Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
Az-Zumar 39:32–61
39:32–35Page 462
۞ فَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّن كَذَبَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ وَكَذَّبَ بِٱلصِّدۡقِ إِذۡ جَآءَهُۥٓۚ أَلَيۡسَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ مَثۡوٗى لِّلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ٣٢
So who is more unjust than one who lies about Allāh and denies the truth when it has come to him? Is there not in Hell a residence for the disbelievers?
وَٱلَّذِي جَآءَ بِٱلصِّدۡقِ وَصَدَّقَ بِهِۦٓ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَ ٣٣
And the one who has brought the truth [i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)] and [they who] believed in it - those are the righteous.
لَهُم مَّا يَشَآءُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ ٣٤
They will have whatever they desire with their Lord. That is the reward of the doers of good -
لِيُكَفِّرَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡهُمۡ أَسۡوَأَ ٱلَّذِي عَمِلُواْ وَيَجۡزِيَهُمۡ أَجۡرَهُم بِأَحۡسَنِ ٱلَّذِي كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ ٣٥
That Allāh may remove from them the worst of what they did and reward them their due for the best of what they used to do.
Every ideology which is against the reality amounts to levelling a false allegation against God. In every age, people have been living on such falsehoods. The mission of the dayee is to prove the falsehood of such theories. Even then, there are people who are adamant in their adherence to such false ideologies. It is they who will be cast into the fire of Hell, whereas those who mend themselves, become supporters of the Truth and prove themselves to be God-fearing, will have the appreciation of Almighty God, who will overlook their failings and value them for their good deeds.
39:36–37Page 462
أَلَيۡسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبۡدَهُۥۖ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦۚ وَمَن يُضۡلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنۡ هَادٖ ٣٦
Is not Allāh sufficient for His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)]? And [yet], they threaten you with those [they worship] other than Him. And whoever Allāh leaves astray - for him there is no guide.
وَمَن يَهۡدِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن مُّضِلٍّۗ أَلَيۡسَ ٱللَّهُ بِعَزِيزٖ ذِي ٱنتِقَامٖ ٣٧
And whoever Allāh guides - for him there is no misleader. Is not Allāh Exalted in Might and Owner of Retribution?
The Prophet Muhammad preached the Unity of God. But he did not stop at only the positive declaration of ‘God is one’. At the same time he used to negate those non-godly beings whom the people themselves had given the status of deities. This second part of his mission had become unbearable to the people. Those non-godly beings were, in fact, their national heroes. For centuries exaggerated tales of their miraculous deeds had held the people in thrall. The greatness of these beings had captured people’s minds to such an extent that when the Prophet Muhammad contradicted the idea of their holiness, they could not understand how they could be other than holy. They asked the Prophet Muhammad to desist from speaking against their gods, otherwise they warned that he would be destroyed. The preacher of Truth was ordered not to pay heed to remarks of this kind, and to continue to perform the dual task of advocating the Unity of God and rejection of polytheism—all this while relying up on God and praying for the Truth to become clear and manifest.
39:38–41Page 462
وَلَئِن سَأَلۡتَهُم مَّنۡ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُۚ قُلۡ أَفَرَءَيۡتُم مَّا تَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِنۡ أَرَادَنِيَ ٱللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ هَلۡ هُنَّ كَٰشِفَٰتُ ضُرِّهِۦٓ أَوۡ أَرَادَنِي بِرَحۡمَةٍ هَلۡ هُنَّ مُمۡسِكَٰتُ رَحۡمَتِهِۦۚ قُلۡ حَسۡبِيَ ٱللَّهُۖ عَلَيۡهِ يَتَوَكَّلُ ٱلۡمُتَوَكِّلُونَ ٣٨
And if you asked them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?" they would surely say, "Allāh." Say, "Then have you considered1 what you invoke besides Allāh? If Allāh intended me harm, are they removers of His harm; or if He intended me mercy, are they withholders of His mercy?" Say, "Sufficient for me is Allāh; upon Him [alone] rely the [wise] reliers."
قُلۡ يَٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡمَلُواْ عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمۡ إِنِّي عَٰمِلٞۖ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَ ٣٩
Say, "O my people, work according to your position, [for] indeed, I am working; and you are going to know
مَن يَأۡتِيهِ عَذَابٞ يُخۡزِيهِ وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيۡهِ عَذَابٞ مُّقِيمٌ ٤٠
To whom will come a torment disgracing him and on whom will descend an enduring punishment."
