Al-Mukhtasar · Tafsir · in English
Ghafir 40:79–85
40:79Page 476
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمَ لِتَرۡكَبُواْ مِنۡهَا وَمِنۡهَا تَأۡكُلُونَ ٧٩
It is Allāh who made for you the grazing animals upon which you ride, and some of them you eat.
Allah is the one who created camels, cows and livestock for you so that you can ride on some of them and consume the meat of some.
40:80Page 476
وَلَكُمۡ فِيهَا مَنَٰفِعُ وَلِتَبۡلُغُواْ عَلَيۡهَا حَاجَةٗ فِي صُدُورِكُمۡ وَعَلَيۡهَا وَعَلَى ٱلۡفُلۡكِ تُحۡمَلُونَ ٨٠
And for you therein are [other] benefits and that you may realize upon them a need which is in your breasts;1 and upon them and upon ships you are carried.
You have many benefits in these creations as well as ships and other modes of transport which change over time. You can use them to acquire whatever necessities you desire to be fulfilled. And from the most apparent of these needs is transportation across the land and sea.
40:81Page 476
وَيُرِيكُمۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ فَأَيَّ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ تُنكِرُونَ ٨١
And He shows you His signs. So which of the signs of Allāh do you deny?
And Allah shows you many of His signs that point to His power and oneness; so which of His signs do you not acknowledge, after it has been established they are His signs?
40:82Page 476
أَفَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡۚ كَانُوٓاْ أَكۡثَرَ مِنۡهُمۡ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةٗ وَءَاثَارٗا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَمَآ أَغۡنَىٰ عَنۡهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يَكۡسِبُونَ ٨٢
Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those before them? They were more numerous than themselves and greater in strength and in impression on the land, but they were not availed by what they used to earn.
Do these rejectors not travel the earth and ponder over what the outcome was of the nations who rejected before them, and take heed from it? Those nations were wealthier, stronger and more influential than them in the world, but their actions and strength did not help them at all when the destructive punishment of Allah came.
40:83Page 476
فَلَمَّا جَآءَتۡهُمۡ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ فَرِحُواْ بِمَا عِندَهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡعِلۡمِ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ ٨٣
And when their messengers came to them with clear proofs, they [merely] rejoiced in what they had of knowledge, but they were enveloped by what they used to ridicule.
When their messengers brought clear proofs and great miracles to them, they denied them and were happy with the knowledge they had that contradicted whatever their messengers came with. So the very punishment they would mock when warned of by their messengers, came upon them.
40:84Page 476
فَلَمَّا رَأَوۡاْ بَأۡسَنَا قَالُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَحۡدَهُۥ وَكَفَرۡنَا بِمَا كُنَّا بِهِۦ مُشۡرِكِينَ ٨٤
And when they saw Our punishment, they said, "We believe in Allāh alone and disbelieve in that which we used to associate with Him."
Then, when they saw My punishment they began confessing, at a time when no confession would benefit them, saying, “We bring faith upon Allah alone, and reject whatever partners and idols we would worship instead of Him.”
40:85Page 476
فَلَمۡ يَكُ يَنفَعُهُمۡ إِيمَٰنُهُمۡ لَمَّا رَأَوۡاْ بَأۡسَنَاۖ سُنَّتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِي قَدۡ خَلَتۡ فِي عِبَادِهِۦۖ وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ ٨٥
But never did their faith benefit them once they saw Our punishment. [It is] the established way of Allāh which has preceded among His servants. And the disbelievers thereupon lost [all].
So their bringing faith upon seeing the punishment descending upon them, did not benefit them. This is the way of Allah that has been consistent among His servants: that their bringing faith upon seeing the punishment is of no use. The disbelievers doomed themselves at the time when the punishment descended, by having put themselves in a place of destruction because of their disbelief in Allah and not repenting from it before seeing the punishment.
Text: Quranic Universal Library (Tarteel), via spa5k/tafsir_api (MIT), at a fixed version. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences