Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 23 Al-Mu'minun, Ayat 93-118

قُل رَّبِّ اِمَّا تُرِيَنِّىۡ مَا يُوۡعَدُوۡنَۙ‏ ﴿23:93﴾ رَبِّ فَلَا تَجۡعَلۡنِىۡ فِى الۡقَوۡمِ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿23:94﴾ وَاِنَّا عَلٰٓى اَنۡ نُّرِيَكَ مَا نَعِدُهُمۡ لَقٰدِرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿23:95﴾ اِدۡفَعۡ بِالَّتِىۡ هِىَ اَحۡسَنُ السَّيِّئَةَ​ ؕ نَحۡنُ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَا يَصِفُوۡنَ‏  ﴿23:96﴾ وَقُلْ رَّبِّ اَعُوۡذُ بِكَ مِنۡ هَمَزٰتِ الشَّيٰطِيۡنِۙ‏ ﴿23:97﴾ وَاَعُوۡذُ بِكَ رَبِّ اَنۡ يَّحۡضُرُوۡنِ‏ ﴿23:98﴾ حَتّٰٓى اِذَا جَآءَ اَحَدَهُمُ الۡمَوۡتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارۡجِعُوۡنِۙ‏ ﴿23:99﴾ لَعَلِّىۡۤ اَعۡمَلُ صَالِحًـا فِيۡمَا تَرَكۡتُ​ؕ كَلَّا​ ؕ اِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَآئِلُهَا​ؕ وَمِنۡ وَّرَآئِهِمۡ بَرۡزَخٌ اِلٰى يَوۡمِ يُبۡعَثُوۡنَ‏ ﴿23:100﴾ فَاِذَا نُفِخَ فِى الصُّوۡرِ فَلَاۤ اَنۡسَابَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ يَوۡمَـئِذٍ وَّلَا يَتَسَآءَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿23:101﴾ فَمَنۡ ثَقُلَتۡ مَوَازِيۡنُهٗ فَاُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡمُفۡلِحُوۡنَ‏ ﴿23:102﴾ وَمَنۡ خَفَّتۡ مَوَازِيۡنُهٗ فَاُولٰٓـئِكَ الَّذِيۡنَ خَسِرُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ فِىۡ جَهَـنَّمَ خٰلِدُوۡنَ​ ۚ‏ ﴿23:103﴾ تَلۡفَحُ وُجُوۡهَهُمُ النَّارُ وَهُمۡ فِيۡهَا كٰلِحُوۡنَ‏ ﴿23:104﴾ اَلَمۡ تَكُنۡ اٰيٰتِىۡ تُتۡلٰى عَلَيۡكُمۡ فَكُنۡتُمۡ بِهَا تُكَذِّبُوۡنَ‏  ﴿23:105﴾ قَالُوۡا رَبَّنَا غَلَبَتۡ عَلَيۡنَا شِقۡوَتُنَا وَكُنَّا قَوۡمًا ضَآلِّيۡنَ‏  ﴿23:106﴾ رَبَّنَاۤ اَخۡرِجۡنَا مِنۡهَا فَاِنۡ عُدۡنَا فَاِنَّا ظٰلِمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿23:107﴾ قَالَ اخۡسَـُٔـوۡا فِيۡهَا وَلَا تُكَلِّمُوۡنِ‏ ﴿23:108﴾ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ فَرِيۡقٌ مِّنۡ عِبَادِىۡ يَقُوۡلُوۡنَ رَبَّنَاۤ اٰمَنَّا فَاغۡفِرۡ لَـنَا وَارۡحَمۡنَا وَاَنۡتَ خَيۡرُ الرّٰحِمِيۡنَ​​ۖ​ۚ‏ ﴿23:109﴾ فَاتَّخَذۡتُمُوۡهُمۡ سِخۡرِيًّا حَتّٰٓى اَنۡسَوۡكُمۡ ذِكۡرِىۡ وَكُنۡتُمۡ مِّنۡهُمۡ تَضۡحَكُوۡنَ‏ ﴿23:110﴾ اِنِّىۡ جَزَيۡتُهُمُ الۡيَوۡمَ بِمَا صَبَرُوۡۤا ۙ اَنَّهُمۡ هُمُ الۡفَآئِزُوۡنَ‏  ﴿23:111﴾ قٰلَ كَمۡ لَبِثۡتُمۡ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ عَدَدَ سِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿23:112﴾ قَالُوۡا لَبِثۡنَا يَوۡمًا اَوۡ بَعۡضَ يَوۡمٍ فَسۡـئَـلِ الۡعَآدِّيۡنَ‏  ﴿23:113﴾ قٰلَ اِنۡ لَّبِثۡـتُمۡ اِلَّا قَلِيۡلًا لَّوۡ اَنَّكُمۡ كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏  ﴿23:114﴾ اَفَحَسِبۡتُمۡ اَنَّمَا خَلَقۡنٰكُمۡ عَبَثًا وَّاَنَّكُمۡ اِلَيۡنَا لَا تُرۡجَعُوۡنَ‏  ﴿23:115﴾ فَتَعٰلَى اللّٰهُ الۡمَلِكُ الۡحَـقُّ​ ۚ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ​ۚ رَبُّ الۡعَرۡشِ الۡـكَرِيۡمِ‏ ﴿23:116﴾ وَمَنۡ يَّدۡعُ مَعَ اللّٰهِ اِلٰهًا اٰخَرَۙ لَا بُرۡهَانَ لَهٗ بِهٖۙ فَاِنَّمَا حِسَابُهٗ عِنۡدَ رَبِّهٖؕ اِنَّهٗ لَا يُفۡلِحُ الۡـكٰفِرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿23:117﴾ وَقُلْ رَّبِّ اغۡفِرۡ وَارۡحَمۡ وَاَنۡتَ خَيۡرُ الرّٰحِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿23:118﴾

(23:93) Pray, (O Muhammad): "My Lord, if You should bring the scourge of which they had been warned in my presence, (23:94) then do not include me, my Lord, among these wrong-doing people."87 (23:95) Surely We are able to show you what We warn them against. (23:96) (O Muhammad)! Repel evil in the best manner. We are well aware of all that they say about you. (23:97) And pray: "My Lord! I seek Your refuge from the suggestions of the evil ones; (23:98) I even seek Your refuge, my Lord, lest they should approach me."88 (23:99) (They shall persist in their deeds) until when death comes to anyone of them he will say: "My Lord, send me back to the world89 (23:100) that I have left behind. I am likely to do good."90 Nay,91 it is merely a word that he is uttering.92 There is a barrier behind all of them (who are dead) until the Day93 when they will be raised up. (23:101) And then no sooner the Trumpet is blown than there will remain no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask one another.94 (23:102) It will be an Hour when those whose scales are heavy,95 they alone will attain success; (23:103) and those whose scales are light, those will be the ones who will have courted loss.96 They will abide in Hell. (23:104) The Fire shall scorch their faces, exposing their jaws.97 (23:105) "Are you not those to whom My revelations were recited, and you dubbed them as lies?" (23:106) They will say: "Our Lord! Our misfortune prevailed over us. We were indeed an erring people. (23:107) Our Lord! Take us out of this. Then if we revert (to evil-doing) we shall indeed be wrongdoers." (23:108) Allah will say: "Away from Me; stay where you are and do not address Me.98 (23:109) You are those that when a party of My servants said: 'Our Lord, we believe, so forgive us, and have mercy on us, for You are the Best of those that are merciful,' (23:110) you made a laughingstock of them and your hostility to them caused you to forget Me, and you simply kept laughing. (23:111) Lo! I have rewarded them this Day for their steadfastness, so that they, and they alone, are triumphant."99 (23:112) Then Allah will ask them: "For how many years did you stay on earth?" (23:113) They will say: "We stayed for a day or part of a day.100 Ask of those who keep count of this." (23:114) He will say: "You stayed only for a while, if you only knew that.101 (23:115) Did you imagine that We created you without any purpose,102 and that you will not be brought back to Us?" (23:116) So, exalted be Allah,103 the True King! There is no god but He, the Lord of the Great Throne. (23:117) He who invokes any other god along with Allah " one for whom he has no evidence"104 his reckoning is with his Lord alone.105 Indeed, these unbelievers shall not prosper.106 (23:118) And say, (O Muhammad): "My Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the Best of those that are merciful."107

Notes

87. This prayer does not mean that, God forbid, there was any real danger of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) also being involved in the punishment, or that if he had not invoked this prayer, he might have been involed in it. This way of address has been adopted to warn that all people should fear Allah’s punishment. They should not demand it nor persist in their wickedness, if Allah gives them respite. As a matter of fact, Allah’s punishment is a thing which should be dreaded not only by the sinful people but also by the righteous people, and they should all seek His refuge from it, for when the scourge of God comes, it does not destroy only the wicked people but may also involve the righteous people in it. Therefore the right course for those, who have to live in a wicked society, is that they should always pray to Allah for His refuge, for one does not know when that scourge might come down.

88. For explanation, see (E.Ns 71, 72 of Surah Al-Anaam); (E.Ns 138, 150 to 153 of Surah Al-Aaraf); (E.N. 39 of Surah Younus); (E.N. 48 of Surah Al-Hijr); (E.Ns 122 to 124 of Surah An-Nahl); (E.Ns 58 to 63 of Surah Bani-Israil) and (E.Ns 35 to 41 of Surah HaMim-Sajdah).

89. In the original text plural number has been used for Allah, which may be for reverence, or may include the angels as well, who will be seizing the criminal soul. The entreaty would be: O my Lord! Send me back.

90. It occurs at several places in the Quran that each of the criminals, after his death till his entry into Hell, and even after that, will plead again and again: Lord, send me back to the world, I will no more disobey Thee, I will now do righteous deeds. See (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayats 27, 28); (Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayat 53); (Surah Ibrahim, Ayats 44, 45); (Surah Ash-Shuara, Ayat 102); (Surah Al-Fatir, Ayat 37); (Surah Az- Zumar, Ayats 58, 59); (Surah Al-Momin, Ayats 10-12), and (Surah Ash-Shura, Ayats 44 )along with the relevant E.Ns.

91. That is, he will never be sent back nor given another opportunity, for in that case the test and trial for which man is sent to this world becomes meaningless. For further explanation, see (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 210 and E. N. 228 )thereof, and E.Ns 6, 139, 140 of Surah Al-Anaam) and (E.N. 26 of Surah Younus).

92. That is, now, when he has met his doom, he has nothing more to say than that he should be sent back to the world; so let him say what he likes; he will never be allowed to go back.

93. That is, now there is a barrier between them and the world, which will not allow them to go back to it. Therefore they shall remain in that state until the Day of Resurrection.

94. It does not mean that the father will not remain father and the son will not remain son, etc. It only means that they will not be able to help each other, nor shall they be able to inquire about each other as father and son, for each one will be worried and anxious about his own plight. See (Surah Al-Maarij, Ayats 10-14), and (Surah Abasa, Ayats 34- 37).

95. That is, those whose good deeds will be heavy and will out-weigh their evil deeds.

96. For the criterion of success and failure in the Hereafter, please refer to( E.Ns 1 and 50 )above.

97. The word kalih means a face whose skin has been removed so as to expose the jaws. When somebody asked Abdullah bin Masud the meaning of kalih, he said: Haven’t you seen the scorched head of a slaughtered animal?

98. “Do not speak to Me”: Do not plead your case with Me. According to some traditions, these will be their last words and they shall never be allowed to speak again, but this is contradicted by the Quran itself in the succeeding verses. Therefore, it only means this that they will not be able to plead their case again.

99. This is again a reference to those who will deserve success or be doomed to failure in the Hereafter.

100. For explanation, see (Surah Ta-Ha Ayat 103 and E.N. 80) thereof.

101. That is, Our Messengers warned you that the life in this world is transitory and is for test and trial, but you did not realize it then and denied that there was any life in the Hereafter and behaved in accordance with that belief.

102. The Arabic word abathan in the text also means “for the sake of sport”. Then the verse will mean: Did you think that We had created you merely for the sake of sport and there was no purpose behind your creation? Therefore you may eat, drink, be merry and enjoy yourself as you please.

103. Allah is above this that He should create you without any purpose and that you may associate partners with Him with impunity.

104. It may also be translated as: The one who invokes any other deity along with Allah, has nothing to support him in this act.

105. That is, he cannot escape accountability.

106. Again, the reference is to those who will attain the success and to those who will be deprived of it.

107. Compare and contrast this prayer with (verse 109). Here the Prophet (peace be upon him) has been told to make the same prayer as contained in (verse 109), as if to say, You (and your followers) should supplicate Allah with the same prayer so that, if the people scoff at you, they themselves might provide a proof of a strong case against themselves.