14
Abraham
Ibrāhīm
Ibrāhīm is the fifth in a series of six sūrahs whose opening verses include the letters alif, lām, and rāʾ, and which speak of the Book. It is said to have been revealed in Makkah, with the exception of vv. 28–29, which belong to the Madinan period, as these two verses are usually considered to refer to the Battle of Badr (My). This sūrah takes its name from the mention of an episode in the life of Abraham (vv. 35–41) in which he prays for the security of Makkah, protection from idolatry for himself and his children, prosperity for his progeny, and forgiveness for his parents and all believers on the Last Day.
Among the key themes of this sūrah is the stark difference between gratitude and ingratitude for God’s Blessings (see vv. 5, 7–8, 28, 32–34, 37), the importance of patience (vv. 5, 12) and trust in God (vv. 11–12), and the terrible nature of God’s Chastisement, whether in this world or in the next (vv. 16–17, 29–31, 42–44, 48–50). Another important teaching to be found throughout this sūrah is that those who prefer the life of this world over the Hereafter will end up as losers in the next life. Such people are typified by those who reject God’s messengers (vv. 3, 9–10, 28–30), are ungrateful to God for the many blessings that He has given to them (vv. 17–18), take partners alongside God (v. 30), and succumb to Satan’s false promises (v. 22). The sūrah also emphasizes the importance of prophecy as a means of guiding people out of darkness into light (vv. 1, 5), but notes that whether they are guided or not is ultimately in God’s Hands (vv. 4, 21, 27, 37).
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
¡ Alif. Lām. Rā. [This is] a Book that We have sent down unto thee, that thou mightest bring forth mankind out of darkness into light, by the leave of their Lord, unto the path of the Mighty, the Praised— * God, unto Whom belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth. Woe unto the disbelievers for a severe punishment. + Those who prefer the life of this world over the Hereafter, and who turn from the way of God and seek to make it crooked; it is they who are far astray. J And We have sent no messenger, save in the language of his people, that he might make clear unto them. Then God leads astray whomsoever He will and guides whomsoever He will. And He is the Mighty, the Wise. Z We indeed sent Moses with Our signs, “Bring thy people out of darkness into light, and remind them of the Days of God. Truly in that are signs for all who are patient, thankful.” j And [remember] when Moses said unto his people, “Remember God’s Blessing upon you, when He saved you from the House of Pharaoh, who inflicted terrible punishment upon you, slaying your sons and sparing your women—and in that was a great trial from your Lord— z and when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you give thanks, I shall surely grant you increase, but if you are ungrateful, truly My Punishment is severe!’” { And Moses said, “If you are ungrateful—you and whosoever is on the earth all together—[know that] verily God is Self-Sufficient, Praised.” | Has not the account come to you of those who came before you—the people of Noah, and ʿĀd, and Thamūd, and those who came after them? None knows them but God. Their messengers brought them clear proofs, but they thrust their hands into their mouths and said, “Verily we disbelieve in that wherewith you have been sent, and we are in grave doubt about that to which you call us.” Ċ Their messengers said, “Is there any doubt concerning God, the Originator of the heavens and the earth? He calls you that He might forgive some of your sins and grant you reprieve till a term appointed.” They said, “You are but human beings like us. You desire to turn us away from that which our fathers used to worship. So bring us a manifest authority!” Ě Their messengers said unto them, “We are but human beings like yourselves, but God is gracious unto whomsoever He will among His servants. And it is not for us to bring you an authority, save by God’s Leave; so in God let the believers trust. Ī And why should we not trust in God, when He has guided us in our ways? And we shall surely endure patiently, however you may torment us. And let those who trust, trust in God.” ĺ But those who disbelieved said to their messengers, “We shall surely expel you from our land, or you shall revert to our creed.” So their Lord revealed unto them, “We shall surely destroy the wrongdoers. Ŋ And We shall surely make you to dwell in the land after them. This is for those who fear My Station and fear My Threat.” Ś And they sought victory, and every stubborn tyrant fails. Ū Beyond him lies Hell; and he shall be given to drink of oozing pus, ź which he will gulp down, but can scarcely swallow. Death shall come upon him from every side; yet he will not die, and before him lies a grave punishment. Ɗ The parable of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their deeds are as ashes that the wind blows hard on a stormy day. They have no power over aught they have earned. That is extreme error. ƚ Hast thou not considered that God created the heavens and the earth in truth? If He wills, He can remove you and bring a new creation, Ȋ and that is no great matter for God. ! They will appear before God all together, and the weak will say to those who waxed arrogant, “Truly we were your followers; so can you avail us in any way against the Punishment of God?” They will say, “Had God guided us, we would have guided you. It is the same for us whether we are anxious or patient; for us there is no refuge.” " And Satan will say, when the matter has been decreed, “Verily God made you the Promise of truth; and I made you a promise, but I failed you. And I had no authority over you, save that I called you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot respond to your cries for help; nor can you respond to my cries for help. Truly I disbelieved in your ascribing me as partner aforetime. As for the wrongdoers, surely theirs shall be a painful punishment.” # Those who believe and perform righteous deeds shall be made to enter Gardens with rivers running below, abiding therein by the leave of their Lord. Their greeting therein shall be, “Peace!” $ Hast thou not considered how God sets forth a parable? A good word is as a good tree: its roots firm and its branches in the sky. % It brings forth fruit in every season, by the Leave of its Lord. God sets forth parables for mankind, that haply they may remember. & And the parable of a bad word is a bad tree: uprooted from the face of the earth; it has no stability. ' God makes firm those who believe with firm speech in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. And God leads the wrongdoers astray; God does whatsoever He wills. ( Hast thou not considered those who exchanged the Blessing of God for ingratitude and caused their people to dwell in the abode of perdition— ) Hell, wherein they shall burn. What an evil dwelling place! Ð They set up equals unto God, that they might lead astray from His Way. Say, “Enjoy yourselves! For truly your journey is unto the Fire!” Ñ Tell My servants who believe to perform the prayer and to spend from that which We have provided them, secretly and openly, before a day comes wherein there shall be neither bargaining nor befriending. Ò God it is Who created the heavens and the earth, and sent down water from the sky, then brought forth fruits thereby for your provision. He has made the ships subservient unto you, so that they sail upon the sea by His Command, and has made the rivers subservient unto you. Ó And He has made the sun and the moon subservient unto you, constant, and He made the night and the day subservient unto you. Ô And He gives you something of all that you ask of Him, and were you to count the Blessings of God, you could not number them. Truly mankind is wrongdoing, ungrateful. Õ And [remember] when Abraham said, “My Lord! Make this land secure, and keep me and my children from worshipping idols. Ö My Lord! Surely they have led astray many among mankind. So whosoever follows me, he is of me. And whosoever disobeys me, surely Thou art Forgiving, Merciful. × Our Lord! Verily I have settled some of my progeny in a valley without cultivation by Thy Sacred House, our Lord, that they might perform the prayer. So cause the hearts of some men to incline toward them, and provide them with fruits, that haply they may give thanks. Ø Our Lord! Surely Thou knowest what we hide and what we disclose. And naught is hidden from God, on earth or in Heaven. Ù Praise be to God, Who bestowed upon me Ishmael and Isaac, in my old age. Truly my Lord is the Hearer of supplications. @ My Lord! Make me a performer of prayer, and my progeny. Our Lord! Accept my supplication! A Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents and the believers on the Day when the Reckoning is come.” B Do not suppose that God is heedless of the deeds of the wrongdoers; He merely grants them reprieve till a day when eyes will stare, transfixed, C running with necks outstretched and heads upraised, their glance returning not to them, their hearts vacant. D And warn mankind of the Day when the punishment shall come upon them, whereupon those who did wrong will say, “Our Lord! Grant us reprieve for a term nigh, that we might respond to Thy Call and follow the messengers.” [It will be said unto them], “Did you not earlier swear that there would be no end for you?” E And you settled in the dwellings of those who had wronged themselves, though it was made clear to you how We dealt with them, and We set forth for you the parables. F And they devised their plot, but their plot lies with God, though their plotting be such as to move mountains. G So do not suppose that He would fail to keep His Promise unto His messengers. Truly God is Mighty, Possessor of Vengeance. H On that Day the earth shall be changed into other than the earth, and the heavens [too], and they will appear before God, the One, the Paramount. I On that Day thou wilt see the guilty bound together in fetters, P their garments made of pitch, and the Fire covering their faces, Q that God may recompense every soul for that which it has earned; surely God is swift in reckoning. R This is a proclamation unto mankind, that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that He is the One God, and that the possessors of intellect might be reminded.
Commentary
¡ Alif. Lām. Rā. [This is] a Book that We have sent down unto thee, that thou mightest bring forth mankind out of darkness into light, by the leave of their Lord, unto the path of the Mighty, the Praised—
1 For the separated letters, see 2:1c. A Book refers to the Quran (Bg, My, Ṭ; cf. 13:1). By means of calling people to the Quran (Q), the Prophet brings human beings out of darkness into light, that is, from the darkness of disbelief, ignorance, and doubt to the light of guidance, knowledge, and certainty (My); see also v. 5; 65:11. Elsewhere in the Quran God is the subject of similar phrases in which He is said to bring forth mankind out of darkness into light; see 2:257; 5:16; 33:43; 57:9. By the leave of their Lord refers to God’s Kindness in bestowing grace upon people and granting them success in being guided out of darkness into light (Ṭ). The path can refer to being led to the light mentioned in this verse (Aj), or to Islam itself (AF). According to the Shiite commentator al-Qummī, the path refers to the leadership of the Twelve Imams. The name Mighty refers to the perfection of God’s Power, whereas the name Praised means that God is deserving of praise in all that He does (R); see also 34:6.
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* God, unto Whom belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth. Woe unto the disbelievers for a severe punishment.
2 For unto Whom belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth, see also 34:1. For a similar verse, namely, Unto Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth, see 2:255; 10:68; 20:6; 22:64. Woe unto the disbelievers for a severe punishment is seen as a threat against those who do not believe in the Book and who are thus not guided by it out of darkness into light (Bḍ).
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+ Those who prefer the life of this world over the Hereafter, and who turn from the way of God and seek to make it crooked; it is they who are far astray.
3 Those who prefer the life of this world over the Hereafter are those who choose to remain in this life rather than to be in the next life (Ṭs), although this world is the abode of impermanence and the Hereafter is the abode of permanence (Ṭs). Commenting on this verse, Ibn ʿAjībah says, “Whoever loves something prefers it and pursues it.” From a spiritual point of view, it can be said that the more a person’s heart is attached to this world, the more the spirit is imprisoned by the body and thus is unable to aspire for what lies beyond the realm of physical existence, namely, the Hereafter. In this vein, the Sufi poet Fakhr al-Dīn ʿIrāqī (d. 688/1289) said, “Every heart that prefers the caprice of this world, / Increases in body, but diminishes in spirit” (Dīwān-i ʿIrāqī [Tehran, 1997], 342).
Turn from the way of God (cf. 4:167; 7:45; 9:34; 11:19; 22:25; 47:1, 32, 34) refers to preventing people from having faith (Aj) or turning to the religion of Islam (IḤ, JJ), and can also mean to turn away oneself; see 47:1c. Seek to make it crooked means seeking to change the way of God through lies, deviation, and falsehood (Ṭ).
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J And We have sent no messenger, save in the language of his people, that he might make clear unto them. Then God leads astray whomsoever He will and guides whomsoever He will. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.
4 Messengers speak the language of the people to whom they are sent and know their idiom (Kl) so that they will be understood (Bg). The Prophet spoke to his people, who were Arabs, in a clear, Arabic tongue (26:195). According to Islamic belief, this does not mean that the Prophet was only sent to Arabs; see 13:37c. For the often repeated assertion that God leads astray whomsoever He will, see 4:88–90c; 4:143c (see also, e.g., 17:97; 18:17; 74:31c). For God’s guiding whomsoever He will, see 10:25c (see also 35:8; 74:31).
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Z We indeed sent Moses with Our signs, “Bring thy people out of darkness into light, and remind them of the Days of God. Truly in that are signs for all who are patient, thankful.”
j And [remember] when Moses said unto his people, “Remember God’s Blessing upon you, when He saved you from the House of Pharaoh, who inflicted terrible punishment upon you, slaying your sons and sparing your women—and in that was a great trial from your Lord—
5–6 For the Quranic account of the story of Moses, see, for example, 2:49–61; 7:103–55; 20:9–97; 26:10–66; 28:3–46; 79:15–25. In Arabic, “days” has different symbolic meanings, one of which is cosmic periods (22:47; see also 7:54c). It can also be used idiomatically to mean blessings (Q), in which case the Days of God can refer to the many blessings that God bestowed upon the Children of Israel, such as His delivering them from bondage in Egypt and saving them from the wrath of Pharaoh and his people (IK, Ṭ). It can also refer to the punishments that God visited upon the disbelievers of previous communities (AF). In that refers to the Days of God (Q), which contain signs for all who are patient, thankful, that is, those who are patient in their obedience to God and thankful for His Blessings (Q). The Prophet is reported to have said, “Faith consists of two halves: one half is patience, and one half is gratitude” (My); he then recited the last part of v. 5: In that are signs for all who are patient, thankful (Q). The words when He saved you from the House of Pharaoh, who inflicted terrible punishment upon you, slaying your sons and sparing your women—and in that was a great trial from your Lord are repeated, almost verbatim, in 2:49. The great trial might be an allusion to the deliverance of Moses and his people from Egypt, since trial can, depending on context, also refer to a blessing (Bḍ); see 2:49c.
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z and when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you give thanks, I shall surely grant you increase, but if you are ungrateful, truly My Punishment is severe!’”
{ And Moses said, “If you are ungrateful—you and whosoever is on the earth all together—[know that] verily God is Self-Sufficient, Praised.”
7–8 If you give thanks, which is to say, if one is grateful for God’s Blessings and acknowledges them (Ṭū), I shall surely grant you increase; in other words, God will increase one in good in this world, in blessings in the next world, or both (Kl). Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq is reported to have said, “Whenever God bestows a blessing upon a servant and he acknowledges it with his heart and praises God for it with his tongue, the blessing does not finish except that God commands that the servant receive an increase” (Qm). But if one is ungrateful for what God has bestowed, covers it up, or strives against it (IK), then truly God’s Punishment is severe; that is, the recompense for ingratitude will be God’s Punishment (JJ). For God as Self-Sufficient, Praised, see 2:267; 31:12; 64:6c.
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| Has not the account come to you of those who came before you—the people of Noah, and ʿĀd, and Thamūd, and those who came after them? None knows them but God. Their messengers brought them clear proofs, but they thrust their hands into their mouths and said, “Verily we disbelieve in that wherewith you have been sent, and we are in grave doubt about that to which you call us.”
9 The tribes of ʿĀd and Thamūd are the communities to whom the prophets Hūd and Ṣāliḥ were sent, respectively. For Thamūd, see 7:73–79; 11:61–68; 26:141–58; 54:23–31; for ʿĀd, see 7:65–72; 11:50–60; 41:15–16. For the story of Noah, see 7:59–64; 10:71–73; 11:25–48; 23:23–30; 26:105–21; 37:75–82; 54:9–15; Sūrah 71. None knows them but God means that no one knows the exact number of communities that came after the people of Noah, the ʿĀd, and the Thamūd except God (R, Ṭ). It can also be an expression used to indicate their vast numbers (Kl), as in 25:38; see also 40:78. Clear proofs here refers to the miracles that the prophets brought (muʿjizāt; N) that affirmed their prophethood (My). They thrust their hands into their mouths means that they bit their fingers either out of anger on account of their intense enmity, or because they were mocking and needed to withhold their laughter (R). Alternately, their hands can be a reference to the hands of the disbelievers and their mouths can mean the mouths of the messengers (R), in which case it would be read as a metaphor indicating that the disbelievers rejected the teachings of the messengers and attempted to silence them (R).
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Ċ Their messengers said, “Is there any doubt concerning God, the Originator of the heavens and the earth? He calls you that He might forgive some of your sins and grant you reprieve till a term appointed.” They said, “You are but human beings like us. You desire to turn us away from that which our fathers used to worship. So bring us a manifest authority!”
10 In response to the disbelievers’ doubt mentioned at the end of v. 9, the messengers ask whether there is any doubt concerning God, which is to ask if there is any doubt about God’s Being or His Divinity (Kl). What the messengers mention next, namely, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, serves as a reminder of what should dispel this doubt (Kl), alerting the disbelievers to the Origin of all things that exist. He calls you; that is, “He calls you to faith” (Ṭs). Some commentators observe that God will forgive some . . . sins, not all of them, because there are some He will not forgive, such as the sin of ascribing partners unto Him (shirk; Ṭs) and violating the rights of God’s servants (Āl), forgiveness for which is entirely up to the one who has been wronged; on the question of the forgiveness of some or all sins, see 4:48c. Others, however, propose that some, used in this instance as a stylistic feature of classical Arabic rhetoric, actually means “all” (Ṭb). A term appointed refers to death (Q). For other places in which the disbelievers express their astonishment that a human being has come to them with guidance from God, see 6:91; 11:27; 17:94; 21:3; 23:24, 33; 64:6.
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Ě Their messengers said unto them, “We are but human beings like yourselves, but God is gracious unto whomsoever He will among His servants. And it is not for us to bring you an authority, save by God’s Leave; so in God let the believers trust.
Ī And why should we not trust in God, when He has guided us in our ways? And we shall surely endure patiently, however you may torment us. And let those who trust, trust in God.”
11–12 For the prophets’ confirming that they themselves are but human beings like yourselves, see 18:110; 41:6. In the context of v. 11, God is gracious unto whomsoever He wills among His servants refers to God’s bestowal of prophethood (Ṭs, Z) and granting prophets the ability to perform miracles (Ṭs). Why should we not trust in God? is understood to mean, “What is it that we have, if we do not trust in God and entrust our affairs to Him?” or “We have no excuse if we do not . . .” (Ṭs). In God let the believers trust in v. 11 (see also 3:122, 160; 5:11; 9:51; 12:67; 39:38; 58:10; 64:13) introduces the virtue of trust in God (tawakkul), whereas And let those who trust, trust in God (see also 12:67) in v. 12 refers to the need to strive in order to maintain this virtue (R, Z).
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ĺ But those who disbelieved said to their messengers, “We shall surely expel you from our land, or you shall revert to our creed.” So their Lord revealed unto them, “We shall surely destroy the wrongdoers.
Ŋ And We shall surely make you to dwell in the land after them. This is for those who fear My Station and fear My Threat.”
13–14 For a similar threat issued to the prophet Shuʿayb by his people, see 7:88; see also 27:56. Although it is the messengers who are mentioned explicitly in this verse, it is possible that both the messengers and their followers are intended here (Bḍ). The second option introduced by the disbelievers, namely, that the messengers revert to their creed, does not imply that the messengers had previously followed their false creed and are now being given the option to return to it. Rather, revert here, in keeping with common Arabic usage, means that the messengers would start to follow that creed (Bḍ, Kl, Z); see also 7:89.
We shall surely destroy the wrongdoers is understood to be a promise from God to the messengers that He will assist them against their enemies (Qu). Regarding God’s promise to help the prophets, see, for example, 37:171–73; 58:21. And We shall surely make you to dwell in the land after them; that is, after God has destroyed the wrongdoers and they have perished (Bg), He will cause the messengers and their followers to inherit their land and homes (N, Qu); see also 7:137. My Station refers to human beings’ standing before God on the Day of Judgment (Aj, R; see also 55:46; 79:40) or to God’s Awareness of all that human beings do, whether in secret or openly (Aj). The expression can also be a reference to the greatness of God’s Majesty and Essence (Aj). My Threat means God’s Punishment in the Hereafter (Bg).
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Ś And they sought victory, and every stubborn tyrant fails.
15 They sought victory; that is, the messengers sought God’s Assistance against their enemies (Bḍ, Kl, Q, Ṭ), as in 7:89, where Shuʿayb says, Our Lord! Decide between us and our people in truth, and Thou art the best of deciders. The phrase every stubborn tyrant fails signifies that God aided and granted success to the messengers, whereas their people who acted haughtily before God and stubbornly rejected the truth were not granted success (Bḍ), as the messengers’ request for Divine Help was answered and their people were destroyed (Qu).
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Ū Beyond him lies Hell; and he shall be given to drink of oozing pus,
ź which he will gulp down, but can scarcely swallow. Death shall come upon him from every side; yet he will not die, and before him lies a grave punishment.
16–17 The subject of these verses is every stubborn tyrant mentioned in v. 15 (Ṭ). Beyond him lies Hell is understood to mean that after his death he will go to Hell (Q); it can also be read “before him lies Hell,” referring to his state in this world, meaning it is as if Hell is right in front of him and he is on its edge, about to fall into it (Q, Z). The oozing pus that he will be given to drink is a mixture of blood and pus (Bg, Ṭ), which oozes from the bodies of the people in Hell (Bg, Z). He will gulp it down because of the liquid’s bitterness and heat (Q). He will scarcely swallow the liquid, since he will choke on it. (Bḍ). Death shall come upon him from every side; yet he will not die refers to a state of torment in which each part of his body will be affected by the pains and afflictions that bring about death, but they will not lead to death (R), which would be a state of rest from the torment (Bḍ).
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Ɗ The parable of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their deeds are as ashes that the wind blows hard on a stormy day. They have no power over aught they have earned. That is extreme error.
18 Like ashes blown about by a stormy wind until no trace of them remains, so too are the disbelievers’ deeds—because of their disbelief in God, their deeds become nullified and no trace of them remains (R). Yet, there are several ways in which the deeds of those who disbelieve in their Lord can be understood here. Deeds can refer to their good actions, such as giving charity and feeding the hungry; to their evil actions, such as worshipping idols; or to a combination of both good and bad deeds (R). They have no power over aught they have earned means that on the Day of Judgment, the disbelievers will not receive even a trace of heavenly reward for their actions (Bḍ). This is another way of saying that the disbelievers will not benefit even from their good actions (Ṭs). Extreme error refers to the farthest distance from the path of Truth (Bḍ). It also refers to the extreme grief and regret that the disbelievers will experience upon realizing that their deeds have gone to waste (R). For the deeds of the disbelievers being brought to naught, see also, for example, 2:217; 7:147; 18:105.
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ƚ Hast thou not considered that God created the heavens and the earth in truth? If He wills, He can remove you and bring a new creation,
Ȋ and that is no great matter for God.
19–20 God’s creating the heavens and the earth in truth means that He did not create them falsely or in vain; rather, He created them for an exalted purpose (My); see also 6:73c.; 64:3c. This part of the verse complements 23:115: Did you suppose, then, that We created you frivolously, and that you would not be returned unto Us? The words He can remove you and bring a new creation mean that God can make the present creation nonexistent and bring about another creation in its place if He so wills, because He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth (Bḍ); see also 4:133; 6:133; 35:16; 47:38; 5:54c. And that is no great matter for God means that it is not difficult or impossible for God to bring about a new creation (Bḍ). Rather, it is easy for Him, since He is All-Powerful by nature (Bḍ, My).
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! They will appear before God all together, and the weak will say to those who waxed arrogant, “Truly we were your followers; so can you avail us in any way against the Punishment of God?” They will say, “Had God guided us, we would have guided you. It is the same for us whether we are anxious or patient; for us there is no refuge.”
21 People will appear before God all together on the Day of Judgment, when they come forth from their graves (Q, Ṭū). The weak represent those who were the followers of those who waxed arrogant, that is, their leaders (Q). The latter inform the former, in response to their request for help in averting God’s Punishment, Had God guided us, we would have guided you, which is to say that had those who waxed arrogant been guided to faith in God, they would have guided their followers (Q). But since they had not been guided, they tell their followers that for them too there is no refuge, meaning that they have no way to distance themselves from the Fire (Q). In other words, just as they were unable to guide their followers without themselves being guided, so too are they now unable to save them from the Fire if they themselves are not saved from it. This verse seems to provide a wider context for 40:47–48: And when they are arguing with one another in the Fire, the weak will say to those who waxed arrogant, “Truly we were your followers; so can you avail us against any portion of the Fire?” Those who waxed arrogant will say, “Truly we are all in it. God has indeed judged between His servants.”
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" And Satan will say, when the matter has been decreed, “Verily God made you the Promise of truth; and I made you a promise, but I failed you. And I had no authority over you, save that I called you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot respond to your cries for help; nor can you respond to my cries for help. Truly I disbelieved in your ascribing me as partner aforetime. As for the wrongdoers, surely theirs shall be a painful punishment.”
22 When the matter has been decreed refers to the Hereafter, after people have taken their places of residency in Heaven or Hell, respectively (Bg, Kl). The Promise that God made here refers to the Resurrection and the meting out of rewards on the Last Day, whereas Satan’s promise, which failed—taken to mean that he lied (Ṭs)—refers to his promise to God’s servants that the Resurrection and accounting on the Last Day are untrue, and that if these are realities, then the idols shall act as their intercessors (Bḍ). But Satan’s promises are false, as attested by 4:120: He makes them promises and stirs in them desires, but Satan promises naught but delusion. In the Islamic tradition, although there are demonic forces within and external to the self that can prompt one to do evil, they cannot compel one to do evil. Thus, Satan can only lead God’s servants astray by inciting them to evil actions by means of whispering or suggesting evil (see 4:119; 114:4c). This explains why he says to his followers, I had no authority over you, save that I called you, and you responded to me, which al-Ṭabrisī takes to mean, “I had no power to force or compel you to disbelieve and disobey—I only had the means of whispering and calling.” Listening to Satan’s suggestions in no way exonerates one from the responsibility for one’s actions, which is why Satan says, Do not blame me, but blame yourselves. In other words, they did not have firm proof or evidence to disobey God and follow Satan (Ṭs), especially since they had been shown the truth by God’s messengers (IK). I cannot respond to your cries for help; nor can you respond to my cries for help (see also 8:48; 59:16), which is to say that Satan cannot benefit or save in any manner those who succumbed to his whisperings (IK), since individuals will only be taken to task for their own wrong actions (AF) and their own choice to heed or not heed Satan’s call; for the Quranic theme of personal accountability for one’s actions, see 74:38. Satan’s statement, I disbelieved in your ascribing me as partner aforetime, refers to his rejection even before the Day of Judgment, in the life of this world, of his being taken as a partner alongside God (Āl). Alternately, aforetime can refer to the time when Satan was commanded to bow before Adam but refused to do so on account of his pride (Ṭs; see 7:12), in which case the verse would be read, “I disbelieved in that which you ascribed to me as a partner,” meaning that Satan had already rejected God (R).
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# Those who believe and perform righteous deeds shall be made to enter Gardens with rivers running below, abiding therein by the leave of their Lord. Their greeting therein shall be, “Peace!”
23 For the greeting of Peace! in Paradise, see 10:10c; 33:44; 36:58; 39:73. For Paradise as the Abode of Peace, see 10:25c; 19:62; 56:26.
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$ Hast thou not considered how God sets forth a parable? A good word is as a good tree: its roots firm and its branches in the sky.
% It brings forth fruit in every season, by the Leave of its Lord. God sets forth parables for mankind, that haply they may remember.
24–25 A good word is understood to refer here to the formula of the shahādah, “There is no god but God” (Q), and a good tree can be a reference to the date palm (Kl). In a famous report narrated by ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, the son of the second Caliph ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, the Prophet asked his Companions if they knew what kind of tree was being referred to in this verse. Ibn ʿUmar knew the answer, but was too shy to speak in front of his elders. Then the Prophet revealed the answer, and it was just as Ibn ʿUmar had thought: it was a date palm.
Like the date palm, which is firmly rooted in the earth, so too is the meaning of the shahādah (“There is no god but God”) firmly rooted in the hearts of the people of Divine Unity (Aj). Al-Rāzī refers to this same reality by saying that when the tree of knowledge is firmly rooted in the land of one’s heart, one becomes stronger and more complete, thereby enabling “fruit” to issue forth from its “branches” in abundance. This tree of knowledge, which is rooted in the land of one’s heart, thus has “branches” that are in the sky; that is, it has forms of knowledge that reach the Divine realm (R). This tree thus brings forth fruit in every season, which is to say that the soul of a person who is firmly rooted in knowledge develops a spiritual disposition through which it produces “fruit” perpetually in the form of beautiful words, righteous actions, a state of humility, self-effacement, weeping, and lowliness (R).
