنۡ أَسَرَّ ٱلۡقَوۡلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِۦ وَمَنۡ هُوَ مُسۡتَخۡفِۭ بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَسَارِبُۢ بِٱلنَّهَارِ
(10) The same of you is any who keeps speech secret and who announces it[2874], and who hides ˹impreciptibly˺ at night and who comes forth openly in daytime[2875].
[2874] The statement of this fact here, as also the next, implicates the Makkan Deniers, essentially warning them that their evil plotting does not go unnoticed (Ibn ʿĀshūr): “Keep your speech secret or proclaim it; truly He knows what lies within chests. *Does He Who created not Know—He is the Most Subtle, All-Knower!” (67: 13-14)
[2875] “Nay, but they bend their chests to hide from it. Nay, but when they cloak themselves in their garments, He Knows what they conceal and what they reveal—He is Knowledgeable of what the chests hide” (11: 5).
[2875] “Nay, but they bend their chests to hide from it. Nay, but when they cloak themselves in their garments, He Knows what they conceal and what they reveal—He is Knowledgeable of what the chests hide” (11: 5).
التفاسير العربية:
لَهُۥ مُعَقِّبَٰتٞ مِّنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦ يَحۡفَظُونَهُۥ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمۡۗ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِقَوۡمٖ سُوٓءٗا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ
(11) For him[2876] are alternating ˹angels˺ from his front and his back[2877], guarding[2878] him by Allah’s Command[2879]; Allah alters not what a people are in unless they alter what is in themselves[2880]. Should Allah will evil for a people then there is no warding it off—theirs is no ally besides Him[2881].
[2876] That is, the human, thus referring to the state in which he is depicted in the previous aya, i.e. being secretive or open about his thoughts (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Zajjāj, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2877] These are the angels tasked with each human; they alternate and take day and night shifts (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar). Min bayni yadayhi wa min khalfihi (lit. from between his hands and from his behind) could mean either from these two sides exclusively (cf. al-Ṭabarī) or from all sides with the front and back implying the other sides (cf. al-Shawkānī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
Ibn Kathīr gives some details and further explains that each person has angels who keep alternating day and night shifts over him. There are four in each shift: one from the front and another from the back protecting him from evil, and one from the right keeping record of his good deeds and another on the left side recording his misdeeds: “When the two receivers ˹i.e. angels˺ receive, seated on the right and on the left” (50: 17).
[2878] Yaḥfaẓūnahu could mean either to guard and protect, i.e. what are referred to here are the guardian angels which is the more generally agreed meaning (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Wasīṭ); and/or to keep record of a person’s deeds (cf. Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2879] But when it is time for this cover of protection to be lifted, these guardian angels will no longer intervene (cf. Ibn Abī Zamanīn, al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz, al-Baghawī).
[2880] As long as people are aware of God’s Grace on them and are dutifully thankful to Him, God Almighty will not show them other than mercy, and vice versa (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Saʿdī, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān): “That for Allah would never alter a favour He bestows on a ˹certain˺ people until they alter what is in themselves—verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. *˹Just˺ like the habitual ways of the people of Pharaoh and those ˹who came˺ before them; they rejected the Signs of their Lord and We destroyed them for their sins and We drowned the people of Pharaoh; they all were unjust” (8: 53-54).
[2881] All what has been said in this passage, amounts to a warning to the Qurayshites, who rebuffed the Message and treated it with nothing but ridicule, that the great bounty that God shows them (cf. Sura 106) is not an earned right but is given only out of God Almighty’s boundless Mercy to His servants. They have to do their best to earn it, i.e. Believe in the Message (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr). But, if they persist in Denial, then let them not be fooled by the respite they are given, for Allah’s Command can come at any minute.
[2877] These are the angels tasked with each human; they alternate and take day and night shifts (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar). Min bayni yadayhi wa min khalfihi (lit. from between his hands and from his behind) could mean either from these two sides exclusively (cf. al-Ṭabarī) or from all sides with the front and back implying the other sides (cf. al-Shawkānī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
Ibn Kathīr gives some details and further explains that each person has angels who keep alternating day and night shifts over him. There are four in each shift: one from the front and another from the back protecting him from evil, and one from the right keeping record of his good deeds and another on the left side recording his misdeeds: “When the two receivers ˹i.e. angels˺ receive, seated on the right and on the left” (50: 17).
[2878] Yaḥfaẓūnahu could mean either to guard and protect, i.e. what are referred to here are the guardian angels which is the more generally agreed meaning (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Wasīṭ); and/or to keep record of a person’s deeds (cf. Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2879] But when it is time for this cover of protection to be lifted, these guardian angels will no longer intervene (cf. Ibn Abī Zamanīn, al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz, al-Baghawī).
[2880] As long as people are aware of God’s Grace on them and are dutifully thankful to Him, God Almighty will not show them other than mercy, and vice versa (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Saʿdī, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān): “That for Allah would never alter a favour He bestows on a ˹certain˺ people until they alter what is in themselves—verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. *˹Just˺ like the habitual ways of the people of Pharaoh and those ˹who came˺ before them; they rejected the Signs of their Lord and We destroyed them for their sins and We drowned the people of Pharaoh; they all were unjust” (8: 53-54).
[2881] All what has been said in this passage, amounts to a warning to the Qurayshites, who rebuffed the Message and treated it with nothing but ridicule, that the great bounty that God shows them (cf. Sura 106) is not an earned right but is given only out of God Almighty’s boundless Mercy to His servants. They have to do their best to earn it, i.e. Believe in the Message (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr). But, if they persist in Denial, then let them not be fooled by the respite they are given, for Allah’s Command can come at any minute.
التفاسير العربية:
هُوَ ٱلَّذِي يُرِيكُمُ ٱلۡبَرۡقَ خَوۡفٗا وَطَمَعٗا وَيُنشِئُ ٱلسَّحَابَ ٱلثِّقَالَ
(12) [2882]He is the One Who shows you lightning in fear and ˹hopeful˺ anticipation[2883], and builds up the heavy clouds[2884].
[2882] This passage carries on and builds upon the threatening note found in the previous passage, but further reinforces it.
[2883] “In fear” of being hit by thunderbolts and “˹hopeful˺ anticipation” for rain (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr). Such is the subtlety of God Almighty’s Wisdom where one thing both instigates fear and sparks hope (cf. Abū Ḥayyān, al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar); no one knows whether an eventuality turns out to be for better or for worse.
[2884] The clouds that are floating above our heads like balloons filled with helium are not weightless but rather very heavy. Researchers have calculated that the average cumulus cloud - which is that nice, white fluffy kind you see on a sunny day - weighs an incredible 500,000 kg (or 1.1 million pounds!) (cf. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/how-much-does-a-cloud-weigh?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects): “We will show them Our Signs in the horizons and in themselves, so that they may realize that it is the Truth!” (41: 53).
Not less impressive is the detailed description of how clouds are formed, a scientific fact which was only recently discovered with all the sophisticated equipment that the wonder of modern technology has made available to humans: “Do you not see that Allah gently drives the clouds, then joins them together, piling them up into masses, from which you see raindrops come forth? And He sends down from the sky mountains ˹of clouds˺ loaded with hail, pouring it on whoever He wills and averting it from whoever He wills. The flash of its lightning nearly takes away eyesight” (24: 43).
[2883] “In fear” of being hit by thunderbolts and “˹hopeful˺ anticipation” for rain (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr). Such is the subtlety of God Almighty’s Wisdom where one thing both instigates fear and sparks hope (cf. Abū Ḥayyān, al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar); no one knows whether an eventuality turns out to be for better or for worse.
[2884] The clouds that are floating above our heads like balloons filled with helium are not weightless but rather very heavy. Researchers have calculated that the average cumulus cloud - which is that nice, white fluffy kind you see on a sunny day - weighs an incredible 500,000 kg (or 1.1 million pounds!) (cf. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/how-much-does-a-cloud-weigh?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects): “We will show them Our Signs in the horizons and in themselves, so that they may realize that it is the Truth!” (41: 53).
Not less impressive is the detailed description of how clouds are formed, a scientific fact which was only recently discovered with all the sophisticated equipment that the wonder of modern technology has made available to humans: “Do you not see that Allah gently drives the clouds, then joins them together, piling them up into masses, from which you see raindrops come forth? And He sends down from the sky mountains ˹of clouds˺ loaded with hail, pouring it on whoever He wills and averting it from whoever He wills. The flash of its lightning nearly takes away eyesight” (24: 43).
التفاسير العربية:
وَيُسَبِّحُ ٱلرَّعۡدُ بِحَمۡدِهِۦ وَٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ مِنۡ خِيفَتِهِۦ وَيُرۡسِلُ ٱلصَّوَٰعِقَ فَيُصِيبُ بِهَا مَن يَشَآءُ وَهُمۡ يُجَٰدِلُونَ فِي ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡمِحَالِ
(13) Thunder glorifies Him[2885] in Gratitude and the angels out of fear of Him[2886]; He sends thunderbolts and strikes with them whoever He wishes, yet they ˹still˺ argue regarding Allah—He is of mighty smites[2887].
[2885] “Glorify Him the seven Heavens and the Earth and whatever is there in them; there is not a ˹single˺ thing but glorifies in gratitude to Him, but you ˹people˺ discern not their glorification!” (17: 44).
