Al-Ahzab 33:73
The Combined Forces · Juz 22 · Page 427
لِّيُعَذِّبَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُنَٰفِقِينَ وَٱلۡمُنَٰفِقَٰتِ وَٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ وَٱلۡمُشۡرِكَٰتِ وَيَتُوبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورٗا رَّحِيمَۢا ٧٣
[It1 was] so that Allāh may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the men and women who associate others with Him and that Allāh may accept repentance from the believing men and believing women. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
1 translator’s note
- The reason for which mankind was permitted to carry the Trust. ↩
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 33:73–34:2
لِّيُعَذِّبَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ (with the result that Allah will punish the hypocrites, men and women, and the Mushriks, men and women, and will accept the repentance of the believing men and women. Surely Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [ 73]) The letter 'lam' used in the beginning of this verse is not for mentioning the cause or aim, as generally understood in common usage, but it is the lam of 'aqibah in the terminology of Arabic linguistics. It points out to the end of something, as it appears in a line of Arabic poetry which reads:
لِدُوا لِلمَوتِ وَ ابنُوا لِلخَرَابِ
'Be born only to be dead and build only to be ruined'.
It does not mean that the aim of one's birth was to be dead or that the aim of constructing of a building was that it could be ruined, but it simply means that the end of everyone born is death and the end of every building is falling into ruins.
The sense of the verse is that, as a result of man's assumption of responsibility for the trust, mankind will split in two groups: (1) Disbelievers, hypocrites and others who will rebel against Divine orders and become wasters of the great 'trust'. They will be punished. (2) There will be believing men and believing women who, through their obedience to Divine injunctions, will fulfill the dictates of the trust reposed in them. They will be treated with mercy and forgiveness.
The Tafsir of the two words: Zalum and Jahul that has been reported above from most Tafsir authorities finds additional support in this last sentence as well - that these words are not meant for the whole mankind. In fact, they particularly refer to those individuals who wasted away the Divine trust reposed in them. And Allah, Pure and High, knows best.
The Commentary on
Surah Al-Ahzab ends here
With the help of and praise for Allah Ta’ ala
Page 427
33:63
يَسۡـَٔلُكَ ٱلنَّاسُ عَنِ ٱلسَّاعَةِۖ قُلۡ إِنَّمَا عِلۡمُهَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِۚ وَمَا يُدۡرِيكَ لَعَلَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ تَكُونُ قَرِيبًا ٦٣
People ask you concerning the Hour. Say, "Knowledge of it is only with Allāh. And what may make you perceive? Perhaps the Hour is near."
33:64
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَعَنَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمۡ سَعِيرًا ٦٤
Indeed, Allāh has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a Blaze.
33:65
خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدٗاۖ لَّا يَجِدُونَ وَلِيّٗا وَلَا نَصِيرٗا ٦٥
Abiding therein forever, they will not find a protector or a helper.
33:66
يَوۡمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمۡ فِي ٱلنَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَٰلَيۡتَنَآ أَطَعۡنَا ٱللَّهَ وَأَطَعۡنَا ٱلرَّسُولَا۠ ٦٦
The Day their faces will be turned about in the Fire, they will say, "How we wish we had obeyed Allāh and obeyed the Messenger."
33:67
وَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّآ أَطَعۡنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَآءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا ٱلسَّبِيلَا۠ ٦٧
And they will say, "Our Lord, indeed we obeyed our masters and our dignitaries,1 and they led us astray from the [right] way.
1 translator’s note
- Also interpreted to mean "our noble ones and our elders [i.e., distinguished scholars]." ↩
33:68
رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِهِمۡ ضِعۡفَيۡنِ مِنَ ٱلۡعَذَابِ وَٱلۡعَنۡهُمۡ لَعۡنٗا كَبِيرٗا ٦٨
Our Lord, give them double the punishment and curse them with a great curse."
33:69
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تَكُونُواْ كَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاذَوۡاْ مُوسَىٰ فَبَرَّأَهُ ٱللَّهُ مِمَّا قَالُواْۚ وَكَانَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَجِيهٗا ٦٩
O you who have believed, be not like those who abused Moses; then Allāh cleared him of what they said. And he, in the sight of Allāh, was distinguished.
33:70
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَقُولُواْ قَوۡلٗا سَدِيدٗا ٧٠
O you who have believed, fear Allāh and speak words of appropriate justice.
33:71
يُصۡلِحۡ لَكُمۡ أَعۡمَٰلَكُمۡ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡ ذُنُوبَكُمۡۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ فَقَدۡ فَازَ فَوۡزًا عَظِيمًا ٧١
He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allāh and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.
33:72
إِنَّا عَرَضۡنَا ٱلۡأَمَانَةَ عَلَى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱلۡجِبَالِ فَأَبَيۡنَ أَن يَحۡمِلۡنَهَا وَأَشۡفَقۡنَ مِنۡهَا وَحَمَلَهَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ ظَلُومٗا جَهُولٗا ٧٢
Indeed, We offered the Trust1 to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant.2
33:73
لِّيُعَذِّبَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُنَٰفِقِينَ وَٱلۡمُنَٰفِقَٰتِ وَٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ وَٱلۡمُشۡرِكَٰتِ وَيَتُوبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورٗا رَّحِيمَۢا ٧٣
[It1 was] so that Allāh may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the men and women who associate others with Him and that Allāh may accept repentance from the believing men and believing women. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
1 translator’s note
- The reason for which mankind was permitted to carry the Trust. ↩