بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Ash-Shu'ara 26:3
The Poets · Juz 19 · Page 367
لَعَلَّكَ بَٰخِعٞ نَّفۡسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُواْ مُؤۡمِنِينَ ٣
Perhaps, [O Muḥammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.
Tafsir · in English
Ma'arif al-Qur'an
Detailed · A modern classic, with rulings and practical points.
Change
Commentary on 26:3
Commentary
لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ Seemingly you are going to let yourself collapse in grief - 26:3). The word بَاخِعٌ (bakhi" )is derived from بَخعٌ (bakh' ) which means to reach up to Bikha`, an artery of the neck, while slaughtering. In this verse baki` is used in the sense of putting oneself into trouble and toil. "Allamah ` Askari has said, ` Although at such places the sentence appears to be informative but in fact it means to prohibit or prevent'. What it conveys is that, ` O Messenger, do not be so despondent because of your people's disbelief and rejection of Islam that you cause yourself to collapse'. One learns from this verse that even if it is apparent that a disbeliever would not convert to Islam, still it is not right to stop preaching to him. The second thing one learns is that the efforts one makes for a certain objective must be balanced and moderate, and if someone is adamant not to be guided to the right path, one should not be over-grieved.
Page 367
سورة الشعراء
Ash-Shu'ara
The Poets · Meccan · 227 ayahs
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
26:1
طسٓمٓ ١
Ṭā, Seen, Meem.1
1 translator’s note
- See footnote to 2:1. ↩
26:2
تِلۡكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ ٱلۡمُبِينِ ٢
These are the verses of the clear Book.
26:3
لَعَلَّكَ بَٰخِعٞ نَّفۡسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُواْ مُؤۡمِنِينَ ٣
Perhaps, [O Muḥammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.
26:4
إِن نَّشَأۡ نُنَزِّلۡ عَلَيۡهِم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ءَايَةٗ فَظَلَّتۡ أَعۡنَٰقُهُمۡ لَهَا خَٰضِعِينَ ٤
If We willed, We could send down to them from the sky a sign for which their necks would remain humbled.1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., they would be compelled to believe. ↩
26:5
وَمَا يَأۡتِيهِم مِّن ذِكۡرٖ مِّنَ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ مُحۡدَثٍ إِلَّا كَانُواْ عَنۡهُ مُعۡرِضِينَ ٥
And no mention [i.e., revelation] comes to them anew from the Most Merciful except that they turn away from it.
26:6
فَقَدۡ كَذَّبُواْ فَسَيَأۡتِيهِمۡ أَنۢبَٰٓؤُاْ مَا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ ٦
For they have already denied, but there will come to them the news of that which they used to ridicule.
26:7
أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ إِلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَمۡ أَنۢبَتۡنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوۡجٖ كَرِيمٍ ٧
Did they not look at the earth - how much We have produced therein from every noble kind?
26:8
إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَةٗۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ ٨
Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.
26:9
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٩
And indeed, your Lord - He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
26:10
وَإِذۡ نَادَىٰ رَبُّكَ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنِ ٱئۡتِ ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ١٠
And [mention] when your Lord called Moses, [saying], "Go to the wrongdoing people -
26:11
قَوۡمَ فِرۡعَوۡنَۚ أَلَا يَتَّقُونَ ١١
The people of Pharaoh. Will they not fear Allāh?"
26:12
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّيٓ أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ ١٢
He said, "My Lord, indeed I fear that they will deny me
26:13
وَيَضِيقُ صَدۡرِي وَلَا يَنطَلِقُ لِسَانِي فَأَرۡسِلۡ إِلَىٰ هَٰرُونَ ١٣
And that my breast will tighten and my tongue will not be fluent, so send for Aaron.
26:14
وَلَهُمۡ عَلَيَّ ذَنۢبٞ فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقۡتُلُونِ ١٤
And they have upon me a [claim due to] sin, so I fear that they will kill me."
26:15
قَالَ كـَلَّاۖ فَٱذۡهَبَا بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآۖ إِنَّا مَعَكُم مُّسۡتَمِعُونَ ١٥
[Allāh] said, "No. Go both of you with Our signs; indeed, We are with you, listening.
26:16
فَأۡتِيَا فِرۡعَوۡنَ فَقُولَآ إِنَّا رَسُولُ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ١٦
Go to Pharaoh and say, 'We are the messengers1 of the Lord of the worlds,
1 translator’s note
- The singular form in Arabic indicates that both were sent with a single message. ↩
26:17
أَنۡ أَرۡسِلۡ مَعَنَا بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ ١٧
[Commanded to say], "Send with us the Children of Israel."'"
26:18
قَالَ أَلَمۡ نُرَبِّكَ فِينَا وَلِيدٗا وَلَبِثۡتَ فِينَا مِنۡ عُمُرِكَ سِنِينَ ١٨
[Pharaoh] said, "Did we not raise you among us as a child, and you remained among us for years of your life?
26:19
وَفَعَلۡتَ فَعۡلَتَكَ ٱلَّتِي فَعَلۡتَ وَأَنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ١٩
And [then] you did your deed which you did,1 and you were of the ungrateful."
1 translator’s note
- i.e., striking the Copt, who died as a result. ↩