Ma'arif al-Qur'an · Tafsir · in English
Al-Anbya 21:91–97
21:91Page 330
وَٱلَّتِيٓ أَحۡصَنَتۡ فَرۡجَهَا فَنَفَخۡنَا فِيهَا مِن رُّوحِنَا وَجَعَلۡنَٰهَا وَٱبۡنَهَآ ءَايَةٗ لِّلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ٩١
And [mention] the one who guarded her chastity [i.e., Mary], so We blew into her [garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and We made her and her son a sign for the worlds.
Commentary
This verse directs the Holy Prophet ﷺ to tell his people the story of the pious lady who controlled her passions and then through Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) Allah had breathed His Spirit into her and she gave birth to a son (Sayyidna ` Isa علیہ السلام) who was a symbol of Allah's Divine Power that He can cause babies to be born without a father, and also without both the parents as in the case of Sayyidna 'Adam (علیہ السلام)
21:92–94Page 330
إِنَّ هَٰذِهِۦٓ أُمَّتُكُمۡ أُمَّةٗ وَٰحِدَةٗ وَأَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمۡ فَٱعۡبُدُونِ ٩٢
Indeed this, your religion, is one religion,1 and I am your Lord, so worship Me.
وَتَقَطَّعُوٓاْ أَمۡرَهُم بَيۡنَهُمۡۖ كُلٌّ إِلَيۡنَا رَٰجِعُونَ ٩٣
And [yet] they divided their affair [i.e., that of their religion] among themselves,1 [but] all to Us will return.
فَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٞ فَلَا كُفۡرَانَ لِسَعۡيِهِۦ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ كَٰتِبُونَ ٩٤
So whoever does righteous deeds while he is a believer - no denial will there be for his effort,1 and indeed We [i.e., Our angels], of it, are recorders.
Commentary
So far the Surah deals with the stories of the prophets and several basic as well as minor principles relevant to those stories. The basic beliefs such as Oneness of God, prophethood and the day of Resurrection are common to all prophets and are the foundation of their invitation to the people to follow the True Faith.
21:95Page 330
وَحَرَٰمٌ عَلَىٰ قَرۡيَةٍ أَهۡلَكۡنَٰهَآ أَنَّهُمۡ لَا يَرۡجِعُونَ ٩٥
And it is prohibited to [the people of] a city which We have destroyed that they will [ever] return1
وَحَرَامٌ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ (It is banned for (the people of) a town We destroyed that they come back - 21:95.) Commentators have given two different meanings to this verse. One, that the town and its people which Allah Ta` ala has destroyed cannot come back to life. The second explanation is that it is binding on the town which Allah has destroyed that it shall not return to this world. (Qurtubl) Thus the meaning of the verse is that the door of repentance is closed after death, and it is no more possible for someone to return to this world and atone for his sins by performing righteous deeds. The final court will take place on the Day of Judgment.
21:96–97Page 330
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فُتِحَتۡ يَأۡجُوجُ وَمَأۡجُوجُ وَهُم مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٖ يَنسِلُونَ ٩٦
Until when [the dam of] Gog and Magog has been opened and they, from every elevation, descend
وَٱقۡتَرَبَ ٱلۡوَعۡدُ ٱلۡحَقُّ فَإِذَا هِيَ شَٰخِصَةٌ أَبۡصَٰرُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يَٰوَيۡلَنَا قَدۡ كُنَّا فِي غَفۡلَةٖ مِّنۡ هَٰذَا بَلۡ كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ ٩٧
And [when] the true promise [i.e., the resurrection] has approached; then suddenly the eyes of those who disbelieved will be staring [in horror, while they say], "O woe to us; we had been unmindful of this; rather, we were wrongdoers."
حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُم مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنسِلُونَ (Until when the Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog) are released, while they run down from every height - 21:96.) In the previous verse it was said that those who died in a state of unbelief will never return to this world. The phrase "until the Ya'juj and Ma'juj appear", really means that such people will never return, because the appearance of Ya'juj and Ma'juj will be a sign of near approach of the Dooms Day.
It is reported in Sahih of Muslim through Sayyidna Hudhaifah ؓ that he and some other Sahabah ؓ ، were in the midst of a discussion when the Holy Prophet ﷺ came to them and enquired as to what were they deliberating. They replied that they were discussing about the Qiyamah (Dooms Day). Thereupon he said that Qiyamah will occur only after ten signs have become manifest, and the appearance of Ya'juj and Ma'juj will be one of them.
Here the word فُتِحَت (released) is used for Ya'juj Ma'juj which means to let loose, which suggests that until the appointed time they will remain under restraint and confined behind some barrier from which they will be released when Doomsday is near. It is evident from the Holy Qur'an that this restraint is the wall made by Dhulqarnain which will disappear near the Qiyamah. Ya'juj and Ma’ juj and Dhulqarnain have been described in fair detail in Surah Al-Kahf, to which the reader may refer.
مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنسِلُونَ (while they run down from every height - 21:96) The word حَدَبٍ 'means an elevated place which may be a mountain or just a lump in the ground. We have also seen in Surah Al-Kahf that the place where Ya’ juj and Ma'juj have been confined is somewhere beyond the northern mountains. So when they will come out, they will be seen rushing down the mountain sides in their hordes.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences