Surah 14. Ibrahim

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Verses [Section]: 1-6[1], 7-12 [2], 13-21 [3], 22-27 [4], 28-34 [5], 35-41 [6], 42-52 [7]

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Quran Text of Verse 13-21وَ قَالَAnd saidالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelievedلِرُسُلِهِمْto their MessengersلَنُخْرِجَنَّكُمْSurely we will drive you outمِّنْofاَرْضِنَاۤour landاَوْorلَتَعُوْدُنَّsurely you should returnفِیْtoمِلَّتِنَا ؕour religionفَاَوْحٰۤیSo inspiredاِلَیْهِمْto themرَبُّهُمْtheir LordلَنُهْلِكَنَّWe will surely destroyالظّٰلِمِیْنَۙthe wrongdoers وَ لَنُسْكِنَنَّكُمُAnd surely We will make you dwellالْاَرْضَ(in) the landمِنْۢafter themبَعْدِهِمْ ؕafter themذٰلِكَThatلِمَنْ(is) for whoeverخَافَfearsمَقَامِیْstanding before Meوَ خَافَand fearsوَعِیْدِ My Threat وَ اسْتَفْتَحُوْاAnd they sought victoryوَ خَابَand disappointedكُلُّeveryجَبَّارٍtyrantعَنِیْدٍۙobstinate مِّنْAhead of himوَّرَآىِٕهٖAhead of himجَهَنَّمُ(is) Hellوَ یُسْقٰیand he will be made to drinkمِنْofمَّآءٍwaterصَدِیْدٍۙpurulent یَّتَجَرَّعُهٗHe will sip itوَ لَاbut notیَكَادُhe will be nearیُسِیْغُهٗ(to) swallowing itوَ یَاْتِیْهِAnd will come to himالْمَوْتُthe deathمِنْfromكُلِّeveryمَكَانٍsideوَّ مَاbut notهُوَheبِمَیِّتٍ ؕwill dieوَ مِنْAnd ahead of himوَّرَآىِٕهٖAnd ahead of himعَذَابٌ(is) a punishmentغَلِیْظٌ harsh مَثَلُ(The) exampleالَّذِیْنَ(of) those whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelieveبِرَبِّهِمْin their Lordاَعْمَالُهُمْtheir deedsكَرَمَادِ(are) like ashesشْتَدَّتْblows furiouslyبِهِon itالرِّیْحُthe windفِیْinیَوْمٍa dayعَاصِفٍ ؕstormyلَاNoیَقْدِرُوْنَcontrol (they have)مِمَّاof whatكَسَبُوْاthey have earnedعَلٰیonشَیْءٍ ؕanythingذٰلِكَThatهُوَ[it]الضَّلٰلُ(is) the strayingالْبَعِیْدُ far 14. Ibrahim Page 258اَلَمْDo notتَرَyou seeاَنَّthatاللّٰهَAllahخَلَقَcreatedالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ الْاَرْضَand the earthبِالْحَقِّ ؕin truthاِنْIfیَّشَاْHe willsیُذْهِبْكُمْHe can remove youوَ یَاْتِand bringبِخَلْقٍa creationجَدِیْدٍۙnew وَّ مَاAnd notذٰلِكَ(is) thatعَلَیonاللّٰهِAllahبِعَزِیْزٍ great وَ بَرَزُوْاAnd they will come forthلِلّٰهِbefore Allahجَمِیْعًاall togetherفَقَالَthen will sayالضُّعَفٰٓؤُاthe weakلِلَّذِیْنَto those whoاسْتَكْبَرُوْۤاwere arrogantاِنَّاIndeed, weكُنَّاwe wereلَكُمْyourتَبَعًاfollowersفَهَلْso canاَنْتُمْyou (be)مُّغْنُوْنَthe one who availsعَنَّاusمِنْfromعَذَابِ(the) punishmentاللّٰهِ(of) Allahمِنْanythingشَیْءٍ ؕanythingقَالُوْاThey will sayلَوْIfهَدٰىنَاAllah had guided usاللّٰهُAllah had guided usلَهَدَیْنٰكُمْ ؕsurely we would have guided youسَوَآءٌ(It is) sameعَلَیْنَاۤfor usاَجَزِعْنَاۤwhether we show intoleranceاَمْorصَبَرْنَاwe are patientمَاnotلَنَا(is) for usمِنْanyمَّحِیْصٍ۠place of escape

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Translation of Verse 13-21

(14:13) Then the unbelievers told their Messengers: "You will have to return to the fold of our faith²² or else we shall banish you from our land." Thereupon their Lord revealed to them: "We will most certainly destroy these wrong-doers,

(14:14) and will then cause you to settle in the land²³ as their successors. That is the reward for him who fears to stand for reckoning and holds My threat in awe."

(14:15) They sought Our judgement. And (thanks to that judgement) every obstinate tyrant opposed to the Truth was brought to naught.²⁴

(14:16) Hell is before him and he shall be made to drink of the oozing pus,

(14:17) which he will gulp but will scarcely swallow, and death will come upon him from every quarter, and yet he will not be able to die. A terrible chastisement lies ahead in pursuit of him.

(14:18) This is the example of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their works are like ashes upon which the wind blows fiercely on a tempestuous day. They shall find no reward for their deeds.²⁵ That indeed is the farthest point in straying.

(14:19) Do you not see that Allah created the heavens and the earth in Truth?²⁶ Were He to will, He could take you away and bring a new creation.

(14:20) That is not at all difficult for Allah.²⁷

(14:21) Then all of them will appear exposed before Allah,²⁸ and the weak ones will say to the haughty ones: "We merely followed you. Will you, then, protect us from Allah's chastisement?" They will say: "Had Allah shown us the Way to our salvation, we would surely have also guided you. Now it is all the same whether we cry or suffer patiently, we have no escape."²⁹

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Commentary

22. The unbelievers urged the Messengers to recant and rejoin the faith of their people or else the latter would banish them. The expression ‘return to the fold of our faith’ does not imply that before being designated to the office of prophethood, the Prophets belonged to the fold of unbelievers. In fact, the verse can be fully appreciated if we bear in mind that before designation to their office, Prophets live a relatively quiet life. For prior to that designation, they preach no specific religious doctrines. Nor do they engage in refuting the religious doctrines that are generally accepted by their people. As a result, people are commonly inclined to think that they too are an integral part of their religious fold. Hence, when Prophets embark on teaching true religious doctrines, they are charged by their people with renouncing their ancestral faith. The fact, however, is that they were never a part of the fold of those unbelievers.

23. This is a word of comfort and assurance to the Messengers from God.

The unbelievers had threatened the Messengers with banishment. God assures them that their enemies were in no position to harm them for God had decided to uproot the unbelievers from their land and to place it under the control of the believers.

24. It is worth noting that this historical narrative constitutes a rejoinder to the objections raised by the unbelievers against Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). Although the story concerns the Messengers and the nations of the past, it is clearly applicable to the conditions obtaining at the time of the revelation of this surah. The unbelievers of Makka, in fact all the polytheists of Arabia, are being warned that their future was solely dependent on one thing — their attitude to the message of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). They will be able to live in Arabia only if they accept that message. If they reject the message, they will be altogether removed from the scene. Subsequent events, as we know, fully vindicated this. Barely fifteen years after this prophecy, there was no polytheist in Arabia.

25. This refers to those who are ungrateful, unfaithful, and rebellious to their Lord. Defying God, they refuse to follow the way to which the Messengers invite them. They are warned that the deeds of such people will be reduced to naught. Their deeds will be as useless and devoid of meaning as a heap of ashes which in the course of time grows into a hillock which is then blown away by a storm into thin air. A time will come when their seemingly splendid civilization and culture, their gigantic industries, their vast and powerful empires, their imposing universities, their astonishing arts and sciences, their impressive literary heritage, even their religious ritual and outward acts of virtue, their charitable and philanthropic institutions, in short, all that they are proud of will prove to be no more than a heap of ashes which will be swept away by the storm that will arise on the Day of Judgement. On that Day they will be left with absolutely nothing that will have even an atom’s weight of worth in the sight of God.

26. This statement has been put forward as evidence in support of the statement made above, viz. that they shall find no reward for their deeds which will turn out to be no more than a heap of ashes blown away by the wind. In fact, the unbelievers are being told not to be surprised that their works should end in naught. For anyone can see that the magnificent system of the heavens and the earth is based on truth rather than falsehood. Hence, anything that does not conform to the truth and is founded on false conjectures and unfounded fancies cannot endure. Anyone who builds castles in the sand or images on water cannot expect those castles to endure or those images to last. For water is not so constituted that any image might be made on it. Nor is sand so constituted as to provide a dependable foundation for stable structures. Hence, whoever bases his actions on vain expectations in disregard of truth and reality is bound to meet with failure.

Anyone who is convinced of this should not be surprised that the deeds of those whose lives are not based on obedience to God, or whose lives are based on recognition of the godhead of anyone other than God —a premise contrary to reality — should go to waste. Since man is born a creature of God, it is altogether false to regard him as independent of Him, or as one who should serve anyone other than God. Anyone who bases his life and thought on such false assumptions is no different from the stupid man who seeks to draw an image on water or build a castle in the sand. The end such a person is bound to meet is the same as that of the person who draws images on water or who builds castles in the sand.

27. This has been said by way of admonition. Moreover, it removes a misunderstanding which might arise in someone’s mind after the statement made above. One may well ask: ‘If the truth is what has been stated in the above verses, why is it that the devotees of falsehood and all those steeped in iniquity do not perish instantly?’ Now, obviously it is not at all difficult for God to annihilate such persons. Nor does there exist any kinship between God and any group of men in consideration of which He might have granted them a reprieve.

Every iniquitous nation is exposed to the danger of being removed from the scene and being replaced by another nation. This, however, takes time. The delay in the infliction of punishment by God alone does not at all mean that the nation which is immersed in evil will be destroyed. This delay should not create any illusion about the fact that a nation which deserves to be destroyed will certainly be destroyed. People should shed all illusions and make the best possible use of every single moment at their disposal. They should also realize the brittle foundations of all systems of life and thought which rest on falsehood. They should take steps now to base their lives on the solid foundations of truth.

28. The word buruz used here does not simply signify that those people will come forth and appear before God; it also has the nuance of standing exposed. Hence we have rendered the verb as meaning: ‘Then all of them will appear exposed before Allah.’ It is true that every human being always stands exposed before his Lord. However, on the Last Day when all human beings will appear before Him, they will know well that they stand totally exposed before the Best of all judges, the Lord of the Day of Judgement. It will be quite clear to them that nothing is hidden from God, not even the ideas in their minds and the unexpressed intentions that lie concealed in the deep recesses of their hearts.

29. This is a warning to all those who blindly follow others under the pretext that they have to submit to oppressors who are overwhelmingly powerful.

They are told that their leaders and rulers in the present world will be utterly unable to protect them from God’s chastisement. Hence, they ought to think clearly about whom they follow and whose command they carry out, whither the latter were heading and the lurch in which they would be left as a result of their misguidance.