Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 39 Az-Zumar, Ayat 32-41

فَمَنۡ اَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنۡ كَذَبَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ وَكَذَّبَ بِالصِّدۡقِ اِذۡ جَآءَهٗ​ ؕ اَ لَيۡسَ فِىۡ جَهَنَّمَ مَثۡـوًى لِّـلۡـكٰفِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿39:32﴾ وَالَّذِىۡ جَآءَ بِالصِّدۡقِ وَصَدَّقَ بِهٖۤ​ اُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡمُتَّقُوۡنَ‏  ﴿39:33﴾ لَهُمۡ مَّا يَشَآءُوۡنَ عِنۡدَ رَبِّهِمۡ​ ؕ ذٰ لِكَ جَزٰٓؤُ الۡمُحۡسِنِيۡنَ ۖۚ‏ ﴿39:34﴾ لِيُكَفِّرَ اللّٰهُ عَنۡهُمۡ اَسۡوَاَ الَّذِىۡ عَمِلُوۡا وَيَجۡزِيَهُمۡ اَجۡرَهُمۡ بِاَحۡسَنِ الَّذِىۡ كَانُوۡا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿39:35﴾ اَلَيۡسَ اللّٰهُ بِكَافٍ عَبۡدَهٗ​ ؕ وَيُخَوِّفُوۡنَكَ بِالَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِهٖ​ ؕ وَمَنۡ يُّضۡلِلِ اللّٰهُ فَمَا لَهٗ مِنۡ هَادٍ​ ۚ‏ ﴿39:36﴾ وَمَنۡ يَّهۡدِ اللّٰهُ فَمَا لَهٗ مِنۡ مُّضِلٍّ​ ؕ اَ لَيۡسَ اللّٰهُ بِعَزِيۡزٍ ذِى انتِقَامٍ‏ ﴿39:37﴾ وَلَـئِنۡ سَاَ لۡتَهُمۡ مَّنۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ لَيَـقُوۡلُنَّ اللّٰهُ​ ؕ قُلۡ اَفَرَءَيۡتُمۡ مَّا تَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ اِنۡ اَرَادَنِىَ اللّٰهُ بِضُرٍّ هَلۡ هُنَّ كٰشِفٰتُ ضُرِّهٖۤ اَوۡ اَرَادَنِىۡ بِرَحۡمَةٍ هَلۡ هُنَّ مُمۡسِكٰتُ رَحۡمَتِهٖ​ ؕ قُلۡ حَسۡبِىَ اللّٰهُ​ ؕ عَلَيۡهِ يَتَوَكَّلُ الۡمُتَوَكِّلُوۡنَ‏  ﴿39:38﴾ قُلۡ يٰقَوۡمِ اعۡمَلُوۡا عَلٰى مَكَانَتِكُمۡ اِنِّىۡ عَامِلٌ​ۚ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَۙ‏  ﴿39:39﴾ مَنۡ يَّاۡتِيۡهِ عَذَابٌ يُّخۡزِيۡهِ وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيۡهِ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيۡمٌ‏  ﴿39:40﴾ اِنَّاۤ اَنۡزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ الۡكِتٰبَ لِلنَّاسِ بِالۡحَقِّ​ ۚ فَمَنِ اهۡتَدٰى فَلِنَفۡسِهٖ​ ۚ وَمَنۡ ضَلَّ فَاِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيۡهَا​ ۚ وَمَاۤ اَنۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ بِوَكِيۡلٍ‏ ﴿39:41﴾

(39:32) Who, then, can be more unjust than he who lied against Allah and denied the Truth when it came to him, calling it a lie? Is there no room for such unbelievers in Hell? (39:33) But he who brought the Truth, and those who confirmed it as true, such are the ones who shall be guarded against the chastisement.52 (39:34) They shall have from their Lord all that they wish for.53 That is the reward of those that do good, (39:35) so that Allah may remit their worst deeds and reward them according to the best of their deeds.54 (39:36) (O Prophet), does Allah not suffice for His servant? They frighten you with others apart from Him,55 although he whom Allah lets go astray, none can guide him to the Right Way. (39:37) And he whom Allah guides to the Right Way, none can lead him astray. Is not Allah the Most Mighty, the Lord of Retribution?56 (39:38) If you ask them: “Who created the heavens and the earth?” they will surely answer: “Allah.” Tell them: “What do you think, then, of the deities whom you call upon instead of Allah? If Allah should will that an affliction befall me, will those deities remove the harm inflicted by Him? Or if Allah should will that I receive (His) Mercy, will they be able to withhold His Mercy from me?” Say: “Allah is sufficient for me; those who have to put their trust, let them put their trust in Him.57 (39:39) Tell them: “My people, continue to work in your position as you will, I too will continue with my work.58 Soon you shall know (39:40) whom the degrading chastisement will visit and upon whom the everlasting chastisement will alight. (39:41) (O Prophet), We revealed to you the Book with the Truth for all mankind. So he who follows the Right Way does so to his own benefit, and he who goes astray, shall hurt only himself by straying. You are not accountable on their behalf.59

Notes

52. It means this: As to who will receive punishment in the trial before Allah on the day of Resurrection, you should note it well that the punishment inevitably will be inflicted on those wicked people who invented a false creed that there were also other associates with Allah, who had a share in His Being, authority, powers and rights, and worse than that, when the truth was presented before them, they not only paid no heed to it, but, on the contrary, treated the one who presented it as an impostor. As far as the person who came with the truth, and those who affirmed faith in him, are concerned there can obviously be no question of their receiving any punishment from the court of Allah.

53. One should note that the words used here are indarabbi- him (with their Lord) and not fil-jannah (in Paradise), and obviously man reaches in the presence of his Lord just after death. Therefore, the intention of the verse seems to be: Not only after entering Paradise but right from the time of death till his entry into Paradise Allah will treat the righteous believer in the same kind manner. The believer will certainly desire to be saved from the torment of barzakh, from the severities of the Day of Resurrection and Judgment, from the humiliation of the Plain of Gathering and from the punishment of his errors and shortcomings, and Allah Almighty will fulfill all his desires.

54. The people who believed in the Prophet (peace be upon him) had happened to commit most heinous sins, both ideological and moral, in the days of ignorance, and after affirmation of the faith the good that they did was not only that they gave up the falsehood they had been professing and accepted the truth that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had presented, but in addition, they had performed the best righteous acts in morality, devotion and in their dealings with others. Allah says: The worst deeds that they had committed in the days of ignorance will be wiped off from their account, and they will be rewarded for the best of their deeds found in their conduct book.

55. The disbelievers of Makkah used to say to the Prophet (peace be upon him): You behave insolently in respect of our deities and utter rude words against them. You do not know how powerful they are and what miraculous powers they possess. Anybody who dishonored them was ruined. If you also do not desist from what you say against them, you too will be annihilated.

56. That is, this also is a result of their lack of guidance that the foolish people esteem highly the power and honor of their deities but they never think that Allah also is All- Mighty and they can also be punished for insulting Him by the shirk they are committing against Him.

57. Ibn Abi Hatim has related from Ibn Abbas that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The person who desires that he should become most powerful among men should repose his trust in Allah. And the person who desires that he should become the wealthiest among men should have more trust in that which is with Allah than that which is in his own hand. And the person who desires that he should become most honorable among men should fear Allah All- Mighty.

58. That is, you may go on doing what you can in order to harm me and do not give me any respite.

59. That is, it is not for you to bring them to the right path. Your only duty is to present the right path before them. If they prefer to remain astray after that, you are not responsible for it.