Ghafir 40:15
The Forgiver · Juz 24 · Page 468
رَفِيعُ ٱلدَّرَجَٰتِ ذُو ٱلۡعَرۡشِ يُلۡقِي ٱلرُّوحَ مِنۡ أَمۡرِهِۦ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِۦ لِيُنذِرَ يَوۡمَ ٱلتَّلَاقِ ١٥
[He is] the Exalted above [all] degrees, Owner of the Throne; He places the inspiration of His command [i.e., revelation] upon whom He wills of His servants to warn of the Day of Meeting.
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Commentary on 40:15–17
Allah sends the Revelation to warn His Servants of the Day of Mutual Meeting
Allah tells us of His might and pride, and that His Mighty Throne is raised above all of His creation like a roof. This is like the Ayah:
مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذِي الْمَعَارِجِ - تَعْرُجُ الْمَلَئِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
(From Allah, the Lord of the ways of ascent. The angels and the Ruh (Jibril) ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years.) (70:3-4). If Allah wills, we will discuss below which is the most correct view the distance between the Throne and the seventh earth according to a group of earlier and later scholars. More than one scholar said that the Throne is made of red rubies. The width between two corners of it is the distance of a fifty thousand year long journey and its height above the seventh earth is the distance of a fifty thousand years long journey.
يُلْقِى الرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَى مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ
(He sends the revelation of His command to any of His servants He wills,) This is like the Ayat:
يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَئِكَةَ بِالْرُّوحِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَى مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ أَنْ أَنْذِرُواْ أَنَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَ أَنَاْ فَاتَّقُونِ
(He sends down the angels with the Ruh (revelation) of His command to whom of His servants He wills (saying): "Warn mankind that none has the right to be worshipped but I, so have Taqwa of Me.") (16:2), and
وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَلَمِينَ - نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الاٌّمِينُ - عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنْذِرِينَ
(And truly, this is a revelation from the Lord of all that exits, Which the trustworthy Ruh (Jibril) has brought down Upon your heart that you may be (one) of the warners.) (26:192-194) Allah says:
لِيُنذِرَ يَوْمَ التَّلاَقِ
(that he may warn (men) of the Day of Mutual Meeting.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "The Day of Mutual Meeting is one of the names of the Day of Resurrection, of which Allah warns His servants." That is the Day when everyone will find out about his deeds, good and bad.
يَوْمَ هُم بَرِزُونَ لاَ يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَىْءٌ
(The Day when they will come out, nothing of them will be hidden from Allah.) means, they will all appear in the open, with nothing to give them shelter or shade, or cover them. Allah says:
يَوْمَ هُم بَرِزُونَ لاَ يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَىْءٌ
(The Day when they will come out, nothing of them will be hidden from Allah.) meaning, everything will be equally known to Him.
لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ لِلَّهِ الْوَحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ
(Whose is the kingdom this Day It is Allah's, the One, the Irresistible!) We have already mentioned the Hadith of Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that Allah will roll up the heavens and the earth in His Hand and will say,
«أَنَا الْمَلِكُ، أَنَا الْجَبَّارُ، أَنَا الْمُتَكَبِّرُ، أَيْنَ مُلُوكُ الْأَرْضِ؟ أَيْنَ الْجَبَّارُونَ؟ أَيْنَ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ؟»
("I am the King, I am the Compeller, I am the Proud, where are the kings of the earth Where are the tyrants Where are the proud") In the Hadith about the Trumpet, it says that Allah will take the souls of all of His creatures, and there will be none left but Him Alone, with no partner or associate. Then He will say, "Whose is the kingdom today" three times, and He will answer Himself by saying,
لِلَّهِ الْوَحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ
(It is Allah's, the One, the Irresistible!) meaning, He is the Only One Who has subjugated all things.
الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ لاَ ظُلْمَ الْيَوْمَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ
(This Day shall every person be recompensed for what he earned. This Day no injustice (shall be done to anybody). Truly, Allah is swift in reckoning.) Here Allah tells us of His justice when He judges between His creation; He does not do even a speck of dust's weight of injustice, whether it be for good or for evil. For every good deed He gives a tenfold reward and for every bad deed He gives recompense of one bad deed. Allah says:
لاَ ظُلْمَ الْيَوْمَ
(This Day no injustice (shall be done to anybody).) It was reported in Sahih Muslim from Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah said:
«يَا عِبَادِي إِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الظُّلْمَ عَلى نَفْسِي وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا فَلَا تَظَالَمُوا إلى أن قال يَا عِبَادِي إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ أُحْصِيهَا عَلَيْكُمْ ثُمَّ أُوَفِّيكُمْ إِيَّاهَا، فَمَنْ وَجَدَ خَيْرًا فَلْيَحْمَدِ اللهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى، وَمَنْ وَجَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَلُومَنَّ إِلَّا نَفْسَه»
("O My servants, I have forbidden injustice for Myself, and made it unlawful for you, so do not commit injustice to one another ...") up to: ("O My servants, these are your deeds, I record them for you then I will recompense you for them. Whoever finds something good, let him give praise to Allah, and whoever finds something other than that, let him blame no one but himself.")
إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ
(Truly, Allah is swift in reckoning.) means, He will bring all His creation to account as if He is bringing just one person to account. This is like the Ayah:
مَّا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلاَ بَعْثُكُمْ إِلاَّ كَنَفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ
(The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as a single person) (31: 28).
وَمَآ أَمْرُنَآ إِلاَّ وَحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ
(And Our commandment is but one as the twinkling of an eye.) (54:50)
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40:8
رَبَّنَا وَأَدۡخِلۡهُمۡ جَنَّٰتِ عَدۡنٍ ٱلَّتِي وَعَدتَّهُمۡ وَمَن صَلَحَ مِنۡ ءَابَآئِهِمۡ وَأَزۡوَٰجِهِمۡ وَذُرِّيَّٰتِهِمۡۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ ٨
Our Lord, and admit them to gardens of perpetual residence which You have promised them and whoever was righteous among their forefathers, their spouses and their offspring. Indeed, it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
40:9
وَقِهِمُ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِۚ وَمَن تَقِ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ يَوۡمَئِذٖ فَقَدۡ رَحِمۡتَهُۥۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ ٩
And protect them from the evil consequences [of their deeds]. And he whom You protect from evil consequences that Day - You will have given him mercy. And that is the great attainment."
40:10
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُنَادَوۡنَ لَمَقۡتُ ٱللَّهِ أَكۡبَرُ مِن مَّقۡتِكُمۡ أَنفُسَكُمۡ إِذۡ تُدۡعَوۡنَ إِلَى ٱلۡإِيمَٰنِ فَتَكۡفُرُونَ ١٠
Indeed, those who disbelieve will be addressed, "The hatred of Allāh for you was [even] greater than your hatred of yourselves [this Day in Hell] when you were invited to faith, but you disbelieved [i.e., refused]."
40:11
قَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ أَمَتَّنَا ٱثۡنَتَيۡنِ وَأَحۡيَيۡتَنَا ٱثۡنَتَيۡنِ فَٱعۡتَرَفۡنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا فَهَلۡ إِلَىٰ خُرُوجٖ مِّن سَبِيلٖ ١١
They will say, "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice, and we have confessed our sins. So is there to an exit any way?"
40:12
ذَٰلِكُم بِأَنَّهُۥٓ إِذَا دُعِيَ ٱللَّهُ وَحۡدَهُۥ كَفَرۡتُمۡ وَإِن يُشۡرَكۡ بِهِۦ تُؤۡمِنُواْۚ فَٱلۡحُكۡمُ لِلَّهِ ٱلۡعَلِيِّ ٱلۡكَبِيرِ ١٢
[They will be told], "That is because, when Allāh was called upon alone, you disbelieved; but if others were associated with Him, you believed. So the judgement is with Allāh, the Most High, the Grand."
40:13
هُوَ ٱلَّذِي يُرِيكُمۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزۡقٗاۚ وَمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ إِلَّا مَن يُنِيبُ ١٣
It is He who shows you His signs and sends down to you from the sky, provision. But none will remember except he who turns back [in repentance].
40:14
فَٱدۡعُواْ ٱللَّهَ مُخۡلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ ١٤
So invoke Allāh, [being] sincere to Him in religion, although the disbelievers dislike it.
40:15
رَفِيعُ ٱلدَّرَجَٰتِ ذُو ٱلۡعَرۡشِ يُلۡقِي ٱلرُّوحَ مِنۡ أَمۡرِهِۦ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِۦ لِيُنذِرَ يَوۡمَ ٱلتَّلَاقِ ١٥
[He is] the Exalted above [all] degrees, Owner of the Throne; He places the inspiration of His command [i.e., revelation] upon whom He wills of His servants to warn of the Day of Meeting.
40:16
يَوۡمَ هُم بَٰرِزُونَۖ لَا يَخۡفَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مِنۡهُمۡ شَيۡءٞۚ لِّمَنِ ٱلۡمُلۡكُ ٱلۡيَوۡمَۖ لِلَّهِ ٱلۡوَٰحِدِ ٱلۡقَهَّارِ ١٦
The Day they come forth nothing concerning them will be concealed from Allāh. To whom belongs [all] sovereignty this Day? To Allāh, the One, the Prevailing.1
1 translator’s note
- Refer to footnotes in 12:39. ↩
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