21
The Prophets
al-Anbiyāʾ
Al-Anbiyāʾ, a Makkan sūrah (Q), receives its name from the many stories of prophets told in it. The first section recounts the various accusations of falsehood and expressions of incredulity directed at the Prophet by the Quraysh (vv. 1–10) and offers a reminder that peoples before him had been destroyed and could do nothing to stave off their punishment (vv. 11–15). The impossibility of God taking a consort or having a child and the absurdity of more than one divinity in the universe are explained (vv. 16–29), followed by a section asking human beings to contemplate the cosmos (vv. 30–33). Human beings are reminded that all souls will taste death and will then be judged (vv. 34–47).
After a brief mention of Moses and Aaron (vv. 48–50), a longer account of Abraham is given that includes his ruse of blaming the largest of his people’s idols for destroying the smaller ones to show them how empty their worship was and the attempt by his people to burn him alive in retaliation (vv. 51–73). After mentioning Lot (vv. 74–75) and Noah (vv. 76–77), the sūrah narrates a story of David and Solomon in which David’s judgment is overturned by that of his son (vv. 78–82). This is followed by accounts of Job (vv. 83–84); Ishmael, Idrīs, and Dhu’l-Kifl (vv. 85–86); Jonah (vv. 87–88); and Zachariah, John, and Mary (vv. 89–91).
The last part of al-Anbiyāʾ addresses the end of the world and the coming of the Hereafter. A reminder of the tendency of religious communities to fragment when their members disagree among themselves is followed by an account of the coming of Gog and Magog, the ultimate end of idolaters and their idols in Hell, and the destruction of the cosmos and its renewal for the righteous (vv. 92–104). The sūrah ends with a statement that the Prophet is a mercy to all creation, and a reminder both that he has given fair warning of what is to come and that he does not know when the final doom will come to pass (vv. 105–12).
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
¡ For mankind, their reckoning draws nigh, while they turn away heedless. * No new Reminder came unto them from their Lord, but that they listened to it while they played, + with their hearts diverted. And those who do wrong confide in secret converse, “Is this not but a human being like yourselves? Will you then yield to sorcery, while you see clearly?” J He said, “My Lord knows that which is spoken in Heaven and on earth, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing.” Z Yet they said, “Confused dreams! Nay, he has fabricated it! Nay, he is a poet! Let him bring us a sign like those of old were sent!” j No town that We destroyed before them believed; will these, then, believe? z And We sent no messenger before thee, but that they were men unto whom We revealed. So ask the people of the Reminder, if you know not. { We did not make them bodies that ate not food; nor were they immortal. | Then We fulfilled the promise unto them, and saved them and whomsoever We willed, and We destroyed the prodigal. Ċ We have indeed sent down unto you a Book wherein is your Reminder. Do you not understand? Ě How many a town engaged in wrongdoing have We shattered, and then brought into being another people after them? Ī And when they felt Our Might, behold, they ran away from it. ĺ “Do not run away! But return to the luxury you have been given and to your dwellings, that haply you may be questioned.” Ŋ They said, “Oh, woe unto us! Truly we have been wrongdoers.” Ś And that did not cease to be their cry, till We made them a mown field, stilled. Ū And We did not create Heaven and earth and whatsoever is between them in play. ź Had We desired to take up a diversion, We would surely have taken it from that which was with Us, were We to do so. Ɗ Nay, but We cast truth against falsehood, and it crushes it, and, behold, it vanishes. And woe unto you for that which you describe! ƚ Unto Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth. Those who are with Him are not too arrogant to worship Him; nor do they weary. Ȋ They glorify night and day, without tiring. ! Or have they taken gods from the earth who resurrect? " Were there gods other than God in them, they would surely have been corrupted. So glory be to God, Lord of the Throne, above that which they ascribe. # He shall not be questioned about what He does, but they shall be questioned. $ Or have they taken gods apart from Him? Say, “Bring me your proof! This is the Reminder for those who are with me, and the Reminder for those before me. Nay, but most of them do not know the truth; so they turn away.” % And We sent no messenger before thee, save that We revealed unto him, “Verily, there is no god but I; so worship Me!” & And they say, “The Compassionate has taken a child.” Glory be to Him! Nay, but they are honored servants. ' They precede Him not in speech, and they act according to His Command. ( He knows that which is before them and that which is behind them, and they intercede not, save for one with whom He is content. They are wary, for fear of Him. ) And whosoever among them would say, “Truly I am a god apart from Him,” such will We requite with Hell. Thus do We requite the wrongdoers. Ð Have those who disbelieve not considered that the heavens and the earth were sewn together and We rent them asunder? And We made every living thing from water. Will they not, then, believe? Ñ And We placed firm mountains in the earth, lest it shake beneath them, and We made wide tracts between them as paths, that haply they may be guided. Ò And We made the sky a canopy preserved; yet they turn away from its signs. Ó He it is Who created the night and the day, the sun and the moon, each gliding in an orbit. Ô We have not ordained perpetual life for any human being before thee. So if thou diest, will they abide forever? Õ Every soul shall taste death. We try you with evil and with good, as a test, and unto Us shall you be returned. Ö And whenever those who disbelieve see thee, they take thee in naught but mockery, “Is this the one who makes mention of your gods?” And it is they who are disbelievers in the remembrance of the Compassionate. × Man was created of haste. Soon shall I show you My signs; so seek not to hasten Me! Ø And they say, “When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful?” Ù If those who disbelieved but knew of the time when they shall not be able to hold back the Fire from their faces or from their backs, nor be helped! @ Nay, but it will come upon them suddenly, and confound them. Then they will not be able to repel it, nor will they be granted respite. A Messengers were certainly mocked before thee. Then those who scoffed at them were beset by that which they used to mock. B Say, “Who will protect you, night and day, from the Compassionate?” Nay, but they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord. C Or do they have gods to defend them apart from Us? They cannot help themselves; nor are they given protection against Us. D Nay, but We granted enjoyment to them and their fathers till life grew long for them. Do they not consider how We come upon the land, reducing it of its outlying regions? Is it they who shall prevail? E Say, “I only warn you through a revelation.” But the deaf do not hear the call however much they are warned. F And if but a breath of thy Lord’s Punishment were to touch them, they would surely say, “Oh, woe unto us. Truly we were wrongdoers.” G We shall set the just scales for the Day of Resurrection, and no soul shall be wronged in aught. Even if it be the weight of a mustard seed, We shall bring it. And We suffice as Reckoner. H We indeed gave unto Moses and Aaron the Criterion, and a radiant light and a reminder for the reverent, I who fear their Lord unseen, and who are wary of the Hour. P This is a blessed Reminder that We have sent down. Will you then deny it? Q And We indeed gave unto Abraham his sound judgment aforetime, and We knew him R when he said unto his father and his people, “What are these images to which you are cleaving?” S They said, “We found our fathers worshipping them.” T He said, “Certainly you and your fathers have been in manifest error.” U They said, “Have you brought us the truth, or are you among those who jest?” V He said, “Nay, but your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Who originated them. And I am among those who bear witness unto this. W And by God, I shall scheme against your idols after you have turned your backs.” X So he broke them into pieces—save the largest of them—that haply they may have recourse to it. Y They said, “Who has done this to our gods? Verily he is among the wrongdoers!” ` They said, “We heard a young man mention them; he is called Abraham.” a They said, “So bring him before the eyes of the people, that haply they may bear witness.” b They said, “Was it you who did this to our gods, O Abraham?” c He said, “Nay, but it was the largest of them that did this. So question them, if they speak!” d So they consulted among themselves and said, “Verily it is you who are the wrongdoers!” e Then they reverted, “Certainly you know that these speak not!” f He said, “Do you worship, apart from God, that which benefits you not in the least, nor harms you? g Fie upon you, and upon that which you worship apart from God. Do you not understand?” h They said, “Burn him, and help your gods, if you would take action!” i We said, “O Fire! Be coolness and peace for Abraham.” p They desired to scheme against him, but We made them the greatest losers. q And We delivered him and Lot to the land that We blessed for all peoples. r And We bestowed upon him Isaac, and Jacob as an added gift. And each of them We made righteous. s And We made them imams, guiding according to Our Command. And We revealed unto them the doing of good deeds, the performance of prayer, and the giving of alms. And they were worshippers of Us. t And as for Lot, We gave unto him judgment and knowledge, and We saved him from the town that was committing vile deeds. Truly they were an evil people, iniquitous. u And We caused him to enter Our Mercy; verily, he was among the righteous. v And [remember] Noah, when he cried out aforetime, We answered him and saved him and his family from great distress. w And We helped him against those people who denied Our signs. Truly they were an evil people; so We drowned them all together. x And [remember] David and Solomon, when they rendered judgment regarding the tillage, when the people’s sheep strayed therein by night. And We were Witness to their judgment. y We made Solomon to understand it, and unto both We gave judgment and knowledge. We compelled the mountains and the birds to glorify along with David; We did this. À And We taught him how to make garments for you to protect you against your own might, but are you thankful? Á And unto Solomon, the wind blowing violently: it ran by his command to the land that We had blessed. And We know all things. Â Among the satans are those who dove deep for him, and performed other deeds besides this. And We guarded them. Ã And [remember] Job, when he cried unto his Lord, “Truly affliction has befallen me! And Thou art the most Merciful of the merciful.” Ä So We answered him and removed the affliction that was upon him, and We gave him his family, and the like thereof along with them, as a mercy from Us and a reminder to the worshippers. Å And [remember] Ishmael, Idrīs, and Dhu’l-Kifl—each was among the patient. Æ We caused them to enter Our Mercy; truly they are among the righteous. Ç And [remember] Dhu’l-Nūn, when he went away in anger, and thought We had no power over him. Then he cried out in the darkness, “There is no god but Thee! Glory be to Thee! Truly I have been among the wrongdoers.” È So We answered him, and saved him from grief. Thus do We save the believers. É And [remember] Zachariah, when he cried out to his Lord, “My Lord! Leave me not childless, though Thou art the best of inheritors.” Ґ So We answered him, and bestowed John upon him, and We set his wife aright for him. Truly they vied in good deeds. They called upon Us with desire and with fear, and they were humble before Us. ґ And as for she who preserved her chastity, We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and made her and her son a sign for the worlds. Ғ Truly this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord. So worship Me! ғ But they have fragmented their affair among themselves. Each is returning unto Us. Ҕ And whosoever performs righteous deeds and is a believer, there shall be no ingratitude for his endeavor, and surely We shall write [it] down for him. ҕ And it is forbidden unto any town We have destroyed that they should ever return, Җ till the time when Gog and Magog are unleashed, and they rush down from every hill, җ and the true promise draws nigh. And, behold, there shall be the fixed stare of those who disbelieved, “Oh, woe unto us! We have certainly been heedless of this! Indeed, we have been wrongdoers.” Ҙ Surely you and that which you worship apart from God shall be fuel for Hell. Unto it you shall come. ҙ Had these been gods, they would not have come unto it. But each shall abide therein. Ā Theirs shall be groaning therein, and therein they shall hear not. ā Surely those for whom what is most beautiful has already gone forth from Us; they shall be kept far from it. Ă They hear not the slightest sound thereof, while they abide in that which their souls desire. ă The greatest terror will not grieve them, and the angels will receive them. “This is your Day, which you were promised.” Ą That Day We shall roll up the sky like the rolling of scrolls for writings. As We began the first creation, so shall We bring it back—a promise binding upon Us. Surely We shall do it. ą And We have indeed written in the Psalms, after the Reminder, that My righteous servants shall inherit the earth. Ć Truly in this is a proclamation for a worshipful people. ć And We sent thee not, save as a mercy unto the worlds. Ĉ Say, “It is only revealed unto me that your God is one God. So will you be submitters?” ĉ But if they turn away, say, “I have proclaimed to you all equally. I know not whether that which you are promised is nigh or far off. Đ Verily He knows that which is spoken openly and He knows that which you conceal. đ And I know not; perhaps it is a trial for you, and an enjoyment for a while.” Ē He said, “My Lord, judge with truth! Our Lord is the Compassionate, the One Whose help is sought against that which you ascribe.”
Commentary
¡ For mankind, their reckoning draws nigh, while they turn away heedless.
1 The first verse of al-Anbiyāʾ announces that the time of the reckoning approaches (R); cf. 54:1. Reckoning (ḥisāb) is a word used to signify the accounting of the Day of Judgment, which is also called the Day of Reckoning (e.g., 38:16; 40:28). Some theologians have said that the time that has passed since God created the world is greater than the time remaining until the world ends (Q, Z), a chronology based on the fact that the verb used in this verse for draws nigh (iqtaraba) ordinarily signifies that one is closer to one’s destination than to one’s origin (R). Some say that from God’s point of view the reckoning is close—not in a temporal sense, because God knows all moments simultaneously—but rather is close with regard to His Knowledge of the reckoning; human beings, however, think of it as something distant (M); see also 70:6–7, which speaks of the impending punishment (70:1) in these terms: Truly they see it as far off, but We see it as nigh.
In addition to the fact that the Quran points out that the world as such will come to an end, some commentators observe that it should be enough for anyone that one’s own death is certain, regardless of the time of the destruction of the world; this is part of what is signified by their reckoning draws nigh (Q). To be heedless means that people only care about this world (Ṭ) and pay no attention to the matters of the Hereafter (Q). It is said among the Sufis that there are those who are heedless of the Hereafter because they are engrossed in worldly affairs, and there are the righteous believers who are mindful of the Hereafter; but there are also those who are heedless of the Hereafter because they are so engrossed in the remembrance of God that they give no thought to the Garden or to the Fire (Aj).
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* No new Reminder came unto them from their Lord, but that they listened to it while they played,
2 See the similar verse 26:5 and commentary. The notion of “play” as a characteristic of the disbelievers and idolaters is associated with their overall state of “heedlessness,” or ghaflah; see also 6:91; 43:83; 52:12; 70:42, which speak of the way in which the disbelievers engage in “play” instead of remembering God.
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+ with their hearts diverted. And those who do wrong confide in secret converse, “Is this not but a human being like yourselves? Will you then yield to sorcery, while you see clearly?”
3 The practice of sorcery (siḥr), which could also be rendered “magic” or “illusion,” is an accusation made against the Prophet that in the Arabian context could imply that he was a poet with a demonic muse (see v. 5) or a soothsayer; on this latter subject, see commentary on 26:224–27. What the idolaters are said to see clearly is that Muhammad is, from their point of view, a man like themselves who is possibly engaged in sorcery or is somehow possessed (Q). The objection voiced by opponents of the prophets that they are no more than human beings like themselves is also found in 11:27; 23:24, 33; 26:154; 26:186. However, the prophets also affirm that they are only human beings, usually in response to challenges to produce miracles or knowledge of the unseen, as in 14:11; 18:110; 41:6. On this latter point, also see 18:110c.
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J He said, “My Lord knows that which is spoken in Heaven and on earth, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”
4 God knows secret discussions in addition to what is said openly (IK, R), as in 5:99 and 24:29: God knows what you disclose and what you conceal (cf. 16:19; 64:4). Some read the verb at the beginning not as He said but as a command “Say” directed at the Prophet (Q, Ṭ). God’s Knowledge of what is in Heaven and on earth is mentioned many times in the Quran (e.g., 3:29; 5:97; 10:18; 25:6; 27:65; 29:52; 49:16; 58:7).
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Z Yet they said, “Confused dreams! Nay, he has fabricated it! Nay, he is a poet! Let him bring us a sign like those of old were sent!”
5 Confused dreams renders aḍghāth al-aḥlām (cf. 12:44). Some say aḍghāth refers to those dreams that are not meant to be interpreted (Q); that is, instead of being manifestations of one’s inner spirit or inspirations from an angelic source, they are random products of the imagination without any objective meaning. Some commentators note the incoherence of the various accusations in this verse and see them as mutually contradictory: if it is a “confused dream,” it can be neither sorcery nor something consciously fabricated (M).
The sign like those of old were sent refers to wonders produced by previous prophets, such as Moses’ miraculous staff (Q). Some commentators say that the requests for signs were simply obstinate challenges: had the Prophet healed lepers, for example, the Quraysh would have said it was a kind of medicine they simply did not understand. As it happened, they rejected the Quran’s eloquence and proofs, which they were unable to duplicate or surpass (Q). For another example of this type of challenge, see also 3:183, where others say to the Prophet: Truly God has committed us to not believe in any messenger until he brings us a sacrifice consumed by fire.
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j No town that We destroyed before them believed; will these, then, believe?
6 Earlier peoples who were destroyed, such as those of Ṣāliḥ and of Pharaoh, did not believe (Q), even though the kinds of signs that the Quraysh challenged Muhammad to produce were also brought to those people, but to no avail (Ṭ).
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z And We sent no messenger before thee, but that they were men unto whom We revealed. So ask the people of the Reminder, if you know not.
7 This verse is interpreted to be a consolation and support for the Prophet reminding him that God never sent angels or other types of beings to fulfill the role of prophet or messenger, only human beings like themselves (Q), Others, however, understand it to mean that messengers are male, not female, owing to the conditions and demands of messengerhood (M), perhaps specifically the physical toll. Not all commentators, however, raise the question of gender (R, Ṭ); on whether women can be considered prophets or messengers in the Islamic tradition (most say they cannot, though this is made problematic by the figure of Mary, who some consider to have prophetic rank), see the introduction to Sūrah 19 and 28:7c.
Some understand people of the Reminder (ahl al-dhikr; cf. 16:43) to mean the learned people among Jews and Christians—that is, the learned among the people to whom the Torah and the Gospel were revealed (Ṭ)—who would be able to tell the Quraysh that God always sent human beings as prophets and messengers (Q, R). A minority of commentators say this verse is directed toward Muslim believers and suggests they ask those who know the Quran, which is often referred to as the Reminder (e.g., 6:90; 7:2; 21:50; Q). Some quote the saying of the famous Sufi Junayd that the people of the Reminder (ahl al-dhikr) refers to those who know the inner realities of the remembrance and invocation (dhikr) of God (since dhikr can mean at once “invocation,” “reminder,” and “remembrance”) and who look at things with the eyes of the unseen (Su), meaning with a vision that penetrates beyond the outward aspects and appearances to the true inner nature of things.
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{ We did not make them bodies that ate not food; nor were they immortal.
8 The humanity of the prophets is also affirmed in 25:20: And We sent not any messengers before thee but that they ate food and walked in the markets; see also 5:75c; 25:7c. Immortal renders khālidūn, meaning literally “lasting” or “abiding” forever, a word often used to describe the state of those who will inhabit the Garden or the Fire. Some point out that it is not superhuman qualities, such as being immortal or not needing food, that distinguish prophets from other human beings, but their miracles and the absence of negative qualities in their message and character (R). By extension, this verse means that neither the prophets nor saintly people are free of the need for the lawful enjoyment of food, drink, and even sexual relations (though they may abstain from food temporarily or sex permanently; Aj).
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| Then We fulfilled the promise unto them, and saved them and whomsoever We willed, and We destroyed the prodigal.
9 The promise is understood to refer specifically to the remainder of this verse, meaning the promise to save the prophets and punish those who opposed them (M, Q, R). The concept of prodigality is discussed in 3:147c; 7:80–81c; 10:12c; 25:67c.
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Ċ We have indeed sent down unto you a Book wherein is your Reminder. Do you not understand?
10 The Quran serves as a reminder of the promise of God to reward good deeds and punish sins or as a reminder of what is obligatory and forbidden in one’s religion (R). For some, wherein is your Reminder (dhikr) can also mean “wherein is your nobility/stature,” where dhikr is understood in its meaning of “renown” or “reputation” (Q, R, Ṭ), as in 94:4, which addresses the Prophet: And did We not elevate thy renown (dhikrak)? Some say that here dhikr means “your story or tale” (Q), or “your virtue” or “the best of your actions” (Q). For others, it refers to the act in which one finds life (Su), understanding dhikr to mean the remembrance of God as an action and state of being, rather than as a reminder one receives from outside of oneself.
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Ě How many a town engaged in wrongdoing have We shattered, and then brought into being another people after them?
11 Though similar verses of general import appear elsewhere (e.g., 6:6; 7:4; 17:17; 19:98; 28:58; 38:3; 50:36), some commentators connect this verse with certain towns in Yemen that were destroyed (Q, R), mentioning specifically a place called Ḥadūr, to whom a prophet was sent, though the people of Ḥadūr rejected him. As a spiritual allegory, this verse (and similar ones) can be read as saying God destroys a wicked heart through trials and deprivations and in its place brings a wholesome heart into being through a process of spiritual transformation (Aj).
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Ī And when they felt Our Might, behold, they ran away from it.
12 Felt Our Might could also mean “sensed Our Might,” so that when they saw the impending destruction (before they experienced it), they fled (Ṭ).
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ĺ “Do not run away! But return to the luxury you have been given and to your dwellings, that haply you may be questioned.”
13 Return to the luxury is understood to mean, “Go back to your worldly existence (dunyā)” (Ṭ), that is, the lifestyle the wrongdoers flaunted and enjoyed (Q). That haply you may be questioned is thought to mean, “So that you will be made to understand.” This command to go back to the world is understood by some to be a form of mockery or a taunt (Q, Ṭ), though it could also be a kind of rhetorical device alluding to the impossibility of escape. It is said by some that these words could have been spoken by the angels or by God (R).
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Ŋ They said, “Oh, woe unto us! Truly we have been wrongdoers.”
14 It is thought that the wrongdoers said this when the angels began to carry out the punishment, when such an admission was too late to do them any good (Q).
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Ś And that did not cease to be their cry, till We made them a mown field, stilled.
15 Stilled renders khāmidīn, a word also used to express the extinguishing of a flame or more simply dying (Q).
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Ū And We did not create Heaven and earth and whatsoever is between them in play.
16 Cf. 44:38. Similar language is employed where the Quran says that God did not create the world frivolously (23:115) or in vain (3:191; 38:27). It means that, unlike the tyrants and prodigal of the earth, whose glories and riches are for play and diversion, God creates the splendor of the heavens and the earth for a purpose (R).
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ź Had We desired to take up a diversion, We would surely have taken it from that which was with Us, were We to do so.
17 Diversion in take up a diversion is interpreted by some to mean “consort” or “wife” (Q, Ṭ) or “[to have a] child” (Q, R). From that which was with Us means that if God had willed to do so, He would not have created the world at all (Ṭ), referring back to the previous verse, which states that God did not create the world in play. Another possible interpretation is that this verse signifies that God is transcendent beyond the kinds of commingling with His creation that is falsely attributed to Him by some.
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Ɗ Nay, but We cast truth against falsehood, and it crushes it, and, behold, it vanishes. And woe unto you for that which you describe!
18 Crushes renders the verb damagha, a word that can have the general sense of overcoming or vanquishing, but that also conveys the sense of crushing a skull to the point of reaching the brain (dimāgh, etymologically related to the verb); it can also have the meaning of an object stamping a form into softer material. Vanishes is understood by some to mean “is destroyed” (Ṭ). The relationship between falsehood and truth in the Quran is discussed at greater length in the commentary on 17:81: Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Also see 8:8: So that He may verify the truth and prove falsehood to be false; 34:49: Truth has come, and falsehood originates naught, nor restores; and 42:24: God wipes out falsehood and verifies the truth through His Words.
That which you describe can either refer to the lies the wrongdoers told or signify their idolatry, recalling phrases such as Exalted is God above the partners they ascribe (7:190; 23:92; 27:63), which exalt God above idolatrous attributions (see also v. 112, where God is said to be the One Whose help is sought against that which you ascribe). Some understand these descriptions to refer to the accusations made against the Prophet in vv. 3–5.
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ƚ Unto Him belongs whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth. Those who are with Him are not too arrogant to worship Him; nor do they weary.
Ȋ They glorify night and day, without tiring.
19–20 Cf. 41:38. These verses are thought to refer to the angels (R, Ṭ). Those who are with Him can also mean “those who are near Him.” Nor do they weary is understood to mean that they neither tire nor become bored (Ṭ), which is possible only for angels, not human beings (R). Some note that for the angels the glorification of God is what breathing is for human beings (Ṭ); see 41:38c.
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! Or have they taken gods from the earth who resurrect?
21 Rather than worship the Creator of the heavens and the earth (v. 19), such people prefer to worship earthly beings incapable of giving life (Q). The imagery of biological life renewed is also treated as a symbol of what will happen to human beings on the Day of Resurrection, as in 35:9: And God is He Who sends the winds; then they cause clouds to rise. Then We drive them to a land that is dead, and thereby revive the earth after its death. Thus shall be the Resurrection!
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" Were there gods other than God in them, they would surely have been corrupted. So glory be to God, Lord of the Throne, above that which they ascribe.
22 Other than God (illa’Llāh) can also be rendered “except for God,” which is also the second half of the formula lā ilāha illa’Llāh, “There is no god but God.” In them, which uses a pronoun in the dual form, refers here to the heavens and the earth. This is one of a handful of verses that argue, as it were, that the notion of a multiplicity of gods is a self-evident logical absurdity; others include 12:39–40, where Joseph asks his fellow prisoners: Are diverse lords better, or God, the One, the Paramount? You worship apart from Him naught but names that you have named. Similar verses include 23:91: And neither are there any gods with Him, for then each god would take away what he created, and some of them would overcome others; and 17:42: Say, “If there were gods with Him, as they say, they would surely seek a way unto the Possessor of the Throne.” As a spiritual allegory, v. 22 is understood to symbolize the truth that a divided heart will become corrupted, and that a heart must be unified and detached from entanglements in the world (Su).
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# He shall not be questioned about what He does, but they shall be questioned.
23 God is not answerable to creation, but creatures are answerable to Him (R). The idea of “questioning” in the sense of responsibility or answerability also arises in v. 13 as well as 2:119, 134; 16:56. See also 28:78c, which discusses the complexity of the Quran’s language about being “questioned” in the Hereafter.
For some commentators He shall not be questioned . . . but they shall be questioned touches on teleology, or how or whether human beings can ask God why He did such and such (Q, R); indeed, the phrase could also be rendered, “He is unanswerable for what He does, but they are answerable.” In regard to created things one can ask why they acted as they did, but it is by definition impossible for creatures to know why God does what He does, and theologically what is at stake is whether God stands in need of a reason outside of Himself to do anything (R). The issue of free will versus predestination also arises here, in that human beings cannot, following a strictly predestinarian reading of this verse, question God or ask why one was made a disbeliever in life (Q). This is connected to God provides for whomsoever He will without reckoning, one interpretation of which understands it to refer to the fact that no one can bring God to account for the provisions He gives or withholds from different creatures (see 2:212c).
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$ Or have they taken gods apart from Him? Say, “Bring me your proof! This is the Reminder for those who are with me, and the Reminder for those before me. Nay, but most of them do not know the truth; so they turn away.”
24 In the Quran the bringing of proof (burhān) is a “demonstration” or “evidence”; this word is used similarly in 2:111; 23:117; 27:64; 28:75. Reminder in both instances in this verse renders dhikr, a word that can also mean “invoke,” “mention,” “recall,” “remembrance,” or even “renown.” Thus some understand Reminder for those before me to refer here to the fact that the Quran recounts the lives of those peoples who passed away before (R, Ṭ), in which case it would be rendered “Reminder of those before me.” Some understand Reminder in a Reminder for those before me to refer to the Torah and the Gospel, and the content of this Reminder, like that of the Quran, to be that human beings should not take gods apart from Him, which is reaffirmed in v. 25 (R).
Some read the truth as an extended part of the subject rather than as an object, so that the verse would read, “This is a Reminder for those before me (but most of them know not), the truth.” (R).
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% And We sent no messenger before thee, save that We revealed unto him, “Verily, there is no god but I; so worship Me!”
25 Even though the messengers had different commands regarding what was obligatory and forbidden, they all conveyed the same message of monotheism and devotion to God (Ṭ), confirming the self-evident existence and Oneness of God (Q). Some read part of this verse in the third person: “We sent no messenger before thee, but that it was revealed unto him.” Regarding the fundamental similarities among the messages and messengers, see the essay “The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions.”
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& And they say, “The Compassionate has taken a child.” Glory be to Him! Nay, but they are honored servants.
26 In the Quran, when it is said that God has taken a child, or children (Q), the reference is to either the belief among the idolatrous Quraysh that the angels were “daughters of God” (see, e.g., 37:149–53c; 43:16–17c) or the Christian doctrine of the Divine sonship of Jesus (see, e.g., 4:171c). According to some, this verse was revealed specifically in connection with the tribe of Khuzāʿah, who considered the angels to be daughters of God and worshipped them in order to obtain their intercession (Q); honored servants refers to these angels.
Some Muslim theologians do not object to calling God “Father” in a narrow metaphorical or symbolic sense (see 2:116c), but consider it erroneous to assert that any such Divine “offspring” are not like other creatures and would have a different ontological status by virtue of being begotten by God; a similar error would be believing that they are “children of God” in an exclusive and sectarian way, as in 5:18: And the Jews and the Christians say, “We are the children of God, and His beloved ones.” Say, “Why then does He punish you for your sins?” Nay, but you are mortals of His creating. He forgives whomsoever He will, and He punishes whomsoever He will.
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' They precede Him not in speech, and they act according to His Command.
27 They precede Him not in speech means the angels do not speak except as commanded by God and do not act except according to His Will (Ṭ). Interpreted as a spiritual allegory, this means that one should inwardly model oneself on the angels, striving to neither speak nor act except in accordance with the Will of God, adhering to the Sunnah, and being with God constantly (Su).
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( He knows that which is before them and that which is behind them, and they intercede not, save for one with whom He is content. They are wary, for fear of Him.
28 That which is before them and that which is behind them refer to what will take place in the future and what took place in the past (Ṭ), or they can refer to the Hereafter and this world (Q). On the concept of intercession (shafāʿah) in the Quran, usually framed in terms of who God allows to intercede on behalf of others on the Day of Judgment, see 2:48c; 2:255c. For some, this verse connects the debate about intercession with the dispute regarding the status of a person who perpetrates a major sin (kabīrah; R); that is, for some the category one with whom He is content includes anyone who believes, “There is no god but God,” while others (i.e., the Muʿtazilites) restrict it to those who believe and who also have not committed major sins (R). For more on the question of major sin and its relationship to faith, see 2:82c and also the essay “The Quran and Schools of Islamic Theology and Philosophy.” They are wary also denotes the sense of being anxious and careful. The attributes of fear and wariness (the latter could also be rendered “anxiety”) are not those of a Divinely begotten being, but of a creature who knows that God is omniscient and omnipotent (R).
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) And whosoever among them would say, “Truly I am a god apart from Him,” such will We requite with Hell. Thus do We requite the wrongdoers.
29 Some commentators view this verse as a specific reference to Iblīs (Q, Ṭ), but others say that this verse does not necessarily describe something someone actually said; rather, it refers to what would happen if they did say this (R).
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Ð Have those who disbelieve not considered that the heavens and the earth were sewn together and We rent them asunder? And We made every living thing from water. Will they not, then, believe?
Ñ And We placed firm mountains in the earth, lest it shake beneath them, and We made wide tracts between them as paths, that haply they may be guided.
30–31 Some see this “rending asunder” as a reference to God’s making the earth into seven earths and the heaven into seven heavens, as alluded to in 65:12 (Ṭ), or to God’s pulling apart of the heavens and the earth, which were originally “connected” or “adjacent” (Ṭ). It may also mean that the heavens and the earth used to be a single thing, and then God separated them with the air and wind (Q). For others this verse means that the heavens are rent asunder by rain, and the earth by the vegetation that grows as a result of that rain (Q, Ṭ). This latter interpretation is preferred by some, because of the phrase that follows, And We made every living thing from water (R). Another interpretation is offered by Abū Muslim al-Iṣfahānī: sewn together (ratq) symbolizes the state of things before the creation of the world, where in a sense “nothingness” was all of a piece and nothing could be distinguished from anything else; rent asunder (fataqnā, from fatq) then symbolizes the act of creation, in which realities once joined together in “nonexistence” come to be separate from each other as they take on existence and individual identity (R).
Another opinion is that this means that the heavens and the earth were at first dark and then were illuminated, signifying that night preceded day (R). As a spiritual allegory, the heavens represent the spirit and the earth represents the faculties of the soul; the waters of the spirit penetrate the earth and cause wisdom and piety to grow; the mountains are the intelligence, which anchors the soul and keeps it from going adrift; and the paths between them represent the inward spiritual life directing human beings toward God (Aj).
The creation of things from water is also mentioned in 24:45: And God created every beast from water; and 25:54: And He it is Who created a human being from water. See 24:45c. The phrase in this verse could also be rendered, “It is by water that We make things live” (R, Z). For some, water refers to reproductive fluids (M).
According to one cosmological image found in the Islamic tradition, the earth floats upon water and would move about as if it were a ship on the sea, were it not for the firm mountains anchoring it (cf. 16:15; 31:10; R). Wide tracts renders fijāj, which are thought to refer to wide paths (R, Z). Between them (referring to the mountains) renders fīhā, which is understood by some to mean “upon it,” where the pronoun refers to the earth, so that the translation would be “wide tracts upon [the earth]” (R), which are placed so that people may be guided to their destinations on earth or to an awareness of God’s Oneness after reflecting upon them (R).
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Ò And We made the sky a canopy preserved; yet they turn away from its signs.
32 Preserved means preserved from the satans (R), or it connotes “upraised” (cf. 52:5; Ṭ), meaning protected from falling down to the earth (Q). The sky as canopy (saqf) is also mentioned in 2:22; 40:64; 79:28. It is said the idolaters turn away in the face of the signs of the heavens, including the sun, moon, and stars (Ṭ).
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Ó He it is Who created the night and the day, the sun and the moon, each gliding in an orbit.
33 For the various elements in this verse, see 36:40c. The notion of heavenly bodies gliding in orbits is an occasion for some commentators to discuss the cosmology underlying this imagery (R). The common notion in Islamic cosmology during premodern times was that the heavenly bodies moved within spheres of an ethereal or subtle substance (Q, R), but there were a few, such as Ḍaḥḥāk, for whom “orbits” meant nothing more than the trajectories of these bodies through the heavens. Al-Qurṭubī’s and al-Rāzī’s concluding remarks on this verse point out that no one can have knowledge of these matters except through revelation.
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Ô We have not ordained perpetual life for any human being before thee. So if thou diest, will they abide forever?
Õ Every soul shall taste death. We try you with evil and with good, as a test, and unto Us shall you be returned.
34–35 Perpetual life renders khuld, a word used in the frequent refrain they shall abide (khālid) therein, related to the state of those in the Hereafter (e.g., 3:15; 7:36, 42), and other contexts to connote “perpetuity” or “everlastingness” (cf. 10:52; 20:120; 25:15; 32:14; 41:28). In this verse it refers specifically to this world, where every human being will die (Ṭ). If thou diest, will they abide forever contains the verb form of the noun rendered by perpetual life. This question is asked of the Prophet, signifying that if the Prophet should die, it will not change the fundamental situation of the idolaters who oppose him—they too will die (Ṭ). For some, to taste death (cf. 3:185; 29:57) refers not to death itself, but to the sufferings that precede it (R). According to the Sufi Junayd, “Whosoever is between the two vanishings (fanāʾayn) is now vanishing (fānī),” implying that between the state of nonexistence that precedes earthly life and the death at the end of that life one is in a constant state of dying (Su). Some mention that this verse was revealed in relation to those who believed that the Prophet would never die (R); alternately, because the idolaters indicated they would delight at his death and misfortune, this verse was revealed as a reminder that the Prophet’s death would not change the truth (Q).
Both evil and good can be trials (Ṭ), as in 7:168: And We tried them with good things and with evil things; that is, one can be tried with sickness as well as good health, poverty as well as wealth, error as well as guidance (Ṭ). Or people are tried as to whether they will do what is obligatory and abstain from what is forbidden (Q). The test by what is good is whether one will be grateful to God and be generous with what God provides, and the test by what is evil is whether one will be patient (R).
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Ö And whenever those who disbelieve see thee, they take thee in naught but mockery, “Is this the one who makes mention of your gods?” And it is they who are disbelievers in the remembrance of the Compassionate.
36 The one who makes mention of your gods refers to the Prophet when he disparaged and condemned the idolaters, which they took as an insult (Ṭ). Depending on the context, mention can be used to imply either praise or blame and censure (Ṭ). Makes mention renders yadhkuru, which is the verb form of remembrance (dhikr), the implication being that the idolaters censure the Prophet for “remembering” their idols, while they themselves refuse to “remember” and worship God. For some, remembrance of the Compassionate refers to the Quran (one of whose names is al-Dhikr, “the Reminder”) rather than to remembering God or being reminded of God (Q).
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× Man was created of haste. Soon shall I show you My signs; so seek not to hasten Me!
37 People were created possessing the trait of being hasty, which is similar to 30:54, God is He Who created you from weakness, meaning created weak, as in 4:28, Man was created weak (Q). Others say that this verse alludes to the rapidity of creation, as described in verses such as 2:117: He only says to it, “Be!” and it is. See also 17:11: Man prays for evil as he prays for good, and man is ever hasty.
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Ø And they say, “When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful?”
38 The question in this verse is a frequent challenge often associated with the notion of “seeking to hasten,” and in this context it follows immediately upon God’s Command not to seek to hasten the promise of punishment for the disbelievers in the Hereafter (Q). It is not the mere fact of being hasty that is condemned (since this is a part of human nature, as attested by the previous verse), but challenging God to be so, in which case people display an excess of haste (R). See the similar verses 10:48; 27:71; 34:29; 67:25.
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Ù If those who disbelieved but knew of the time when they shall not be able to hold back the Fire from their faces or from their backs, nor be helped!
39 This verse is a conditional clause whose completion is implicit meaning, “If they but knew [they would do otherwise]” (R, Z). For the symbolism of the punishment visited upon faces and backs, see 8:50c.
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@ Nay, but it will come upon them suddenly, and confound them. Then they will not be able to repel it, nor will they be granted respite.
40 That God’s Punishment will come . . . suddenly is mentioned in 6:31; 7:95, 187; 12:107; 22:55; 26:202; 29:53; 39:55; 43:66; 47:18. This unpredictability is connected with the notion that the Hour is known only to God (e.g., 79:44), which means in a sense that it will be “sudden” by definition (see 7:187c). Some note that people are confounded by something to the degree that they are heedless of its Creator, but whoever is always in the Presence of God will not be confounded by anything of the world (Su).
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A Messengers were certainly mocked before thee. Then those who scoffed at them were beset by that which they used to mock.
41 Cf. 6:10. The Prophet is reminded here, as elsewhere, that he was not the first messenger of God to be mocked by his people (13:32; 15:11; 36:30; 43:7). The idea that people will be beset by that which they used to mock (cf. 6:10; 11:8; 16:34; 39:48; 40:83; 45:33; 46:26) connotes being both surrounded and overcome by something. Most commentators interpret this verse to mean that those who ridiculed the idea of punishment in the Hereafter for their misdeeds in this life will eventually suffer that punishment and will not be able to escape it (Ṭ).
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B Say, “Who will protect you, night and day, from the Compassionate?” Nay, but they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord.
42 This verse serves as an implicit reminder that God is aware of the disbelievers and powerful over them by night and by day, but they are, nonetheless, oblivious (R). That is, while human beings are going about their daily affairs or sleeping, God is able to unleash His Punishment upon them at any time (Q). Some note that the name the Compassionate (al-Raḥmān) is used here because it would cause one to reflect upon the fact that God encompasses all things with His Mercy (R).
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C Or do they have gods to defend them apart from Us? They cannot help themselves; nor are they given protection against Us.
43 The powerlessness of the gods of the idolaters, for both themselves and their worshippers, is also mentioned in 7:192, 197. In this verse the inability of the idols to defend the idolaters implies that the idolaters will have no defense against God’s Punishment when it comes either in this world, in the form of defeat and death, or in the Hereafter, in the form of punishment (R). Given protection against Us renders minnā yuṣḥabūn, which some understand to mean, “They will not have Us as a Companion” (Q, R).
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D Nay, but We granted enjoyment to them and their fathers till life grew long for them. Do they not consider how We come upon the land, reducing it of its outlying regions? Is it they who shall prevail?
44 The idolaters were granted enjoyment; that is, God provided them with the goods of this world. Some commentators understand this verse to refer to the conquest of a territory, which begins on its frontiers; for others, it refers to the loss of its peoples and its blessings; for others still, it refers to the loss of the learned sages of a community. The last interpretation has a special resonance with a ḥadīth that states: “God does not take away knowledge by removing it from His servants, but rather takes it away by removing the learned, till, when no learned people remain, people rely on ignorant leaders who are consulted and who make judgments without knowledge. They are thus misled and mislead” (R). Reading this statement as a reference to conquest and loss seems to fit more closely with the remainder of the verse: Is it they who shall prevail? (R).
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E Say, “I only warn you through a revelation.” But the deaf do not hear the call however much they are warned.
45 This verse commands the Prophet to remind his audience that what he says is the result of revelation (waḥy); see also 53:3–4: Nor does he speak out of caprice. It is naught but a revelation revealed. For more on the nature of waḥy, see 28:7c; 16:68c. They are deaf not in the literal sense, but insofar as they just listen to the revelation and do not act upon what is said; one is effectively “deaf” to a message if one ignores its significance (R). Spiritual deafness is an idea evoked throughout the Quran; see commentary on 2:18; 5:71; 6:25; 31:7. Some read the verb hear in the second person, so that it would be addressed to the Prophet, “Thou canst not cause the deaf to hear when they are warned” (Q, R).
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F And if but a breath of thy Lord’s Punishment were to touch them, they would surely say, “Oh, woe unto us. Truly we were wrongdoers.”
46 Breath renders nafḥah, a word that can also mean “breeze” or “fragrance.” It conveys the idea of something light and very slight, in the sense that one does not come into contact with the thing itself, but with what emanates from it. Here just a “whiff” of the punishment of the Hereafter causes exclamations of woe unto us (R), when it will be too late for the recognition Truly we were wrongdoers to do them any good (Q); see 67:10–11c.
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G We shall set the just scales for the Day of Resurrection, and no soul shall be wronged in aught. Even if it be the weight of a mustard seed, We shall bring it. And We suffice as Reckoner.
47 By for the Day of Resurrection some understand “on the Day of Resurrection” (R) or “for [the people of] the Day of Resurrection” (Q). God’s Knowledge of the tiniest deed is symbolized by the weight of a mustard seed (31:16) or by other very small objects (6:59; 10:61; 34:3; 99:7–8).
For some this verse seems to contradict 18:105: Thus their deeds have come to naught, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall assign them no weight. In this latter verse weight renders wazn, which is related to mawāzīn, the word rendered by scales. Not “assigning them weight” is understood by some to mean not that the scales will not be just, since no soul shall be wronged in aught (see also, e.g., 2:181; 3:25; 4:124; 16:111), but that they will not be honored or glorified on the Day of Resurrection (R).
Some commentators use physical imagery to describe what the scales or balance will be, often saying that the scales will be held by Gabriel and will actually bear some resemblance to the two-pan balance, and that one’s deeds will appear in a form that weighs down one side or the other (R). Others do not see these scales literally, but as a symbolical reference to the “weighing” of actions according to the Justice of God (Q). On the concept of mīzān (“balance” or “scales”), see especially 42:17c; 57:25c; 101:6–9c. On what it means for God “to suffice” in such contexts, see 2:137c; 3:173c.
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H We indeed gave unto Moses and Aaron the Criterion, and a radiant light and a reminder for the reverent,
48 Moses is also described in 2:53 as being given the Criterion (see 25:1c). Here the Criterion is understood to be the Torah (Ṭ) or the help that God gave him in his mission (R). Some interpret the radiant light as referring to the Torah and consequently interpret the Criterion to be a reference to something else (Ṭ), though 5:44 and 6:91 treat the light and the book as one and the same.
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I who fear their Lord unseen, and who are wary of the Hour.
49 Unseen renders ghāʾib, which literally means “absent” or “unseen” (related to ghayb, “unseen [reality]”). Some understand unseen to mean that the reverent here are absent from other people and pray to God in seclusion (R). Or it can refer to the fact that the worshippers are not present before God and the realities of the Hereafter, meaning that they cannot perceive God directly, but know Him through faith, reflection, and contemplation (Q), which keep them from disobedience toward God (R).
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P This is a blessed Reminder that We have sent down. Will you then deny it?
50 The Reminder (dhikr), referring here to the Quran (Q), is used several times throughout this sūrah in this sense of a Divine book (vv. 2, 7, 10, 24, 48, 84, 105).
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Q And We indeed gave unto Abraham his sound judgment aforetime, and We knew him
51 Sound judgment renders rushd (see 2:256c; 72:2c); that it was given to Abraham aforetime means before Moses and Aaron (Ṭ). Some take it to mean that Abraham was rightly guided even as a child (R, Ṭ), before he was endowed with the office of prophethood (Q), though some say that it refers to prophethood itself or to the fact that God knew that He would make Abraham a prophet (R).
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R when he said unto his father and his people, “What are these images to which you are cleaving?”
S They said, “We found our fathers worshipping them.”
T He said, “Certainly you and your fathers have been in manifest error.”
52–54 Abraham’s encounter with his father and his people over the idols they worshipped is also recounted in 6:76–83; 19:42–48; 26:69–87; 37:84–96; 43:26–28. For the notion of idolaters blindly following the ways of their forefathers, see commentary on 5:104: “Sufficient for us is that which we have found our fathers practicing.” What! Even if their fathers knew naught and were not rightly guided? Similar injunctions are addressed to the Children of Adam (7:28), the Egyptians (10:78; 28:36), and people in general (31:21; 43:24).
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U They said, “Have you brought us the truth, or are you among those who jest?”
55 This verse is similar to the Israelites’ response to Moses in 2:67: And when Moses said to his people, “God commands you to slaughter a cow,” they said, “Do you take us in mockery?”
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V He said, “Nay, but your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Who originated them. And I am among those who bear witness unto this.
56 Abraham points out that it is not the idols they worshipped who originated the heavens and the earth (M).
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W And by God, I shall scheme against your idols after you have turned your backs.”
57 Abraham says to himself, “I shall scheme against you concerning your idols” (R, Ṭ). In other words, after having tried verbal argument, he was now planning to use a different mode of demonstration (Q).
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X So he broke them into pieces—save the largest of them—that haply they may have recourse to it.
Y They said, “Who has done this to our gods? Verily he is among the wrongdoers!”
58–59 It is said that Abraham lagged behind a group of his people on a festival day in order to accomplish his demonstration (R). Some commentators add that Abraham took the ax with which he smashed the other idols and hung it around the neck of or leaned it against the largest one (Q, Ṭ).
That haply they may have recourse to it means that they would turn to the idol to find an explanation for what happened. This phrase could also be translated, “That haply they may return,” in which case it would be interpreted to mean that they would leave off their false worship and return to the true faith practiced by Abraham (R, Ṭ). Save the largest could also mean “save the greatest,” that is, the most important or valued idol (R).
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` They said, “We heard a young man mention them; he is called Abraham.”
a They said, “So bring him before the eyes of the people, that haply they may bear witness.”
60–61 Mention them here means to mention them by way of censure and blame (Q, Ṭ); as noted in 21:36c, the verb “to mention” can, depending on context, connote a sense of disapproval or blame. They called the people to bear witness against Abraham, either because they did not want to punish him without some proof or because they wanted the punishment to be public (Ṭ), to serve as an example to others (R).
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b They said, “Was it you who did this to our gods, O Abraham?”
c He said, “Nay, but it was the largest of them that did this. So question them, if they speak!”
62–63 By the largest of them, Abraham means the largest idol, which he left undestroyed (see v. 58). Some see in Abraham’s response here the implication that, according to his ruse, the largest idol was angered by the fact that the other idols were worshipped (Q). Some mention a ḥadīth attributed to the Prophet that states, “Abraham lied only concerning three things: when he said, (1) ‘Truly I am sick’ [37:89]; (2) that Sarah was his sister [Genesis 20:2]; and (3) that the largest idol destroyed the others.” Many commentators wrestle with the problematic notion of Abraham—a prophet—lying under any circumstances, and they do so in a manner similar to their efforts to address Abraham’s apparent worship of celestial bodies in 6:76–78. Al-Qurṭubī mentions that perhaps he told these lies while he was a child, and al-Rāzī reasons that what Abraham said would not count as a lie at all, at least not in the sense of being a deception, since his purpose was to demonstrate a truth by uttering words that no one present could have believed, thus exposing their absurdity.
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d So they consulted among themselves and said, “Verily it is you who are the wrongdoers!”
64 According to some, this verse means that some of the people thought they were wronging Abraham in accusing him (Ṭ).
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e Then they reverted, “Certainly you know that these speak not!”
65 Reverted translates nukisū ʿalā ruʾūsihim, which can also mean “were made to relapse” or, literally, “were turned upside down or turned over onto their heads or beginnings”; that is, the idol worshippers were overcome, albeit briefly, by Abraham’s argument and demonstration and changed their minds (Ṭ). Some think the phrase means they were overcome by the “madness of evil” (Ṭ), or they “went back” (in their thinking) because they were convinced by the arguments of Abraham (Ṭ), meaning that they began to think properly about the matter (R).
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f He said, “Do you worship, apart from God, that which benefits you not in the least, nor harms you?
66 Similar statements and questions regarding the inability of idols to help or harm can be found in 5:76; 6:71; 10:18, 106; 13:16; 20:89; 22:12; 25:55.
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g Fie upon you, and upon that which you worship apart from God. Do you not understand?”
67 Fie renders the Arabic expression uff, also mentioned as what one should not say to one’s parents in 17:23. It is an utterance meant to express annoyance (Z), and even disgust.
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h They said, “Burn him, and help your gods, if you would take action!”
68 This incident is mentioned in more detail in 37:97, where Abraham’s people say, Erect a building for him and cast him into the fire. Commentators point out that some of the popular stories attached to this incident, such as the assertion that it was Nimrod who commanded that he be burned, have no direct basis in the Quran itself (R). Some traditions mention that the structure built was so large and became so hot that if a bird flew too close it, would be incinerated in midair (Q, R). It is also reported that Abraham recited a certain prayer as he was being cast into the fire: “O God, Thou art alone in Heaven, and I am alone on earth in worshipping Thee” (Q, R).
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i We said, “O Fire! Be coolness and peace for Abraham.”
69 Some say that, were it not for the command to the fire to be peace, the coolness would have overcome Abraham (Ṭ). Al-Rāzī mentions three possible ways the fire became coolness and peace for Abraham: God removed the heat and the ability to burn from the fire while leaving its illumination; God caused a change in the nature of Abraham’s body so that he was not affected by the fire; God placed a barrier between Abraham and the fire that kept the fire from burning him.
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p They desired to scheme against him, but We made them the greatest losers.
70 Abraham’s opponents were overcome by both the verbal argument and the miracle of Abraham’s withstanding the fire unharmed (R).
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q And We delivered him and Lot to the land that We blessed for all peoples.
71 Some say the land that We blessed for all peoples refers to the Levant (Shām; Ṭ), while others say it refers to Makkah (Q), where Abraham went to build the Kaʿbah with Ishmael (2:127). The land from which they were delivered is reputed to be Mesopotamia (ʿIrāq; Q). The idea of a blessed land also appears in v. 81 in connection with Solomon, in 7:137 with regard to the Children of Israel, and in 17:1 in the context of the Prophet’s Night Journey (isrāʾ).
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r And We bestowed upon him Isaac, and Jacob as an added gift. And each of them We made righteous.
72 As an added gift (nāfilan) is thought to refer to Jacob only (Ṭ) based on the reasoning that the initial gift was Isaac and Abraham had not prayed for a grandson (Q). Others read the first part of the verse to mean, “We bestowed upon him Isaac and Jacob as a gift” (Ṭ). Each of them—meaning all three, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—was made righteous (R, Ṭ).
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s And We made them imams, guiding according to Our Command. And We revealed unto them the doing of good deeds, the performance of prayer, and the giving of alms. And they were worshippers of Us.
73 On the concept of imams or “leaders,” see also 2:124c; 17:71c. That the three were made imāms means that they were the ones who were followed and imitated (Ṭ); they taught and guided people in matters of religion and good deeds (Q, R).
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t And as for Lot, We gave unto him judgment and knowledge, and We saved him from the town that was committing vile deeds. Truly they were an evil people, iniquitous.
74 This verse continues and We revealed unto them from v. 73, meaning, “And We revealed unto them and unto Lot . . . ” (R). It is also read to imply, “And remember Lot. We gave unto Him judgment and knowledge” (Q). Judgment, or ḥukm, refers to the ability to decide between disputants (R); other prophets are also described as being given ḥukm (3:79; 6:89; 12:22; 19:12; 45:16). For the story of Lot and his people, see 11:77–83, and also 7:80–84; 15:57–77; 26:160–73; 27:54–58; 29:28–35; 54:33–38.
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u And We caused him to enter Our Mercy; verily, he was among the righteous.
75 To enter into God’s Mercy is an idea also mentioned in 4:175; 7:151; 9:99; 42:8; 45:30; 48:25; 76:31. In this specific instance some interpret this Mercy to mean the status of prophethood, while others say that it refers to the rewards given to him by God in the Hereafter (R).
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v And [remember] Noah, when he cried out aforetime, We answered him and saved him and his family from great distress.
w And We helped him against those people who denied Our signs. Truly they were an evil people; so We drowned them all together.
76–77 Before Abraham and his progeny, Noah was saved from the punishment meted out to his people in the form of the flood (Q, Ṭ), though the great distress can also be interpreted to include the mockery and insults Noah and his followers suffered (R). 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; and Sūrah 71. Family renders ahl, which can also mean “people.” His family can thus be understood to mean “his people,” meaning those who followed the religion he taught (R).
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x And [remember] David and Solomon, when they rendered judgment regarding the tillage, when the people’s sheep strayed therein by night. And We were Witness to their judgment.
78 Tillage refers to crops or an orchard (Ṭ). The animals wandered in unguarded and destroyed the vegetation. According to one account, David rendered judgment and awarded the sheep to the owner of the field as compensation, but Solomon intervened and recommended that the sheep be given to the farmer until the land returned to its previous state, to which David gladly agreed (Ṭ). In another version, Solomon recommended that the two owners exchange places: the shepherd would care for the field until it was restored to its previous state, and in the meantime the farmer would benefit from the milk and wool of the flock (Q). Some note that the Quran itself transmits none of these details, not even that there was a disagreement between David and Solomon on the matter, but they accept that the events occurred because of the testimony of the tradition on the question (R).
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y We made Solomon to understand it, and unto both We gave judgment and knowledge. We compelled the mountains and the birds to glorify along with David; We did this.
79 We made Solomon to understand it refers to the judgment he gave that was adopted by David (Ṭ). That the birds glorified God together with David is also mentioned in 27:16; 34:10; and 38:19. Here the glorification by the mountains is thought to mean that when David glorified God, the mountains would echo in response, or that David could command the mountains to do so (Q). Others say that it means that the mountains glorified God in accord with the universal sense of 17:44 (And there is no thing, save that it hymns His praise, though you do not understand their praise), but that David possessed an awareness and knowledge of this glorification that intensified his own certainty and glorification (R).
Some commentators view the two judgments rendered by David and Solomon and the adoption of Solomon’s through the lens of the Islamic concept of “independent judgment,” or ijtihād. A well-known ḥadīth states that if judges exercise their judgment and arrive at the correct decision, they are given two rewards by God, but if they exercise their judgment and err, they still receive a single reward. That is to say, when someone performs ijtihād with the proper qualifications and intentions, this is in and of itself meritorious, but it is doubly so if one comes to the correct judgment.
In this context, commentators address the issue that arises from the fact that David, a prophet, had his judgment overturned in favor of another judgment. Some note that it is not impossible for a prophet to make a mistake; the “infallibility” or “protection from error” of prophets—an important tenet of Islamic theology—would only be damaged if a prophet were to persist in an error (Q). Thus some commentators opine that even prophets can exercise judgment of a normal human kind (ijtihād), which would not, in their view, contradict the fact that they are prophets (Q). For other commentators, Solomon’s judgment amounts to a kind of “abrogation” (naskh) of David’s judgment. Abrogation occurs where two judgments are both correct and Divinely inspired, but the one that is later in time supersedes the earlier one (Bḍ, IK); on the concept of abrogation in Islamic Law, see 2:106c. Viewing the incident in terms of Divine abrogation preserves the idea that each of the prophets in the story was inerrant and guided directly by God and avoids the issue of a possibly imperfect or erroneous judgment by a prophet.
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À And We taught him how to make garments for you to protect you against your own might, but are you thankful?
80 Garments renders labūs, a word that can also refer to any weapon (Q, Ṭ), though the root l-b-s pertains more to something that is worn; see 34:11, where God says to David, Make coats of mail, and measure well the links thereof. The phrase against your own might means from your battles and wars and from your weapons (Q). See also 16:81: He has made coats for you that protect you from the heat and coats that protect you from your own might.
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Á And unto Solomon, the wind blowing violently: it ran by his command to the land that We had blessed. And We know all things.
81 Solomon could command the wind to run to the land that God had blessed, where Solomon resided (Ṭ; see also 34:12c; 38:36). For more on Solomon and his miraculous court, see 27:17–44.
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 Among the satans are those who dove deep for him, and performed other deeds besides this. And We guarded them.
82 Dove deep refers to diving into the sea (Q, Ṭ) to extract precious gems (Th); among the other deeds the satans performed was building (Ṭ). Guarded them means that God ensured that the effects of the works of the satans would not become corrupted (Th), since the wont of satans (usually understood to refer to jinn) is to do something seemingly good and then cause it to become bad (R). Regarding other tasks assigned to the satans and the punishment they receive for deviating from Solomon’s commands, see commentary on 34:13–14.
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à And [remember] Job, when he cried unto his Lord, “Truly affliction has befallen me! And Thou art the most Merciful of the merciful.”
Ä So We answered him and removed the affliction that was upon him, and We gave him his family, and the like thereof along with them, as a mercy from Us and a reminder to the worshippers.
83–84 On the story of Job, see commentary on 38:41–44. Many commentators transmit the background of the story of Job, which is not told in the same level of narrative detail in the Quran, from the Biblical description of his life, including Satan’s seeking and receiving permission from God to test Job by destroying his property, his family, and his health. This story is sometimes combined with dimensions not found in the Biblical account, such as explicit mention of Satan’s jealousy as a reason for seeking God’s permission to try Job as well as the notion that Satan “overheard” God’s Praise of Job (see 37:6–10c; Ṭ).
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Å And [remember] Ishmael, Idrīs, and Dhu’l-Kifl—each was among the patient.
85 Idrīs is usually associated with the Biblical Enoch (Akhnūkh or Ukhnūkh; Ṭ), but also with Elias (6:85) and in later sources also with Hirmis or Hermes; for more on Idrīs and other understandings of who he was, see 19:56–57c.
Dhu’l-Kifl (who is also mentioned in 38:48) is described in many of the traditional accounts as a just and pious man, some say an Israelite, who was entrusted with the responsibility for his people from a good king or a prophet usually left unnamed (IK, Q, Ṭ); kifl is etymologically related to the idea of responsibility or guardianship, but it has other meanings as well. Some accounts mention that he was chosen for this responsibility on the condition that he fast during the day, pray during the night, and not display anger. Others say that he was a prophet, variously identified with Zachariah, Joshua, or Elias, and that Dhu’l-Kifl was a title or second name for one of these prophets, just as al-Masīḥ (“Messiah”) was for Jesus, Israel was for Jacob, or Aḥmad (61:6) was for Muhammad (R); see also 38:48c. Some, especially Indian Muslim scholars, identify him with the Buddha.
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Æ We caused them to enter Our Mercy; truly they are among the righteous.
86 We caused them to enter Our Mercy, that is, according to many, the Garden in the Hereafter (Q); see also 21:75c.
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Ç And [remember] Dhu’l-Nūn, when he went away in anger, and thought We had no power over him. Then he cried out in the darkness, “There is no god but Thee! Glory be to Thee! Truly I have been among the wrongdoers.”
87 Dhu’l-Nūn, mentioned only in this verse of the Quran, is another name for Jonah (Ṭ; nūn means a large fish or whale, making the name Dhu’l-Nūn mean something like “the man of the fish”). The Quran does not tell the story of Jonah in full, but assumes its audience had prior knowledge of Jonah’s preaching to Nineveh, his flight on a ship, and his being cast overboard and swallowed by a fish (for more, see commentary on 37:139–45; 68:48–50 is also understood to be about Jonah). It is thought that his anger was directed against God because He spared Nineveh after having promised to destroy it, or that he was expressing a just anger on behalf of God in the face of the disobedience of his people (see 37:142c; Q, Ṭ).
Thought We had no power over him has various interpretations. Either Jonah believed God would not punish him for his sins, or he did not believe God could end the punishment and affliction he was already suffering (Ṭ). Some see this as a rhetorical question meaning, “Did he think We had no power over him?” (Ṭ), while for others it means, “He thought We would not straiten him”; had . . . power renders the verb naqdir (from qadara), which can also have the sense of “straiten” or “withhold,” as in 13:26: God outspreads and straitens provision for whomsoever He will (Q). This last opinion is preferred by those who refuse to believe that the thought that one could escape God’s Omnipotence would ever occur to the mind of a prophet. A literal meaning would be that it is an expression of Jonah’s “thinking well” (ḥusn al-ẓann) of God, in that he did not expect to be punished by Him (Su).
Darkness renders ẓulumāt, which is in the plural form and is thus interpreted by some to mean the darkness of the belly of the fish within the darkness of the sea within the darkness of the night (Q, Ṭ); on the significance of the plural form ẓulumāt, see 5:16c.
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È So We answered him, and saved him from grief. Thus do We save the believers.
88 We answered him; that is, God saved him from the belly of the fish (Ṭ); see 37:143–44c. For the Sufi Junayd, this verse means that God saves the believers from their troubles through their own sincerity, an awareness of their needfulness of God, the virtues, and manifesting an attitude of surrender (Su).
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É And [remember] Zachariah, when he cried out to his Lord, “My Lord! Leave me not childless, though Thou art the best of inheritors.”
89 The story of Zachariah is told in 3:37–41 and 19:2–11. Zachariah’s statement that God is the best of inheritors means that, in the absence of an heir, God would be the only one to inherit from him, an idea alluded to also in 28:58, where God speaks of Himself as the only one left to inherit from a people who were destroyed. Interpreted at a higher level, Zachariah’s prayer is that he not be left bereft of intimacy with God and without a way that would lead to Him (Su).
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Ґ So We answered him, and bestowed John upon him, and We set his wife aright for him. Truly they vied in good deeds. They called upon Us with desire and with fear, and they were humble before Us.
90 Set his wife aright is interpreted to mean that God made her able to bear children (Q, Ṭ), as she is described as barren in 3:40; it can also mean something like to make her physically sound and healthy in this regard. Some commentators consider they vied in good deeds to include not only Zachariah, his wife, and John, but also the other prophets already mentioned in this sūrah (Q). To call upon Us (i.e., to pray to God) with both desire and fear means that they prayed in times of both ease and hardship, out of both hope and distress (Q).
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ґ And as for she who preserved her chastity, We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and made her and her son a sign for the worlds.
91 This verse is a reference to Mary (Ṭ), who is also described in 66:12 as one who preserved her chastity. Mary and Jesus together were a sign in the sense that the miracle of Jesus’ virgin birth involved both of them (Q, R), but other signs, or miracles, are related to Mary or Jesus independently of one another, including the mysterious nourishment Mary received in the Temple (3:37) and Jesus’ speaking in the cradle (19:29–30; R).
According to al-Rāzī, to breathe spirit into a human body means to cause it to have life, as mentioned in 38:72, where God says to the angels regarding Adam: I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My Spirit. See also 38:72c, which discusses the nuances of what it means for God’s Spirit to be breathed into human beings.
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Ғ Truly this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord. So worship Me!
ғ But they have fragmented their affair among themselves. Each is returning unto Us.
92–93 Cf. 23:52. One community is in the accusative, which causes some to see this verse as meaning, “This community of yours will continue to be one [as long as it holds to the truth]” (Q). Others take it to mean, “This religion of yours is one” (R, Ṭ), or that, despite the multiplicity of the prophets mentioned in this sūrah, the doctrine and reality of God’s Oneness is always the same (Q). They have fragmented their affair means that the communities to which the prophets were sent came to disagree over matters of religion (Ṭ) and broke up into sects and denominations (R). On the notion of one community and the disagreements and fragmentation that took place among earlier religious communities, see commentary on 2:213; 3:19; 5:48; 42:14.
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Ҕ And whosoever performs righteous deeds and is a believer, there shall be no ingratitude for his endeavor, and surely We shall write [it] down for him.
94 For the theological issues raised by this verse, namely, what it means to be a believer and perform righteous deeds so that one is saved, see 2:62c; 5:69c; and the essay “The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions.” The idea of gratitude on the part of God (since there shall be no ingratitude) is also mentioned in 2:158; 4:147; 35:30; 42:23; 64:17. We shall write [it] down can also be rendered, “We write [it] down,” in the present tense, referring to the recording of human deeds often mentioned in the Quran (see, e.g., 10:21; 36:12c; 45:28–29c; 78:29). This phrase can also refer to God’s writing these deeds down in the Mother of the Book (13:39) or to the book of deeds that will be presented to people on the Day of Judgment, mentioned in 18:49: What a book this is! It leaves out nothing, small or great, save that it has taken account thereof. In some respects this verse resembles 17:19: And whosoever desires the Hereafter, and endeavors for it earnestly, and is a believer—it is they whose efforts shall be appreciated.
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ҕ And it is forbidden unto any town We have destroyed that they should ever return,
95 The Arabic of this verse has an apparent double negative that commentators discuss and interpret in order to avoid the meaning, “It is forbidden unto any town We have destroyed that they shall not return,” which would mean that they would necessarily return. If read as a literal double negative, it is interpreted as saying that they will inevitably and necessarily “return” in the Hereafter to God (R), as alluded to in many verses in the Quran that state, And unto God are all matters returned (e.g., 22:76). Some read it is forbidden as “It is decided or resolved that,” meaning that God has determined that those who have been destroyed will not return to the world (R, Ṭ) or that they will not repent (Q); “repentance” (tawbah) also has the sense of turning or returning.
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Җ till the time when Gog and Magog are unleashed, and they rush down from every hill,
96 Gog and Magog are described as vicious and destructive beings locked away by the figure Dhu’l-Qarnayn in 18:94–99; see commentary on these verses. Unleashed renders fuṭiḥat, which can literally mean “opened,” referring to the opening of the rampart that was built to hold them in (see 18:95). Hill can mean any high place (Ṭ).
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җ and the true promise draws nigh. And, behold, there shall be the fixed stare of those who disbelieved, “Oh, woe unto us! We have certainly been heedless of this! Indeed, we have been wrongdoers.”
97 The coming of Gog and Magog is a sign of the impending end of the world (Ṭ). The true promise refers to the Day of Resurrection (R). The second phrase of this verse could also be read to mean, “The stare of those who disbelieved will be fixed” (Ṭ), which will occur because of the fear they experience in the face of this horrible event (Q, Ṭ); see also 14:42, He merely grants them reprieve till a day when eyes will stare, transfixed, and also 80:34–37, which speaks of how people react to their doom on the Day of Judgment. We have certainly been heedless of this reflects the fact that in the life of the world they paid no attention to such matters (R). Gog and Magog represent, at the level of spiritual symbolism, the preoccupations, tumult, and impressions that assault the soul, causing it to become corrupted and vulnerable to satanic influences (Aj).
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Ҙ Surely you and that which you worship apart from God shall be fuel for Hell. Unto it you shall come.
98 This verse is said to be addressed to the Makkan idolaters (R). Being fuel for the Fire or for Hell is also mentioned in 2:24; 3:10; 66:6. Some commentators mention that when the Quraysh heard this verse directed against their gods, they become extremely agitated and responded by pointing out to Muhammad that Jesus was worshipped by Christians and that some people also worshipped angels, at which time the Prophet remained silent until v. 101 was revealed, which, according to one interpretation, made clear that Jesus, the angels, and other figures who did not invite worship of themselves would not be fuel for the Fire (Q, R). Some do not interpret the relationship between v. 98 and v. 101 in this way at all and say, rather, that v. 98 makes it clear that it is the Quraysh who are being addressed directly, and that the use of the pronoun that which (mā) rather than “who” (man) implies that it is inanimate objects and not living beings that will be fuel for Hell (R). Al-Rāzī thus interprets the reaction of silence on the part of the Prophet to be a signal that the response was so obviously erroneous.
Seeing the once revered idols in the Fire is part of the anguish of the punishment (R). Another possible interpretation is that “that which they worshipped” could refer to an aspect of their own souls, meaning that their very attachment to false idols will be fuel for their sufferings and in fact will be the very cause of that suffering, recalling 25:43, which speaks of one’s desires as objects of worship themselves: Hast thou considered the one who takes his caprice as his god?
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ҙ Had these been gods, they would not have come unto it. But each shall abide therein.
99 If the gods had been actual divinities, they would have been able to help their worshippers and keep them out of the Fire (Ṭ). Each shall abide therein means that both the worshipper and the object of worship will be fuel for the Fire (Ṭ).
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Ā Theirs shall be groaning therein, and therein they shall hear not.
100 Groaning (zafīr) is also mentioned in 11:106. They shall hear not is interpreted to mean that each person will experience the suffering utterly alone. Some accounts describe the denizens of the Fire being placed into a container that is placed into another that is placed into yet another, so they are unable to sense anything other than their own suffering (Q, Ṭ). For some they shall hear not refers to the fact that they will be resurrected deaf, as described in 17:97: And We shall gather them on the Day of Resurrection upon their faces—blind, dumb, and deaf (R).
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ā Surely those for whom what is most beautiful has already gone forth from Us; they shall be kept far from it.
101 This verse is understood by some to be a statement of predestination regarding those whose destination in the Garden has already gone forth, or has already been foreordained by God (Ṭ), while others think that it refers to those objects of worship who were falsely worshipped but did not participate in this false worship, such as Jesus and the angels (R, Ṭ), and who for this reason would not be fuel for Hell as described in v. 98, an interpretation that some see as gratuitous and erroneous (R). For others, this verse refers to those saints who are providentially chosen for sainthood (walāyah/wilāyah) or “friendship” with God and a life of virtue (Su).
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Ă They hear not the slightest sound thereof, while they abide in that which their souls desire.
102 Those for whom what is most beautiful has gone forth (v. 101) will not hear the slightest sound (ḥasīs) of the Fire (Ṭ). That the inhabitants of Paradise will have what they desire or call for is also mentioned in 16:31; 25:16; 36:57; 39:34; 42:22; 50:35; 77:41–42. Interpreted symbolically, this verse means that people of spiritual realization (ahl al-ḥaqāʾiq) do not hear the clamor of the world, occupied as they are with God and with the true nature of things and not distracted by what is other than true reality; the desire of the spirit is closeness with God, and the desire of the heart is vision of God (Su).
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ă The greatest terror will not grieve them, and the angels will receive them. “This is your Day, which you were promised.”
103 The greatest terror refers to the Fire as it consumes those who are in it (Ṭ). For others it refers to the second blowing of the trumpet, when souls are resurrected (see 27:87c; 36:51; 39:68c; R, Ṭ). Others say that it refers to death, since in the Hereafter no one will die (R).
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Ą That Day We shall roll up the sky like the rolling of scrolls for writings. As We began the first creation, so shall We bring it back—a promise binding upon Us. Surely We shall do it.
104 The destruction or transformation of the cosmos is described in similar terms in 39:67: The heavens will be enfolded in His right Hand. Here scrolls renders sijill, understood to mean rolled-up pages upon which one writes, but which is interpreted by some to be the name of an angel (this is not unlike other normal Arabic words understood to be also the proper names of things, as described in 2:19c and 2:79c; Ṭ).
So shall We bring it back means that people will be brought back in the same condition in which they were created the first time—that is, barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised (Ṭ), an interpretation deriving from a ḥadīth. The Prophet stated, “O people! You will surely be resurrected unto God barefoot, naked, uncircumcised,” after which he recited, As We began the first creation, so shall We bring it back (Q). This verse is similar to 6:94: And [God will say], “Now you have come unto Us alone, just as We created you the first time, and you have left behind that which We had bestowed upon you. See also 18:48: They shall be arrayed before thy Lord in ranks. “Indeed, you have come unto Us as We created you the first time.”
For some this verse signifies the destruction and new creation of the heavens and the earth, as mentioned in 14:48: 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. Theological disputes surrounding such verses center on whether the heavens and the earth will become nothing and a new creation will come into being from nothing, or whether in some sense the “parts” of the heavens and earth will be rearranged and reformed into a new creation (R).
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ą And We have indeed written in the Psalms, after the Reminder, that My righteous servants shall inherit the earth.
105 The Psalms (al-Zabūr) are mentioned in 4:163 and 17:55. Some understand zabūr (often considered a synonym for kitāb, meaning “book” or “scripture”) to refer not just to the Psalms of David, but to all the books of the prophets (R, Ṭ), which would include the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran (Q, Ṭ). The Reminder is what is in Heaven (Ṭ), the Mother of the Book (3:7; 13:39; 43:4), with God (R, Ṭ). For some commentators the earth refers to “the earth of the Garden” (Q, Ṭ), evidently meaning a kind of celestial earth, since the this-worldly earth is shared by both disbelievers and believers, while the Garden belongs to the latter only (R); others say that the earth refers to this world (R, Ṭ) and denotes disbelievers’ lands that would be inherited by the community of Muhammad.
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Ć Truly in this is a proclamation for a worshipful people.
106 A worshipful people is understood to refer to those who perform the five daily canonical prayers and fast the month of Ramadan, meaning the community of Muhammad (Q, Ṭ). Others see this verse as referring to those who are especially devoted to God, who do not worship God for the delights of the Garden or to be free of the Fire, but who do so out of love for God and pride in being a worshipper of God (Su).
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ć And We sent thee not, save as a mercy unto the worlds.
107 Mercy renders raḥmah, a word that can also mean “compassion,” “kindness,” “love,” and “caring.” On the concept of raḥmah in relation to God see 1:3c and 7:156c. The grammar of this verse allows it to be understood to mean either that the sending of the Prophet Muhammad was a merciful act by God or that the Prophet is himself a mercy that God sent. It can signify that the Prophet is a possessor of mercy, is merciful, or is himself a mercy (Āl). Muslims often interpret this verse to mean that the Prophet is a mercy, because he is a cause for happiness in the “two abodes”—that is, in both the life of this world and the Hereafter—and that the prohibitions and commandments of the Law are all for the purpose of attaining mercy (Aj). The Prophet is considered by Muslims a mercy not only for believers, but for all people (Ṭ)—(for some the worlds here refers to both human beings and jinn; M)—though some restrict it to believers only (Q). Commentators often say that the Prophet was a mercy to disbelievers in that his opponents and enemies would not experience the same kinds of destruction and ignominy suffered by the tormentors of previous prophets (N, R, Ṭ, Th), even though all the prophets can be thought of as being sent as a mercy from God, just as all of the Divine books can be seen as a mercy (M). Some explain this point by saying that it is not necessary that the Prophet be a mercy to all people in the same way or in the same respect (R). This mercy can also refer to the privilege given to the Prophet Muhammad of intercession on the Day of Judgment (M; see 17:79c).
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Ĉ Say, “It is only revealed unto me that your God is one God. So will you be submitters?”
108 Cf. 2:163; 16:22; 22:34; 29:46; 41:6. Submitters renders muslim; see 2:128c.
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ĉ But if they turn away, say, “I have proclaimed to you all equally. I know not whether that which you are promised is nigh or far off.
109 The Prophet is enjoined to say that he has taught everyone equally and has not kept any part of the revelation secret from anyone (Q, R); see also 81:24: And he does not withhold grudgingly [knowledge of] the unseen. Equally renders ʿalā sawāʾ, which is rendered in a just way in 8:58: And if thou fearest treachery from a people, withdraw from them in a just way. Because of this common wording, some understand ʿalā sawāʾ (equally) to refer to fair warning that there was going to be a state of war between them (R), so that this verse would be rendered, “I have proclaimed to you all in a just way.” These ideas are common themes throughout the Quran, namely, that the Prophet’s responsibility is only to convey the message (e.g., 3:20; 5:92, 99; 13:40; 16:82; 29:18; 36:17; 42:48; 64:12; 88:21–24) and that he has no knowledge of the time of the Day of Resurrection (Q), which is known only to God (e.g., 7:187; 31:34; 33:63; 41:47; 43:85; 79:42–44).
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Đ Verily He knows that which is spoken openly and He knows that which you conceal.
110 See also 2:284; 4:149; 27:74; 33:54; 87:7, where public statements and secret thoughts are also said to be equally known by God.
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đ And I know not; perhaps it is a trial for you, and an enjoyment for a while.”
111 Perhaps it is a trial for you; that is, perhaps the delaying of the punishment is a trial and not a blessing (Ṭ). This fact is also mentioned in 26:205–7, where the Quran says that more time only gives the disbelievers more opportunity to commit evil and entrench themselves in denial. Following the alternate interpretation offered in v. 109 above, this verse refers to the impending fight or battle that would take place after fair warning was given that fighting would occur (R).
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Ē He said, “My Lord, judge with truth! Our Lord is the Compassionate, the One Whose help is sought against that which you ascribe.”
112 The verb in this verse can be read as an imperative, “Say: My Lord, judge with truth!” (Ṭ). And some read the verse to mean, “My Lord judged/judges with truth” (Ṭ); see also 7:89: Our Lord! Decide between us and our people in truth, and Thou art the best of deciders. Some interpret this verse to mean that the Prophet seeks God’s Help against accusations that he is a sorcerer or poet (vv. 3–5), or against the blasphemous statements made about God, such as His having a child (see, e.g., 19:35; Ṭ).