Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 40 Ghafir, Ayat 38-44

وَقَالَ الَّذِىۡۤ اٰمَنَ يٰقَوۡمِ اتَّبِعُوۡنِ اَهۡدِكُمۡ سَبِيۡلَ الرَّشَادِ​ۚ‏  ﴿40:38﴾ يٰقَوۡمِ اِنَّمَا هٰذِهِ الۡحَيٰوةُ الدُّنۡيَا مَتَاعٌ وَّاِنَّ الۡاٰخِرَةَ هِىَ دَارُ الۡقَرَارِ‏ ﴿40:39﴾ مَنۡ عَمِلَ سَيِّـئَـةً فَلَا يُجۡزٰٓى اِلَّا مِثۡلَهَا ۚ وَمَنۡ عَمِلَ صَالِحًـا مِّنۡ ذَكَرٍ اَوۡ اُنۡثٰى وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٌ فَاُولٰٓـئِكَ يَدۡخُلُوۡنَ الۡجَـنَّةَ يُرۡزَقُوۡنَ فِيۡهَا بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٍ‏ ﴿40:40﴾ وَيٰقَوۡمِ مَا لِىۡۤ اَدۡعُوۡكُمۡ اِلَى النَّجٰوةِ وَتَدۡعُوۡنَنِىۡۤ اِلَى النَّارِؕ‏ ﴿40:41﴾ تَدۡعُوۡنَنِىۡ لِاَكۡفُرَ بِاللّٰهِ وَاُشۡرِكَ بِهٖ مَا لَيۡسَ لِىۡ بِهٖ عِلۡمٌ وَّاَنَا اَدۡعُوۡكُمۡ اِلَى الۡعَزِيۡزِ الۡغَفَّارِ‏ ﴿40:42﴾ لَا جَرَمَ اَنَّمَا تَدۡعُوۡنَنِىۡۤ اِلَيۡهِ لَيۡسَ لَهٗ دَعۡوَةٌ فِى الدُّنۡيَا وَلَا فِى الۡاٰخِرَةِ وَاَنَّ مَرَدَّنَاۤ اِلَى اللّٰهِ وَاَنَّ الۡمُسۡرِفِيۡنَ هُمۡ اَصۡحٰبُ النَّارِ‏ ﴿40:43﴾ فَسَتَذۡكُرُوۡنَ مَاۤ اَقُوۡلُ لَـكُمۡؕ وَاُفَوِّضُ اَمۡرِىۡۤ اِلَى اللّٰهِؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ بَصِيۡرٌۢ بِالۡعِبَادِ‏ ﴿40:44﴾

(40:38) The person endowed with faith said: “My people, follow me; I shall direct you to the Path of Rectitude. (40:39) My people, the life of this world is ephemeral,56 whereas the Hereafter, that is the permanent abode. (40:40) Whosoever does an evil deed will be requited only with the like of it; and whosoever acts righteously and has attained to faith � be he a male or a female � they shall enter Paradise and be provided sustenance beyond all reckoning. (40:41) My people, how is it that I call you to salvation while you call me to the Fire; (40:42) you call me to deny Allah and to associate with Him as His partners those regarding whom I have no knowledge (that they are Allah's partners in His Divinity),57 whereas I call you to the Most Mighty, the Most Forgiving? (40:43) There is no doubt that those whom you call me to have no claim to be called upon in this world and in the Hereafter.58 Certainly to Allah shall be our return, and those who exceed the limits59 are destined to the Fire. (40:44) Soon you shall remember what I say to you. I entrust my affairs to Allah. Surely Allah is watchful over His servants.”60


Notes

56. That is, you are being forgetful of Allah on account of your pride in the transient wealth and prosperity of this world, this is your folly.

57. That is, about whom I have no scientific proof that they are God’s associates. Why should I then accept such a stupendous thing blindly that they also have a share in Godhead and that I have to serve them along with Allah?

58. This sentence can have several meanings:

(1) That they neither possess here nor in the Hereafter any right that the people should be invited to acknowledge their godhead.

(2) That they have been made gods by the people themselves without any reason, for they have neither claimed godhead for themselves in this world nor will they put forward any such claim in the Hereafter that they also were gods and should have been acknowledged as such.

(3) That it is of no use invoking them here nor in the Hereafter, for they are absolutely powerless and invoking them is of no avail at all.

59. A transgressor is every such person who recognizes the godhead of others than Allah, or assumes godhead for himself, or rebels against God and adopts an attitude of independence in the world, and then commits excesses against himself, against other creatures of God and against everything else with which he has to deal. Such a person, in fact, transgresses all limits of reason and justice.

60. This sentence clearly shows that while saying all this the Believer was certain that he would have to bear the brunt of the wrath of the entire kingdom of Pharaoh in consequence of his speaking the truth, and that he would have to lose all his honors and privileges, even his life. But in spite of knowing all this he performed his duty only with his trust in Allah, according to the call of his conscience, on this critical occasion.