إِنَّآ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ لِلنَّاسِ بِٱلۡحَقِّۖ فَمَنِ ٱهۡتَدَىٰ فَلِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيۡهَاۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيۡهِم بِوَكِيلٍ ٤١
Indeed, We sent down to you the Book for the people in truth. So whoever is guided - it is for [the benefit of] his soul; and whoever goes astray only goes astray to its detriment. And you are not a manager [i.e., authority] over them.
In every age, man has worshipped beings other than God, but nobody has had the courage to say that their deities created the heavens and the earth, or that the real causes of comfort or distress were in their power. It is very strange that, in spite of this uncertainty, people are not ready to leave their false gods. When all the arguments and pleadings of a preacher prove ineffective in influencing his people, the only alternative left for him is to tell them to do whatever they like and to warn them that when the Day of Final Judgement arrives, it will be made clear who is on the right path and who is on the wrong one. This is an expression of certainty on the basis of arguments, and is always the final word of a missionary.
39:42Page 463
ٱللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى ٱلۡأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوۡتِهَا وَٱلَّتِي لَمۡ تَمُتۡ فِي مَنَامِهَاۖ فَيُمۡسِكُ ٱلَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيۡهَا ٱلۡمَوۡتَ وَيُرۡسِلُ ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّقَوۡمٖ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ٤٢
Allāh takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.
While sleeping a man loses consciousness. In this sense, sleep is similar to death. When he wakes up from sleep, he regains consciousness. This is a foretaste of resurrection after death. Through this system of nature, a man is shown today itself in an elementary manner how he will die and how he will rise up again. If he gives serious consideration to this matter, he will find in this very mundane event a great lesson of the Hereafter.
39:43–48Page 463
أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ شُفَعَآءَۚ قُلۡ أَوَلَوۡ كَانُواْ لَا يَمۡلِكُونَ شَيۡـٔٗا وَلَا يَعۡقِلُونَ ٤٣
Or have they taken other than Allāh as intercessors? Say, "Even though they do not possess [power over] anything, nor do they reason?"
قُل لِّلَّهِ ٱلشَّفَٰعَةُ جَمِيعٗاۖ لَّهُۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ ٤٤
Say, "To Allāh belongs [the right to allow] intercession entirely. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Then to Him you will be returned."
وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَحۡدَهُ ٱشۡمَأَزَّتۡ قُلُوبُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱلۡأٓخِرَةِۖ وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِذَا هُمۡ يَسۡتَبۡشِرُونَ ٤٥
And when Allāh is mentioned alone, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion, but when those [worshipped] other than Him are mentioned, immediately they rejoice.
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."
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.
Those believed by polytheists to be potential intermediaries between them and God were not simply stone statues. They were actually the statues of great men who lived among them. These supposed intermediaries were in reality their national heroes to whom they owed allegiance and who, they believed, would be adequate mediators before God. Those who entertain such beliefs about beings other than God, gradually reach the point where their loyalty is dedicated solely to these beings. They are pleased to hear the praises of these beings; the proclamation of the Majesty of the One and only God does not nourish their souls. With such people, howsoever one advocates the cause of the pure Unity of God, they do not accept it. Their eyes will open only when, on the Day of Judgement, the Majesty of God reveals itself. Today, man is not even ready to offer words of acceptance, but at that time (on the Day of Judgment), he will wish to offer whatever he has as compensation in order to save himself. But, on that Day, nothing will be of avail to him except the merit of his own deeds.
39:49–52Page 464
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 the world, when man achieves anything, he is very happy to think that it is the result of his own talents. The fact is that the things of the world are meant as a trial for him and not as a reward for his talents. To know this fact is to have real knowledge. If a man considers that the things of this world are within his grasp because of his talents, he develops the mentality of pride and vanity. On the contrary, if a man considers them as items of trial, feelings of gratitude and humility will be engendered in him. The increase or decrease in the provision of man in this world is a matter which is beyond human powers. It appears that there is a power beyond the human sphere which decides who should receive more and who should receive less. This shows that decisions regarding provision is not made on the basis of personal talents. It is decided on some other basis, and that basis is that this world is a testing ground and not a place for the handing out of rewards. So, whatever a man receives in this world is for his trial. The Examiner, at his discretion, gives one type of examination paper to one person and another type of paper to another. He tries one person under one set of conditions, while He tries others under a different set of conditions.
39:53–54Page 464
۞ قُلۡ يَٰعِبَادِيَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسۡرَفُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُواْ مِن رَّحۡمَةِ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًاۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٥٣
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh forgives all sins.1 Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
وَأَنِيبُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمۡ وَأَسۡلِمُواْ لَهُۥ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَكُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ ٥٤
And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.
When those who possess sensitive hearts are blessed with a deep realisation of God (ma‘rifah), they start becoming worried as to what would happen about their past sins. Similarly, even after adopting a God-fearing way of life, a man is likely to display shortcomings from time to time, and his sensitive nature makes him worry again on this account. These feelings in some people can become so intense as to cause a deep sense of frustration. For such people, God has declared in His Book that they should firmly believe that their God is Forgiving and Merciful. He does not look at a man’s past but at his present. He does not look to his outward form but at his inner soul. He treats a man with broad-mindedness and not with petty-mindedness. That is why, when a man turns towards Him, He once again takes him into the fold of His Mercy, howsoever big a blunder the man might have committed.
39:55–61Page 464
وَٱتَّبِعُوٓاْ أَحۡسَنَ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُم مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَكُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ بَغۡتَةٗ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَشۡعُرُونَ ٥٥
And follow the best of what was revealed to you from your Lord [i.e., the Qur’ān] before the punishment comes upon you suddenly while you do not perceive,
أَن تَقُولَ نَفۡسٞ يَٰحَسۡرَتَىٰ عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطتُ فِي جَنۢبِ ٱللَّهِ وَإِن كُنتُ لَمِنَ ٱلسَّٰخِرِينَ ٥٦
Lest a soul should say,1 "Oh, [how great is] my regret over what I neglected in regard to Allāh and that I was among the mockers."
أَوۡ تَقُولَ لَوۡ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هَدَىٰنِي لَكُنتُ مِنَ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ ٥٧
Or [lest] it say, "If only Allāh had guided me, I would have been among the righteous."
أَوۡ تَقُولَ حِينَ تَرَى ٱلۡعَذَابَ لَوۡ أَنَّ لِي كَرَّةٗ فَأَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ ٥٨
Or [lest] it say when it sees the punishment, "If only I had another turn1 so I could be among the doers of good."
بَلَىٰ قَدۡ جَآءَتۡكَ ءَايَٰتِي فَكَذَّبۡتَ بِهَا وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرۡتَ وَكُنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ٥٩
But yes, there had come to you My verses, but you denied them and were arrogant, and you were among the disbelievers.
وَيَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ تَرَى ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَبُواْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ وُجُوهُهُم مُّسۡوَدَّةٌۚ أَلَيۡسَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ مَثۡوٗى لِّلۡمُتَكَبِّرِينَ ٦٠
And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied about Allāh [with] their faces blackened. Is there not in Hell a residence for the arrogant?
وَيُنَجِّي ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوۡاْ بِمَفَازَتِهِمۡ لَا يَمَسُّهُمُ ٱلسُّوٓءُ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُونَ ٦١
And Allāh will save those who feared Him by their attainment;1 no evil will touch them, nor will they grieve.
The discourse of God maintains in all its parts a consistent level of perfection, so that in the Quran, one cannot say that some verses are better than others. Nor can it be said about the Quran in comparison with other divine books that one book is better to the exclusion of all others. The fact is that in the present world of trial, man has freedom of action. He has the option of accepting divine words in their proper sense or of taking them wrongly. He may pay full attention to the real purpose of a talk, or he may try to ferret out insignificant points from it and interpret them wrongly. Ridiculing the Divine words is the result of such misconstruction. Man takes a verse and derives a wrong meaning from it, and then on the basis of that self-devised meaning, starts to make a mockery of it. Man has kept himself hidden from reality, from what he really is. On account of false pride, he simply does not accept the Truth, but then talks glibly to give the impression that he is rejecting the Truth on the basis of principles. But, on the Day of Judgement, his face will reflect his inner condition. At that time his face will reveal that his rejection of the Truth was, in fact, the result of his false interpretation of divine words. Otherwise, the Truth was, in itself, very obvious and clear. At that time he will be full of regret, but regretting then will be of no avail.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences