Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
Taha 20:92–122
20:92–94Page 318
قَالَ يَٰهَٰرُونُ مَا مَنَعَكَ إِذۡ رَأَيۡتَهُمۡ ضَلُّوٓاْ ٩٢
[Moses] said, "O Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray,
أَلَّا تَتَّبِعَنِۖ أَفَعَصَيۡتَ أَمۡرِي ٩٣
From following me? Then have you disobeyed my order?"
قَالَ يَبۡنَؤُمَّ لَا تَأۡخُذۡ بِلِحۡيَتِي وَلَا بِرَأۡسِيٓۖ إِنِّي خَشِيتُ أَن تَقُولَ فَرَّقۡتَ بَيۡنَ بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ وَلَمۡ تَرۡقُبۡ قَوۡلِي ٩٤
[Aaron] said, "O son of my mother, do not seize [me] by my beard or by my head. Indeed, I feared that you would say, 'You caused division among the Children of Israel, and you did not observe [or await] my word.'"
Moses took his brother severely to task. Aaron explained that it was not that he had not tried to reform the people, or that he had reconciled himself to their ignorance. On the contrary, he had tried with all the force at his command to dissuade them from adopting such idolatrous practices. However, the problem was that the majority of the people had been influenced by Samiri’s guile and had become his supporters. When Aaron persisted, they were ready to fight and shed blood. Therefore, he was afraid that if he continued his efforts, there would be strife and bloodshed within the community. Aaron said that when matters had reached this stage, he had to choose between two alternatives: either internal strife or postponement of the issue till Moses’ return. Aaron adopted the second alternative as being the more advisable. In many instances, to avoid bloodshed, remaining non-commital is a better option, for the other option may prove to be greater evil.
20:95–98Page 318
قَالَ فَمَا خَطۡبُكَ يَٰسَٰمِرِيُّ ٩٥
[Moses] said, "And what is your case, O Sāmirī?"
قَالَ بَصُرۡتُ بِمَا لَمۡ يَبۡصُرُواْ بِهِۦ فَقَبَضۡتُ قَبۡضَةٗ مِّنۡ أَثَرِ ٱلرَّسُولِ فَنَبَذۡتُهَا وَكَذَٰلِكَ سَوَّلَتۡ لِي نَفۡسِي ٩٦
He said, "I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful [of dust] from the track of the messenger1 and threw it,2 and thus did my soul entice me."
قَالَ فَٱذۡهَبۡ فَإِنَّ لَكَ فِي ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ أَن تَقُولَ لَا مِسَاسَۖ وَإِنَّ لَكَ مَوۡعِدٗا لَّن تُخۡلَفَهُۥۖ وَٱنظُرۡ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَٰهِكَ ٱلَّذِي ظَلۡتَ عَلَيۡهِ عَاكِفٗاۖ لَّنُحَرِّقَنَّهُۥ ثُمَّ لَنَنسِفَنَّهُۥ فِي ٱلۡيَمِّ نَسۡفًا ٩٧
[Moses] said, "Then go. And indeed, it is [decreed] for you in [this] life to say, 'No contact.'1 And indeed, you have an appointment [in the Hereafter] you will not fail to keep. And look at your 'god' to which you remained devoted. We will surely burn it and blow it [i.e., its ashes] into the sea with a blast.
إِنَّمَآ إِلَٰهُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۚ وَسِعَ كُلَّ شَيۡءٍ عِلۡمٗا ٩٨
Your god is only Allāh, except for whom there is no deity. He has encompassed all things in knowledge."
When Moses came to know that Samiri was the leader behind this episode, he made enquiries of him. Samiri cunningly made excuses and said that whatever he had done was done under the influence of divine inspiration (kashf) and that some earth taken from the footprint of the Prophet Moses himself had been included in the idol as being auspicious. Samiri’s attempt to deceive Moses and at the same time win cheap popularity in his community cast a more serious light upon his crime. For his sins, God punished him (according to the Bible) with the disease of leucoderma, with additional punishment to be meted out to him in the life hereafter. His body became so obnoxious that people used to shun him. He became the most hated person in his community. In order to cleanse the Israelites’ minds of the false impression they had formed of the greatness of the calf deity, Moses burnt it before their eyes and floated the ashes in the sea.
20:99–104Page 319
كَذَٰلِكَ نَقُصُّ عَلَيۡكَ مِنۡ أَنۢبَآءِ مَا قَدۡ سَبَقَۚ وَقَدۡ ءَاتَيۡنَٰكَ مِن لَّدُنَّا ذِكۡرٗا ٩٩
Thus, [O Muḥammad], We relate to you from the news of what has preceded. And We have certainly given you from Us a message [i.e., the Qur’ān].
مَّنۡ أَعۡرَضَ عَنۡهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَحۡمِلُ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ وِزۡرًا ١٠٠
Whoever turns away from it - then indeed, he will bear on the Day of Resurrection a burden [i.e., great sin],
خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهِۖ وَسَآءَ لَهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ حِمۡلٗا ١٠١
[Abiding] eternally therein,1 and evil it is for them on the Day of Resurrection as a load -
يَوۡمَ يُنفَخُ فِي ٱلصُّورِۚ وَنَحۡشُرُ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ يَوۡمَئِذٖ زُرۡقٗا ١٠٢
The Day the Horn will be blown. And We will gather the criminals, that Day, blue-eyed.1
يَتَخَٰفَتُونَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ إِن لَّبِثۡتُمۡ إِلَّا عَشۡرٗا ١٠٣
They will murmur among themselves, "You remained not but ten [days in the world]."
نَّحۡنُ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذۡ يَقُولُ أَمۡثَلُهُمۡ طَرِيقَةً إِن لَّبِثۡتُمۡ إِلَّا يَوۡمٗا ١٠٤
We are most knowing of what they say when the best of them in manner [i.e., wisdom or speech] will say, "You remained not but one day."
The fate which befell those who denied the truth brought into this world by the prophets was but a partial demonstration of God’s judgement, which will only fully unfold itself on the Day of Judgement and be applicable to all humanity. The Quran is a reminder of this very reality. When a person ignores the truth in this world, it seems to be a mere triviality, but in the Hereafter, this action of his will become a heavy burden upon him. When the divine trumpet (sur) announces that the period of trial is over, people will suddenly find themselves in another world. When it becomes clear to man that the world which he took to be his own was in fact God’s world, he will be so terror-stricken that his entire being will undergo a transformation, and his face will be a reflection of it. In the present world, man ignores the life hereafter, as if it were something very distant. But, after the advent of Doomsday, he will feel that the life of this world was nothing but a few numbered days, and the entire long life thereafter, stretching out before him into eternity, is the actual and ultimate reality.
20:105–108Page 319
وَيَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡجِبَالِ فَقُلۡ يَنسِفُهَا رَبِّي نَسۡفٗا ١٠٥
And they ask you about the mountains, so say, "My Lord will blow them away with a blast.1
فَيَذَرُهَا قَاعٗا صَفۡصَفٗا ١٠٦
And He will leave it [i.e., the earth] a level plain;
لَّا تَرَىٰ فِيهَا عِوَجٗا وَلَآ أَمۡتٗا ١٠٧
You will not see therein a depression or an elevation."
يَوۡمَئِذٖ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلدَّاعِيَ لَا عِوَجَ لَهُۥۖ وَخَشَعَتِ ٱلۡأَصۡوَاتُ لِلرَّحۡمَٰنِ فَلَا تَسۡمَعُ إِلَّا هَمۡسٗا ١٠٨
That Day, they [i.e., everyone] will follow [the call of] the Caller1 [with] no deviation therefrom, and [all] voices will be stilled before the Most Merciful, so you will not hear except a whisper [of footsteps].
On Doomsday, the earth will be turned into a flattened plain. At that time there will be neither the heights of the mountains nor the depths of the seas. All human beings will be reborn and assembled on this ground. In this world when God’s voice is directed to mankind through His spokesmen, it is ignored by many individuals. But, on Doomsday, when God will directly call the people, they will follow the direction of His voice without the slightest deviation. People will be so terrified that they will not be able to utter a single word. Except for the sound of dragging feet, no other sound will be heard.
20:109–112Page 319
يَوۡمَئِذٖ لَّا تَنفَعُ ٱلشَّفَٰعَةُ إِلَّا مَنۡ أَذِنَ لَهُ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ وَرَضِيَ لَهُۥ قَوۡلٗا ١٠٩
That Day, no intercession will benefit except [that of] one to whom the Most Merciful has given permission and has accepted his word.
يَعۡلَمُ مَا بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَمَا خَلۡفَهُمۡ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِهِۦ عِلۡمٗا ١١٠
He [i.e., Allāh] knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them,1 but they do not encompass it [i.e., what He knows] in knowledge.
۞ وَعَنَتِ ٱلۡوُجُوهُ لِلۡحَيِّ ٱلۡقَيُّومِۖ وَقَدۡ خَابَ مَنۡ حَمَلَ ظُلۡمٗا ١١١
And [all] faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining.1 And he will have failed who carries injustice.2
وَمَن يَعۡمَلۡ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٞ فَلَا يَخَافُ ظُلۡمٗا وَلَا هَضۡمٗا ١١٢
But he who does of righteous deeds while he is a believer - he will neither fear injustice nor deprivation.
It is baseless to believe that recommendation in itself is effective. God, being fully aware of the condition of His subjects, needs no reports from others. Nor is He weak: He is not, therefore, amenable to pressures. However, under certain special circumstances, God Himself may be pleased to honour a request. On the Day of Judgement, real importance will be attached to what the individual has brought with him in terms of his piety, his good deeds and his personal virtues. One who has founded his life on untruth is bound to meet with failure in the Hereafter. There, only those will be successful who recognised their Lord—who remained invisible in this world—and who shaped their lives in accordance with His will and pleasure.
20:113–114Page 319
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلۡنَٰهُ قُرۡءَانًا عَرَبِيّٗا وَصَرَّفۡنَا فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلۡوَعِيدِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَّقُونَ أَوۡ يُحۡدِثُ لَهُمۡ ذِكۡرٗا ١١٣
And thus We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’ān1 and have diversified therein the warnings that perhaps they will avoid [sin] or it would cause them remembrance.
فَتَعَٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمَلِكُ ٱلۡحَقُّۗ وَلَا تَعۡجَلۡ بِٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يُقۡضَىٰٓ إِلَيۡكَ وَحۡيُهُۥۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدۡنِي عِلۡمٗا ١١٤
So high [above all] is Allāh, the Sovereign,1 the Truth.2 And, [O Muḥammad], do not hasten with [recitation of] the Qur’ān before its revelation is completed to you, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge."
A dayee should have two major aims: to bring about a psychological revolution in his addressees so that they may become God-fearing or at least he should be able to raise questions in his hearers about his call. During the Dawah campaign in Makkah, the addressees were raising all sorts of questions, creating problems for the Prophet. The Prophet naturally wanted that the intervals between the revelations could be reduced, so that he could receive God’s guidance more frequently. This would have enabled him to deal more promptly and effectively with the questions and problems which arose daily during his dawah work in Makkah. He was told that the process of revelation was in accordance with a divine, pre-ordained plan. It would continue as the occasion warranted, and would reach its completion in due course. He was asked not to desire the revelation of future parts of the Quran before their divinely appointed time. However, he was advised to pray to God to increase his understanding of the vast wisdom enshrined in the verses of the Quran. Instead of wishing for an early revelation of Quranic verses, he was expected to have the desire to understand the reason for their being revealed gradually, on a pre-planned scale of priority.
20:115–117Page 320
وَلَقَدۡ عَهِدۡنَآ إِلَىٰٓ ءَادَمَ مِن قَبۡلُ فَنَسِيَ وَلَمۡ نَجِدۡ لَهُۥ عَزۡمٗا ١١٥
And We had already taken a promise from Adam before, but he forgot; and We found not in him determination.1
وَإِذۡ قُلۡنَا لِلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسۡجُدُواْ لِأٓدَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِبۡلِيسَ أَبَىٰ ١١٦
And [mention] when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," and they prostrated, except Iblees;1 he refused.
فَقُلۡنَا يَٰٓـَٔادَمُ إِنَّ هَٰذَا عَدُوّٞ لَّكَ وَلِزَوۡجِكَ فَلَا يُخۡرِجَنَّكُمَا مِنَ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ فَتَشۡقَىٰٓ ١١٧
So We said, "O Adam, indeed this is an enemy to you and to your wife. Then let him not remove you from Paradise so you would suffer.
To adhere steadfastly to God’s commandments, unwavering determination is essential. If a man is influenced by irrelevant factors, he will undoubtedly deviate from the path of God. In order to remain steadfastly on the path of God, it is not enough to know what His commandment is; it is also absolutely necessary to have the will to resist all that goes against His commandment, and not to let himself be influenced by it. When God ordered that all should kneel down before Adam, the angels immediately dropped to their knees. But Satan did not do so. The reason for this difference in behaviour was that the angels treated this matter as pertaining to God, whereas Satan, on the contrary, saw it as the affair of a mere mortal. When an issue concerns God, man has no option but to bow to His wishes. But when it is treated as relating to a human being, the person in question will appraise the human being before him. If the latter is comparatively stronger, he will kneel down; otherwise he will refuse to kneel down, even if such an action be the demand of truth and justice.
20:118–122Page 320
إِنَّ لَكَ أَلَّا تَجُوعَ فِيهَا وَلَا تَعۡرَىٰ ١١٨
Indeed, it is [promised] for you not to be hungry therein or be unclothed.
وَأَنَّكَ لَا تَظۡمَؤُاْ فِيهَا وَلَا تَضۡحَىٰ ١١٩
And indeed, you will not be thirsty therein or be hot from the sun."
فَوَسۡوَسَ إِلَيۡهِ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ قَالَ يَٰٓـَٔادَمُ هَلۡ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَةِ ٱلۡخُلۡدِ وَمُلۡكٖ لَّا يَبۡلَىٰ ١٢٠
Then Satan whispered to him; he said, "O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate?"
فَأَكَلَا مِنۡهَا فَبَدَتۡ لَهُمَا سَوۡءَٰتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخۡصِفَانِ عَلَيۡهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ ٱلۡجَنَّةِۚ وَعَصَىٰٓ ءَادَمُ رَبَّهُۥ فَغَوَىٰ ١٢١
And they [i.e., Adam and his wife] ate of it, and their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred.
ثُمَّ ٱجۡتَبَٰهُ رَبُّهُۥ فَتَابَ عَلَيۡهِ وَهَدَىٰ ١٢٢
Then his Lord chose him and turned to him in forgiveness and guided [him].
God kept Adam, with his spouse, in paradise, where he was freely and amply provided with all the necessities of life – food, clothing, water and shelter. Adam was not required to do anything in return for these blessings, unlike in the present world where man has to earn all these things by his own hard labour. In paradise, the fruit of a certain tree was prohibited for Adam. But Satan came and described to him the eternal advantages of this fruit. Adam, influenced by what he said, ate it, then immediately felt that he was naked. This was symbolic of the fact that God had instantly withdrawn the guarantee of providing him with sustenance without his having to earn it by his own labour. Thereafter, on his supplication and repentance, he was pardoned. However, he was removed from a world where God’s bounty had been freely given and sent to a world where he had to earn his living by the sweat of his brow. Such was the beginning of human existence on this earth.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences