40
The Forgiver
Ghāfir
Some maintain that Ghāfir, a Makkan sūrah, was revealed directly after Sūrah 39, al-Zumar (JJ). According to some, vv. 56–57 are Madinan (IJ, JJ, Q, Ṭs), and others add v. 55 to those as well (Q, Ṭs). Still others say that only v. 55 is Madinan (Āl), since the injunction to hymn the praise of thy Lord at eventide and at dawn is interpreted as a reference to the morning and sunset prayers, which did not become obligatory until the last few years of the Makkan period. The sūrah takes its name from the reference to God as the Forgiver of sins in v. 3, but it is also known as “The Believer” (al-Muʾmin), because of the discussion of a believing man from the House of Pharaoh (v. 28). It is also known by the title “The Bounty” (al-Faḍl), because of the reference to God as Possessed of Bounty in v. 3 (IJ, Q).
Ghāfir is the first in a series of seven sūrahs whose opening verses begin with the separated Arabic letters ḥāʾ and mīm and are followed by a reference to the Quran. Revealed during the same period, these sūrahs are known collectively as the Ḥawāmīm (ḥāʾ wa mīm), and as “The Brides” (IK, Q). Addressing several recurring themes, they provide solace to the Muslim community at a time of persecution, foretelling the triumph of the revelation and the demise of those who oppose it.
The sūrah opens with an affirmation of the revelation and of God’s Mercy and Forgiveness (vv. 2–3), followed by a repudiation of those who dispute the signs of God (vv. 4–6), which becomes a recurring theme of the sūrah, and an extended prayer uttered by the angels for human beings (vv. 7–9). Vv. 10–20 then tell of the place of the disbelievers in the Hereafter, warning of their ultimate demise. This section serves as the thematic backdrop for an extended account of the story of Moses and Pharaoh (vv. 21–50), the main feature of which is the story of a believing man from the House of Pharaoh who challenges Pharaoh’s opposition to Moses (vv. 28–45).
An affirmation of the Divine Aid that God sends upon His messengers (vv. 51–60) concludes with a condemnation of those who are too arrogant to worship God (v. 60), which segues into a discussion of God’s Power over all of creation (vv. 61–68). The sūrah then discusses the punishment that awaits the disbelievers (vv. 69–76) and counsels the Prophet to have patience, citing the examples of prophets who prevailed before him (vv. 77–78). After a reflection on some signs of God’s Generosity and Power (vv. 79–82), the sūrah concludes with an assurance that those who oppose God’s messengers will be defeated in the end (vv. 83–85).
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
¡ Ḥā. Mīm. * The revelation of the Book from God, the Mighty, the Knower, + Forgiver of sins, Accepter of Repentance, severe in retribution, Possessed of Bounty. There is no god but He; unto Him is the journey’s end. J None but those who disbelieve dispute concerning the signs of God. So let it not delude thee that they are free to come and go in the land. Z The people of Noah denied before them, as did the parties after them. And every community contrived against its messenger, to take him. They disputed by means of falsehood in order to refute the truth thereby; so I seized them. How, then, was My Retribution! j Likewise did the Word of thy Lord come due for those who disbelieve, that they are the inhabitants of the Fire. z Those who bear the Throne and those who dwell nigh unto it hymn the praise of their Lord and believe in Him and seek forgiveness for those who believe: “Our Lord, Thou dost encompass all things in Mercy and Knowledge. Forgive those who repent and follow Thy way, and shield them from the punishment of Hellfire. { Our Lord, make them enter Gardens of Eden that Thou hast promised them and those among their fathers, their spouses, and their progeny who were righteous. Truly Thou art the Mighty, the Wise. | And protect them from evil deeds. Whosoever Thou shieldest from evil deeds on that Day, upon him hast Thou had mercy. And that indeed is the great triumph.” Ċ Truly those who disbelieve shall be addressed: “God’s odium is greater than your odium for yourselves when you were called to belief, but then disbelieved.” Ě They will say, “Our Lord, Thou hast caused us to die twice over, and given us life twice over; so we admit our sins. Is there any way out?” Ī That is because when God was invoked as One, you disbelieved, and when partners were ascribed unto Him, you believed. Judgment lies with God, the Exalted, the Great. ĺ He it is Who shows you His signs and sends down provision for you from Heaven. And none reflect, save those who turn in repentance. Ŋ So call upon God, devoting religion entirely to Him, though the disbelievers be averse. Ś The Raiser of degrees, the Possessor of the Throne, He casts the Spirit from His Command upon whomsoever He will among His servants to warn of the Day of the Meeting, Ū the Day when they come forth with naught concerning them hidden from God. Whose is the sovereignty this Day? It is God’s, the One, the Paramount. ź On that Day every soul shall be recompensed for that which it has earned. No wrong will be done that Day. Truly God is swift in reckoning. Ɗ So warn them of the Day of the Imminent Event, when hearts will be in throats, choking in agony. The wrongdoers shall have no loyal friend, nor any intercessor to be obeyed. ƚ He knows the treachery of eyes and that which breasts conceal. Ȋ God decrees with truth, and those upon whom they call apart from Him do not decree by means of aught. Truly God is the Hearer, the Seer. ! Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how those before them fared in the end? They were greater than them in strength and left firmer traces upon the earth; yet God seized them for their sins, and they had none to shield them from God. " That is because their messengers brought them clear proofs, yet they disbelieved; so God seized them. Truly He is Strong, severe in retribution. # And indeed We sent Moses with Our signs and a manifest authority $ unto Pharaoh, Hāmān, and Korah. And they said, “A lying sorcerer.” % So when he came unto them with the truth from Us, they said, “Slay the sons of those who believe with him and spare their women.” The scheming of the disbelievers is naught but astray. & And Pharaoh said, “Leave me to kill Moses, and let him call upon his Lord. Truly I fear that he will alter your religion or that he will cause corruption to appear in the land.” ' And Moses said, “Truly I have sought refuge in my Lord and your Lord from everyone who is arrogant and believes not in the Day of Reckoning.” ( And a believing man from the House of Pharaoh who was concealing his belief said, “Will you kill a man for saying, ‘My Lord is God,’ though he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord? If he is a liar, then his lying is to his own detriment. But if he is truthful, some of that which he promises you will befall you. Truly God guides not one who is a prodigal liar. ) O my people! Sovereignty is yours this day, while you prevail over the land. But who will help us against God’s Might should it come upon us?” Pharaoh said, “I show you naught but what I see, and I guide you unto naught but the way of rectitude.” Ð And he who believed said, “O my people! Truly I fear for you [a day] like the day of the parties [of old], Ñ like the plight of the people of Noah, ʿĀd, and Thamūd, and those after them. Yet God does not desire wrong for His servants. Ò O my people! Truly I fear for you the Day of Mutual Calling, Ó the Day you will turn away to flee, having none to protect you from God. And whomsoever God leads astray, no guide has he. Ô And Joseph brought you clear proofs before; yet still you were in doubt regarding that which he brought unto you, so much so that when he perished, you said, ‘God will not send a messenger after him.’ Thus does God lead astray whosoever is a prodigal doubter, Õ those who dispute concerning God’s signs without any authority having come to them, grievously odious is it in the sight of God and in the sight of those who believe. Thus does God put a seal upon the heart of every arrogant tyrant.” Ö And Pharaoh said, “O Hāmān! Build for me a tower, that perhaps I may attain the means— × the means to reach the heavens—that I may look upon the God of Moses. Truly I deem him a liar.” Thus was the evil of his conduct made to seem fair unto Pharaoh, and he was turned from the way. Pharaoh’s scheming led to naught but ruin. Ø And he who believed said, “O my people! Follow me; I shall guide you unto the way of rectitude. Ù O my people! The life of this world is but fleeting enjoyment, whereas the Hereafter is truly the Abode of Permanence. @ Whosoever commits an evil deed will not be requited, save with the like thereof; but whosoever, whether male or female, performs a righteous deed and is a believer shall enter the Garden wherein they will be provided for without reckoning. A O my people! How is it that I call you unto salvation while you call me unto the Fire? B You call upon me to disbelieve in God and to ascribe as a partner unto Him that whereof I have no knowledge, whereas I call you unto the Mighty, the Forgiving. C There is no doubt that that unto which you call me has no call in this world or in the Hereafter, and that our return will be unto God, and that the prodigal are the inhabitants of the Fire. D You will soon remember what I have said to you. I entrust my affair to God. Truly God sees His servants.” E So God shielded him from the evils of that which they had plotted, while a terrible punishment beset the House of Pharaoh— F the Fire, to which they are exposed morning and evening. And on the Day when the Hour is come, [it will be said], “Cause the House of Pharaoh to enter the punishment most severe!” G And when they are arguing with one another in the Fire, the weak will say to those who waxed arrogant, “Truly we were your followers; so can you avail us against any portion of the Fire?” H Those who waxed arrogant will say, “Truly we are all in it. God has indeed judged between His servants.” I And those who are in the Fire will say to the keepers of Hell, “Call upon your Lord to relieve us from a day of the punishment.” P They will reply, “Did not your messengers bring you clear proofs?” They will say, “Yea, indeed.” They will say, “Then make supplications!” But the supplication of the disbelievers is naught but astray. Q Truly We shall help Our messengers and those who believe during the life of this world and on the Day when the witnesses arise, R the Day when the excuses of the wrongdoers will not benefit them, and theirs will be the curse, and theirs will be the evil abode. S And indeed We gave Moses guidance, and We bequeathed the Book unto the Children of Israel, T as a guidance, and as a reminder for possessors of intellect. U So be patient. Surely God’s Promise is true. And ask forgiveness for thy sin, and hymn the praise of thy Lord at eventide and at dawn. V Truly those who dispute concerning the signs of God without any authority having come to them, there is naught in their breasts but a sense of greatness that they will never attain. So seek refuge in God. Truly He is the Hearer, the Seer. W Surely the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of mankind. But most of mankind know not. X And the blind and the seer are not equal; nor are those who believe and perform righteous deeds and the evildoer. Little do you reflect! Y Surely the Hour is coming; in it there is no doubt. But most of mankind believe not. ` And your Lord has said, “Call upon Me, and I shall respond to you. Truly those who are too arrogant to worship Me shall enter Hell debased.” a God it is Who made the night for you, that you might rest therein, and the day by which to see. Truly God is Possessed of Bounty for mankind, but most of mankind does not give thanks. b That is God, your Lord, Creator of all things; there is no god but He. How, then, are you perverted? c In this way were those who used to reject the signs of God perverted. d God it is Who made the earth a dwelling place for you and the sky a canopy. And He formed you and made beautiful your forms, and provided you with good things. That is God, your Lord; so blessed is God, Lord of the worlds. e He is the Living; there is no god but He. So call upon Him, devoting religion entirely to Him. Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds. f Say, “I have been forbidden to worship those upon whom you call apart from God, since clear proofs have come unto me from my Lord, and I am commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds.” g He it is Who created you from dust, then from a drop, then from a blood clot. Then He brings you forth as infants, that you may then reach maturity, then that you may grow old—though some of you are taken earlier—that you may reach a term appointed, and that haply you may understand. h He it is Who gives life and causes death. So when He decrees a thing, He only says to it, “Be!” and it is. i Hast thou not considered those who dispute concerning the signs of God, how they are turned away, p those who deny the Book, and that wherewith We have sent Our messengers? But soon they will know, q since they will be dragged, with shackles and chains around their necks, r into boiling liquid; then they will be set aflame in the Fire. s Then it will be said unto them, “Where are those whom you used to ascribe as partners t apart from God?” They will reply, “They have forsaken us. Nay, but we were not calling upon aught before.” Thus does God lead astray the disbelievers. u “That is because you used to exult upon the earth without right and because you were insolent. v Enter the gates of Hell, therein to abide.” How evil is the abode of the arrogant! w So be patient. Surely God’s Promise is true. And whether We show thee a part of that which We promise them, or We take thee, unto Us will they be returned. x Indeed We have sent messengers before thee. Among them are those whom We have recounted unto thee, and among them are those whom We have not recounted unto thee. And it was not for a messenger to bring a sign, save by God’s Leave. So when God’s Command comes, judgment is passed in truth; and those who make false claims will then be losers. y God it is Who made cattle for you, that some of them you may ride and some of them you may eat— À and there are benefits for you therein—and that through them you may attain any need that is in your breasts. And upon them and upon ships are you carried. Á And He shows you His signs. So which of God’s signs do you reject? Â Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how those before them fared in the end? They were more numerous than them, greater than them in strength, and left firmer traces upon the earth. But that which they used to earn availed them not. Ã And when their messengers brought them clear proofs, they exulted in the knowledge they possessed, and that which they used to mock beset them. Ä Then, when they saw Our Might, they said, “We believe in God alone, and we disavow that which we used to ascribe as partners unto Him.” Å But their believing benefited them not when they saw Our Might. [That is] the wont of God which has passed among His servants; and the disbelievers were then lost.
Commentary
¡ Ḥā. Mīm.
1 Ghāfir is the first in a series of seven sūrahs that open with the Arabic letters ḥāʾ and mīm and are referred to collectively as the Ḥawāmīm. The Arabic letters ḥāʾ and mīm are among the separated letters (al-muqaṭṭaʿāt) that are found at the beginning of twenty-nine sūrahs and whose meaning is considered to be known only to God; see 2:1c. Some commentators connect all of the sūrahs that begin with ḥāʾ mīm to 39:63—to Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth—and suggest that ḥāʾ mīm is a name for the keys of God’s treasuries (Q). Connecting ḥāʾ mīm to the separated letters at the beginning of other sūrahs, other commentators suggest that the letters alif lām rāʾ (a-l-r; 10:1; 11:1; 12:1; 13:1, 14:1; 15:1), ḥāʾ mīm (ḥ-m), and nūn (n; 68:1) combine to make the Divine Name al-Raḥmān, “the Compassionate” (Q). In this same vein, some suggest that each letter stands for a Divine Name that begins with that letter, such as, for the letter ḥāʾ, al-Ḥamīd, “the Praised,” al-Ḥalīm, “the Clement,” and al-Ḥakīm, “The Wise,” and for the letter mīm, Mālik, “the Sovereign,” al-Majīd, “the Illustrious,” and al-Mutakabbir, “the Proud” (Q). Others say that ḥāʾ mīm is a name of the Quran (Q) or of this sūrah (R).
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* The revelation of the Book from God, the Mighty, the Knower,
2 Here and in similar verses (cf. 39:1; 45:2; 46:2) this statement could also be read, “This is the revelation of the Book from God” (Q, Ṭs), while here and in 45:2 and 46:2 it could be read, “Ḥā mīm is the revelation of the Book” (Q). For the meaning of the verse, see commentary on 39:1, which differs from this verse only in that the last Divine Name is the Wise.
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+ Forgiver of sins, Accepter of Repentance, severe in retribution, Possessed of Bounty. There is no god but He; unto Him is the journey’s end.
3 This is one of many verses that join the mention of God’s Forgiveness and Mercy with that of God’s Retribution and Rigor, as in 15:49–50: Tell My servants that I am indeed the Forgiving, the Merciful, and that My Punishment is the painful punishment (IK). According to some, the first of the Divine Attributes listed here indicates that God forgives small sins if one performs acts of obedience that outweigh these sins, but only forgives grave sins through acts of repentance. But al-Rāzī maintains that it is greater praise to say that God can and sometimes does forgive great sins even without repentance. The placement of severe in retribution between three descriptions of God’s Mercy, the first two of which indicate the disappearance of Divine Retribution, shows the precedence and preponderance of God’s Mercy over His Wrath (R), as in 7:156, My Mercy encompasses all things, and the famous ḥadīth qudsī, “My Mercy outstrips My Wrath.” This relation is present in the structure of the text as well; in Accepter of Repentance, severe in retribution, the absence of “and” (wa) between these two Attributes indicates that God’s severity is not detached from His accepting repentance, hence not detached from His Mercy (R).
Possessed of Bounty indicates that God bestows blessings (Q), conferring largesse upon human beings (R). Attached as it is to severe in retribution, Possessed of Bounty can be understood to mean that God is magnanimous in bestowing absolution for sins and thus relinquishing His Retribution (R). Given the Divine Attributes that precede it, there is no god but He indicates that there is no other reality that possesses these seemingly contradictory attributes in perfect balance. One should thus worship God in full, with hope for His Mercy and fear of His Retribution (R), as God is the only One from Whom and to Whom one flees at the same time. That the journey’s end is unto God then completes this verse, because there would be no purpose in fearing Him and hoping for the meeting with Him if this were not the case.
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J None but those who disbelieve dispute concerning the signs of God. So let it not delude thee that they are free to come and go in the land.
4 Those who dispute concerning the signs of God are a central concern of this sūrah; they are rebuked again in vv. 35, 56, and 69, and only once outside of this sūrah, in 42:35. This first instance clarifies that the freedom and affluence of the disbelievers in no way reflects any favor that God has bestowed upon them, as in 3:196–97: Let it not delude thee that those who disbelieve are free to come and go in the land. It is a little enjoyment. Then their refuge is Hell, an evil resting place! Thus the Prophet should not concern himself with their affairs or be grieved by their disbelief (see 3:176; 5:41; 10:65; 31:23; 36:76). Instead, he is enjoined to dispute with them in the most virtuous manner (16:125) and to respond to their disputes by saying, God knows best what you do. God will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein you used to differ (22:68–69).
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Z The people of Noah denied before them, as did the parties after them. And every community contrived against its messenger, to take him. They disputed by means of falsehood in order to refute the truth thereby; so I seized them. How, then, was My Retribution!
5 As in many other passages, the Prophet is here comforted by an example of a previous prophet who endured the same opposition. For the Quranic account of Noah and the manner in which his people denied him, see 7:59–64; 10:71–73; 11:25–48; 21:76–77; 23:23–30; 26:105–21; 37:75–82; 54:9–15; and Sūrah 71. In addition, other communities are said to have rejected their prophets, as in 51:52: Likewise, there came no messenger unto those before them, but that they said, “A sorcerer or one possessed”; and 34:34: We sent no warner unto a town, but that those living in luxury therein said, “Truly we disbelieve in that wherewith you have been sent” (cf. 43:23). When the people disputed with their prophets, they are said to have used weak and specious arguments (IK), as they dispute . . . without any authority having come to them (40:35, 56). Therefore, God destroyed them because of the sins they had committed (IK). How, then, was My Retribution! (cf. 13:32) means, “How severe and painful was My Retribution!”
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j Likewise did the Word of thy Lord come due for those who disbelieve, that they are the inhabitants of the Fire.
6 Just as punishment came upon those who rejected their prophets in the past, so too has the Word of thy Lord has come due (cf. 10:33; 22:18; 36:7; 39:71) for those who oppose the Prophet Muhammad (IK).
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z Those who bear the Throne and those who dwell nigh unto it hymn the praise of their Lord and believe in Him and seek forgiveness for those who believe: “Our Lord, Thou dost encompass all things in Mercy and Knowledge. Forgive those who repent and follow Thy way, and shield them from the punishment of Hellfire.
7 Those who bear the Throne are eight angels, as in 69:17: And the angels shall be at its sides; that Day eight shall carry the Throne of thy Lord above them. These may be the same as the angels encircling all around the Throne (39:75) or a distinct group among them. For the meaning of the Throne, from which God’s Commands and Decrees issue and from which He directs the cosmos (Ṭb), see 7:54c. In this context the prayers of the highest angels, those brought nigh unto God (4:172), show the great difference between the believers and the disbelievers, whose fate is mentioned in the previous verse (R), thus giving the Prophet and his followers further evidence that they need not concern themselves with the disputations of the disbelievers.
That God encompasses all things in Mercy is attested in 7:156; that He encompasses all things in knowledge is also attested in 6:80; 20:98; 65:12. Some understand the structure of this sentence to indicate that God’s Mercy precedes or outstrips His Knowledge (R, Ṭb); for the priority and principiality of God’s Mercy in Islamic metaphysics and cosmology, see 1:3c. Here the angels seek forgiveness for those who believe; elsewhere they seek forgiveness for those on earth (42:5). For further discussion of seeking forgiveness for others (istighfār) and intercession (shafāʿah), see 2:48c; 2:255c. Regarding God’s shielding from the punishment of Hellfire, see 44:56c.
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{ Our Lord, make them enter Gardens of Eden that Thou hast promised them and those among their fathers, their spouses, and their progeny who were righteous. Truly Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.
8 Gardens of Eden (cf. 9:72; 13:23; 16:31; 18:31; 19:61; 20:76; 35:33; 38:50) is understood to refer to an especially exalted or blessed place in the Garden, a place entered only by prophets, the righteous, the witnesses, and just leaders (Q); see 9:72c. The righteous family members of those who believe will benefit from their rank in this station, as in 52:21: And those who believe and whose progeny followed them in faith, We shall cause their progeny to join them and will not stint aught of their deeds (cf. 13:23). Some understand these two verses to mean that all of one’s family members who are righteous believers will be raised to the exalted Gardens of Eden, where, in addition to the beauties of that exalted domain of Paradise, they may delight in one another’s company (IK, R). In this way, the pious deeds one performs may benefit both oneself and one’s loved ones (IK, Ṭ).
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| And protect them from evil deeds. Whosoever Thou shieldest from evil deeds on that Day, upon him hast Thou had mercy. And that indeed is the great triumph.”
9 Protect them from evil deeds is a plea to God to protect believers from performing evil deeds (IK), from the ill effects of the sins they committed before they repented (Ṭ), or from punishment (Ṭ, Ṭs). Those whom God has turned away from the evil of disobedience have had God’s Mercy and Blessings bestowed upon them (Ṭ, Ṭs). Attaining Paradise is referred to as the great triumph in over a dozen verses; for the blessings of Paradise, see commentary on 5:119; 44:51–57.
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Ċ Truly those who disbelieve shall be addressed: “God’s odium is greater than your odium for yourselves when you were called to belief, but then disbelieved.”
10 God’s odium for the disbelievers when they were called to belief in God and turned away from it in this world is greater than their odium for themselves when they see their deeds (see 2:167) and realize the punishment that is to befall them from God’s Anger (IK, Ṭ).
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Ě They will say, “Our Lord, Thou hast caused us to die twice over, and given us life twice over; so we admit our sins. Is there any way out?”
Ī That is because when God was invoked as One, you disbelieved, and when partners were ascribed unto Him, you believed. Judgment lies with God, the Exalted, the Great.
11–12 Now that they have experienced the Resurrection, the disbelievers admit their sins; see 67:10–11c. Realizing their fate, they plead with God to be offered a second opportunity. But it will not be granted, since even if they were sent back, they would return to the very thing they had been forbidden (6:28). That God caused them to die and live twice refers to their death at the end of their worldly existence, then their resurrection for the questioning of the grave, then their dying again and being resurrected for the Hereafter (Q, Ṭs); or it refers to their being dead (as yet nonexistent) in the loins of their ancestors, after which they were given life, followed by their natural death, after which they were resurrected (Q, Ṭ, Ṭs).
Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazzālī interprets these verses as part of an extended discourse between God and the disbelievers. The denizens of Hell first say, Our Lord, Thou hast caused us to die twice over, and given us life twice over; so we admit our sins. Is there any way out? To which God responds, That is because when God was invoked as One, you disbelieved, and when partners were ascribed unto Him, you believed. Judgment lies with God, the Exalted, the Great. Then they say, Our Lord! We have seen and we have heard; so send us back that we may work righteousness. Truly we are certain (32:12). But God replies, Did you not earlier swear that there would be no end for you? (14:44). Then they cry out, Our Lord! Remove us, that we may work righteousness other than that which we used to do (35:37). To this God replies, Did We not give you long life, enough for whosoever would reflect to reflect therein? And the warner came unto you; so taste [the punishment]! And the wrongdoers shall have no helpers (35:37). Then they say, Our Lord! Our wretchedness overwhelmed us, and we were a people astray. Our Lord! Remove us from it! Then if we revert, we shall be wrongdoers (23:106–7). Then God replies, Be gone therein, and speak not to Me (23:108).
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ĺ He it is Who shows you His signs and sends down provision for you from Heaven. And none reflect, save those who turn in repentance.
13 God surrounds human beings with signs upon the horizons and within themselves till it becomes clear to them that it is the truth (41:53) or signs that He is the Truth and that He is One and Powerful over all things. So if one repents, the veiling over the intellect vanishes (R) and one is given insight (IK). In this vein, the Prophet is reported to have said, “Be mindful of the insight of the believer, for verily he sees by the light of Truth.”
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Ŋ So call upon God, devoting religion entirely to Him, though the disbelievers be averse.
14 The injunction to call upon God means to supplicate to God for one’s needs, although some consider it to be a reference to canonical prayer or worship (R, Z); see 7:55c. As in several other verses, this injunction is followed by the mention of devoting religion entirely to Him (cf. 7:29; 10:22; 29:65; 31:32; 39:2, 11, 14; 40:65; 98:5), a phrase that indicates worship of God exclusively and invoking His Name (73:8) and connotes sincere worship for the sake of God alone (see 7:29c; 31:32c; 98:5c). According to several accounts, the Prophet used to recite this verse at the end of each prayer, saying, “There is no god but God, alone, with no partner. His is the Sovereignty and His is the Praise, and He is Powerful over all things [5:120; 11:4; 30:50; 57:2; 64:1; 67:1]. There is no strength and no power, save with God. There is no god but God, and we worship none but Him. His is the Blessing, His is the Bounty, and His is the Beautiful Praise. There is no god but God, devoting religion entirely to Him” (IK).
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Ś The Raiser of degrees, the Possessor of the Throne, He casts the Spirit from His Command upon whomsoever He will among His servants to warn of the Day of the Meeting,
15 The Raiser of degrees, or in another rendering “Exalter of ranks,” means the One who raises the seven heavens (Q) or the One who exalts the ranks of His saints and friends in the Garden (Q). For Possessor of the Throne, see 17:42; 81:20; 85:15. God is also described as Lord of the Throne (9:129; 21:22; 23:86, 116; 27:26; 43:82), which is borne by angels (40:7; 69:17). Casts the Spirit is understood to mean the Spirit of revelation or of prophethood (Q, Ṭs). It is also understood as a reference to the Quran itself, to all revealed books, or to the Archangel Gabriel (Ṭs). The Day of the Meeting most likely refers to the day of the meeting between God and His creation, but it can also be understood to mean the day on which many types of meetings will take place: the people of Heaven will meet the people of the earth (Ṭs); the first generations of human beings will meet the later generations of human beings (Q, Ṭs); the oppressed will meet their oppressors (Q, Ṭs), as it is also a day of retribution; and every person will meet his or her deeds (Q, Ṭs), since that is part of the Judgment.
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Ū the Day when they come forth with naught concerning them hidden from God. Whose is the sovereignty this Day? It is God’s, the One, the Paramount.
16 When all human beings come forth from their graves and are gathered on a single plain, God will say, Whose is the sovereignty this Day? and then all who are gathered will respond, It is God’s, the One, the Paramount (Q, Ṭs), or it is God Himself who answers the question (IK, Q, Ṭs).
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ź On that Day every soul shall be recompensed for that which it has earned. No wrong will be done that Day. Truly God is swift in reckoning.
17 Every soul is then recompensed in accord with the good or evil it has done (Q, Ṭs; cf. 3:161; 45:22; 74:38). No wrong or injustice will be done that Day, in that no good deed will remain unaccounted for, and no one will be punished for something he or she did not do. That no wrong will be done also indicates that all of the punishments that afflict the disbelievers on the Day of Judgment come from themselves, since God wrongs them not, but themselves do they wrong (3:117; cf. 3:165; 4:179). In this vein, a sacred saying, or ḥadīth qudsī, states, “O My servants! I have forbidden injustice for Myself and have made it unlawful among you; so be not unjust to one another. O My servants! Verily, these are your deeds. I record them for you; then I pay you back for them in full. Whosoever finds something good, let him praise God. And whosoever finds something other than that, let him blame none but himself” (IK). God’s being swift in reckoning (2:202; 3:19, 199; 5:4; 13:41; 14:51; 24:39; cf. 6:62) or in retribution (6:165; 7:167) indicates that the Judgment is not something over which He will need to ponder and deliberate (Q), since the Command of God is naught but one, like the blinking of an eye (54:50; IK).
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Ɗ So warn them of the Day of the Imminent Event, when hearts will be in throats, choking in agony. The wrongdoers shall have no loyal friend, nor any intercessor to be obeyed.
18 On the Day of Judgment, hearts will be in throats due to fear (IK, Ṭ, Ṭs), choking in agony, so that they will be unable to speak (R). The second part of this verse is similar to both 2:254 and 14:31, which add bargaining (bayʿ) as another of those things that will no longer avail one on the Day of Judgment. No loyal friend indicates that on that Day everyone will be too consumed with his or her own state to ask about that of another, as in 70:10: And no loyal friend shall ask about a loyal friend; and 80:37: For every man that Day his affair shall suffice him (see also 43:67; 44:41). This condition will, however, be even more severe for the disbelievers, who are said to have no one upon whom they can rely, since the folly of everything upon which they had depended is now exposed and all recourse will be cut off from them (2:166); so today they have no loyal friend here (69:35); see commentary on 70:10–14. That no intercessor will be obeyed indicates that none of those idols or powers that human beings, the disbelievers in particular, thought would intercede for them will be able to do so, save by God’s Leave. Regarding intercession, see 2:48c; 2:255c.
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ƚ He knows the treachery of eyes and that which breasts conceal.
19 The treachery of eyes refers either to eyes that have looked upon something forbidden (R, Ṭ, Ṭs) or to a person’s false claims about what he or she saw (IK, Q, Ṭs). That which breasts conceal refers to the secrets of the heart (R), thus to the intentions behind actions and to one’s true nature, since the Day of Judgment only benefits one who comes to God with a sound heart (26:89). Viewed in light of the previous verse, this verse indicates that the disbelievers cannot plead their own case, as they will be choking in agony, and that no friends or intercessors will plead on their behalf (R); rather, they will be judged in accord with their true nature, which their breasts conceal.
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Ȋ God decrees with truth, and those upon whom they call apart from Him do not decree by means of aught. Truly God is the Hearer, the Seer.
20 In the context of the previous verse, that God decrees with truth (al-ḥaqq), or “in accord with the truth,” means that He differentiates between people in accord with their true natures, which their breasts conceal, not according to their outward appearances, and gives each his or her due (ḥaqq). That those whom the disbelievers call upon do not decree by means of aught means both that their idols do not decree because they are simply inanimate objects (Ṭs) and that nothing they call upon possesses any authority or knowledge in accord with which it can decree (IK).
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! Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how those before them fared in the end? They were greater than them in strength and left firmer traces upon the earth; yet God seized them for their sins, and they had none to shield them from God.
" That is because their messengers brought them clear proofs, yet they disbelieved; so God seized them. Truly He is Strong, severe in retribution.
21–22 For journeying upon the earth and the spiritual and moral edification that derives from it, see 12:109; 22:46; 30:9, 42; 35:44; 40:82; 47:10; 30:9c. The Quran frequently mentions the fate of the guilty, the corrupt, the wrongdoers, and those who denied God’s messengers in days gone by as an admonition to the disbelievers (see 3:137; 6:11; 7:84, 86, 103; 10:39, 73; 16:36; 27:14, 69; 37:73; 43:25). Those before them is thus understood as a reference to the ruins of previous people who were destroyed despite being mightier than those who opposed the Prophet (see 35:44; 40:82). Here, as in other instances, the destruction of previous generations despite their superior might is cited as evidence that the disbelievers among the Quraysh will not be able to withstand Divine Punishment when it comes upon them.
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# And indeed We sent Moses with Our signs and a manifest authority
23–45 Moses is featured more prominently than any other prophet in the Quran. Here his account is given more as a spiritual example than as history and serves as an allegory for some of the Prophet Muhammad’s own challenges (see also 43:46–56; 44:17–31; 51:38–40; 79:15–25). For more detailed accounts of Moses’ mission, see 2:49–61; 7:103–55; 10:75–93; 17:101–4; 20:9–97; 26:10–66; 27:7–14; 28:3–46.
23 This verse is found verbatim in 11:96, and We sent Moses with Our signs, meaning with proofs and evidence (Ṭ, Ṭs), is also found in 14:5 and 43:46 (cf. 51;38); also see 23:45, where Moses and Aaron are sent with Our signs. More specifically, Our signs can be read as a reference to the nine clear signs mentioned in 17:101 (cf. 27:12; Q). A manifest authority means a clear proof and is understood as a reference to the Torah (Q) or to the miracles that Moses performed (Ṭs, Z).
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$ unto Pharaoh, Hāmān, and Korah. And they said, “A lying sorcerer.”
24 Hāmān was a member of Pharaoh’s court, most likely the head of his quarries, who was ordered to light a fire and make me a tower (28:38) to proclaim Pharaoh a deity; see 28:6, 8, 38; 40:36–37; 28:6c. Korah, another member of Pharaoh’s court and a grandson of Levi (Numbers 16:21), had vast wealth, but was swallowed by the ground for opposing Moses (Numbers 16:41); see commentary on 28:76–82. The reaction of Pharaoh, Hāmān, and Korah to the signs and the manifest authority was to accuse Moses of being a sorcerer (see also 7:109; 26:34; 51:39), an accusation also leveled against the Prophet Muhammad by the Quraysh (see 10:2; 38:4; 51:52).
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% So when he came unto them with the truth from Us, they said, “Slay the sons of those who believe with him and spare their women.” The scheming of the disbelievers is naught but astray.
25 This is the second time that Pharaoh commanded that the sons of the Israelites be slain: the first was to eliminate the possibility of a prophet such as Moses arising among them; the second was to humiliate them, to reduce their numbers, or both (IK). In 7:127 it appears to be a form of collective punishment for following Moses: The notables among Pharaoh’s people said, “Will you leave Moses and his people to work corruption in the land and to leave you and your gods?” He said, “We shall slay their sons and spare their women. Truly we are above them, dominant”; see also 2:49c; 7:141; 14:6; 28:4. The women were not spared out of mercy, but so that they could continue to live as servants (Ṭ), which was a further humiliation (Ṭ, Ṭs). According to some, God distracted Pharaoh and his people from carrying out this punishment by sending the plague upon them (Q), in which case the scheming of the disbelievers is naught but astray can be understood as a reference to the failure of Pharaoh’s plan (Ṭ). Most commentators do not say whether the plan was carried out. Al-Rāzī, who says elsewhere that it was (see 7:127c), interprets the scheming of the disbelievers is naught but astray as a more general reference to the schemes of all disbelievers eventually coming to naught. In this context, it could also be understood as a reference to the fact that the first time Pharaoh ordered that the sons of the Israelites be slain, the plan failed, since Moses was spared; so this time it would fail again.
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& And Pharaoh said, “Leave me to kill Moses, and let him call upon his Lord. Truly I fear that he will alter your religion or that he will cause corruption to appear in the land.”
' And Moses said, “Truly I have sought refuge in my Lord and your Lord from everyone who is arrogant and believes not in the Day of Reckoning.”
26–27 Pharaoh’s command, Leave me to kill Moses, implies that among Pharaoh’s retinue were some who feared Moses and warned against killing him, sensing that Moses would bring destruction upon them (IJ, Ṭs). Pharaoh’s fear that Moses would alter their religion is in fact the fear that he would turn them away from their worship of Pharaoh himself (IJ) and their belief in his divinity (Ṭs). The accusation that Moses will cause corruption to appear in the land reflects the question posed to Pharaoh by his notables in 7:127: Will you leave Moses and his people to work corruption in the land and to leave you and your gods? Moses’ response is then to seek refuge in God. In general, those who work corruption cast themselves as the righteous and their opponents as the corrupt, as in 2:11: And when it is said unto them, “Do not work corruption upon the earth,” they say, “We are only working righteousness.” For the greater Quranic significance of working corruption, see 30:41c.
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( And a believing man from the House of Pharaoh who was concealing his belief said, “Will you kill a man for saying, ‘My Lord is God,’ though he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord? If he is a liar, then his lying is to his own detriment. But if he is truthful, some of that which he promises you will befall you. Truly God guides not one who is a prodigal liar.
28 The precise identity of the believing man from the House of Pharaoh is unknown. Many propose that he was a cousin of Pharaoh (IJ, IK, Q, Ṭ). Others say that he was an Israelite, in which case the meaning of this opening phrase is understood to be “a believing man who was concealing his belief from the family of Pharaoh” (IJ, Ṭ). Al-Ṭabarī argues that he was a man from Pharaoh’s family, since if he had been an Israelite or another person outside of Pharaoh’s court, no one in the court would have listened to him. In either interpretation, the believing man is the same person to whom reference is made in 28:20: Then from the outskirts of the city a man came running. He said, “O Moses! Truly the notables are conspiring against you, that they might slay you. So leave! Truly I am among your sincere advisers” (IJ, IK). The question, Will you kill a man for saying, “My Lord is God”? is similar to the sorcerers’ complaint to Pharaoh after he sentences them to death for believing in Moses, You take vengeance upon us only because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came unto us (7:126); see also 5:59 and 85:9, which chastise those who would “be vengeful” toward others simply on account of their belief in God and His signs.
The argument posed by the believing man is twofold. On the one hand, if Moses is truthful, he cannot be punished for speaking the truth, especially since he has brought clear proofs in the form of evidentiary miracles. On the other hand, if he is a liar, he will suffer the consequences of his lies; so there is no need to punish him. Furthermore, if he is punished for telling the truth, then even greater afflictions will befall those who punish him. In this context, some understand prodigal (muṣrif) to mean “idolater” (mushrik; Ṭ) or one who transgresses the limits set by God by lying about God (Ṭs); for the Quranic usage of prodigal, see 10:12c.
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) O my people! Sovereignty is yours this day, while you prevail over the land. But who will help us against God’s Might should it come upon us?” Pharaoh said, “I show you naught but what I see, and I guide you unto naught but the way of rectitude.”
29 The land refers to Egypt. That the Egyptians have sovereignty over it and prevail over it indicates their power over the Israelites (Ṭ). Some understand the believing man to be enjoining them to have gratitude for their position of power (IK, Ṭs). In this context, he is also using their unsurpassed power to argue that they must recognize the God of Moses, since there is no one other than themselves to protect them against punishment from Him. In his response, Pharaoh avoids engaging the argument of the believing man, instead relying upon his authority. I show you naught but what I see means, “I do not indicate to you anything other than what I believe to be right,” or “I do not teach you anything other than what I know” (Ṭs). Ibn Kathīr argues that in the context of other verses pertaining to the story of Moses, this statement is a lie, since 27:14 says of Pharaoh and his people: They rejected them—though their souls were convinced of them—wrongfully and exultantly. In Pharaoh’s view the way of rectitude means denying and killing Moses and taking Pharaoh as a god (Ṭs). Thus Pharaoh led his people astray, and guided them not (20:79). Nonetheless, they followed the command of Pharaoh, and the command of Pharaoh was not sound (11:97).
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Ð And he who believed said, “O my people! Truly I fear for you [a day] like the day of the parties [of old],
Ñ like the plight of the people of Noah, ʿĀd, and Thamūd, and those after them. Yet God does not desire wrong for His servants.
30–31 Parties [of old] refers to those who joined forces to make common cause against a prophet (Ṭs). The day of the parties [of old] refers to the day that each of them eventually faced when God’s Punishment came upon them and they had no one to protect them (IK). The ʿĀd and the Thamūd are pre-Islamic Arabian tribes that rejected the prophets sent to them. For the account of the ʿĀd, see 7:65–72; 11:50–60; for that of the Thamūd, see 7:73–79; 11:61–68. This warning is akin to similar warnings issued to the disbelievers throughout the Quran, though it differs in that a prophet does not issue it. Yet God does not desire wrong for His servants indicates that God’s destruction of them was just and equitable (Z) and that God does not desire the wrong or injustice that occurs in the world (Ṭs), a position that is central to both the Shiite and the Muʿtazilite understanding of Divine Justice.
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Ò O my people! Truly I fear for you the Day of Mutual Calling,
32 Here the Day of Resurrection is referred to as the Day of Mutual Calling, because the inhabitants of the Garden will call out to the inhabitants of the Fire, “We have found that which our Lord promised us to be true. Have you found that which your Lord promised to be true?” They will respond, “Yes” (7:44); and the inhabitants of the Fire will call out to the inhabitants of the Garden, “Pour some water down upon us, or some of that which God has provided you.” They will respond, “Truly God has forbidden them both to the disbelievers” (7:50; JJ, Q, R, Ṭ). In addition, the hypocrites will call out to the believers (see 57:13–14) and the angels will call out to the inhabitants of the Garden, This is the Garden. You have inherited it for that which you used to do (7:43).
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Ó the Day you will turn away to flee, having none to protect you from God. And whomsoever God leads astray, no guide has he.
33 The disbelievers will turn away to flee from the Fire, but they will also flee from one another; thus 80:34–36 describes the Day of Resurrection as that Day when a man will flee from his brother, his mother and his father, his spouse and his children. For those whom God leads astray the Quran says there is no way (4:88, 143; 42:46), no guide (7:186; 13:33; 39:23, 36), and no protector (18:17; 42:44); cf. 10:27.
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Ô And Joseph brought you clear proofs before; yet still you were in doubt regarding that which he brought unto you, so much so that when he perished, you said, ‘God will not send a messenger after him.’ Thus does God lead astray whosoever is a prodigal doubter,
34 The story of Joseph is found in Sūrah 12. According to some commentators, clear proofs refers to Joseph’s rhetorical argument in 12:39–40: Are diverse lords better, or God, the One, the Paramount? You worship apart from Him naught but names that you have named—you and your fathers—for which God has sent down no authority (Q, R). Others say that clear proofs refers to Joseph’s evidentiary miracles (R, Z) or his visions and his corresponding ability to interpret dreams (Q). Here the contention appears to be that the people were willing to follow Joseph’s judgment in worldly matters related to his high position in the Egyptian government, but not with regard to religious matters (IK). Their saying, God will not send a messenger after him, would then express their wish and demonstrate their disbelief in and rejection of prophethood (IK, R). According to al-Ṭabarī, this is among the ways in which God turns disbelievers away from attaining the truth and following the way.
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Õ those who dispute concerning God’s signs without any authority having come to them, grievously odious is it in the sight of God and in the sight of those who believe. Thus does God put a seal upon the heart of every arrogant tyrant.”
35 This is the second of four verses in this sūrah to rebuke those who dispute concerning God’s signs; also see vv. 4, 56, and 69; 40:4c. To dispute without authority (cf. v. 56) means to argue without proof or from a position grounded in unquestioning imitation (taqlīd) and base sophisms (shubuhāt; R). God’s sealing hearts indicates that He has closed their ability to understand (see also 2:7c; 6:46; 7:100–101; 9:87, 93; 10:74; 16:108; 30:59; 63:3c). The heart of every arrogant tyrant can also be read, “every arrogant tyrannical heart” (Q, R, Ṭ). In one way, this reading is more apt because, as al-Qurṭubī observes, it is the heart that first becomes arrogant and then the rest of one’s faculties follow, as in the famous saying of the Prophet, “In the body there is a lump of flesh. When it is sound, the entire body is sound, and when it is corrupt, the entire body is corrupt. Verily it is the heart.”
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Ö And Pharaoh said, “O Hāmān! Build for me a tower, that perhaps I may attain the means—
× the means to reach the heavens—that I may look upon the God of Moses. Truly I deem him a liar.” Thus was the evil of his conduct made to seem fair unto Pharaoh, and he was turned from the way. Pharaoh’s scheming led to naught but ruin.
36–37 Pharaoh’s response provides an illustration of the manner in which the heart of an arrogant tyrant is sealed, as he seeks to dispute not only God’s signs, but also God’s very Being. Some interpret Pharaoh’s response to mean that he feared that the words of the believing man would enter into the hearts of his people (Q). See commentary on 28:38, where Pharaoh says, O notables! I know of no god for you other than myself. So kindle for me a fire, o Hāmān, for clay, and make me a tower, that haply I may behold the God of Moses, though truly I think he is among the liars. Here the means to reach the heavens renders asbāb al-samāwāt (cf. 22:15), which is usually understood to mean “paths to the heavens” (IK, Q, Ṭ, Ṭs), “doors to the heavens” (IK, Q, Ṭ, Ṭs), or those things by means of which one can attain what one seeks (Ṭ, Ṭs). Pharaoh’s desire to look upon the God of Moses demonstrates his complete misunderstanding, in that he takes God to be a physical being occupying a particular space (Q). It also provides a notable contrast to Moses’ request to God on Mt. Sinai, My Lord, show me, that I might look upon Thee (7:143). Moses, however, repents to God when he is unable to endure this vision; see 7:143c.
Those who are corrupt are often portrayed as deluded, sometimes by Satan (see 8:48; 16:63; 27:24; 29:38), but ultimately by God (see 27:4), into thinking that their conduct is good. Here it may also have been Pharaoh’s council of notables that made the evil of his conduct seem fair unto him (Ṭs). Pharaoh was thus turned from the way by God, a phrase that could also be read, “and he turned from the way,” meaning that he turned himself away and that he prevented others from following the right way (Q, Ṭs).
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Ø And he who believed said, “O my people! Follow me; I shall guide you unto the way of rectitude.
38 The way of rectitude is what Pharaoh promised to guide the people to in v. 29. The term renders sabīl al-rashād, which is similar to the way of sound judgment (sabīl al-rushd), in relation to which it is said of those who wax arrogant, If they were to see the way of sound judgment, they would not take it as a way (7:146). The latter phrase aptly describes the case of Pharaoh and his notables, who were presented not only with the arguments posed here and elsewhere, but also with evidentiary miracles whose Divine Origin they continued to deny (see 7:132c; 7:136c).
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Ù O my people! The life of this world is but fleeting enjoyment, whereas the Hereafter is truly the Abode of Permanence.
39 This is one of several verses to affirm that the ephemeral delights of this world are naught but the enjoyment of delusion (3:185; 57:20) and stand in stark contrast to the rewards of the Hereafter, which is life indeed (29:64); see also 3:14; 4:77; 9:38; 13:26; 20:131; 28:60; 42:36; 57:20c. In this vein, a famous ḥadīth transmitted by ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd states, “The Messenger of God was lying down on a straw mat, and it left marks on his side. Then when he woke up he began to rub his side. So I said, ‘O Messenger of God! Will you allow us to spread something soft over this straw mat?’ He replied, ‘What have I and the world to do with one another? The likeness of me and this world is as that of a rider who rests in the shade of a tree, then passes on and leaves it.’”
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@ Whosoever commits an evil deed will not be requited, save with the like thereof; but whosoever, whether male or female, performs a righteous deed and is a believer shall enter the Garden wherein they will be provided for without reckoning.
40 This is one of several verses indicating that God shows mercy and bounty in judging human actions, but requites evil deeds with nothing but their like (cf. 6:160; 28:84), because God commits not so much as a mote’s weight of wrong (4:40). Al-Rāzī notes that this is also a fundamental principle in Islamic Law, according to which the punishment must never exceed the crime. In contrast to God’s treatment of evil deeds, He multiplies good deeds ten times the like thereof (6:160) or even seven hundred fold (see 2:261); also see 27:89 and 28:84, where it is said that whoever brings a good deed, he will have what is better than it. Such rewards relate to the human condition irrespective of gender; for statements about the irrelevance of gender for moral and spiritual potential and reward, see 3:195; 4:124; 16:97; as well as 33:35, which goes to great lengths to affirm that men and women are rewarded equally for all their various acts of religious observance; see 33:35c.
Without reckoning could be understood as a reference to the rewards of Paradise being without end (R) or to the fact that the recompense for bad deeds requires a reckoning, while the recompense for good deeds does not (R, Z). Alternately, it could be understood to mean that were people to be recompensed in accord with their deeds alone, there would be a reckoning (Ṭs), implying that it is their faith and belief that allow them to enter the Garden without reckoning.
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A O my people! How is it that I call you unto salvation while you call me unto the Fire?
B You call upon me to disbelieve in God and to ascribe as a partner unto Him that whereof I have no knowledge, whereas I call you unto the Mighty, the Forgiving.
41–42 This verse means, “How is it that when I call you to belief, which leads to salvation, you call me to disbelief, which leads to the Fire?” (R). That whereof I have no knowledge indicates that there is nothing in revelation or reason that would verify the disbelievers’ claims (Ṭs). The combination of the Divine Names the Mighty and the Forgiving (cf. 39:5; 38:66; 67:2) expresses the manner in which God brings together all of the seemingly disparate Divine Attributes (Aj), as in v. 3. This is similar to the more frequent combination of the Names the Mighty and the Merciful (26:9, 68, 104, 122, 140, 159, 175, 191, 217; 30:5; 32:6; 36:5; 44:42).
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C There is no doubt that that unto which you call me has no call in this world or in the Hereafter, and that our return will be unto God, and that the prodigal are the inhabitants of the Fire.
43 No call in this world or in the Hereafter refers to the idols’ inability to intercede on behalf of those who worship them, in this life or the next (Q), harm or benefit them (Ṭ), or respond to their pleas (R). It could also be understood to mean that although the idolaters call people to worship the idols, the idols themselves do not call them (Aj, R, Z). Both meanings can be present at the same time, as in 46:5–6: Who is more astray than one who calls, apart from God, upon such as do not answer him, [even] unto the Day of Resurrection, and who are heedless of their calling. When mankind is gathered, such will be enemies unto them and deniers of their worship. For the Quranic usage of prodigal, see 10:12c.
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D You will soon remember what I have said to you. I entrust my affair to God. Truly God sees His servants.”
44 The man who believed (v. 38) closes his discourse with a final warning that the punishment of which he speaks will come upon the disbelievers and they will know the truth of what he enjoined, but then it will be too late for this knowledge to help them (IK). In this sense, the verse may foretell Pharaoh’s belated testimony, uttered when the sea closes in upon him: I believe that there is no god but the One in whom the Children of Israel believe (10:90); see 10:90–92c. I entrust my affair to God could indicate that the man feared Pharaoh and that his followers intended to kill him (Q, R). In this way, it reflects the response of Moses to Pharaoh’s threat to kill him, Truly I have sought refuge in my Lord and your Lord from everyone who is arrogant and believes not in the Day of Reckoning (40:27; R). According to some, “entrusting” (tafwīḍ) oneself to God precedes the execution of God’s Decree, while “submitting” (taslīm) oneself to God follows it (Aj, Bq, Su). The famous Egyptian Sufi Dhu’l-Nūn al-Miṣrī was reportedly asked, “When does the servant entrust [his affair to God]?” to which he responded, “When he despairs of his own actions and his own soul, takes refuge in God in all his states, and has no attachment to anything except his Lord” (Aj, Bq, Su). According to the Persian Sufi Rūzbihān al-Baqlī, “The perfection of entrusting is to not see oneself or anything else as having any power to benefit or harm, and to see God through the existentiation of existence in every breath.” God sees His servants in all of their affairs, knowing their states and their needs at all times (R).
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E So God shielded him from the evils of that which they had plotted, while a terrible punishment beset the House of Pharaoh—
45 For his faith and his affirming Moses, God protected the believing man from Pharaoh’s people (Ṭ). That which they had plotted may refer to the severe punishments Pharaoh was known to inflict upon those who opposed him, as in 20:71, where Pharaoh tells the sorcerers who believed in Moses without Pharaoh’s permission, Now I shall surely cut off your hands and your feet on alternate sides, and I shall surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees. And you will surely know which of us [inflicts] a more severe and lasting punishment! (cf. 7:124). His being spared such punishment can be seen as a result of his entrusting his affair to God (Aj). While the punishment that encompassed Pharaoh and his people most likely refers to their drowning in the sea as they pursued Moses and the Israelites (see 2:50c; 10:90–92c), the use of beset (ḥāqa bi) or, more literally, “enclosed,” alludes to the punishment resulting from their own plotting, as in 35:43, Evil plotting besets none but its authors, and to their mockery of Moses, as in 16:34, That which they used to mock beset them (also 40:83; 46:26; cf. 11:8; 39:48; 45:33).
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F the Fire, to which they are exposed morning and evening. And on the Day when the Hour is come, [it will be said], “Cause the House of Pharaoh to enter the punishment most severe!”
46 This is one of several Quranic verses cited to support the Islamic understanding of a period in the grave that comes after death and before the final Resurrection (IK, R), a phase of existence spoken of in 80:21–22: He caused him to die and buried him. Then, when He willed, He resurrected him. This period in the grave is known as the barzakh, or “isthmus,” between the two worlds, in which people experience their first rewards or punishments before experiencing greater reward or punishment after the Resurrection and Judgment; see the essay “Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran.” These two punishments are reflected in 9:101: We shall punish them twice. Then shall they be relegated to a great punishment. Interpreted in light of such verses, in the present verse the Fire, to which they are exposed morning and evening refers to the punishment that Pharaoh and his people experience in the grave, while the punishment most severe, which they will enter on the Day when the Hour is come, refers to the punishment of Hell.
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G And when they are arguing with one another in the Fire, the weak will say to those who waxed arrogant, “Truly we were your followers; so can you avail us against any portion of the Fire?”
H Those who waxed arrogant will say, “Truly we are all in it. God has indeed judged between His servants.”
47–48 This is one of several passages in which in the Hereafter those who were led astray by others challenge the leaders who led them astray. In this passage they still seek some form of intercession and remain deluded, but elsewhere they realize that they have been led astray and call upon God to increase the punishment of their leaders: Our Lord! Truly we obeyed our leaders and elders, and they caused us to stray from the way. Our Lord! Give them a twofold punishment, and curse them with a great curse (33:67–68). In 29:13, they are then promised that their leaders will bear their own burdens, and others’ burdens along with their own (see also 7:38–39c), that is to say, punishment for being astray themselves and punishment for leading others astray.
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I And those who are in the Fire will say to the keepers of Hell, “Call upon your Lord to relieve us from a day of the punishment.”
P They will reply, “Did not your messengers bring you clear proofs?” They will say, “Yea, indeed.” They will say, “Then make supplications!” But the supplication of the disbelievers is naught but astray.
49–50 Realizing that those whom they had followed and had taken as protectors in the world cannot avail them in the Hereafter, those who were astray now seek intercession from those angels who function as the keepers of Hell; see also 6:27–28c; 14:44. Rather than interceding, the angels remind the denizens of Hell that they had in fact been granted guidance before, but had rejected God’s messengers (cf. 6:130; 39:71; 67:8–9). As in other passages, the denizens of Hell recognize their situation, but their now belated affirmation can do nothing to forestall or alleviate their punishment; nor can their supplications; see, for example, 14:44: Our Lord! Grant us reprieve for a term nigh, that we might respond to Thy Call and follow the messengers; and 32:12: Our Lord! We have seen and we have heard; so send us back that we may work righteousness. Truly we are certain (cf. 6:27). Yet, as 6:28 contends, even if they were sent back, they would return to the very thing they had been forbidden.
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Q Truly We shall help Our messengers and those who believe during the life of this world and on the Day when the witnesses arise,
R the Day when the excuses of the wrongdoers will not benefit them, and theirs will be the curse, and theirs will be the evil abode.
51–52 This is one of several passages interpreted to mean that all prophetic missions are ultimately victorious (cf. 6:34; 37:171–73; 58:21). Such victory can be like that of the prophets David, Solomon, and Muhammad, who vanquished the armies of those who denied and opposed them, or like that of Noah and Moses, whose enemies God destroyed by means of natural disasters, or like that of Jesus, whose religion prevailed by means of those who carried out his message (Ṭ). Here the witnesses refers to those among the prophets, angels, and believers who will bear witness for the believers and against the disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection and Judgment (Ṭ, Ṭs). Some say that it refers only to the angels (Ṭ, Ṭs) or only to the prophets (Ṭs). This reference to the Resurrection and Judgment then indicates that God will also make His messengers and the believers victorious in the Hereafter by taking vengeance upon those who opposed them. The wrongdoers’ excuses will not benefit them, because the book of their deeds will be open and because their ears, their eyes, and their skins will bear witness against them for that which they used to do (41:20), and they will even say, We bear witness against ourselves (6:130). The curse is their being made distant from God’s Mercy, while the evil abode refers to Hell (Q).
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S And indeed We gave Moses guidance, and We bequeathed the Book unto the Children of Israel,
T as a guidance, and as a reminder for possessors of intellect.
53–54 Guidance is here read by some as “the Guidance,” a title for or reference to the Torah (Q), in which there were clear indications of the Knowledge of God and God’s Oneness (Ṭs). The Torah was then entrusted to the Israelites, and it contained instructions that made their religious affairs clear for them (Ṭ, Ṭs), and they were guided in accord with it so long as they remained patient (see 32:23c). Possessors of intellect (2:179, 197, 269; 3:7, 190; 5:100; 12:111; 13:19; 14:52; 38:29, 43; 39:9, 18, 21; 40:54; 65:10) refers to those who possess true knowledge of the inner meaning and essence of things; see 5:100c; 39:9c.
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U So be patient. Surely God’s Promise is true. And ask forgiveness for thy sin, and hymn the praise of thy Lord at eventide and at dawn.
55 This verse is addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, counseling him to patience in a manner that implies that he will emerge victorious over his adversaries, just as Moses and other prophets did. That God’s Promise is true (cf. 4:122; 10:4, 55; 18:21; 28:13; 31:33; 35:5; 40:55, 77; 45:32; 46:17) refers in general to the promise of Divine Aid in this world and reward in the Hereafter (Ṭs) or to the specific promise given in vv. 51–52. For those who maintain that prophets do commit minor sins, the command to ask forgiveness for thy sin (dhanb) means to repent for such sins. For the majority of Muslims, who maintain that prophets are protected by God from committing sins (maʿṣūm), it is understood as a command to the Prophet to devote himself to worship through supplications and asking forgiveness, so that God might raise him in degrees and his practice would become the model for those who would come after him (Q, Ṭs). At eventide and at dawn (cf. 3:41) refers to the time from the declining of the sun until its setting and the time from daybreak until sunrise, respectively, since in Makkah what was required before the full institution of the five daily prayers was two cycles of prayer in the morning and two in the evening (Bḍ). Others understand this phrase as a command to perform the night prayer (ʿishāʾ) and the morning prayer (fajr; Q).
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V Truly those who dispute concerning the signs of God without any authority having come to them, there is naught in their breasts but a sense of greatness that they will never attain. So seek refuge in God. Truly He is the Hearer, the Seer.
56 This is the third of four verses in this sūrah to rebuke those who dispute concerning the signs of God; also see vv. 4, 35, and 69; 40:4c; 40:35c. Such individuals have a sense of greatness or pride that prevents them from following the Prophet and accepting the truth when it comes to them (Ṭ). The greatness that they will never attain refers to the favors that God has bestowed upon the Prophet, which they envy, or to the fact that God will debase them (Ṭs), or to both. So the Prophet should seek refuge from the scheming of those who dispute him (R) and from being like the disputants (IK).
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W Surely the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of mankind. But most of mankind know not.
57 This verse presents one of the Quranic arguments for God’s ability to resurrect human beings (IK, Q), an argument made more explicit in 46:33: Have they not considered that God, Who created the heavens and the earth and did not weary in their creation, is able to give life to the dead? Yea! He is Powerful over all things (cf. 50:15). Nonetheless, most of mankind, or more specifically most of the disbelievers, know not (cf. 7:187; 16:75, 101; 21:24; 27:61; 30:30; 31:25; 34:36; 45:26) or understand not (5:103; 29:63; 49:4), because they turn away from God’s signs (Ṭs), such as those pertaining to the cycles of life mentioned in vv. 61–68.
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X And the blind and the seer are not equal; nor are those who believe and perform righteous deeds and the evildoer. Little do you reflect!
58 This same metaphor is employed in 35:19–20: Not equal are the blind and the seeing, nor the darkness and the light (cf. 6:50; 11:24; 13:16). This juxtaposition can also be seen as a symbol for the contrast between knowledge and ignorance, as in 39:9, Are those who know and those who do not know equal, or between faith and disbelief.
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Y Surely the Hour is coming; in it there is no doubt. But most of mankind believe not.
59 Although those who disbelieve maintain that the Hour, meaning the Final Judgment, will never come upon us (34:3), the Quran is adamant in maintaining that it is coming (cf. 15:85; 20:15; 22:7) and, moreover, that it has drawn nigh (54:1; cf. 33:63) as well as that it is an event in which there is no doubt (17:99; 22:7). Nonetheless, most of mankind believe not (11:17; 13:1; cf. 12:103–6; 17:89; 26:8, 67, 103, 121, 139, 158, 174, 190).
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` And your Lord has said, “Call upon Me, and I shall respond to you. Truly those who are too arrogant to worship Me shall enter Hell debased.”
60 Call upon Me, or “Supplicate unto Me,” is understood by many to mean, “Worship Me,” as when the Prophet said, “Supplication is worship,” and then recited this verse (Q, Ṭ, Ṭs), and because it is followed by a reference to those whose pride prevents them from worshipping God (R). The verse can also be understood as an injunction to call upon God, which would itself imply worship, as the custom of many Muslims who follow the example of the Prophet is to supplicate God immediately after the completion the obligatory canonical prayers. I shall respond to you is a promise from God, but it is not understood to mean that all supplications will be answered in this life. In this vein, Ibn ʿAjībah writes, “There is no believer who calls upon God and asks Him for something but that God gives it to him, in either this life or the Hereafter, where God says to him, ‘This is what you requested in the world. I have stored it for you until this day.’” Supplication is considered among the most meritorious of acts, because in humbly imploring God one admits to one’s servitude and abasement before Him (R) as well as complete poverty before God and utter need of Him (ST). Thus most who fail to call upon God do so out of pride and arrogance (R). There can, however, be those whose immersion in the remembrance of God keeps them from making a separate supplication, as stated in a famous ḥadīth qudsī: “For one whose remembrance of Me has distracted him from imploring Me, I shall give him that which is more bountiful than that which I give to those who implore Me” (R); for more on the importance of “calling upon God,” see 2:186c.
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a God it is Who made the night for you, that you might rest therein, and the day by which to see. Truly God is Possessed of Bounty for mankind, but most of mankind does not give thanks.
61 That God created the night for rest and repose is invoked in several verses as a mercy God has bestowed upon human beings (cf. 25:47; 78:9; 10:67; 27:86; 28:73). That He made the day by which to see, or “made the day giving sight” (cf. 10:67; 28:73), indicates that it was made so that people could pursue their livelihood (IK, Ṭ); cf. 78:11. It could also be rendered “made the day seeing,” indicating the manner in which the day bears witness to the good and bad actions that human beings perform; see also 10:67c. Truly God is Possessed of Bounty for mankind (cf. 2:243; 10:60; 27:73), or for the worlds (2:251). Nonetheless, most of mankind does not give thanks (cf. 2:243; 10:60; 12:38), because they are unaware (7:187; 12:21, 40, 68; 16:38, 75; 27:61; 30:6, 30; 34:28, 36; 39:29, 49; 40:57; 44:39; 45:26) and are not believers (11:17; 12:103–6; 13:1; 17:89; 26:8, 67, 103, 121, 139, 158, 174, 190; 40:59).
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b That is God, your Lord, Creator of all things; there is no god but He. How, then, are you perverted?
c In this way were those who used to reject the signs of God perverted.
62–63 In this context, How, then, are you perverted (or “How, then, are you turned away”; cf. 6:95; 10:34; 35:3) means, “How, given that there is only one God and that He has provided the day and the night and infinite bounty for you, could you turn away from Him, deny Him, and attribute partners to Him?” Just as the Quraysh went astray, worshipping gods apart from God, so too those before them were perverted, or turned away, from God, worshipping other gods with no evidence or proof, solely on the basis of ignorance and caprice, and rejecting God’s proofs and signs (IK).
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d God it is Who made the earth a dwelling place for you and the sky a canopy. And He formed you and made beautiful your forms, and provided you with good things. That is God, your Lord; so blessed is God, Lord of the worlds.
64 Dwelling place renders qarār, which indicates that God made the earth firm and stable so that people could dwell in it and travel upon it; see 21:30–31c . He made the sky a roof protecting the world (IK), holding it aloft without pillars that you see (31:10; Ṭ). That God formed you and made beautiful your forms (see also 64:3) can mean the form of the human body; the inner reality of the human being, as in 95:4, Truly We created man in the most beautiful stature; or the forms of all things, as it is God Who made beautiful all that He created (32:7); see 32:7c; 95:4c.
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e He is the Living; there is no god but He. So call upon Him, devoting religion entirely to Him. Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.
65 Regarding God as the Living, see 2:255c. Regarding the injunction to call upon God, see 40:14c; 40:60c. Devoting religion entirely to Him (cf. 7:29; 10:22; 29:65; 31:32; 39:2, 11, 14; 40:14; 98:5) indicates practicing with total sincerity, in purity, and with complete devotion; see 7:29c; 31:32c; 98:5c.
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f Say, “I have been forbidden to worship those upon whom you call apart from God, since clear proofs have come unto me from my Lord, and I am commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds.”
66 Having put forward a series of arguments in the preceding verses, the Quran here enjoins the Prophet to declare his implacable rejection of the Quraysh’s idolatry (cf. 6:56; 10:104; 109:1–6). In 6:56 he is enjoined to follow the same opening phrase with the declaration, I will not follow your caprices, for then I would have gone astray, and I would not be among the rightly guided; and in 6:71, the believers are instructed to join him in saying, We are commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds.
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g He it is Who created you from dust, then from a drop, then from a blood clot. Then He brings you forth as infants, that you may then reach maturity, then that you may grow old—though some of you are taken earlier—that you may reach a term appointed, and that haply you may understand.
67 This is one of several verses to cite the stages of gestation and life as evidence of God’s Mercy and Power as well as His ability to resurrect the dead; see 22:5–6c. As human beings are created from dust, then from a drop (cf. 16:4; 18:37; 22:5; 36:77; 53:46; 75:37; 76:2; 80:19), referring to a drop of sperm or to a recently fertilized egg (Ṭs)—that is a draught of a base fluid (32:8; cf. 77:20)—this verse also serves to remind human beings of the lowly origin of their material nature. To reach maturity indicates the completion of one’s bodily strength and intellectual and mental capabilities (Q, Ṭs); see 46:15c. Yet some are taken earlier—that is, before they grow old (Aj, Q, Ṭ, Ṭs), before they reach maturity (Aj, Ṭs), or even before they are brought forth as infants (Aj, Q). Here a term appointed refers to the term decreed for one’s life span, short of which none die and beyond which none live (Ṭ), or to the Day of Resurrection (Ṭs).
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h He it is Who gives life and causes death. So when He decrees a thing, He only says to it, “Be!” and it is.
68 That He gives life and causes death (cf. 2:258; 3:156; 7:158; 9:116; 10:56; 22:6; 23:80; 44:8; 53:44; 57:2) indicates God’s Power over all phases of existence at all times. He only says to it, “Be!” and it is (cf. 2:117; 3:47; 6:73; 16:40; 19:35; 36:82) points to the fact that God’s creative act is dependent upon nothing else and instantaneous, like the blinking of an eye (54:50); see 2:117c.
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i Hast thou not considered those who dispute concerning the signs of God, how they are turned away,
69 This is the last of four verses in this sūrah to rebuke those who dispute concerning the signs of God; see also vv. 4, 35, and 56. Signs can refer to verses of the Quran, but their mention here follows directly upon the mention of the signs of God within the created order and the cycles of human life in vv. 61–68, so that the term would appear to refer in this instance first and foremost to the signs upon the horizons and within themselves (i.e., within human beings; 41:53). Those who dispute concerning these signs are turned away from the truth and sound judgment (Ṭ) or from the straight path to the path that leads astray (Ṭs).
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p those who deny the Book, and that wherewith We have sent Our messengers? But soon they will know,
q since they will be dragged, with shackles and chains around their necks,
r into boiling liquid; then they will be set aflame in the Fire.
70–72 Here the Book refers to the Quran, and that wherewith We have sent Our messengers refers to all revealed books (Ṭs); or the Book could refer to all revealed books, the Quran included (Aj), and that wherewith We have sent Our messengers could refer to the Divine laws (Aj) or to the teachings with which God sent His prophets (Ṭ). On the Day of Judgment, the disbelievers will know the truth of what they disputed and denied (cf. 15:3, 96; 29:66; 37:170; 43:89), when they are dragged in shackles (see 36:8c) and chains into boiling liquid and set aflame in the Fire of Hell, which is understood to mean that they will be dragged back and forth between the two, as in 55:43–44: This is Hell that the guilty deny; to and fro shall they pass, between it and boiling waters (also see 37:68c).
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s Then it will be said unto them, “Where are those whom you used to ascribe as partners
t apart from God?” They will reply, “They have forsaken us. Nay, but we were not calling upon aught before.” Thus does God lead astray the disbelievers.
73–74 This is one of several passages stating that the partners the disbelievers ascribe to God, or in other instances “that which they fabricated,” in this life will forsake them in the next life (cf. 6:22–24; 7:37, 53; 10:30; 11:21; 16:86–87; 28:62–65; 41:47–48). In some instances the disbelievers deny that they were in fact idolaters (see 6:23) or continue to call upon their false deities to no avail (see 28:64), but here and in 7:37 they admit their error, though it is too late for this realization to help them. In this same vein, Satan says to the disbelievers after God’s Decree has been passed, Verily, God made you the Promise of truth; and I made you a promise, but I failed you. And I had no authority over you, save that I called you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot respond to your cries for help; nor can you respond to my cries for help. Truly I disbelieved in your ascribing me as partner aforetime (14:22). Thus the disbelievers say about him, Satan is a forsaker of man (25:29).
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u “That is because you used to exult upon the earth without right and because you were insolent.
v Enter the gates of Hell, therein to abide.” How evil is the abode of the arrogant!
75–76 These are the words of the angels to the denizens of Hell (IK), telling them that the punishments they are now receiving are the result of acts of disobedience and exulting in vanities not permitted to them (Ṭ). Though one can exult or rejoice rightfully (Ṭs), as in 13:36, Those to whom We have given the Book rejoice in that which has been sent down unto thee, in the Quran “exult” is almost always used with a negative connotation, implying that one is heedless of God while enjoying the life of this world. In contrast, “insolence” (maraḥ) can only indicate enjoying something in complete vanity (Ṭs). Thus you used to exult indicates being heedless of the gifts God has given and not being grateful for them, while being insolent or haughty indicates direct acts of disobedience. Regarding the gates of Hell, which are said to number seven (Ṭs), see 39:71–72c and the essay “Death, Dying, and the Afterlife in the Quran.” The abode in which those who were too proud and haughty to worship God will dwell forever is too evil to be described (cf. 3:151; 16:29; 39:72).
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w So be patient. Surely God’s Promise is true. And whether We show thee a part of that which We promise them, or We take thee, unto Us will they be returned.
77 Be patient is an injunction addressed directly to the Prophet, as it is in the second-person singular, but by extension it applies to all his followers, as God’s Promise will always be fulfilled, whether in this life or the next; see 40:55c on the identical phrase. Patience is said to be an attribute of the resolute among God’s messengers (see 46:35c). Whether We show thee a part of that which We promise them refers to their receiving punishment while the Prophet is alive (Ṭ) and thus alludes to the possibility of the Prophet’s triumph over his enemies during the life of this world in the manner of David and Solomon or Noah and Moses (see 40:55c). Or We take thee thus refers to the possibility of the Prophet’s death before the punishment comes upon the disbelievers, meaning God’s Promise coming upon them either in this world after the Prophet’s death or on the Day of Judgment.
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x Indeed We have sent messengers before thee. Among them are those whom We have recounted unto thee, and among them are those whom We have not recounted unto thee. And it was not for a messenger to bring a sign, save by God’s Leave. So when God’s Command comes, judgment is passed in truth; and those who make false claims will then be losers.
78 Here, as in 4:164, which speaks of messengers We have recounted unto thee before, and messengers We have not recounted unto thee, the Quran explicitly indicates that there are prophets whose stories God has not recounted to Muhammad and his followers. The Quran mentions twenty-six prophets by name, but Islamic tradition holds that there were many more, 315 messengers (rasūl) and 124,000 prophets (nabī) according to a ḥadīth; see 4:164c and the essay “The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions.” That it was not for a messenger to bring a sign, save by God’s Leave (cf. 13:38) functions to let the Prophet know that he does not need to bring to his people everything that they demand of him in order to prove his claim to prophethood, just as it was not given to prophets before him to bring a sign, save by God’s Leave (Ṭ). Were he in fact to do so, they still would not believe, as was demonstrated by the miracle of the splitting of the moon (see the introduction to Sūrah 54). For other instances of disingenuous requests made by the disbelievers, see, e.g., 6:8, 36; 17:90–93; commentary on 6:7–9.
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y God it is Who made cattle for you, that some of them you may ride and some of them you may eat—
À and there are benefits for you therein—and that through them you may attain any need that is in your breasts. And upon them and upon ships are you carried.
79–80 This is one of many passages to invoke the benefits of cattle (referring not only to cows, but also other four-legged domesticated animals): their usefulness for riding and transporting goods, for providing warmth and clothing, for providing food and drink, and even their beauty, as signs of God’s Beneficence toward humanity; see 6:142c; 16:5, 66, 79; 23:21–22; 36:72–73; 39:6; 43:12–13. As in 23:21–22 and 43:12–13, the mention of cattle is here combined with that of ships, alluding to God’s providing for human beings on both land and sea; for seafaring as a blessing from God, see 2:164; 14:32; 17:66; 22:65; 30:46; 31:31; 35:12; 42:32–34c; 45:12.
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Á And He shows you His signs. So which of God’s signs do you reject?
81 Regarding God’s showing people His signs, see 40:13c. Which of God’s signs do you reject? could be understood to mean, “If you admit that the realities mentioned above are from God, how could you deny God’s ability to resurrect?” (Q). Others take it as an expression of amazement and admonition, as if to say that one cannot deny God’s signs and proofs unless one is stubborn and arrogant (IK). Another possible meaning is, “When you reflect upon these signs, how could you call upon or worship anything apart from God?” (Ṭ). See also the refrain Which of your Lord’s boons do you two deny? throughout Sūrah 55 (beginning with v. 13).
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 Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how those before them fared in the end? They were more numerous than them, greater than them in strength, and left firmer traces upon the earth. But that which they used to earn availed them not.
82 Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how those before them fared in the end? is repeated several times in the Quran (12:109; 30:9, 42; 35:44; 40:21; 47:10); see 40:21–22c; 30:9c. That which they used to earn availed them not (cf. 15:84; 39:50) means that when God’s Promise of punishment was fulfilled for the disbelievers from generations of old, their great power and wealth could not defend them against it (Q, Ṭ). The phrase could also be rendered, “So what will that which they used to earn avail them?” (Q, Ṭ), in which case it refers to those among the Quraysh who disputed with the Prophet regarding God’s signs, given that only traces remain of those who disputed God’s messengers in the past (Ṭ).
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à And when their messengers brought them clear proofs, they exulted in the knowledge they possessed, and that which they used to mock beset them.
83 That the disbelievers exulted in the knowledge they possessed implies that they declared that they knew more than the Prophet, saying that they would not be punished, resurrected (Q), or taken to account; or else that they exulted in what they knew of worldly affairs (IJ), as in 30:7: They know some outward aspect of the life of this world, but of the Hereafter they are heedless (Q). And that which they used to mock beset them (cf. 6:10; 11:8; 16:34; 21:41; 39:48; 45:33; 46:26) indicates that the punishment they receive is a direct result of their own iniquity, as in 10:44: Truly God does not wrong human beings in the least, but rather human beings wrong themselves. Alternately, it could be read as a reference to the prophets exulting or rejoicing in the knowledge given to them by God (Ṭs).
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Ä Then, when they saw Our Might, they said, “We believe in God alone, and we disavow that which we used to ascribe as partners unto Him.”
Å But their believing benefited them not when they saw Our Might. [That is] the wont of God which has passed among His servants; and the disbelievers were then lost.
84–85 When the disbelievers saw God’s Punishment descending upon them, they declared belief in God and disavowed their idolatry, but their newly found belief was of no benefit to them, because they had already had ample time to repent yet had not done so. Thus their admission of wrongdoing comes too late for repentance. In this sense, it is similar to 4:18: And repentance is not accepted from those who do evil deeds till, when death confronts one of them, he says, “Truly now I repent,” nor from those who die as disbelievers (cf. 23:106–8; 30:57; 74:43–48).
[That is] represents an elided word or phrase that some interpret as “Beware the wont of God” or “Like the wont of God” (Q). Here the wont of God (cf. 3:137; 33:38, 62; 35:43; 48:23) refers to God’s establishment of the principle with all previous generations that He does not accept a declaration of belief at the moment when people are confronted with the punishment they had denied (IJ, Ṭs), since they had been warned and granted respite yet denied it up until that moment. The disbelievers were lost before that moment, but now the complete nature of their loss has become clear to them (IJ, Q), as they are cast into the Fire, suffer God’s Vengeance, and lose the reward of the Garden (Ṭs).