[2886] ʿAbdullāh Ibn al-Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) used to hold off from talking once he heard thunder and would say: ““Thunder glorifies Him in Gratitude and the angels out of fear of Him!” This threat to the people of Earth is formidable indeed!” (Quoted in al-Baghawī.)
[2887] al-Miḥāl is sematically complex; it means seizure, punishment, destruction, power and also scheming (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, Ibn Qutaibah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān, al-Iṣfahānī, al-Mufradāt).
[2886] ʿAbdullāh Ibn al-Zubayr (رضي الله عنه) used to hold off from talking once he heard thunder and would say: ““Thunder glorifies Him in Gratitude and the angels out of fear of Him!” This threat to the people of Earth is formidable indeed!” (Quoted in al-Baghawī.)
[2887] al-Miḥāl is sematically complex; it means seizure, punishment, destruction, power and also scheming (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, Ibn Qutaibah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān, al-Iṣfahānī, al-Mufradāt).
التفاسير العربية:
لَهُۥ دَعۡوَةُ ٱلۡحَقِّۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسۡتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَيۡءٍ إِلَّا كَبَٰسِطِ كَفَّيۡهِ إِلَى ٱلۡمَآءِ لِيَبۡلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَٰلِغِهِۦۚ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَٰلٖ
(14) To Him ˹Alone˺ is the Call of Truth[2888] but those whom they call besides Him do not ever answer them with a thing; except like he who stretches out his hand for water to reach his mouth and it shall never reach it[2889]—the calls of the Deniers are but lost.
[2888] This Call of Truth (daʿwatu al-ḥaqq) is said to be the very Declaration of Monotheism: “Lā ilāha illā Allāh (There is no god but Allah)”; He is the only One truly deserving worship (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī). However, al-Wāḥidī (al-Basīṭ) says that, given the context and the comparison that follows with the prayers of the Deniers, the Call of Truth is collective for all the invocations, supplications and prayers that are rightfully addressed to God Almighty for answer. Essentially, he who turns to Him will never be let down, for God Almighty is Able over everything.
[2889] This imagery beautifully depicts the desperate state of the Deniers; their thirst will never be quenched (cf. al-Zamakhsharī, Abū al-Suʿūd, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2889] This imagery beautifully depicts the desperate state of the Deniers; their thirst will never be quenched (cf. al-Zamakhsharī, Abū al-Suʿūd, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
التفاسير العربية:
وَلِلَّهِۤ يَسۡجُدُۤ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ طَوۡعٗا وَكَرۡهٗا وَظِلَٰلُهُم بِٱلۡغُدُوِّ وَٱلۡأٓصَالِ۩
(15) [2890]To ‘Allah’ prostrates[2891] ˹all˺ who are in the Heavens and Earth, willingly and unwillingly[2892], and their shades early and late in the day[2893][2894].
[2890] After all the many Signs that have been expounded already, the debate with the Deniers comes to a head in this passage with the argumentative qul (Say!), by which the Messenger is directed to steer the argument, repeated no less than five times; this also highlights the clarity of evidence so far provided against the Deniers (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr). It also equips the Messenger (ﷺ) with the defences to confront the barrage of criticism that was hurled at his call.
[2891] As much as invocation and prayers are a sign of need and acknowledgement, prostration is the greatest sign of submission to God Almighty (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2892] The ‘unwilling’ (karhan, lit. forced) prostration is that of the Deniers who outwardly disdain God Almighty’s worship and their innate nature (fiṭrah) belies them (cf. al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar), they too being subject to the natural order of how things work in life (cf. Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 8: 49) and especially at times of hardship (cf. Tafsīr al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah). At times like these, they turn to God Almighty, to Whom belongs the ‘Call of Truth’: “And whenever affliction befalls you at sea, forgotten are those whom you would call upon, save for Him. Then when He has delivered you ˹safely˺ to land, you turn away; man is ever ungrateful!” (17: 67).
Ibn ʿUthaymīn further makes a distinction between two types of prostration: sujūd sharʿiyy (doctrinal prostration, i.e. prescribed by law) and sujūd qadariyy, i.e. that which is subjected to Divine Power. ‘Unwilling prostration’ falls squarely within this second category (Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, 5: 442): “Would they seek other than the Religion of Allah while to Him devoutly submitted whoever is on Earth and the Heavens willingly and unwillingly—and to Him they shall return?” (3: 83).
[2893] This reflects the elongation and contraction of the shadows of concrete objects as the sun moves along its course during the different times of the day; a reflection which mimics that of standing up and prostrating. Though some people do not prostrate themselves willingly to God Almighty, being disdainful or busy prostrating to their false idols, their very own shadows bear constant witness to His rightfulness to being worshipped in spite of them (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “Have they not considered how the shadows of everything Allah has created incline to the right and the left ˹as the sun moves˺, prostrating to Allah in a state of abject humility? * And to Allah prostrates whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is on Earth of moving creatures, and the angels ˹as well˺; they do not wax arrogant!” (16: 48-49).
[2894] Given this sajdah sign, it is very significant to note that one is to, only all too ‘willingly’, prostrate oneself to God Almighty, which is the embodiment of one’s humbleness and devotion. Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) said: “When the Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite the Qur’an, and come upon a sura in which there is prostration, he would prostrate and we would prostrate with him; some among us would not ˹even˺ find a place for his forehead” (Muslim: 575); ʿĀ’ishah (i) narrated that: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say when prostrating while reading the Qur’an at night: “My face has prostrated to He Who created it and slit in it its hearing and sight with His Ability and Power (sajada wajhī li-lladhī khalaqahu wa shaqqa fīhi samʿahu wa baṣarahu bi-ḥawlihi wa quwatih)” (al-Tirmidhī: 580). In another hadith (al-Tirmidhī: 3424), the supplication said during such a prostration is: “O Allah, record for me this one as a reward, eliminate me with it a sin of mine, make it a deposit for me with You and accept it from me as You have accepted it from Your servant, Dāwūd (Allāhumma ktub lī bihā ʿindaka ajran, wa ḍaʿ ʿannī bihā wizran, wa jʿalhā lī ʿindaka dhukhran, wa taqabbalhā minnī kamā taqabbaltahā min ʿabdika Dāwūd)”.
[2891] As much as invocation and prayers are a sign of need and acknowledgement, prostration is the greatest sign of submission to God Almighty (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2892] The ‘unwilling’ (karhan, lit. forced) prostration is that of the Deniers who outwardly disdain God Almighty’s worship and their innate nature (fiṭrah) belies them (cf. al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar), they too being subject to the natural order of how things work in life (cf. Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 8: 49) and especially at times of hardship (cf. Tafsīr al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah). At times like these, they turn to God Almighty, to Whom belongs the ‘Call of Truth’: “And whenever affliction befalls you at sea, forgotten are those whom you would call upon, save for Him. Then when He has delivered you ˹safely˺ to land, you turn away; man is ever ungrateful!” (17: 67).
Ibn ʿUthaymīn further makes a distinction between two types of prostration: sujūd sharʿiyy (doctrinal prostration, i.e. prescribed by law) and sujūd qadariyy, i.e. that which is subjected to Divine Power. ‘Unwilling prostration’ falls squarely within this second category (Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, 5: 442): “Would they seek other than the Religion of Allah while to Him devoutly submitted whoever is on Earth and the Heavens willingly and unwillingly—and to Him they shall return?” (3: 83).
[2893] This reflects the elongation and contraction of the shadows of concrete objects as the sun moves along its course during the different times of the day; a reflection which mimics that of standing up and prostrating. Though some people do not prostrate themselves willingly to God Almighty, being disdainful or busy prostrating to their false idols, their very own shadows bear constant witness to His rightfulness to being worshipped in spite of them (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “Have they not considered how the shadows of everything Allah has created incline to the right and the left ˹as the sun moves˺, prostrating to Allah in a state of abject humility? * And to Allah prostrates whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is on Earth of moving creatures, and the angels ˹as well˺; they do not wax arrogant!” (16: 48-49).
[2894] Given this sajdah sign, it is very significant to note that one is to, only all too ‘willingly’, prostrate oneself to God Almighty, which is the embodiment of one’s humbleness and devotion. Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) said: “When the Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite the Qur’an, and come upon a sura in which there is prostration, he would prostrate and we would prostrate with him; some among us would not ˹even˺ find a place for his forehead” (Muslim: 575); ʿĀ’ishah (i) narrated that: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say when prostrating while reading the Qur’an at night: “My face has prostrated to He Who created it and slit in it its hearing and sight with His Ability and Power (sajada wajhī li-lladhī khalaqahu wa shaqqa fīhi samʿahu wa baṣarahu bi-ḥawlihi wa quwatih)” (al-Tirmidhī: 580). In another hadith (al-Tirmidhī: 3424), the supplication said during such a prostration is: “O Allah, record for me this one as a reward, eliminate me with it a sin of mine, make it a deposit for me with You and accept it from me as You have accepted it from Your servant, Dāwūd (Allāhumma ktub lī bihā ʿindaka ajran, wa ḍaʿ ʿannī bihā wizran, wa jʿalhā lī ʿindaka dhukhran, wa taqabbalhā minnī kamā taqabbaltahā min ʿabdika Dāwūd)”.
التفاسير العربية:
قُلۡ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ قُلِ ٱللَّهُۚ قُلۡ أَفَٱتَّخَذۡتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوۡلِيَآءَ لَا يَمۡلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمۡ نَفۡعٗا وَلَا ضَرّٗاۚ قُلۡ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِي ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ وَٱلۡبَصِيرُ أَمۡ هَلۡ تَسۡتَوِي ٱلظُّلُمَٰتُ وَٱلنُّورُۗ أَمۡ جَعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُواْ كَخَلۡقِهِۦ فَتَشَٰبَهَ ٱلۡخَلۡقُ عَلَيۡهِمۡۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ خَٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡوَٰحِدُ ٱلۡقَهَّٰرُ
(16) Say ˹Muhammad˺: “Who is the Lord of the Heavens and Earth?” Say: “Allah!”[2895] Say: “Do you then take for yourselves, besides Him, allies who neither possess benefit for themselves nor are they able of ˹warding off˺ harm![2896]” Say: “Are the blind and the seeing ˹persons˺ alike[2897]; or darkness and light?[2898]” [2899]Or do they set up Associates for Allah who had created the like of His creation and then the creation confused them ˹which is whose˺! Say: “‘Allah’ is the Creator of everything; He is the One, the Overpowering!”
[2895] Amidst all these evidences against them, here is most clearly where the Qurayshite idolaters’ misconceptions about ‘Allah’ is set aright.
[2896] “They worship besides Allah that which neither harms nor benefits them and say: “These are our intercessors with Allah!” Say ˹Muhammad˺: “Are you informing Allah of that which He knows not neither in the Heavens nor in Earth? Glorified and exalted is He above all they Associate ˹with Him˺!” (10: 18).
[2897] Those who are being contrasted here are the Deniers who are ‘blind’ to the Truth and the Believers who can see it plainly for what it is (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2898] The expression al-ẓulumāt wa al-nūr (lit. darknesses and light) is quite recurrent throughout the Qur’an. ‘Darkness’ is invariably always found in the plural form (ẓulumāt) whilst ‘light’ is conversely always in the singular (al-nūr). Here they could mean both tangible and abstract darkness and light; ignorance, Association and sin as opposed to knowledge, Belief and obedience (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2899] There is no excuse for their Association to be found anywhere (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr). Their so-called ‘gods’ could not answer their prayers or do them good or harm, let alone perform such a great act as that of creation; utter darkness indeed is what they languish in: “O mankind! A parable is set forth, so hearken to it! Truly those upon whom you call apart from Allah will never create a fly, even if they gathered together to do so. And if the fly should rob them of aught, they could not rescue it from it; feeble are the seeker and the sought” (22: 73).
[2896] “They worship besides Allah that which neither harms nor benefits them and say: “These are our intercessors with Allah!” Say ˹Muhammad˺: “Are you informing Allah of that which He knows not neither in the Heavens nor in Earth? Glorified and exalted is He above all they Associate ˹with Him˺!” (10: 18).
[2897] Those who are being contrasted here are the Deniers who are ‘blind’ to the Truth and the Believers who can see it plainly for what it is (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2898] The expression al-ẓulumāt wa al-nūr (lit. darknesses and light) is quite recurrent throughout the Qur’an. ‘Darkness’ is invariably always found in the plural form (ẓulumāt) whilst ‘light’ is conversely always in the singular (al-nūr). Here they could mean both tangible and abstract darkness and light; ignorance, Association and sin as opposed to knowledge, Belief and obedience (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2899] There is no excuse for their Association to be found anywhere (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr). Their so-called ‘gods’ could not answer their prayers or do them good or harm, let alone perform such a great act as that of creation; utter darkness indeed is what they languish in: “O mankind! A parable is set forth, so hearken to it! Truly those upon whom you call apart from Allah will never create a fly, even if they gathered together to do so. And if the fly should rob them of aught, they could not rescue it from it; feeble are the seeker and the sought” (22: 73).
التفاسير العربية:
أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءٗ فَسَالَتۡ أَوۡدِيَةُۢ بِقَدَرِهَا فَٱحۡتَمَلَ ٱلسَّيۡلُ زَبَدٗا رَّابِيٗاۖ وَمِمَّا يُوقِدُونَ عَلَيۡهِ فِي ٱلنَّارِ ٱبۡتِغَآءَ حِلۡيَةٍ أَوۡ مَتَٰعٖ زَبَدٞ مِّثۡلُهُۥۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضۡرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡحَقَّ وَٱلۡبَٰطِلَۚ فَأَمَّا ٱلزَّبَدُ فَيَذۡهَبُ جُفَآءٗۖ وَأَمَّا مَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ فَيَمۡكُثُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضۡرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡأَمۡثَالَ
(17) [2900]He sends water down from the sky and valleys flow according to their scope[2901], and the flood carries floating scum[2902]; and scum like so is of what they stoke up fire on seeking ornaments and utensils[2903]. Thus Allah illustrates ˹the example of˺ Truth and falsehood; as for the scum, it goes disposed of but as for what benefits people, it settles into the ground—thus Allah illustrates examples.
[2900] Here is where ‘wheat is separated from the chaff’, figuratively. Truth being of ‘real substance’ and use runs deep and stays put but falsehood, being superficial and at surface level, no sooner bubbles away and it is gone!
[2901] The example of the knowledge and guidance that God Almighty sent down to the hearts of people is that of water which pours down from the sky. The hearts that carry these are like valleys; some are wide and great while others are narrow and small (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr).
[2902] Zabad (also called ghuthā’ and raghwah, cf. al-Shawkānī) is the froth/scum that floats on the surface of flooding water. The example given here is that of Truth and falsehood. Truth is the water that stays put and people benefit from it, whereas falsehood is the dispensable scum, jetsam, which soon dissolves and disappears (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz).
[2903] That is, the different minerals (gold, silver, copper, iron, etc.) that people set fire on to be able to form it into different ornaments and utensils. This process results in the surface removal of impurities (the zabad, scum of slag) in these minerals which are then discarded leaving only the ‘pure’ substance (cf. al-Baghawī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Shawkānī).
[2901] The example of the knowledge and guidance that God Almighty sent down to the hearts of people is that of water which pours down from the sky. The hearts that carry these are like valleys; some are wide and great while others are narrow and small (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr).
[2902] Zabad (also called ghuthā’ and raghwah, cf. al-Shawkānī) is the froth/scum that floats on the surface of flooding water. The example given here is that of Truth and falsehood. Truth is the water that stays put and people benefit from it, whereas falsehood is the dispensable scum, jetsam, which soon dissolves and disappears (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz).
[2903] That is, the different minerals (gold, silver, copper, iron, etc.) that people set fire on to be able to form it into different ornaments and utensils. This process results in the surface removal of impurities (the zabad, scum of slag) in these minerals which are then discarded leaving only the ‘pure’ substance (cf. al-Baghawī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Shawkānī).
التفاسير العربية:
لِلَّذِينَ ٱسۡتَجَابُواْ لِرَبِّهِمُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَمۡ يَسۡتَجِيبُواْ لَهُۥ لَوۡ أَنَّ لَهُم مَّا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعٗا وَمِثۡلَهُۥ مَعَهُۥ لَٱفۡتَدَوۡاْ بِهِۦٓۚ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمۡ سُوٓءُ ٱلۡحِسَابِ وَمَأۡوَىٰهُمۡ جَهَنَّمُۖ وَبِئۡسَ ٱلۡمِهَادُ
(18) For those who responded to their Lord is the best ˹reward˺[2904]. But those who did not respond to Him, if they had in their possession all that the Earth holds and double the measure, they would surely ˹seek to˺ ransom themselves ˹from the Fire˺ with it[2905]; those for whom is the worst ˹of calling to˺ account[2906], their resort is Hellfire—ghastly indeed is this bed![2907]
[2904] al-Ḥusnā (lit. the best ˹reward˺) is good reward in this life and Paradise in the Hereafter (cf. al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “For those who do the best ˹of deeds˺ is the best ˹reward˺ and more” (10: 26).
[2905] “Those who Deny and die as Deniers, ˹as much as˺ Earth’s fill of gold will not be accepted from any of them, even if he were to ransom himself with it—for those is a painful Punishment and they will have no helpers” (3: 91).
[2906] Sū’ al-ḥisāb is ‘the worst of calling to account’ on the Day of Judgement; wherein they will be held accountable for all their sins both major and minor, of which they will be forgiven none. Their good deeds will not be accepted from them and they will be asked about their minutest misdeeds (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “And the Book ˹of deeds˺ will be laid ˹open˺, and you will see the criminal in fear of what is ˹recorded˺ in it. They will say: “Woe to us! What kind of Book is this that does not leave any sin, small or large, unaccounted for?” They will find whatever they did present ˹before them˺; your Lord will never wrong anyone” (18: 49).
[2907] “Say to the Deniers: “You shall be overpowered and herded to Hellfire—indeed it is the worst of beds!” (3: 12)
[2905] “Those who Deny and die as Deniers, ˹as much as˺ Earth’s fill of gold will not be accepted from any of them, even if he were to ransom himself with it—for those is a painful Punishment and they will have no helpers” (3: 91).
[2906] Sū’ al-ḥisāb is ‘the worst of calling to account’ on the Day of Judgement; wherein they will be held accountable for all their sins both major and minor, of which they will be forgiven none. Their good deeds will not be accepted from them and they will be asked about their minutest misdeeds (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “And the Book ˹of deeds˺ will be laid ˹open˺, and you will see the criminal in fear of what is ˹recorded˺ in it. They will say: “Woe to us! What kind of Book is this that does not leave any sin, small or large, unaccounted for?” They will find whatever they did present ˹before them˺; your Lord will never wrong anyone” (18: 49).
[2907] “Say to the Deniers: “You shall be overpowered and herded to Hellfire—indeed it is the worst of beds!” (3: 12)
التفاسير العربية:
۞ أَفَمَن يَعۡلَمُ أَنَّمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ٱلۡحَقُّ كَمَنۡ هُوَ أَعۡمَىٰٓۚ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَٰبِ
(19) [2908]Is the one who knows that what has been sent down to you ˹Muhammad˺ from your Lord is the Truth like he who is blind; only people of sound reason ponder ˹this˺.
[2908] In this passage, the Believers, who opened up their eyes and ‘responded to their Lord’, and the Deniers, who remained blind and ‘did not respond’ to Him, are compared, contrasted and set apart so as to enumerate the reasons behind their fates (cf. al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar).
التفاسير العربية:
ٱلَّذِينَ يُوفُونَ بِعَهۡدِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَنقُضُونَ ٱلۡمِيثَٰقَ
(20) [2909]Those who fulfill ˹their obligations to˺ Allah’s commitment nor do they renege on the pledge[2910];
[2909] The following detailed description of the conduct of both the faithful and the faithless is by way of providing observable evidences that sound human nature vouches for whereby the two parties are not equal (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2910] Believers are committed to honouring and upholding God’s commands and steering away from what is forbidden. They are also committed to the pledges they have with fellow humans in all their transactions and being dutiful to what they are entrusted with (cf. al-Shawkānī, al-Saʿdī, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar).
[2910] Believers are committed to honouring and upholding God’s commands and steering away from what is forbidden. They are also committed to the pledges they have with fellow humans in all their transactions and being dutiful to what they are entrusted with (cf. al-Shawkānī, al-Saʿdī, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar).
التفاسير العربية:
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَصِلُونَ مَآ أَمَرَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦٓ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيَخۡشَوۡنَ رَبَّهُمۡ وَيَخَافُونَ سُوٓءَ ٱلۡحِسَابِ
(21) those who join what Allah ordained to be joined[2911], fear their Lord and are apprehensive of the worst ˹of calling to˺ account;
[2911] Mā amara Allāhu bihi an yūṣala (lit. what Allah ordained to be joined) is of a general sense, applying to all ties and relationships that one is to be committed to (cf. al-Qurṭubī, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr). It is also said to be specific in the sense that it only pertains to blood relationships (ṣilat al-arḥām) (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr).
التفاسير العربية:
وَٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُواْ ٱبۡتِغَآءَ وَجۡهِ رَبِّهِمۡ وَأَقَامُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَنفَقُواْ مِمَّا رَزَقۡنَٰهُمۡ سِرّٗا وَعَلَانِيَةٗ وَيَدۡرَءُونَ بِٱلۡحَسَنَةِ ٱلسَّيِّئَةَ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمۡ عُقۡبَى ٱلدَّارِ
(22) those who endure patiently ˹only˺ seeking their Lord’s Face[2912], keep up the Prayer, spend ˹charitably˺ out of what We provided them with secretly and openly, ward off the evil with the good[2913]; those for whom is the ˹desired˺ alternation of the Abode[2914];
[2912] They are truly sincere and seek only God’s Pleasure, aiming for nothing but to enter Paradise to actually see God’s Most Beautiful Face, which is the greatest Bounty ever (cf. al-Wāḥidī, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2913] In one sense, this general expression means that the Believers do good deeds in the wake of their bad ones so that the earlier are overruled (cf. al-Qurṭubī, al-Shawkānī, al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar): “Indeed good deeds dissipate the bad ones” (11: 114).
Another strong sense of the meaning of this phrase is that they do not meet the harm done by them with an equal measure but are rather of a magnanimous forgiving nature (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah): “Good and evil cannot be equal. Repel ˹evil˺ with what is best, then the one you are in a feud with will be like an intimate friend” (41: 34).
[2914] ʿUqbā al-dār (lit. the alternation of the Abode, cf. Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah, al-Iṣfahānī, al-Mufradāt) is interpreted to be Paradise (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Saʿdī). On the other hand, in a general sense, Ibn Kathīr interprets it as good outcome both in this life and in the Hereafter.
This is a critical expression given the context of revelation, with the Deniers being then in command; it is a promise, both a threat and a glad tiding, of the outcome of the then current state of affairs, which significantly is brought up five times (in Ayas: 22, 24, 35, 42) throughout the sura. There is an assuring note underpinning it. It both says that the turn of fortune will eventually be for the best for Believers and the worst for their tormentors: “Never are equal the Companions of the Fire and the Companions of Paradise; the Companions of Paradise are the winners!” (59: 20).
[2913] In one sense, this general expression means that the Believers do good deeds in the wake of their bad ones so that the earlier are overruled (cf. al-Qurṭubī, al-Shawkānī, al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar): “Indeed good deeds dissipate the bad ones” (11: 114).
Another strong sense of the meaning of this phrase is that they do not meet the harm done by them with an equal measure but are rather of a magnanimous forgiving nature (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah): “Good and evil cannot be equal. Repel ˹evil˺ with what is best, then the one you are in a feud with will be like an intimate friend” (41: 34).
[2914] ʿUqbā al-dār (lit. the alternation of the Abode, cf. Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah, al-Iṣfahānī, al-Mufradāt) is interpreted to be Paradise (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Saʿdī). On the other hand, in a general sense, Ibn Kathīr interprets it as good outcome both in this life and in the Hereafter.
This is a critical expression given the context of revelation, with the Deniers being then in command; it is a promise, both a threat and a glad tiding, of the outcome of the then current state of affairs, which significantly is brought up five times (in Ayas: 22, 24, 35, 42) throughout the sura. There is an assuring note underpinning it. It both says that the turn of fortune will eventually be for the best for Believers and the worst for their tormentors: “Never are equal the Companions of the Fire and the Companions of Paradise; the Companions of Paradise are the winners!” (59: 20).
التفاسير العربية:
جَنَّٰتُ عَدۡنٖ يَدۡخُلُونَهَا وَمَن صَلَحَ مِنۡ ءَابَآئِهِمۡ وَأَزۡوَٰجِهِمۡ وَذُرِّيَّٰتِهِمۡۖ وَٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَدۡخُلُونَ عَلَيۡهِم مِّن كُلِّ بَابٖ
(23) Gardens of Eternity[2915]. They enter them – and whoever is righteous among their parents, spouses and posterity – and the angels enter upon them from every gate;
[2915] Jannāt ʿAdn (lit. Gardens of Eternal Residence) (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Sijistānī, Gharīb al-Qur’ān, Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah, al-Iṣfahānī, al-Mufradāt). Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “In the Gardens of Eternity, ˹there are˺ two gardens their utensils and all that is there is made of sliver; ˹and another˺ two gardens their utensils and all that is there is made of gold. Nothing separates its dwellers from seeing their Lord except the Mantle of Loftiness on His Face” (al-Bukhārī: 4878, Muslim: 180): “Allah promised the Believers, male and female, Gardens under which rivers flow forever they abide therein and comely abodes in Gardens of Eternity, but a Pleasure from Allah is ˹ever˺ greater; that is ˹truly˺ the great triumph” (9: 72).
التفاسير العربية:
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَنقُضُونَ عَهۡدَ ٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مِيثَٰقِهِۦ وَيَقۡطَعُونَ مَآ أَمَرَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦٓ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيُفۡسِدُونَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمُ ٱللَّعۡنَةُ وَلَهُمۡ سُوٓءُ ٱلدَّارِ
(25) Whereas those who renege on ˹their obligation to˺ Allah’s commitment after it has been set as binding, sever what Allah ordained to be joined, and sow corruption in the land; those for whom is Damnation and for them is the worst of Abodes.
التفاسير العربية:
ٱللَّهُ يَبۡسُطُ ٱلرِّزۡقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقۡدِرُۚ وَفَرِحُواْ بِٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا فِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ إِلَّا مَتَٰعٞ
(26) [2916]Allah expands fortune for whoever He wills and He tightens; ˹yet˺ they are pleased with the worldly life[2917] whereas the worldly life, compared to the Hereafter, is but ˹a little˺ enjoyment[2918].
[2916] This is by way of answering the anticipated question as to why God Almighty would provide wealth and power for the Deniers given their defiance and wrongdoing (cf. al-Rāzī, al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar). It is also a warning to them and those who are fooled by their obvious well-being: “Let not their wealth nor their sons amuse you; Allah wants nothing but to punish them with these in the worldly life and their souls to expire while they are ˹still˺ Deniers” (9: 55); “And do not gaze longingly at what We have given some of them to enjoy, the finery of this present life: We test them through this, but the provision of your Lord is better and more lasting” (20: 131); ““Do they reckon that, ˹on account of˺ the wealth and the children that We have provided them, *that We hasten to ˹honour˺ them ˹with˺ all kinds of good? Nay! They are not aware” (23: 55-56).
[2917] Theirs is a pleasure full of conceit and smugness, so much so that they forget about the Reckoning of the Hereafter (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr): “Verily those who hope not in meeting Us, contented themselves with the worldly life and took comfort in it; the ˹very˺ ones who are ˹deliberately˺ heedless of Our Signs. *These, their resort is the Fire for what they used to earn” (10: 7-8).
[2918] “Are you satisfied with the worldly life rather than the Hereafter? How ˹very˺ little is the enjoyment of the worldly life ˹compared to that˺ in the Hereafter” (9: 38).
al-Mustawrid Ibn Shaddād (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger (ﷺ) said: “By Allah, this worldly life by comparison to the Hereafter is like a person who dips this finger (pointing his index finger) in the sea; see how much he draws from it!” (Muslim: 2858).
[2917] Theirs is a pleasure full of conceit and smugness, so much so that they forget about the Reckoning of the Hereafter (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr): “Verily those who hope not in meeting Us, contented themselves with the worldly life and took comfort in it; the ˹very˺ ones who are ˹deliberately˺ heedless of Our Signs. *These, their resort is the Fire for what they used to earn” (10: 7-8).
[2918] “Are you satisfied with the worldly life rather than the Hereafter? How ˹very˺ little is the enjoyment of the worldly life ˹compared to that˺ in the Hereafter” (9: 38).
al-Mustawrid Ibn Shaddād (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger (ﷺ) said: “By Allah, this worldly life by comparison to the Hereafter is like a person who dips this finger (pointing his index finger) in the sea; see how much he draws from it!” (Muslim: 2858).
التفاسير العربية:
وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوۡلَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيۡهِ ءَايَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦۚ قُلۡ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهۡدِيٓ إِلَيۡهِ مَنۡ أَنَابَ
(27) [2919]And the Deniers say: “If only a Sign were sent down to him from his Lord!” Say: “Verily Allah misguides whoever He wills and guides to Him whoever returns ˹repentant˺”[2920].
[2919] Their deceivingly comfortable lives, with which they are pleased, lead them to airily demand miracles, truly being heedless of the Hereafter.
[2920] “But He only misguides the Transgressors; *those who break the covenant of Allah after it has been set as binding, sever what Allah ordained to be joined, and sow corruption in the land. These are, indeed, the Losers. *How could you Deny Allah, while you were dead and He made you alive; He then will take your lives, then bring you to life again, and after that you will be returned to Him again? *He is the One Who created for you all that there is in Earth, then made for the sky and formed it into seven skies. He has knowledge of everything” (2: 26-29); “Allah designates for Himself whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back ˹to Him in repentance˺” (42: 13).
[2920] “But He only misguides the Transgressors; *those who break the covenant of Allah after it has been set as binding, sever what Allah ordained to be joined, and sow corruption in the land. These are, indeed, the Losers. *How could you Deny Allah, while you were dead and He made you alive; He then will take your lives, then bring you to life again, and after that you will be returned to Him again? *He is the One Who created for you all that there is in Earth, then made for the sky and formed it into seven skies. He has knowledge of everything” (2: 26-29); “Allah designates for Himself whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back ˹to Him in repentance˺” (42: 13).
التفاسير العربية:
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَطۡمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَا بِذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطۡمَئِنُّ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ
(28) [2921]Those who have Believed and their hearts find comfort in mentioning Allah; nay, but in mentioning Allah do hearts find comfort!
[2921] This further sheds light on the ones whom God guides to Him (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn al-Jawzī). These are those who, unlike the boisterous Deniers, who are bereft of sweet Faith, do not ask for gratuitous miracles but who are ever close to Believing and are satisfied with and comforted by God’s mention (dhikr Allāh), being the Qur’an itself, the most glaring miracle of all (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr). Dhikr Allāh (lit. mentioning Allah/remembrance), a lofty act of worship indeed, is of a general sense, but the most prominent of it is the Qur’an itself (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
al-Saʿdī further explains: “When hearts know its ˹the Qur’an’s˺ meanings and rulings, they find contentment in them; these point to the Truth which is supported by evidence and proof. Thus hearts find comfort in it because hearts are only content with knowledge and certainty. This is guaranteed in the Book of Allah to the highest and most perfect degrees. Other books besides it, ˹especially those˺ which are not based on it, are not endowed with this characteristic. Hearts will always be in a doubtful state because of antithetical proofs and contradictory rulings”.
al-Saʿdī further explains: “When hearts know its ˹the Qur’an’s˺ meanings and rulings, they find contentment in them; these point to the Truth which is supported by evidence and proof. Thus hearts find comfort in it because hearts are only content with knowledge and certainty. This is guaranteed in the Book of Allah to the highest and most perfect degrees. Other books besides it, ˹especially those˺ which are not based on it, are not endowed with this characteristic. Hearts will always be in a doubtful state because of antithetical proofs and contradictory rulings”.
التفاسير العربية:
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ طُوبَىٰ لَهُمۡ وَحُسۡنُ مَـَٔابٖ
(29) Those who have Believed and did good deeds, the Comely[2922] is for them and the best of returns.
[2922] Ṭūbā (translated here as ‘the Comely’) derives from ṭayyib which is the opposite of khabīth, i.e., foul, evil, bad, wicked (cf. Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah, al-Iṣfahānī, al-Mufradāt). It has both general and specific senses. In the general sense, ṭūbā means a good and comely life or goodness and what the heart desires. In the specific sense, it denotes a specific tree in Paradise called Ṭūbā (cf. Muslim: 2828) and/or all that is good and comely in Paradise (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
التفاسير العربية:
كَذَٰلِكَ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ فِيٓ أُمَّةٖ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِن قَبۡلِهَآ أُمَمٞ لِّتَتۡلُوَاْ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَيۡكَ وَهُمۡ يَكۡفُرُونَ بِٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِۚ قُلۡ هُوَ رَبِّي لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيۡهِ تَوَكَّلۡتُ وَإِلَيۡهِ مَتَابِ
(30) [2923]Thus We sent you ˹Muhammad˺ in a nation before whom many nations have come to pass, so that you may recite to them what We revealed to you[2924] but they Deny the Most Gracious[2925]. [2926]Say: “He is my Lord, there is no god but Him; in Him I put my trust and to Him repentant return!”
[2923] The Message was not totally unheard of, given the many nations that had similar Messages before the Makkans, about whom they were very much aware, so they needed not to find it a cause for wonder and demand their Messenger (ﷺ) produce so-called miracles in testimony to its Truth. In fact, they only needed to heed the fate of those who came before them (cf. al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr): “Just like the ones before them: “They were mightier in strength than you are and greater in wealth and children. They enjoyed their ˹worldly˺ portion and you enjoyed your portion as much as the ones before you enjoyed their portion, and you indulged as much as they indulged; these their deeds were nullified in this worldly life and in the Hereafter—these are ˹the real˺ losers. *Had not the news of those who came before them reached them: the people of Nūḥ, ˹the tribes of˺ ʿĀd and Thamūd, the people of Ibrāhīm, the companions of Midian and the overturned; their Messengers came to them with clear evidences! Allah would not have wronged them but they were bent on wronging themselves” (9: 69-70).
[2924] The Qur’an, being the greatest of miracles, which they very well realized, could not have been made up by the Messenger (ﷺ), but instead could only have been a revelation from God Almighty so that they may be guided. The Messenger (ﷺ) was a deliverer of the Message and was not meant to respond to their demands for miracles so they may Believe (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
This is further explained in the next passage where the very weighty nature of the Qur’an, and the nature of the derisive response with which it has been received come into focus.
[2925] This is the reality of their entrenched stance no matter what: “When it is said to them: “Prostrate yourselves to the Most Gracious”, they would say: “What is ‘the Most Gracious’!”” (25: 60).
The choice of the Divine Name al-Raḥmān (the Most Gracious/Merciful) is meant to further underline the sheerness of their straying; because the Most Gracious/Merciful is the One Who has ever been so magnanimous to them and especially sent to them His most merciful Messenger (ﷺ) (cf. 21: 107) with the Qur’an as a mercy, which they shun and rebuff (cf. al-Rāzī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2926] In the face of unyielding Denial, the Messenger (ﷺ) is to declare his stance in a very clear manner (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, al-Saʿdī), which is: God is the One Who is well-deserving of my reliance on Him; the One you Deny, I hereby declare that I Believe in Him and approve of His Godship and Lordship, He is the Lord Who created me and made me thrive by His Grace, I shall not Deny Him as you did. There is none worthy of worship except Him (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr). It is also a stand affirming declaration.
[2924] The Qur’an, being the greatest of miracles, which they very well realized, could not have been made up by the Messenger (ﷺ), but instead could only have been a revelation from God Almighty so that they may be guided. The Messenger (ﷺ) was a deliverer of the Message and was not meant to respond to their demands for miracles so they may Believe (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
This is further explained in the next passage where the very weighty nature of the Qur’an, and the nature of the derisive response with which it has been received come into focus.
[2925] This is the reality of their entrenched stance no matter what: “When it is said to them: “Prostrate yourselves to the Most Gracious”, they would say: “What is ‘the Most Gracious’!”” (25: 60).
The choice of the Divine Name al-Raḥmān (the Most Gracious/Merciful) is meant to further underline the sheerness of their straying; because the Most Gracious/Merciful is the One Who has ever been so magnanimous to them and especially sent to them His most merciful Messenger (ﷺ) (cf. 21: 107) with the Qur’an as a mercy, which they shun and rebuff (cf. al-Rāzī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2926] In the face of unyielding Denial, the Messenger (ﷺ) is to declare his stance in a very clear manner (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, al-Saʿdī), which is: God is the One Who is well-deserving of my reliance on Him; the One you Deny, I hereby declare that I Believe in Him and approve of His Godship and Lordship, He is the Lord Who created me and made me thrive by His Grace, I shall not Deny Him as you did. There is none worthy of worship except Him (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr). It is also a stand affirming declaration.
