Ma'arif al-Qur'an · Tafsir · in English
Az-Zumar 39:46–52
39:46Page 463
قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ فَاطِرَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ عَٰلِمَ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ أَنتَ تَحۡكُمُ بَيۡنَ عِبَادِكَ فِي مَا كَانُواْ فِيهِ يَخۡتَلِفُونَ ٤٦
Say, "O Allāh, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, You will judge between your servants concerning that over which they used to differ."
In verse 46, it was said: قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ (Say, "0 Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth...). According to a narration of Sayyidna ` Abd-ur-Rahman Ibn ` Awf ؓ appearing in Sahih Muslim, he says, "I asked Sayyidah ` A'ishah ؓ L as to what it was from which the Holy Prophet ﷺ began his nightly prayer (tahajjud)? She said, 'When he rose for the salah of tahajjud, he used to recite this prayer:
اَللَّھُمَّ رَبَّ جِبرِیلَ وَ میکَایٔیلَ وَ اِسرَافِیلَ ، فَاطِرَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الاَرضِ عالِمَ الغَیبِ وَ الشَّھَادَۃِ اَنتِ تَحکُمُ بَینَ عِبَادِکَ فِیمَا کَانُوا فِیہِ یَختَلِفُونَ ، اِھدِنِی لِما اختُلِفَ فِیہِ مِنَ لحَقَّ بِاِذنِکَ اِنَّکَ تَھدِی مَن تَشَآُء اِلٰی صِرَطِ مُّستَقِیم۔
0 Allah, Lord of Jabra'i1 and Mika'il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, you will judge between Your servants in that about which they used to differ.. Guide me, with Your will, to the truth in which people have disputes, for You are the One who guides whomsoever He wills to the straight path.
A prayer that is answered
Sayyidna Said Ibn Jubayr ؓ says that he knows a verse of the noble Qur'an after reciting which the prayer one makes is answered. Then he pointed out to this very verse that begins with the words: اللَّهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ (0 Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth... to the end of verse 39:46) - (al-Qurtubi)
39:47–52Page 463
وَلَوۡ أَنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعٗا وَمِثۡلَهُۥ مَعَهُۥ لَٱفۡتَدَوۡاْ بِهِۦ مِن سُوٓءِ ٱلۡعَذَابِ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۚ وَبَدَا لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَمۡ يَكُونُواْ يَحۡتَسِبُونَ ٤٧
And if those who did wrong had all that is in the earth entirely and the like of it with it, they would [attempt to] ransom themselves thereby from the worst of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection. And there will appear to them from Allāh that which they had not taken into account.1
وَبَدَا لَهُمۡ سَيِّـَٔاتُ مَا كَسَبُواْ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ ٤٨
And there will appear to them the evils they had earned, and they will be enveloped by what they used to ridicule.
فَإِذَا مَسَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ ضُرّٞ دَعَانَا ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلۡنَٰهُ نِعۡمَةٗ مِّنَّا قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُۥ عَلَىٰ عِلۡمِۭۚ بَلۡ هِيَ فِتۡنَةٞ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَهُمۡ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ ٤٩
And when adversity touches man, he calls upon Us; then when We bestow on him a favor from Us, he says, "I have only been given it because of [my] knowledge." Rather, it is a trial, but most of them do not know.
قَدۡ قَالَهَا ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ فَمَآ أَغۡنَىٰ عَنۡهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يَكۡسِبُونَ ٥٠
Those before them had already said it, but they were not availed by what they used to earn.
فَأَصَابَهُمۡ سَيِّـَٔاتُ مَا كَسَبُواْۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنۡ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ سَيُصِيبُهُمۡ سَيِّـَٔاتُ مَا كَسَبُواْ وَمَا هُم بِمُعۡجِزِينَ ٥١
And the evil consequences of what they earned struck them. And those who have wronged of these [people] will be struck [i.e., afflicted] by the evil consequences of what they earned; and they will not cause failure.1
أَوَلَمۡ يَعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَبۡسُطُ ٱلرِّزۡقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقۡدِرُۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّقَوۡمٖ يُؤۡمِنُونَ ٥٢
Do they not know that Allāh extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]? Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.
In verse 47, it was said: وَبَدَا لَهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَحْتَسِبُونَ (And there will appear to them from Allah what they have never imagined.) The famous tabi` i, Sufyan Thawri recited this verse and said, 'Ruined are those who did good deeds only to pretend their piety before people. (He repeated this sentence twice) This verse is about them. They did good deeds in their mortal life to impress people, who took them to be good people. Even they themselves used to deceive themselves by thinking that these deeds will become a source of salvation for them in the Hereafter. But, as these were never performed with unalloyed sincerity ('ikhlas), they deserve no reward in the sight of Allah. So, once they are in the life after death, the punishment would come upon them suddenly against their expectation.' (Qurtubi)
An important instruction concerning 'mushajarat' (disagreements among Sahabah)
Someone asked Rabi' Ibn-u1_-Khaitham about the shahadah (martyrdom) of Sayyidna Husain ؓ . He sighed and recited the verse (46): قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ أَنتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ ( O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You will judge between Your servants...) and said, 'whenever you have a doubt in your heart about the mutual difference of the noble Sahabah, do recite this verse.' Tafsir Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani reports this statement and then says: This teaches us the best etiquette in regard to this issue, and is something one should always bear in mind.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences