Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 14 Ibrahim, Ayat 28-34

اَلَمۡ تَرَ اِلَى الَّذِيۡنَ بَدَّلُوۡا نِعۡمَتَ اللّٰهِ كُفۡرًا وَّاَحَلُّوۡا قَوۡمَهُمۡ دَارَ الۡبَوَارِۙ‏ ﴿14:28﴾ جَهَـنَّمَ​ۚ يَصۡلَوۡنَهَا​ؕ وَبِئۡسَ الۡقَرَارُ‏ ﴿14:29﴾ وَجَعَلُوۡا لِلّٰهِ اَنۡدَادًا لِّيُـضِلُّوۡا عَنۡ سَبِيۡلِهٖ​ؕ قُلۡ تَمَتَّعُوۡا فَاِنَّ مَصِيۡرَكُمۡ اِلَى النَّارِ‏ ﴿14:30﴾ قُلْ لِّـعِبَادِىَ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا يُقِيۡمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُنۡفِقُوۡا مِمَّا رَزَقۡنٰهُمۡ سِرًّا وَّعَلَانِيَةً مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ يَّاۡتِىَ يَوۡمٌ لَّا بَيۡعٌ فِيۡهِ وَلَا خِلٰلٌ‏ ﴿14:31﴾ اَللّٰهُ الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ وَاَنۡزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَاَخۡرَجَ بِهٖ مِنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ رِزۡقًا لَّـكُمۡ​ ۚ وَسَخَّرَ لَـكُمُ الۡـفُلۡكَ لِتَجۡرِىَ فِى الۡبَحۡرِ بِاَمۡرِهٖ​ۚ وَسَخَّرَ لَـكُمُ الۡاَنۡهٰرَ​ۚ‏ ﴿14:32﴾ وَسَخَّرَ لَـكُمُ الشَّمۡسَ وَالۡقَمَرَ دَآئِبَيۡنِ​ۚ وَسَخَّرَ لَـكُمُ الَّيۡلَ وَالنَّهَارَ​ۚ‏ ﴿14:33﴾ وَاٰتٰٮكُمۡ مِّنۡ كُلِّ مَا سَاَلۡـتُمُوۡهُ​ ؕ وَاِنۡ تَعُدُّوۡا نِعۡمَتَ اللّٰهِ لَا تُحۡصُوۡهَا ؕ اِنَّ الۡاِنۡسَانَ لَـظَلُوۡمٌ كَفَّارٌ‏ ﴿14:34﴾

(14:28) Did you not see those who have exchanged Allah's favour with ingratitude to Him, causing their people to be cast in the abode of utter perdition (14:29) Hell, wherein they shall roast? How wretched a place to settle in! (14:30) They have set up rivals to Allah that they may lead people astray from His way. Tell them: "Enjoy for a while. You are doomed to end up in the Fire!" (14:31) (O Prophet), tell those of My servants who believe that they should establish Prayer and spend out of what We have provided them with,41 both secretly and openly, before there arrives the Day when there will be no bargaining, nor any mutual befriending.42 (14:32) It is Allah43 Who created the heavens and the earth, Who sent down water from the heaven and thereby brought forth a variety of fruits as your sustenance, Who subjected for you the ships that they may sail in the sea by His command, Who subjected for you the rivers, (14:33) Who subjected for you the sun and the moon and both of them are constant on their courses, Who subjected for you the night and the day,44 (14:34) and Who gave you all that you asked Him for.45 Were you to count the favours of Allah you shall never be able to encompass them. Verily man is highly unjust, exceedingly ungrateful.


Notes

41. That is, the believers should adopt an attitude of gratitude in contrast to the disbelievers (Ayat 29). The practical form their gratitude should take is that they should establish Salat and spend their wealth in the way of Allah.

42. That is, on that Day none shall be able to rescue himself either by ransom or by intercession.

43. That is, it is the same Allah Whose bounties they are repaying with ingratitude and disobedience and with Whom they are setting up equals even though He has been so bountiful to them.

44. The words sakh-khara-lakum of the text in (Ayats 32-33) have misled those people who have translated these into “subjected to you”. So much so that some of them interpret these verses to mean that the main aim of the life of man is to bring the earth and heavens under his subjection, whereas their real meaning is “the earth and heavens are subjected to certain laws and they serve you under these laws.” As a matter of fact Allah has subjected all these things to such laws as are beneficial for man. Had not a ship been subjected to certain physical laws, there could have been no navigation at all. Had not a river been subjected to certain laws, it could not have been possible to take out canals from them. Likewise if the heavenly bodies (the sun and the moon, etc.) and the earth and day and night had not been subjected to certain fixed laws, life could not have been possible, not to speak of civilized life

45. “And He gave you from all that you asked of Him”: He has provided for everything that is required for your life, its development and evolution.