التفاسير العربية:
وَلَوۡ أَنَّ قُرۡءَانٗا سُيِّرَتۡ بِهِ ٱلۡجِبَالُ أَوۡ قُطِّعَتۡ بِهِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ أَوۡ كُلِّمَ بِهِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰۗ بَل لِّلَّهِ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ جَمِيعًاۗ أَفَلَمۡ يَاْيۡـَٔسِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَن لَّوۡ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ لَهَدَى ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعٗاۗ وَلَا يَزَالُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ تُصِيبُهُم بِمَا صَنَعُواْ قَارِعَةٌ أَوۡ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبٗا مِّن دَارِهِمۡ حَتَّىٰ يَأۡتِيَ وَعۡدُ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُخۡلِفُ ٱلۡمِيعَادَ
(31) [2927]Had there ˹ever˺ been a Recitation ˹Qur’ān˺[2928] with which mountains are removed[2929] or the ground rent asunder or the dead talked to ˹it would have surely been this Qur’an!˺; nay, but all affairs pertain to Allah[2930]. [2931]Did not the Believers give up hope ˹yet˺ that had Allah wished, He would have guided all people! [2932]For what they made, the Deniers would all the time be hit with a clamorous clout[2933], or would it strike nearby their home[2934], until Allah’s appointment[2935] comes—verily Allah does not break His appointment.
[2927] This is how significant the Qur’an (recitation) of which they are heedless is. No other miracle can match it, or even come close to it! (cf. Abū Ḥayyān)
[2928] That is, amongst all of the Divine Books that were ever sent down that was more than a mere source of guidance and through which tangible miracles could have been realized, it would truly have been this Qur’an (recitation). How then could they, when there has never been a Divine Book like it, ask for other Signs! (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Zamakhsharī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2929] “If We had sent this Quran down to a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and split apart in its awe of Allah!” (59: 21).
[2930] No miracle can be realized without God Almighty willing it so (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “Had We sent down the angels ˹successively˺ to them, made the dead talk to them and congregated everything right before them, they would not have Believed unless that Allah wills it so; but indeed most of them are ignorant” (6: 111).
[2931] This shows the agony the Believers, and the Noble Messenger (ﷺ) at their head, felt that their people would not see Truth for what it is and subscribe to it.
[2932] This is to draw attention and open eyes that the hardships and disasters they are constantly inflicted with, are from God Almighty to forewarn them against their intransigence and seeking to hasten Divine Punishment (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2933] Qāriʿah, calamitous clout or sudden disaster, derives from the root q-r-ʿ which denotes hitting something with something (cf. Ibn Qutaybah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān, al-Sijistānī, Gharīb al-Qur’ān); as knocking on the door (qarʿ al-bāb) produces a sudden disturbing sound, qarʿ (hitting, knocking) is used figuratively to denote suddenness and surprise (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr). It is also called so because it ‘knocks down’ people (cf. al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah).
This tacitly brings to mind the hard side of the cloud (thunder claps which are loud, sudden and mighty, as opposed to the good side, i.e. rain) that thunder (after which this sura is titled) heralds.
[2934] That such a sudden, mighty disaster hitting close by is reason enough for people to feel startled that they had such a narrow escape and should take heed (cf. al-Shawkānī, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2935] Their lives would thus be restless all the time for their Denying until the coming of God’s appointed time for what they are being promised and forewarned against. This could be: their demise or the coming of the Hour upon which they will taste severe Punishment (cf. al-Zamakhsharī, Abū Ḥayyān, al-Shawkānī); the fall of Makkah into the hands of the Believers (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Qāsimī); or their defeat and herding into Hellfire (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “Say to the Deniers: “You shall be overpowered and herded to Hellfire—indeed it is the worst of beds”” (3: 12).
[2928] That is, amongst all of the Divine Books that were ever sent down that was more than a mere source of guidance and through which tangible miracles could have been realized, it would truly have been this Qur’an (recitation). How then could they, when there has never been a Divine Book like it, ask for other Signs! (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Zamakhsharī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2929] “If We had sent this Quran down to a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and split apart in its awe of Allah!” (59: 21).
[2930] No miracle can be realized without God Almighty willing it so (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “Had We sent down the angels ˹successively˺ to them, made the dead talk to them and congregated everything right before them, they would not have Believed unless that Allah wills it so; but indeed most of them are ignorant” (6: 111).
[2931] This shows the agony the Believers, and the Noble Messenger (ﷺ) at their head, felt that their people would not see Truth for what it is and subscribe to it.
[2932] This is to draw attention and open eyes that the hardships and disasters they are constantly inflicted with, are from God Almighty to forewarn them against their intransigence and seeking to hasten Divine Punishment (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2933] Qāriʿah, calamitous clout or sudden disaster, derives from the root q-r-ʿ which denotes hitting something with something (cf. Ibn Qutaybah, Gharīb al-Qur’ān, al-Sijistānī, Gharīb al-Qur’ān); as knocking on the door (qarʿ al-bāb) produces a sudden disturbing sound, qarʿ (hitting, knocking) is used figuratively to denote suddenness and surprise (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr). It is also called so because it ‘knocks down’ people (cf. al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs al-Lughah).
This tacitly brings to mind the hard side of the cloud (thunder claps which are loud, sudden and mighty, as opposed to the good side, i.e. rain) that thunder (after which this sura is titled) heralds.
[2934] That such a sudden, mighty disaster hitting close by is reason enough for people to feel startled that they had such a narrow escape and should take heed (cf. al-Shawkānī, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2935] Their lives would thus be restless all the time for their Denying until the coming of God’s appointed time for what they are being promised and forewarned against. This could be: their demise or the coming of the Hour upon which they will taste severe Punishment (cf. al-Zamakhsharī, Abū Ḥayyān, al-Shawkānī); the fall of Makkah into the hands of the Believers (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Qāsimī); or their defeat and herding into Hellfire (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “Say to the Deniers: “You shall be overpowered and herded to Hellfire—indeed it is the worst of beds”” (3: 12).
التفاسير العربية:
وَلَقَدِ ٱسۡتُهۡزِئَ بِرُسُلٖ مِّن قَبۡلِكَ فَأَمۡلَيۡتُ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثُمَّ أَخَذۡتُهُمۡۖ فَكَيۡفَ كَانَ عِقَابِ
(32) [2936]Indeed, Messengers before you ˹Muhammad˺ were ridiculed, and I allowed the Deniers time then I took them[2937]; how was then My Punishment![2938]
[2936] This is a comforting note to the Messenger (ﷺ) in the face of his detractors’ onslaught (cf. al-Rāzī).
[2937] Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed Allah allows the wrongful time, but when He seizes them, He will not let them off”. Then he (ﷺ) recited: “Such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong. Surely His seizing is painful, severe!” (11: 102). (al-Bukhārī: 4686, Muslim: 2583)
[2938] “Have they not walked the land and beheld how those who came before them met their end? They were stronger than them and had more impressions on the land, yet Allah destroyed them for their sins; they had no shield against Allah. *That because their Messengers ˹repeatedly˺ came to them with clear evidences and still they Denied. Allah destroyed them—He is truly Powerful, severe in Punishment” (40: 21-22).
[2937] Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed Allah allows the wrongful time, but when He seizes them, He will not let them off”. Then he (ﷺ) recited: “Such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong. Surely His seizing is painful, severe!” (11: 102). (al-Bukhārī: 4686, Muslim: 2583)
[2938] “Have they not walked the land and beheld how those who came before them met their end? They were stronger than them and had more impressions on the land, yet Allah destroyed them for their sins; they had no shield against Allah. *That because their Messengers ˹repeatedly˺ came to them with clear evidences and still they Denied. Allah destroyed them—He is truly Powerful, severe in Punishment” (40: 21-22).
التفاسير العربية:
أَفَمَنۡ هُوَ قَآئِمٌ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ نَفۡسِۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡۗ وَجَعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ قُلۡ سَمُّوهُمۡۚ أَمۡ تُنَبِّـُٔونَهُۥ بِمَا لَا يَعۡلَمُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أَم بِظَٰهِرٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡقَوۡلِۗ بَلۡ زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مَكۡرُهُمۡ وَصُدُّواْ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِۗ وَمَن يُضۡلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنۡ هَادٖ
(33) [2939]Is He Who is Overseeing every soul for what it earned[2940] ˹be like who is not!˺; yet they set up Associates with Allah! Say ˹Muhammad˺: “Give them ˹attributive˺ names![2941] Or are you ˹Deniers˺ informing Him of that about which He does not Know in the land?[2942] Or ˹are you claiming this˺ out of apparent discourse?[2943]” Nay, but the stratagems of those who Denied were prettified for them so they were turned away from the Path; whoever Allah sends astray, there is no guide for him!
[2939] This carries on debunking the Deniers’ tenuous narrative (cf. al-Rāzī).
[2940] God Almighty (سبحانه وتعالى) Oversees all the affairs of His servants; He Knows the sustenance and the deeds they earn, and will reward or hold them accountable for them good and bad (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr).
[2941] Here the Deniers are put in a tight spot. They are demanded to give identity revealing attributive names to the idols they worshipped and claimed were Associates with ‘Allah’. In other words, they are to give them labels which betray their intrinsic qualities, like the Most Beautiful Names of God Almighty: the Creator, the Sustainer, the Life Giving, Life Taker, the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, the Self-Sustaining, etc. Knowing that their so-called ‘gods’ are no more than lifeless inanimate objects, which possess no such qualities, or any qualities besides what their superstitions make them believe, they would not rise to this most straightforward and outwardly simple challenge. Had they had sound reason, they would have realized how much in the wrong they were (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr). This is how humans set up their own ‘gods’; they worship their own illusions (cf. Ibn al-Qayyim, Badā’iʿ al-Fawā’id. 1: 19): “They are none but mere names you have named, you and your fathers for whom Allah has sent down no authority; they follow naught but conjecture and that which their souls desire, though guidance has surely come to them from their Lord” (53: 23).
[2942] That is, that God Almighty, the All-Knowing, has Associates about whom He has no knowledge! (cf. al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2943] Úāhirun min al-qawl (apparent discourse) is speech which has no substance but is rather based on conjecture and falsification (cf. Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 15: 195, al-Saʿdī). This was exactly the reality of their claims.
[2940] God Almighty (سبحانه وتعالى) Oversees all the affairs of His servants; He Knows the sustenance and the deeds they earn, and will reward or hold them accountable for them good and bad (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr).
[2941] Here the Deniers are put in a tight spot. They are demanded to give identity revealing attributive names to the idols they worshipped and claimed were Associates with ‘Allah’. In other words, they are to give them labels which betray their intrinsic qualities, like the Most Beautiful Names of God Almighty: the Creator, the Sustainer, the Life Giving, Life Taker, the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, the Self-Sustaining, etc. Knowing that their so-called ‘gods’ are no more than lifeless inanimate objects, which possess no such qualities, or any qualities besides what their superstitions make them believe, they would not rise to this most straightforward and outwardly simple challenge. Had they had sound reason, they would have realized how much in the wrong they were (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr). This is how humans set up their own ‘gods’; they worship their own illusions (cf. Ibn al-Qayyim, Badā’iʿ al-Fawā’id. 1: 19): “They are none but mere names you have named, you and your fathers for whom Allah has sent down no authority; they follow naught but conjecture and that which their souls desire, though guidance has surely come to them from their Lord” (53: 23).
[2942] That is, that God Almighty, the All-Knowing, has Associates about whom He has no knowledge! (cf. al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2943] Úāhirun min al-qawl (apparent discourse) is speech which has no substance but is rather based on conjecture and falsification (cf. Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 15: 195, al-Saʿdī). This was exactly the reality of their claims.
التفاسير العربية:
۞ مَّثَلُ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِي وُعِدَ ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَۖ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُۖ أُكُلُهَا دَآئِمٞ وَظِلُّهَاۚ تِلۡكَ عُقۡبَى ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَواْۚ وَّعُقۡبَى ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ٱلنَّارُ
(35) [2944]The example[2945] of the Paradise that the Mindful were promised, under which rivers flow; its fruits and its shades are everlasting[2946]—that is the alternation ˹of the Abode˺ of those who are Mindful, but the alternation ˹of the Abode˺ of the Deniers is the Fire!
[2944] This passage reflects on the then hardly bearable status quo to bolster the position of the Messenger (ﷺ) and the Believing community around him, bearing messages which are both assuring and position confirming.
[2945] Mathal (lit. example) is taken to mean the ‘description’ by most exegetes in this instance (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz, Ibn al-Jawzī, Ibn Kathīr).
[2946] These are metonyms of everlasting abundance; water is imminent and ceaselessly flowing, and plantations are ever-fruitful and so thick that light does not pass through them (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “Extended shades, *poured water, *plenty of fruits; *never ceasing nor withheld!” (56: 30-33).
[2945] Mathal (lit. example) is taken to mean the ‘description’ by most exegetes in this instance (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz, Ibn al-Jawzī, Ibn Kathīr).
[2946] These are metonyms of everlasting abundance; water is imminent and ceaselessly flowing, and plantations are ever-fruitful and so thick that light does not pass through them (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “Extended shades, *poured water, *plenty of fruits; *never ceasing nor withheld!” (56: 30-33).
التفاسير العربية:
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيۡنَٰهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ يَفۡرَحُونَ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَۖ وَمِنَ ٱلۡأَحۡزَابِ مَن يُنكِرُ بَعۡضَهُۥۚ قُلۡ إِنَّمَآ أُمِرۡتُ أَنۡ أَعۡبُدَ ٱللَّهَ وَلَآ أُشۡرِكَ بِهِۦٓۚ إِلَيۡهِ أَدۡعُواْ وَإِلَيۡهِ مَـَٔابِ
(36) [2947]Those to whom We had given the Book delight at what was sent to you ˹Muhammad˺; and among the confederates[2948] those who deny some of it. [2949]Say ˹Muhammad˺: “I was commanded to only worship Allah, Associating none with Him; to Him I call and to Him is my return!”
[2947] This is yet another assuring, position confirming note. The people of the Book, whom were regarded with high esteem as learned in Arabia, provide the needed social evidence for the Truthfulness of the Message. The truly sincere among them will find the Qur’an so: “That is because among them are ˹sincere˺ priests and monks and that they do not disdain ˹the Truth˺. *When they hear what was sent down to the Messenger, you will see their eyes swell with tears because of the Truth they knew. ˹Hence˺ They say: “Our Lord we Believe, so count us among the witnesses”” (5: 82-83).
[2948] Exegetes hold different opinions as to who these aḥzāb (confederates/factions) exactly were, but they mostly agree that it refers to some of the unsympathetic among the people of the Book. These people find qualms with the portions of the Qur’an that do not conform with, or outrightly debunk some of their beliefs (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar).
[2949] This dictate, almost literally, duplicates Aya 30 above (“He is my Lord, there is no god but Him; in Him I put my trust and to Him repentant return!”) but the addressees are different. Whereas in the aya above the addressees are the pagan Associators, the ones addressed here are the People of the Book (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar). The same unalterable Message is being delivered to both parties irrespective of the differences between them. It further resonates with the pristine Message with which all Prophets came, of which the People of the Book were particularly aware: “Say ˹Muhammad˺: “People of the Book, come to a common word between us and you, that we will not worship anything besides Allah; do not Associate anything with Him; do not take each other as Lords besides Allah. If they take to their heels, then say ˹Believers˺: “Bear you witness that we are devoutly surrendered ˹to Him˺””” (3: 64). This is the core Message that the Messenger is to deliver and live by, no matter the party whom he confronts (for a detailed discussion of this declaration cf. al-Rāzī).
[2948] Exegetes hold different opinions as to who these aḥzāb (confederates/factions) exactly were, but they mostly agree that it refers to some of the unsympathetic among the people of the Book. These people find qualms with the portions of the Qur’an that do not conform with, or outrightly debunk some of their beliefs (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar).
[2949] This dictate, almost literally, duplicates Aya 30 above (“He is my Lord, there is no god but Him; in Him I put my trust and to Him repentant return!”) but the addressees are different. Whereas in the aya above the addressees are the pagan Associators, the ones addressed here are the People of the Book (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Tafsīr al-Muyassar, al-Tafsīr al-Mukhtaṣar). The same unalterable Message is being delivered to both parties irrespective of the differences between them. It further resonates with the pristine Message with which all Prophets came, of which the People of the Book were particularly aware: “Say ˹Muhammad˺: “People of the Book, come to a common word between us and you, that we will not worship anything besides Allah; do not Associate anything with Him; do not take each other as Lords besides Allah. If they take to their heels, then say ˹Believers˺: “Bear you witness that we are devoutly surrendered ˹to Him˺””” (3: 64). This is the core Message that the Messenger is to deliver and live by, no matter the party whom he confronts (for a detailed discussion of this declaration cf. al-Rāzī).
التفاسير العربية:
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلۡنَٰهُ حُكۡمًا عَرَبِيّٗاۚ وَلَئِنِ ٱتَّبَعۡتَ أَهۡوَآءَهُم بَعۡدَ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ ٱلۡعِلۡمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِيّٖ وَلَا وَاقٖ
(37) [2950]Thus We have sent it ˹the Qur’an˺ down as an Arabic Criterion; [2951]should you follow their whims after the knowledge that has come to you, there will not be an ally or shield for you from Allah.
[2950] As much as earlier Books were sent down in the languages of their immediate receptors, the Qur’an is Arabic, being the native tongue of its immediate community of reception (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
This indication implicates the Arabs who although it was sent in their own language to a Messenger of their own, to set aright their affairs, with its just rulings and moral dictates, and cause them to rise from the ashes, they, despite all the good that it brought them, demonstrated such poor reception of it (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2951] This is to shore up the position of the Messenger (ﷺ), and the Believing community, and to further affirm their clear-cut stance: “Neither the Jews nor the Christians will ever be pleased with you unless you follow their religion; say: “It is Guidance from Allah that is the ˹true˺ Guidance”. If you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, there will not be a guardian or protector for you from Allah” (2: 120): “Surely if you follow their whims after the knowledge that came to you, indeed then you are one of the wrongdoers” (2: 145).
This indication implicates the Arabs who although it was sent in their own language to a Messenger of their own, to set aright their affairs, with its just rulings and moral dictates, and cause them to rise from the ashes, they, despite all the good that it brought them, demonstrated such poor reception of it (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2951] This is to shore up the position of the Messenger (ﷺ), and the Believing community, and to further affirm their clear-cut stance: “Neither the Jews nor the Christians will ever be pleased with you unless you follow their religion; say: “It is Guidance from Allah that is the ˹true˺ Guidance”. If you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, there will not be a guardian or protector for you from Allah” (2: 120): “Surely if you follow their whims after the knowledge that came to you, indeed then you are one of the wrongdoers” (2: 145).
التفاسير العربية:
وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلٗا مِّن قَبۡلِكَ وَجَعَلۡنَا لَهُمۡ أَزۡوَٰجٗا وَذُرِّيَّةٗۚ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأۡتِيَ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۗ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٖ كِتَابٞ
(38) [2952]Indeed We have sent Messengers before you ˹Muhammad˺ and We made for them wives and posterity. No Messenger can bring a Sign except with Allah’s permission[2953]; for every term there is a ˹set˺ record[2954].
[2952] Although the Deniers might have fancied that they were in on some weak point through which they could get to the Messenger (ﷺ), i.e. being a human who fulfills his needs through marriage and children and not ‘angelic’, this is not to be heeded as there had been many Noble Messengers before, not the least of whom was the Patriarch of the Prophets, Abraham, from whom the Qurayshites were descended, who had wives and children. Moreover, their requests are not to be answered, just as earlier Prophets did not succumb to the demands of their Denying peoples (cf. al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
This fact also draws attention to the reality that it was only by God Almighty’s command that they were able to show their people miracles, they being mere humans who were not greatly different from other humans in respect of showing weakness.
[2953] Being mere humans who are only tasked with delivering the Message; such matters are in God Almighty’s Hands and He allows miracles to happen whenever He wishes (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2954] Nothing can be hastened or delayed, as every time of happening is recorded with God Almighty (cf. al-Baghawī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Saʿdī).
This fact also draws attention to the reality that it was only by God Almighty’s command that they were able to show their people miracles, they being mere humans who were not greatly different from other humans in respect of showing weakness.
[2953] Being mere humans who are only tasked with delivering the Message; such matters are in God Almighty’s Hands and He allows miracles to happen whenever He wishes (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2954] Nothing can be hastened or delayed, as every time of happening is recorded with God Almighty (cf. al-Baghawī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Saʿdī).
التفاسير العربية:
يَمۡحُواْ ٱللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيُثۡبِتُۖ وَعِندَهُۥٓ أُمُّ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ
[2955] Although everything is set in a record with God Almighty, He decrees whatever He wishes and the angels erase and write down in the scrolls in their hands whatever He dictates to them (cf. Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 14: 492, Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Sharḥ al-Arbaʿīn al-Nawawiyyah, p. 66).
[2956] That is, the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ) (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Saʿdī); in which there is no deletion or addition (cf. Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 14: 492, Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Sharḥ al-Arbaʿīn al-Nawawiyyah, p. 66).
[2956] That is, the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ) (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Qurṭubī, al-Saʿdī); in which there is no deletion or addition (cf. Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā, 14: 492, Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Sharḥ al-Arbaʿīn al-Nawawiyyah, p. 66).
التفاسير العربية:
وَإِن مَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعۡضَ ٱلَّذِي نَعِدُهُمۡ أَوۡ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡبَلَٰغُ وَعَلَيۡنَا ٱلۡحِسَابُ
(40) [2957]˹No matter˺ Should We show you ˹Muhammad˺ some of what We promise them or bring your life to termination ˹afore˺, you are only tasked with delivering ˹the Message˺ and on Us is the reckoning!
[2957] This is both a masked threat to the Deniers that they need not be so sure about the promise not coming true, given the fact stated in the previous aya, and, on the other hand, the Messenger, knowing this, needs not to worry himself with anything except delivering the Message (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr): “Remind ˹Muhammad˺; you are only a reminder, *you are not overpowering over them. *But whoever turns away and Denies, * then Allah inflicts upon him the major Punishment.* Surely to Us is their return, *then surely with Us is their holding to account” (88: 21-26).
التفاسير العربية:
أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ أَنَّا نَأۡتِي ٱلۡأَرۡضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنۡ أَطۡرَافِهَاۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَحۡكُمُ لَا مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكۡمِهِۦۚ وَهُوَ سَرِيعُ ٱلۡحِسَابِ
(41) [2958]Could they not see that We come to the land and dwindle it from its sides[2959]; Allah decrees and there is none to repeal His decree; He is ˹indeed˺ swift in reckoning[2960].
[2958] This passage is a Divine comment on what this sura has unravelled so far whereby the Deniers are forewarned, given their heedlessness and barefaced defiance, and the Messenger is assured (ﷺ) that what is being promised is not by any means far-fetched, as precedence for their example can be found in the case of earlier Denying nations.
[2959] Exegetes have differed on what this ‘land’ (arḍ) exactly refers to. Those who opined that this sura came down in Madinah took this aya to mean the ground that the Deniers lost in battle to the Believers after the establishment of their state (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Baghawī, al-Zamakhsharī, al-Shawkānī). Others took it to be of a general sense. It, thus, means any land that God Almighty usurps from the Deniers through destruction and laying to waste (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān): “We certainly destroyed the town around you, having varied the Signs so perhaps they would return ˹to the Right Path˺!” (46: 27)
[2960] This implies that the evil that they seek to hasten upon themselves only shows how unbelieving they were of the Message (Aya 6 above); whatever draws near is near (cf. al-Shawkānī, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
[2959] Exegetes have differed on what this ‘land’ (arḍ) exactly refers to. Those who opined that this sura came down in Madinah took this aya to mean the ground that the Deniers lost in battle to the Believers after the establishment of their state (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Baghawī, al-Zamakhsharī, al-Shawkānī). Others took it to be of a general sense. It, thus, means any land that God Almighty usurps from the Deniers through destruction and laying to waste (cf. Ibn Kathīr, al-Shinqīṭī, Aḍwā’ al-Bayān): “We certainly destroyed the town around you, having varied the Signs so perhaps they would return ˹to the Right Path˺!” (46: 27)
[2960] This implies that the evil that they seek to hasten upon themselves only shows how unbelieving they were of the Message (Aya 6 above); whatever draws near is near (cf. al-Shawkānī, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).
التفاسير العربية:
وَقَدۡ مَكَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ فَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡمَكۡرُ جَمِيعٗاۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تَكۡسِبُ كُلُّ نَفۡسٖۗ وَسَيَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡكُفَّٰرُ لِمَنۡ عُقۡبَى ٱلدَّارِ
(42) Those before them indeed plotted, but all planning is Allah’s own[2961]; [2962]He knows what every soul earns and the Deniers shall know for whom will be ˹desired˺ alternation of the Abode.
[2961] For more on the significance on quoting earlier nations as proof, see the note on Aya 6 above: “They plotted some plot and We planned some plan, while they perceived not. *Behold then what the consequence of their plot was; We ˹utterly˺ destroyed them and their people all together. *Those are their homes, deserted, for their persistent injustice; in these are ˹indeed˺ Signs for those who realize” (27: 50-52).
[2962] God, Whom they disregard and set up Associates with (cf. Aya 33 above), will come to pass His Judgement among people and then the Deniers will know who was in the right all along (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz, al-Baghawī).
[2962] God, Whom they disregard and set up Associates with (cf. Aya 33 above), will come to pass His Judgement among people and then the Deniers will know who was in the right all along (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz, al-Baghawī).
التفاسير العربية:
وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَسۡتَ مُرۡسَلٗاۚ قُلۡ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدَۢا بَيۡنِي وَبَيۡنَكُمۡ وَمَنۡ عِندَهُۥ عِلۡمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ
(43) [2963]The Deniers say: “You ˹Muhammad˺ have not been sent!” Say: “Sufficient is Allah as Witness between me and you, and he who has knowledge of the Book![2964]”
[2963] This, very final aya, nicely wraps up the argument underpinning the sura: the Deniers do not mince their words about how they perceive the Message; the Believers need not be much worried about this or be unduly unsettled by it; God is enough as Witness to its Truthfulness as are those who possess real knowledge, who can readily realize this fact!
[2964] These are especially the Godly among the people of the Book (as in Aya 36 above), who, unlike the ignorant Arabian idolaters, are endowed with knowledge (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “Should you ˹Muhammad˺ hence be in doubt about what We sent down to you, ask then those who have been reading the Book before you; verily the Truth has come to you from your Lord, so be not one of the hesitant” (10: 94).
[2964] These are especially the Godly among the people of the Book (as in Aya 36 above), who, unlike the ignorant Arabian idolaters, are endowed with knowledge (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī): “Should you ˹Muhammad˺ hence be in doubt about what We sent down to you, ask then those who have been reading the Book before you; verily the Truth has come to you from your Lord, so be not one of the hesitant” (10: 94).
التفاسير العربية:
ترجمة معاني سورة: الرعد
ترجمة معاني القرآن الكريم - الترجمة الإنجليزية - د. وليد بليهش العمري - فهرس التراجم
ترجمة معاني القرآن الكريم إلى اللغة الإنجليزية - جار العمل عليها، ترجمة د. وليد بليهش العمري.