Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
التغابن
At-Taghabun
The Mutual Disillusion · Medinan · 18 ayahs
64:1Page 556
يُسَبِّحُ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ لَهُ ٱلۡمُلۡكُ وَلَهُ ٱلۡحَمۡدُۖ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٌ ١
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is exalting Allāh.1 To Him belongs dominion, and to Him belongs [all] praise, and He is over all things competent.
This means that the universe is singing the praises of God; that the reality which is revealed in the Quran, is testified to by the entire universe. In its silent language, it confirms this to the extent of singing praises. Notwithstanding this two-fold declaration those who do not become believers, shall have to wait for the third announcement, when people will be gathered before God, so that they may hear the decision about themselves directly from the Lord of Universe.
64:2–5Page 556
هُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكُمۡ فَمِنكُمۡ كَافِرٞ وَمِنكُم مُّؤۡمِنٞۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ ٢
It is He who created you, and among you is the disbeliever, and among you is the believer. And Allāh, of what you do, is Seeing.
خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَصَوَّرَكُمۡ فَأَحۡسَنَ صُوَرَكُمۡۖ وَإِلَيۡهِ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ ٣
He created the heavens and earth in truth and formed you and perfected your forms; and to Him is the [final] destination.
يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَيَعۡلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعۡلِنُونَۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ٤
He knows what is within the heavens and earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare. And Allāh is Knowing of that within the breasts.
أَلَمۡ يَأۡتِكُمۡ نَبَؤُاْ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن قَبۡلُ فَذَاقُواْ وَبَالَ أَمۡرِهِمۡ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٞ ٥
Has there not come to you the news of those who disbelieved before? So they tasted the bad consequence of their affair, and they will have a painful punishment.
The history made by the prophets in ancient times is an eternal source of admonition. For example, prophets appeared among the ‘Ad, the Thamud, the people of Madyan, and the community of Lot. These prophets did not possess any supernatural powers to prove their veracity. They had only reasoning in their favour. Rejection of the Truth in spite of its being backed by reasoning made the doubters liable for punishment. This shows that in this world a man is tested by his ability to recognise the Truth on the basis of reasoning. One who fails to do so will always remain deprived of the Truth.
64:6–8Page 556
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُۥ كَانَت تَّأۡتِيهِمۡ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ فَقَالُوٓاْ أَبَشَرٞ يَهۡدُونَنَا فَكَفَرُواْ وَتَوَلَّواْۖ وَّٱسۡتَغۡنَى ٱللَّهُۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٞ ٦
That is because their messengers used to come to them with clear evidences, but they said, "Shall human beings guide us?" and disbelieved and turned away. And Allāh dispensed [with them]; and Allāh is Free of need and Praiseworthy.
زَعَمَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ أَن لَّن يُبۡعَثُواْۚ قُلۡ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّي لَتُبۡعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلۡتُمۡۚ وَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرٞ ٧
Those who disbelieve have claimed that they will never be resurrected. Say, "Yes, by my Lord, you will surely be resurrected; then you will surely be informed of what you did. And that, for Allāh, is easy."
فَـَٔامِنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلنُّورِ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنزَلۡنَاۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرٞ ٨
So believe in Allāh and His Messenger and the light [i.e., the Qur’ān] which We have sent down. And Allāh is Aware of what you do.
The Quran.
64:9Page 556
يَوۡمَ يَجۡمَعُكُمۡ لِيَوۡمِ ٱلۡجَمۡعِۖ ذَٰلِكَ يَوۡمُ ٱلتَّغَابُنِۗ وَمَن يُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ وَيَعۡمَلۡ صَٰلِحٗا يُكَفِّرۡ عَنۡهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِۦ وَيُدۡخِلۡهُ جَنَّٰتٖ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدٗاۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ ٩
The Day He will assemble you for the Day of Assembly - that is the Day of Deprivation.1 And whoever believes in Allāh and does righteousness - He will remove from him his misdeeds and admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.
People take the world to be a place of winning or losing (taghabun). One who is successful here becomes very happy, but one who meets with failure is looked upon with contempt. In this world, however, success is as valueless as failure is. The place of true success or failure is the Hereafter. One is a failure if he fails in the Hereafter and successful if he is successful in the Hereafter, and the criterion of success or failure there is entirely different from that of this world, where it is based on outward materialism: success or failure in the Hereafter will be on the basis of Divine moral values. At that time, people will be surprised to see that the whole complexion of things has completely changed. Gaining, which was considered as such will actually turn out to be losing, while what was considered as losing will turn out to be gaining in the real sense. Failure on that Day is real failure and success on that Day will be real success.
64:10–11Page 557
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَكَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَاۖ وَبِئۡسَ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ ١٠
But the ones who disbelieved and denied Our verses - those are the companions of the Fire, abiding eternally therein; and wretched is the destination.
مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۗ وَمَن يُؤۡمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ يَهۡدِ قَلۡبَهُۥۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٞ ١١
No disaster strikes except by permission of Allāh. And whoever believes in Allāh - He will guide his heart. And Allāh is Knowing of all things.
No trouble arrives of its own accord. Every tribulation comes from God, and it afflicts man so that, through it, he should receive guidance. Trouble softens a man’s heart and jolts him out of his moral slumber. Trouble prods and sharpens a man’s mind. If he refrains from negative reaction, then trouble will become the best Divine instruction for him.
64:12–14Page 557
وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱلرَّسُولَۚ فَإِن تَوَلَّيۡتُمۡ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَىٰ رَسُولِنَا ٱلۡبَلَٰغُ ٱلۡمُبِينُ ١٢
And obey Allāh and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away - then upon Our Messenger is only [the duty of] clear notification.
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۚ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلۡيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ ١٣
Allāh - there is no deity except Him. And upon Allāh let the believers rely.
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِنَّ مِنۡ أَزۡوَٰجِكُمۡ وَأَوۡلَٰدِكُمۡ عَدُوّٗا لَّكُمۡ فَٱحۡذَرُوهُمۡۚ وَإِن تَعۡفُواْ وَتَصۡفَحُواْ وَتَغۡفِرُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٌ ١٤
O you who have believed, indeed, among your spouses and your children are enemies to you, so beware of them. But if you pardon and overlook and forgive - then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
Man has the utmost attachment for his children. He may talk of principles on every other subject, but where his children are concerned, he becomes unprincipled. That is why it is mentioned in a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad that children cause their parents to be timid and miserly. In another tradition it is mentioned that on the Day of Judgement a man will be brought before God, and it will be said of him that his wife and children ate away all his virtues. Man, for the sake of his children, does not spend for the divine cause, though the truth is that if he spends for the sake of God, he will be recompensed by Him many times over.
64:15–18Page 557
إِنَّمَآ أَمۡوَٰلُكُمۡ وَأَوۡلَٰدُكُمۡ فِتۡنَةٞۚ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥٓ أَجۡرٌ عَظِيمٞ ١٥
Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allāh has with Him a great reward.
فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا ٱسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ وَٱسۡمَعُواْ وَأَطِيعُواْ وَأَنفِقُواْ خَيۡرٗا لِّأَنفُسِكُمۡۗ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفۡسِهِۦ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ ١٦
So fear Allāh as much as you are able and listen and obey and spend [in the way of Allāh]; it is better for your selves. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful.
إِن تُقۡرِضُواْ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنٗا يُضَٰعِفۡهُ لَكُمۡ وَيَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ شَكُورٌ حَلِيمٌ ١٧
If you loan Allāh a goodly loan, He will multiply it for you and forgive you. And Allāh is [most] Appreciative1 and Forbearing,2
عَٰلِمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ ١٨
Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
Divorce is permitted in Islam in exceptional situations and a procedure has been prescribed for it which must be completed within a specific period. In this way the process of divorce has been subjected to certain conditions. The purpose of these limitations is that, till the last moment, the parties should have the opportunity for rapprochement, and the divorce should not create any disturbance in the family or society. Divorce is endorsed by Islam provided that, during the process, a God-fearing spirit is prevalent throughout.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences