Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
الصافات
As-Saffat
Those who set the Ranks · Meccan · 182 ayahs
37:1–5Page 446
وَٱلصَّٰٓفَّٰتِ صَفّٗا ١
By those [angels] lined up in rows
فَٱلزَّٰجِرَٰتِ زَجۡرٗا ٢
And those who drive [the clouds]
فَٱلتَّٰلِيَٰتِ ذِكۡرًا ٣
And those who recite the message,1
إِنَّ إِلَٰهَكُمۡ لَوَٰحِدٞ ٤
Indeed, your God is One,
رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَا وَرَبُّ ٱلۡمَشَٰرِقِ ٥
Lord of the heavens and the earth and that between them and Lord of the sunrises.1
One of the secrets revealed through the Prophet is the existence of angels. Here, three special aspects of the angels have been mentioned. First, they are completely obedient to God. Without the slightest hesitation or objection, they carry out His orders. Then there is a group of angels which implements the punishments imposed by God on human beings, either in the shape of calamities or untoward incidents or in any other manner dictated by Him. The angels also bring God’s advice to man in the form of inspiration or intuition (ilham) and as revelation (wahi) to the prophets.
37:6–10Page 446
إِنَّا زَيَّنَّا ٱلسَّمَآءَ ٱلدُّنۡيَا بِزِينَةٍ ٱلۡكَوَاكِبِ ٦
Indeed, We have adorned the nearest heaven with an adornment of stars
وَحِفۡظٗا مِّن كُلِّ شَيۡطَٰنٖ مَّارِدٖ ٧
And as protection against every rebellious devil
لَّا يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى ٱلۡمَلَإِ ٱلۡأَعۡلَىٰ وَيُقۡذَفُونَ مِن كُلِّ جَانِبٖ ٨
[So] they may not listen to the exalted assembly [of angels] and are pelted from every side,1
دُحُورٗاۖ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٞ وَاصِبٌ ٩
Repelled; and for them is a constant punishment,
إِلَّا مَنۡ خَطِفَ ٱلۡخَطۡفَةَ فَأَتۡبَعَهُۥ شِهَابٞ ثَاقِبٞ ١٠
Except one who snatches [some words] by theft, but they are pursued by a burning flame, piercing [in brightness].
‘The lowest heaven’ (as-sama’ ad-dunya) perhaps refers to that part of space which is nearer to man and which can be seen with the naked eye. The creatures such as the jinn attempt to fathom information about the unknown. But in the lowest heaven itself the arrangement is such that any such brazen endeavour is disrupted by occurrences like the shower of meteors.
37:11–18Page 446
فَٱسۡتَفۡتِهِمۡ أَهُمۡ أَشَدُّ خَلۡقًا أَم مَّنۡ خَلَقۡنَآۚ إِنَّا خَلَقۡنَٰهُم مِّن طِينٖ لَّازِبِۭ ١١
Then inquire of them, [O Muḥammad], "Are they a stronger [or more difficult] creation or those [others] We have created?" Indeed, We created them [i.e., men] from sticky clay.
بَلۡ عَجِبۡتَ وَيَسۡخَرُونَ ١٢
But you wonder, while they mock,
وَإِذَا ذُكِّرُواْ لَا يَذۡكُرُونَ ١٣
And when they are reminded, they remember not.
وَإِذَا رَأَوۡاْ ءَايَةٗ يَسۡتَسۡخِرُونَ ١٤
And when they see a sign, they ridicule.
وَقَالُوٓاْ إِنۡ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحۡرٞ مُّبِينٌ ١٥
And say, "This is not but obvious magic.
أَءِذَا مِتۡنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابٗا وَعِظَٰمًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبۡعُوثُونَ ١٦
When we have died and become dust and bones, are we indeed to be resurrected?
أَوَءَابَآؤُنَا ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ ١٧
And our forefathers [as well]?"
قُلۡ نَعَمۡ وَأَنتُمۡ دَٰخِرُونَ ١٨
Say, "Yes, and you will be [rendered] contemptible."
The universe as we observe from the earth is so complicated and so extensive that the re-creation of human beings in the next world appears to be a work of comparatively smaller magnitude. A greater specimen of the creative power of the Creator is before us, then why should it be impossible for that Creator to engage in creation on a lesser scale? On analysing the human body, it appears that it is a combination of earthly components. Man is made up of substances found on earth, such as water, calcium, iron, sodium, etc. All these are found in our world in abundance, then by utilising the same elements from which He once created human beings, can He not re-create man?
37:19–26Page 446
فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجۡرَةٞ وَٰحِدَةٞ فَإِذَا هُمۡ يَنظُرُونَ ١٩
It will be only one shout, and at once they will be observing.
وَقَالُواْ يَٰوَيۡلَنَا هَٰذَا يَوۡمُ ٱلدِّينِ ٢٠
They will say, "O woe to us! This is the Day of Recompense."
هَٰذَا يَوۡمُ ٱلۡفَصۡلِ ٱلَّذِي كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ ٢١
[They will be told], "This is the Day of Judgement which you used to deny."
۞ ٱحۡشُرُواْ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ وَأَزۡوَٰجَهُمۡ وَمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡبُدُونَ ٢٢
[The angels will be ordered], "Gather those who committed wrong, their kinds,1 and what they used to worship
مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَٱهۡدُوهُمۡ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطِ ٱلۡجَحِيمِ ٢٣
Other than Allāh, and guide them to the path of Hellfire
وَقِفُوهُمۡۖ إِنَّهُم مَّسۡـُٔولُونَ ٢٤
And stop them; indeed, they are to be questioned."
مَا لَكُمۡ لَا تَنَاصَرُونَ ٢٥
[They will be asked], "What is [wrong] with you? Why do you not help each other?"
بَلۡ هُمُ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ مُسۡتَسۡلِمُونَ ٢٦
But they, that Day, are in surrender.
In the present world, tidings of the future life or life in the Hereafter, are regularly communicated. But man attaches no importance to this. In the Hereafter, the reality of future life will seize man. At that time, man will forget his arrogance and will prostrate himself before God. This will be an indescribably terrible scene. The position in which people will be, when they have gathered to be judged, on the Day of Resurrection (hashr) has been described in the above verses.
37:27–33Page 447
وَأَقۡبَلَ بَعۡضُهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٖ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ ٢٧
And they will approach one another asking [i.e., blaming] each other.
قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّكُمۡ كُنتُمۡ تَأۡتُونَنَا عَنِ ٱلۡيَمِينِ ٢٨
They will say, "Indeed, you used to come at us from the right."1
قَالُواْ بَل لَّمۡ تَكُونُواْ مُؤۡمِنِينَ ٢٩
They [i.e., the oppressors] will say, "Rather, you [yourselves] were not believers,
وَمَا كَانَ لَنَا عَلَيۡكُم مِّن سُلۡطَٰنِۭۖ بَلۡ كُنتُمۡ قَوۡمٗا طَٰغِينَ ٣٠
And we had over you no authority, but you were a transgressing people.
فَحَقَّ عَلَيۡنَا قَوۡلُ رَبِّنَآۖ إِنَّا لَذَآئِقُونَ ٣١
So the word [i.e., decree] of our Lord has come into effect upon us; indeed, we will taste [punishment].
فَأَغۡوَيۡنَٰكُمۡ إِنَّا كُنَّا غَٰوِينَ ٣٢
And we led you to deviation; indeed, we were deviators."
فَإِنَّهُمۡ يَوۡمَئِذٖ فِي ٱلۡعَذَابِ مُشۡتَرِكُونَ ٣٣
So indeed they, that Day, will be sharing in the punishment.
This is a dialogue between leader and his community. On the Day of Judgement, the latter will attribute their miserable condition to their misguided leaders and say that they were misled by their leaders in different ways. The leaders will deny this allegation and say, ‘Nobody misleads anybody. You yourselves were full of arrogance. So you found whatever we said in consonance with your nature and you accepted it. In fact, you have followed your own desires and not our dictates. Both of us are equally guilty.’ The fact is that, on the Day of Judgement, leaders and followers will be given the same treatment. Neither will the so-called greatness of the leaders save them, nor will the followers’ excuse that they were ignorant and that they were misguided by their leaders be of any avail.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences