Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
Al-Mu'minun 23:63–92
23:63–67Page 346
بَلۡ قُلُوبُهُمۡ فِي غَمۡرَةٖ مِّنۡ هَٰذَا وَلَهُمۡ أَعۡمَٰلٞ مِّن دُونِ ذَٰلِكَ هُمۡ لَهَا عَٰمِلُونَ ٦٣
But their hearts are covered with confusion over this, and they have [evil] deeds besides that [i.e., disbelief] which they are doing,
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَخَذۡنَا مُتۡرَفِيهِم بِٱلۡعَذَابِ إِذَا هُمۡ يَجۡـَٔرُونَ ٦٤
Until when We seize their affluent ones with punishment,1 at once they are crying [to Allāh] for help.
لَا تَجۡـَٔرُواْ ٱلۡيَوۡمَۖ إِنَّكُم مِّنَّا لَا تُنصَرُونَ ٦٥
Do not cry out today. Indeed, by Us you will not be helped.
قَدۡ كَانَتۡ ءَايَٰتِي تُتۡلَىٰ عَلَيۡكُمۡ فَكُنتُمۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَعۡقَٰبِكُمۡ تَنكِصُونَ ٦٦
My verses had already been recited to you, but you were turning back on your heels
مُسۡتَكۡبِرِينَ بِهِۦ سَٰمِرٗا تَهۡجُرُونَ ٦٧
In arrogance regarding it,1 conversing by night, speaking evil.
Those completely devoted to the life of this world are not interested in any discourses about God or the Hereafter. Their interests are quite different from those of true men of faith. Talk of God and the Hereafter, however effectively presented, does not, therefore, appeal to them. They ignore all such talk, and are lost in their worldly pursuits. But, with the onset of God’s retribution, such people forget their recklessness and arrogance and start pleading humbly. At that time they bow down before God. But, doing so at that juncture is useless, because only that submission before God carries weight which is done on seeing God’s sign. Bowing down when God Himself appears in all His Might, has no value.
23:68–71Page 346
أَفَلَمۡ يَدَّبَّرُواْ ٱلۡقَوۡلَ أَمۡ جَآءَهُم مَّا لَمۡ يَأۡتِ ءَابَآءَهُمُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ٦٨
Then have they not reflected over the word [i.e., the Qur’ān], or has there come to them that which had not come to their forefathers?
أَمۡ لَمۡ يَعۡرِفُواْ رَسُولَهُمۡ فَهُمۡ لَهُۥ مُنكِرُونَ ٦٩
Or did they not know their Messenger, so they are toward him disacknowledging?
أَمۡ يَقُولُونَ بِهِۦ جِنَّةُۢۚ بَلۡ جَآءَهُم بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَأَكۡثَرُهُمۡ لِلۡحَقِّ كَٰرِهُونَ ٧٠
Or do they say, "In him is madness"? Rather, he brought them the truth, but most of them, to the truth, are averse.
وَلَوِ ٱتَّبَعَ ٱلۡحَقُّ أَهۡوَآءَهُمۡ لَفَسَدَتِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتُ وَٱلۡأَرۡضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّۚ بَلۡ أَتَيۡنَٰهُم بِذِكۡرِهِمۡ فَهُمۡ عَن ذِكۡرِهِم مُّعۡرِضُونَ ٧١
But if the Truth [i.e., Allāh] had followed their inclinations, the heavens and the earth and whoever is in them would have been ruined. Rather, We have brought them their message,1 but they, from their message, are turning away.
Truth is that which is in consonance with reality. But, those given to self-indulgence want the Truth to be made subservient to their desires. Therefore, when a preacher speaks of the Truth, they are unhappy with him. They do not want to be subservient to the Truth. They want the Truth to be subservient to them. On account of this mentality they do not pay any attention to the call of Truth. The Truth appears strange to them, and they are, therefore, unable to recognise the real position of the preacher. Indeed, in order to show that they are on the right path, they try to prove him wrong. In the universe, there appears to be perfect harmony. On the contrary, in the world of human beings one sees disturbance and turbulence everywhere. The reason for this situation is that the system of the universe is running on the basis of Truth (law of nature), i.e. whatever should happen actually happens, and whatever should not happen does not happen. If the system of the universe also started running on the basis of the desires of human beings, it would also become fraught with the same disturbance and turbulence as is found in the world of mankind. Advice and criticism are to most people unpalatable. There are very few individuals who listen to advice and criticism with an open mind. Many people just go through life ignoring it, hence shutting the door of development upon themselves.
23:72–74Page 346
أَمۡ تَسۡـَٔلُهُمۡ خَرۡجٗا فَخَرَاجُ رَبِّكَ خَيۡرٞۖ وَهُوَ خَيۡرُ ٱلرَّٰزِقِينَ ٧٢
Or do you, [O Muḥammad], ask them for payment? But the reward of your Lord is best, and He is the best of providers.
وَإِنَّكَ لَتَدۡعُوهُمۡ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٖ مُّسۡتَقِيمٖ ٧٣
And indeed, you invite them to a straight path.
وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ عَنِ ٱلصِّرَٰطِ لَنَٰكِبُونَ ٧٤
But indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter are deviating from the path.
A prophet does not anticipate any monetary gains from his addressee- community. The relationship between a prophet and his addressee-community is an extremely delicate one. If, on the one hand, the preacher gives the message of Truth and Hereafter, but at the same time seeks worldly benefits, his call for Truth will become ridiculous. This is why a prophet never makes any material demands upon his addressee-community, even though, due to this policy, he may himself have to suffer material loss. The real remuneration of such a preacher of Truth is Truth itself. His discovery of God is his greatest asset. The divine experiences which he gains while leading his life as a preacher provide the best nourishment to his soul. His striving to uphold and to inclucate the highest ideals is the biggest source of satisfaction to him. One who is ever anxious about the life Hereafter, will be the one who will give a positive response to the call for Truth. Realisation of the Hereafter makes a man serious, and seriousness is the sole factor which, with the support of convincing arguments, compels a man to accept the Truth.
23:75–77Page 347
۞ وَلَوۡ رَحِمۡنَٰهُمۡ وَكَشَفۡنَا مَا بِهِم مِّن ضُرّٖ لَّلَجُّواْ فِي طُغۡيَٰنِهِمۡ يَعۡمَهُونَ ٧٥
And even if We gave them mercy and removed what was upon them of affliction, they would persist in their transgression, wandering blindly.
وَلَقَدۡ أَخَذۡنَٰهُم بِٱلۡعَذَابِ فَمَا ٱسۡتَكَانُواْ لِرَبِّهِمۡ وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ ٧٦
And We had gripped them with suffering [as a warning], but they did not yield to their Lord, nor did they humbly supplicate, [and will continue thus]
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فَتَحۡنَا عَلَيۡهِم بَابٗا ذَا عَذَابٖ شَدِيدٍ إِذَا هُمۡ فِيهِ مُبۡلِسُونَ ٧٧
Until when We have opened before them a door of severe punishment, immediately they will be therein in despair.
In the Makkan period of Islam when the Quraysh rejected the Prophet Muhammad, God imposed famine conditions on the people of Makkah for several years. In accordance with God’s scheme of things, when a community adopts an arrogant attitude and does not accept good advice, He administers a warning punishment to that community in order to soften their hearts and make them pay attention to the Truth. But, events show that man does not learn lessons either from good or adverse conditions. The purpose of both ease and adversity is that man should turn towards God. But, man thinks that the coming of good times is the result of his own talents, while he attributes hard times to the turn of events. In this way he fails to learn a lesson from either set of conditions. Man remains heedless in this way until it is time for God’s final verdict. At that time, he is wonderstruck that what he had considered unimportant and ignored, was the greatest and most important reality of this world.
23:78–80Page 347
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنشَأَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرَ وَٱلۡأَفۡـِٔدَةَۚ قَلِيلٗا مَّا تَشۡكُرُونَ ٧٨
And it is He who produced for you hearing and vision and hearts [i.e., intellect]; little are you grateful.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي ذَرَأَكُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَإِلَيۡهِ تُحۡشَرُونَ ٧٩
And it is He who has multiplied you throughout the earth, and to Him you will be gathered.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي يُحۡيِۦ وَيُمِيتُ وَلَهُ ٱخۡتِلَٰفُ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ ٨٠
And it is He who gives life and causes death, and His is the alternation of the night and the day. Then will you not reason?
In this universe the human being is a special creation who has been endowed with the exceptional powers of sight, hearing and thought. These capacities have been given to man for the special purpose of understanding the reality of life. He should use his ears to hear the voice of Truth. With his eyes he should recognise the signs of God that are spread around him and he should use his thinking powers to discover the Creator in His creations. Doing so amounts to being thankful to God and those who do not give evidence of such thankfulness in this world risk losing their entitlement to these gifts forever. Among the attributes of God that are prominently visible in this world are His powers to create a life, to take it and revive it again (as in the case of a barren land). In the hereafter, God will assemble the entire mankind before Him. That Day, He will remove the veil of ignorance and the reality will stand fully revealed.
23:81–83Page 347
بَلۡ قَالُواْ مِثۡلَ مَا قَالَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ ٨١
Rather,1 they say like what the former peoples said.
قَالُوٓاْ أَءِذَا مِتۡنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابٗا وَعِظَٰمًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبۡعُوثُونَ ٨٢
They said, "When we have died and become dust and bones, are we indeed to be resurrected?
لَقَدۡ وُعِدۡنَا نَحۡنُ وَءَابَآؤُنَا هَٰذَا مِن قَبۡلُ إِنۡ هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ٨٣
We have been promised this, we and our forefathers, before; this is not but legends of the former peoples."
Man has been endowed with wisdom, which gives him the capacity to go deep into matters and discover the underlying reality. But, it seldom happens that man uses his wisdom in the real sense. He forms opinions on the basis of outward appearances. There are very few who consciously and openly deny the existence of the life hereafter. However, many can in fact be said to reject this belief. These are such as only formally accept the existence of the life hereafter, but in practice lead their lives as if they have no belief that they will be resurrected after death and presented before God to account for their deeds.
23:84–89Page 347
قُل لِّمَنِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ وَمَن فِيهَآ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ ٨٤
Say, [O Muḥammad], "To whom belongs the earth and whoever is in it, if you should know?"
سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِۚ قُلۡ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ٨٥
They will say, "To Allāh." Say, "Then will you not remember?"
قُلۡ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ ٱلسَّبۡعِ وَرَبُّ ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ ٨٦
Say, "Who is Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Great Throne?"
سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِۚ قُلۡ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ٨٧
They will say, "[They belong] to Allāh." Say, "Then will you not fear Him?"
قُلۡ مَنۢ بِيَدِهِۦ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيۡهِ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ ٨٨
Say, "In whose hand is the realm of all things - and He protects while none can protect against Him - if you should know?"
سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِۚ قُلۡ فَأَنَّىٰ تُسۡحَرُونَ ٨٩
They will say, "[All belongs] to Allāh." Say, "Then how are you deluded?"
In these verses, a certain contradiction in thinking has been referred to by which the majority of people in every age have been afflicted. Most people admit that the Creator of the earth and the heavens is the one and only God; that He is their Lord and He controls them; that He enjoys all the superior powers. Yet their lives do not in any way reflect this acknowledgement. Such sublime truth demands that it permeates their thinking. The realisation of God should make them truly God-conscious. It should so become a part of their nature that, when they come face to face with the Truth, they admit it immediately. Their whole life should be moulded upon it. But, in actual fact, none of this happens. They accept God as a formal belief, but their real lives are not affected by it. The conception of God does not cast any spell over such individuals. On the contrary, they remain enamoured of trivial things. How strange is man’s behaviour!
23:90–92Page 348
بَلۡ أَتَيۡنَٰهُم بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَإِنَّهُمۡ لَكَٰذِبُونَ ٩٠
Rather, We have brought them the truth, and indeed they are liars.
مَا ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِن وَلَدٖ وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُۥ مِنۡ إِلَٰهٍۚ إِذٗا لَّذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَٰهِۭ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا بَعۡضُهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٖۚ سُبۡحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ٩١
Allāh has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have [sought to] overcome others. Exalted is Allāh above what they describe [concerning Him].
عَٰلِمِ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ فَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشۡرِكُونَ ٩٢
[He is] Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, so high is He above what they associate [with Him].
The nature of power is such that it does not tolerate division. If there are multiple power centres, each strives unceasingly to overpower the others. Now take a look at the universe. The stellar bodies follow their regime strictly and harmoniously. Had there been a separate god for every entity, each one would have distanced himself from the others along with his own part and no harmony would have existed among the different parts. Due to conflict among the various gods, the entire system of the universe would have been disturbed. Given the above, it is clear that the theory of the unity of Godhead is the Truth while the theory of polytheism stands discarded.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences