Az-Zukhruf 43:45
The Ornaments of Gold · Juz 25 · Page 492
وَسۡـَٔلۡ مَنۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَآ أَجَعَلۡنَا مِن دُونِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ءَالِهَةٗ يُعۡبَدُونَ ٤٥
And ask those We sent before you of Our messengers; have We made besides the Most Merciful deities to be worshipped?
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 43:45
وَاسْأَلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَا (And ask Our messengers whom We sent before you...43:45) A question may arise here: Since all the earlier prophets (علیہم السلام) had expired at the time of the revelation of this verse, how could the Holy Prophet t ask any question from his predecessors? Some exegetes have taken the verse in the sense that if, as a miracle, Allah Ta` ala arranges for the Holy Prophet ﷺ to meet the earlier prophets (علیہم السلام) ، then he should ask them about it. And it is well-established that the Holy Prophet t met all the preceding prophets (علیہم السلام) during the Night of Ascension. ` Allamah Qurtubi quotes some narrations according to which the Holy Prophet ﷺ asked them this very thing after leading them in the prayers; but we could not discover the source of these narrations. Most exegetes have, therefore, explained that the verse does not mean to ask the prophets verbally. What is meant by the verse is to consult the divine Scriptures revealed to the earlier prophets, and to ask their learned scholars. And the scriptures of the prophets of Bani Isra'il which are available now, despite so many distortions, contain teachings about 'tauhid' (Oneness of Allah) and condemnation of 'shirk' (associating others with Allah) even today. For example, some excerpts from the Bible are quoted below:
Teachings about Oneness in the Scriptures of the earlier prophets (علیہم السلام)
Here are two quotations from the Scriptures claimed by Jews and Christians to be the 'Pentateuch' or 'Torah':
"The Lord has shown you this, to prove to you that he alone is God and that there is no other." (Deuteronomy, 4:35)
and
"Israel, remember this! The Lord-and the Lord alone-is our God. Love the Lord your God with all your heart." (Deuteronomy, 6:4)
The scripture of Shi` ya (علیہ السلام) (known as Isaiah) says,
"I am the Lord; there is no other god. I will give you the strength you need, although you do not know me. I do this so that everyone from one end of the world to the other may know that I am the Lord and that there is no other god." (Isaiah, 45:5, 6)
The books claimed by the Christians to be the Gospels contain this statement of Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) (Jesus Christ):
"Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark, 12:29, Matthew 22:36)
It is narrated that once Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) (Jesus Christ) said the following words during a supplication:
"And eternal life means knowing you, the only true God, and knowing Jesus Christ, whom you sent." (Yuhanna 17:3)[ 1]
[ 1] These excerpts are taken from Good News Bible, Today's English Version, Published by the Bible Societies in 1976. (Muhammad Tagi Usmani)
Page 492
43:34
وَلِبُيُوتِهِمۡ أَبۡوَٰبٗا وَسُرُرًا عَلَيۡهَا يَتَّكِـُٔونَ ٣٤
And for their houses - doors and couches [of silver] upon which to recline
43:35
وَزُخۡرُفٗاۚ وَإِن كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَاۚ وَٱلۡأٓخِرَةُ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ ٣٥
And gold ornament. But all that is not but the enjoyment of worldly life. And the Hereafter with your Lord is for the righteous.
43:36
وَمَن يَعۡشُ عَن ذِكۡرِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ نُقَيِّضۡ لَهُۥ شَيۡطَٰنٗا فَهُوَ لَهُۥ قَرِينٞ ٣٦
And whoever is blinded from remembrance of the Most Merciful - We appoint for him a devil, and he is to him a companion.
43:37
وَإِنَّهُمۡ لَيَصُدُّونَهُمۡ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَيَحۡسَبُونَ أَنَّهُم مُّهۡتَدُونَ ٣٧
And indeed, they [i.e., the devils] avert them from the way [of guidance] while they think that they are [rightly] guided
43:38
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَنَا قَالَ يَٰلَيۡتَ بَيۡنِي وَبَيۡنَكَ بُعۡدَ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقَيۡنِ فَبِئۡسَ ٱلۡقَرِينُ ٣٨
Until, when he comes to Us [at Judgement], he says [to his companion], "How I wish there was between me and you the distance between the east and west; and what a wretched companion."
43:39
وَلَن يَنفَعَكُمُ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ إِذ ظَّلَمۡتُمۡ أَنَّكُمۡ فِي ٱلۡعَذَابِ مُشۡتَرِكُونَ ٣٩
And never will it benefit you that Day, when you have wronged, that you are [all] sharing in the punishment.
43:40
أَفَأَنتَ تُسۡمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ أَوۡ تَهۡدِي ٱلۡعُمۡيَ وَمَن كَانَ فِي ضَلَٰلٖ مُّبِينٖ ٤٠
Then will you make the deaf hear, [O Muḥammad], or guide the blind or he who is in clear error?
43:41
فَإِمَّا نَذۡهَبَنَّ بِكَ فَإِنَّا مِنۡهُم مُّنتَقِمُونَ ٤١
And whether [or not] We take you away [in death], indeed, We will take retribution upon them.
43:42
أَوۡ نُرِيَنَّكَ ٱلَّذِي وَعَدۡنَٰهُمۡ فَإِنَّا عَلَيۡهِم مُّقۡتَدِرُونَ ٤٢
Or whether [or not] We show you that which We have promised them, indeed, We are Perfect in Ability.
43:43
فَٱسۡتَمۡسِكۡ بِٱلَّذِيٓ أُوحِيَ إِلَيۡكَۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٖ مُّسۡتَقِيمٖ ٤٣
So adhere to that which is revealed to you. Indeed, you are on a straight path.
43:44
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَذِكۡرٞ لَّكَ وَلِقَوۡمِكَۖ وَسَوۡفَ تُسۡـَٔلُونَ ٤٤
And indeed, it is a remembrance1 for you and your people, and you [all] are going to be questioned.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., an honor. Or "a reminder." ↩
43:45
وَسۡـَٔلۡ مَنۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَآ أَجَعَلۡنَا مِن دُونِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ءَالِهَةٗ يُعۡبَدُونَ ٤٥
And ask those We sent before you of Our messengers; have We made besides the Most Merciful deities to be worshipped?
43:46
وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مُوسَىٰ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِلَىٰ فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَمَلَإِيْهِۦ فَقَالَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ٤٦
And certainly did We send Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his establishment, and he said, "Indeed, I am the messenger of the Lord of the worlds."
43:47
فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنۡهَا يَضۡحَكُونَ ٤٧
But when he brought them Our signs, at once they laughed at them.