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& And the parable of a bad word is a bad tree: uprooted from the face of the earth; it has no stability.
26 A bad word is usually understood to mean a statement of disbelief in God (Kl), which is the opposite of the shahādah symbolically represented as a good tree in v. 24. More specifically, a bad tree is usually understood to be a reference to a ḥanẓalah tree, which is easily uprooted from the face of the earth, because its roots are shallow, close to the surface of the earth (Aj). It thus provides no stability and is therefore the opposite of the date palm, which is firmly fixed in its place, with deep roots (Kl).
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' God makes firm those who believe with firm speech in the life of this world and in the Hereafter. And God leads the wrongdoers astray; God does whatsoever He wills.
27 The firm speech mentioned here can be interpreted to mean the full form of the shahādah formula, “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God” (N), which makes the believers firm by protecting their faith from the trials of this world (Bḍ), while in the Hereafter it makes them firm from the moment when the angels Munkar and Nakīr visit them in the grave and ask them the questions, “Who is your Lord?” and “Who is your prophet?” (Bḍ, Q). On the subject of God’s leading astray, see 4:88–90c; 4:143c; see also 17:97; 18:17; 74:31c.
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( Hast thou not considered those who exchanged the Blessing of God for ingratitude and caused their people to dwell in the abode of perdition—
) Hell, wherein they shall burn. What an evil dwelling place!
28–29 Those who exchanged the Blessing of God refers to those who exchanged being grateful on account of God’s Blessings (JJ) for ingratitude. It is said that the reference here is particularly to the disbelievers among the Quraysh (Bg, JJ), although it can also have a general application. According to the former reading, the Blessing of God refers to the Prophet Muhammad (Bg), and caused their people to dwell in the abode of perdition refers to the defeat that the Quraysh suffered at the Battle of Badr (IK) or to the destruction they brought upon their own people in general (JJ). Others see the abode of perdition as related to the mention of Hell in v. 29 (N).
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Ð They set up equals unto God, that they might lead astray from His Way. Say, “Enjoy yourselves! For truly your journey is unto the Fire!”
30 That they might lead astray from His Way does not mean that the reason people set up equals unto God is so that they can misguide or lead others astray. Rather, it means that misguidance and leading astray are the result of their setting up equals alongside God and thus are tantamount to such a purpose (Bḍ); see also 39:8. Enjoy yourselves! is ironic because it encourages them to persist in their incorrect ways, although the net result will be the opposite of enjoyment, since their journey is unto the Fire; cf. 16:55; 30:34c; 39:8.
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Ñ Tell My servants who believe to perform the prayer and to spend from that which We have provided them, secretly and openly, before a day comes wherein there shall be neither bargaining nor befriending.
31 A day . . . wherein there shall be neither bargaining nor befriending refers to the Day of Judgment, when the ability to negotiate and appeal to friends for help will be of no avail; see the commentary on the almost identical phrase in 2:254: O you who believe! Spend from that which We have provided you before a day comes wherein there shall be neither bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession. And the disbelievers, they are the wrongdoers; cf. 40:18; 43:67; 44:41; 70:10.
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Ò God it is Who created the heavens and the earth, and sent down water from the sky, then brought forth fruits thereby for your provision. He has made the ships subservient unto you, so that they sail upon the sea by His Command, and has made the rivers subservient unto you.
Ó And He has made the sun and the moon subservient unto you, constant, and He made the night and the day subservient unto you.
32–33 These verses convey the notion, found elsewhere in the Quran (2:29; 16:5–8, 10–16), that the beings of the natural world have been made subservient (taskhīr) to human beings; that is, God has put the world of nature at their service in order to help them fulfill various needs and achieve certain goals in life; see also 16:12c. Although people have nature at their disposal, they are not without responsibility toward it. They are to be its humble custodians, not its tyrannical controllers (cf. 30:4), since God has appointed human beings as vicegerents upon the earth (6:165).
Parallel with the idea that all things in the cosmic order have been made subservient to human beings, it can be said that all elements within human beings are made subservient to God. In Islamic anthropology and psychology, the heart is identified as the seat of human beings’ consciousness and knowledge; in other words, it is not only the center, but also the “totality” of his being. This is why Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq said that God has made the heart of the believer “subservient to love for, and knowledge of, Him” (Su). So subservient to God is the heart of the sincere believer that the Prophet is reported to have said, “The heart of the believer is the Throne of the All-Merciful (ʿarsh al-Raḥmān).”
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Ô And He gives you something of all that you ask of Him, and were you to count the Blessings of God, you could not number them. Truly mankind is wrongdoing, ungrateful.
34 And He gives you something of all that you ask of Him can be read to mean that God gives people something of all that they ask for with their tongues, or of what they ask for by being in a state of need without actually articulating it verbally (Bḍ). Because of the possible meanings of the article mā, some read this to mean, “He gives you of that which you do not ask of Him,” referring to blessings such as the sun and the moon (Q). The Prophet is reported to have said that God will grant one’s legitimate requests (i.e., requests that do not involve sin or the severance of family ties) in one of these ways: “Either his request will be granted to him [in this world], or God will store it away for him for the Hereafter, or He will divert from him an evil equivalent to the request.”
Not only are people unable to count the Blessings of God, they are also unable to thank Him for all of them (Bg; see also 16:18). For human beings as being ungrateful, see 2:243; 10:60; 12:38; 17:67, 69; 22:66; 25:50; 27:73; 40:61; 42:48. Truly mankind is wrongdoing, ungrateful is complemented by the last part of 33:72: Truly he has proved himself an ignorant wrongdoer; see 33:72c.
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Õ And [remember] when Abraham said, “My Lord! Make this land secure, and keep me and my children from worshipping idols.
35 It is said that when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, Sarah became jealous of her; so Abraham took Hagar and Ishmael from Syria to Makkah. This land therefore refers to Makkah (Q). Some commentators see the answer to Abraham’s prayer that Makkah be made secure in the wording of 29:67: Or have they not considered that We have made a secure sanctuary while people are snatched away all around them? (IK). When Abraham says, Keep me and my children from worshipping idols, he is saying, “Make me and my children totally distant from idol worship” (Ṭ). For another aspect of Abraham’s prayer at Makkah, see commentary on 2:126–29.
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Ö My Lord! Surely they have led astray many among mankind. So whosoever follows me, he is of me. And whosoever disobeys me, surely Thou art Forgiving, Merciful.
36 Surely they have led astray many among mankind is a figurative expression used to indicate the manner in which people have been misguided in their service to lifeless idols (Q); see also 71:24. So whosoever follows me, he is of me; that is, whoever follows Abraham in believing in God’s Oneness belongs to his monotheistic creed (Q). And whosoever disobeys me, surely Thou art Forgiving, Merciful refers to the teaching that any sin will be forgiven by God except for the ascription of partners unto Him (Bg, IJ, Q), as in 4:48: Truly God forgives not that any partner be ascribed unto Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whomsoever He will, for whosoever ascribes partners unto God has surely fabricated a tremendous sin (see also v. 10c; 4:48c, 116). Alternately, this part of the verse can also include the sin of ascribing partners unto God, which, according to some commentators, would then pertain to the time before God informed Abraham that He does not forgive people for ascribing partners unto Him (Bg, IJ, Q).
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× Our Lord! Verily I have settled some of my progeny in a valley without cultivation by Thy Sacred House, our Lord, that they might perform the prayer. So cause the hearts of some men to incline toward them, and provide them with fruits, that haply they may give thanks.
37 Some of my progeny can be a reference to Abraham’s son Ishmael (Kl) or to Ishmael and his mother, Hagar (Q). A valley without cultivation is a reference to Makkah (Kl), and Thy Sacred House is the Kaʿbah. Prayer here is said to denote “religion” in its entirety, in light of prayer’s superior rank in religion (Q). That they might perform the prayer would therefore mean something like “so that they may uphold religion” (see also 42:13).
Although Makkah did not have date trees, Abraham’s prayer to God to provide Hagar and Ishmael with fruits was answered, since fruits came to Makkah from many outlying regions (IK). According to some commentators, Abraham’s prayer was answered by the bestowal of abundant date palms upon the town of Ṭāʾif (JJ), a neighboring region that had a great deal of historical and commercial contact with Makkah.
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Ø Our Lord! Surely Thou knowest what we hide and what we disclose. And naught is hidden from God, on earth or in Heaven.
38 Surely Thou knowest what we hide and what we disclose (see also 3:29) means that God knows more about what will benefit human beings than they do themselves, and He is more merciful to them than they are to themselves (Bḍ). Despite this fact, human beings must still beseech God, so that they may manifest their state of servanthood to Him and their need for His Mercy, and because it hastens the Divine Response to their needs (Bḍ).
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Ù Praise be to God, Who bestowed upon me Ishmael and Isaac, in my old age. Truly my Lord is the Hearer of supplications.
39 Here Abraham thanks God for giving him Ishmael through Hagar and Isaac through Sarah, despite the fact that he was advanced in years when he had both children. For the glad tidings of the birth of Isaac given to Abraham and Sarah, who was also in her old age, see 11:71–74; 51:28–29.
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@ My Lord! Make me a performer of prayer, and my progeny. Our Lord! Accept my supplication!
40 A performer of prayer can refer to one who is firm in religion (Q) or to one who is persistent in the actual act of prayer (Bḍ). Our Lord! Accept my supplication! may be a request on the part of Abraham that God accept his worship in general or his supplication as mentioned in this verse in particular (Bḍ).
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A Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents and the believers on the Day when the Reckoning is come.”
41 Abraham’s supplication for the forgiveness of his parents is seen as a request to God that He forgive them on the condition that they submit to Him and believe in Him (Kl); on Abraham’s prayer of forgiveness, see also 19:47 and 9:114: Abraham’s plea for forgiveness of his father was only due to a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of God, he repudiated him; see 9:113–14c. Alternately, it is said that Abraham made the supplication for his parents before coming to know that his father was an enemy of God (Kl), or that both his parents were enemies of God (JJ). An alternate reading of this verse has “my father” instead of “my parents” (JJ). For Abraham’s father, Azar, see 6:74c.
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B Do not suppose that God is heedless of the deeds of the wrongdoers; He merely grants them reprieve till a day when eyes will stare, transfixed,
C running with necks outstretched and heads upraised, their glance returning not to them, their hearts vacant.
42–43 Do not suppose that God is heedless of the deeds of the wrongdoers is understood to be an admonition that God will exact vengeance upon the wrongdoers for their unjust actions. Some argue that if God were not to do so, it would mean that He is ignorant of their injustices, or is incapable of exacting vengeance upon them, or is pleased by their injustices. Since ignorance, incapacity, or pleasure in seeing injustice do not apply to God, it is considered impossible that He not take the wrongdoers to task for their wrong actions (R). He merely grants them reprieve from punishment (N) till a day when eyes will stare, transfixed, that is, when eyeballs come out of their sockets on account of the terrors that will be seen on the Last Day (N); for God’s granting reprieve until an appointed term, see 16:61; 35:45c. That Day, people will be running with necks outstretched, in a state of humiliation and defeat, like slaves (Aj); with heads upraised, out of intense fear or because of the chains around their necks (see also 36:8; Aj); their glance returning not to them, since they will not be able to look at themselves because of their extreme terror (Aj) or because the chains around their necks will prevent this; and their hearts vacant, bereft of any kind of understanding they will be so consumed by their stupor (Bḍ).
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D And warn mankind of the Day when the punishment shall come upon them, whereupon those who did wrong will say, “Our Lord! Grant us reprieve for a term nigh, that we might respond to Thy Call and follow the messengers.” [It will be said unto them], “Did you not earlier swear that there would be no end for you?”
44 The reference here is to the Day of Judgment (Bg, Kl, Q). According to Ibn ʿAbbās, by mankind is meant the Makkan idolaters specifically (Q). The period of reprieve they will ask for when they see the punishment—that is, when the truth is made manifest to them in the Hereafter (Q)—is also mentioned in 6:27–28: If thou couldst see when they are arraigned before the Fire, whereupon they will say, “Would that we were sent back! Then we would not deny the signs of our Lord, but we would be among the believers!” Nay, but it has now become clear to them what they used to hide; cf. 32:12; 40:49–50. Yet this is a futile request, since 6:28 maintains that even if they were returned to their life on earth to mend their ways, they would return to the very thing they had been forbidden. Truly they are liars; see also 6:27–28c.
The end that the Makkan idolaters swore would not come to them is their going from the life of this world to the Hereafter and the punishment in the Hereafter itself (Q). Many commentators connect the last part of this verse, Did you not earlier swear that there would be no end for you? with the Makkan idolaters’ statement mentioned at 16:38: And they swear by God their most solemn oaths [that] God will not resurrect those who die (Bḍ, IK, Q, Z).
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E And you settled in the dwellings of those who had wronged themselves, though it was made clear to you how We dealt with them, and We set forth for you the parables.
45 You settled in the dwellings of those who had wronged themselves, which is to say that the people of Makkah had settled in a land that had previously been inhabited by groups who rejected the prophets sent to them, such as the tribes of ʿĀd and Thamūd (Bḍ, Q). Though it was made clear to you how We dealt with them means that the Makkans could still witness the vestiges of the destroyed peoples by looking at the ruins of their dwellings and hearing the stories about them that were passed down from generation to generation (Bḍ). We set forth for you the parables; that is, in the Quran God shows that the Makkans were like these previous nations in their disbelief, and were likewise worthy of being punished (Bḍ, Q).
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F And they devised their plot, but their plot lies with God, though their plotting be such as to move mountains.
46 Their plot lies with God, which is to say that God knows either their plot (R) or the recompense for it (Kl); see also 7:99; 10:21c; 13:42c; 27:50; 86:15–16. Many commentators note that though their plotting be such as to move mountains implies that no plot, no matter how great—even as great in scope as a mountain—can overcome the Will of God (Z). Mountains are also understood as a reference to God’s signs, the Sacred Law, and prophecy (Kl, Z), since, like mountains, they are fixed and firmly rooted (Kl; cf. vv. 24–25). In other words, no matter how hard the disbelievers attempt to alter the truth, they will be unable to do so.
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G So do not suppose that He would fail to keep His Promise unto His messengers. Truly God is Mighty, Possessor of Vengeance.
47 This verse represents the one instance in the Quran that employs an active participle (mukhlif, lit. “one who breaks [a promise]”) to refer to a quality that one should never suppose of God, thus conveying the idea that God’s Promise is always true; cf. 4:122. The sense here is that one should never deem God to be “a breaker of His Promise” and thus this is an emphatic statement indicating that not breaking a promise is intrinsic to the Divine Nature; cf. 3:9: Truly God will not fail the tryst.
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H On that Day the earth shall be changed into other than the earth, and the heavens [too], and they will appear before God, the One, the Paramount.
48 This verse refers in general terms to the overturning of the entire cosmic order on the Last Day; for specific descriptions elsewhere in the Quran, see Sūrahs 81–83. Some maintain that the change that will take place when the earth shall be changed into other than the earth, and the heavens [too] pertains only to the different attributes that comprise the earth and the heavens, but that their fundamental substance will remain unaltered; others, however, maintain that the change in the attributes of the earth and the heavens will be so total that they will literally become something else in their substance (R). They will appear before God, the One, the Paramount refers to the Resurrection, when all people will be driven from their graves (Bg, JJ) and brought face-to-face with God, their Lord and Master (see also 36:51; 40:16).
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I On that Day thou wilt see the guilty bound together in fetters,
P their garments made of pitch, and the Fire covering their faces,
49–50 The guilty is a reference to the disbelievers (JJ). Their being bound together in fetters is also mentioned in 38:38 (cf. 25:13). Their garments—that is, their shirts (JJ)—will be made of pitch, which signifies the extreme degree to which they will be scorched in the Fire (Bḍ, JJ, Ṭs).
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Q that God may recompense every soul for that which it has earned; surely God is swift in reckoning.
51 This verse reiterates a Quranic theme that people will only receive what they deserve in the Hereafter, as God is in no way unjust to His servants; see 4:40; 10:4c. For God as swift in reckoning, see 2:202; 3:19, 199; 5:4; 24:39; 40:17.
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R This is a proclamation unto mankind, that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that He is the One God, and that the possessors of intellect might be reminded.
52 The proclamation unto mankind by which they may be warned is the Quran; it is an admonishment meant to instill fear of God’s Punishment in people (Q). At the same time, people are meant to reflect deeply and ponder over the Quran’s verses in order to understand the fact that He is the One God (Bḍ, Bg). This awareness will then cause them to worship Him truly and turn away from every kind of false god, such as the passing attractions of this world, their own caprices, or Satan (IḤ). Whoever takes heed is therefore saved (Qu). For the possessors of intellect, see 5:100c; 2:269; 3:7, 190; 12:111; 13:19; 38:29, 43; 39:9, 18, 21; 40:54.