Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 40 Ghafir, Ayat 38-50

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﴾ فَوَقٰٮهُ اللّٰهُ سَيِّاٰتِ مَا مَكَرُوۡا وَحَاقَ بِاٰلِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ سُوۡٓءُ الۡعَذَابِ​ۚ‏ ﴿40:45﴾ اَلنَّارُ يُعۡرَضُوۡنَ عَلَيۡهَا غُدُوًّا وَّعَشِيًّا ۚ وَيَوۡمَ تَقُوۡمُ السَّاعَةُ اَدۡخِلُوۡۤا اٰلَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ اَشَدَّ الۡعَذَابِ‏ ﴿40:46﴾ وَاِذۡ يَتَحَآجُّوۡنَ فِى النَّارِ فَيَقُوۡلُ الضُّعَفٰٓؤُا لِلَّذِيۡنَ اسۡتَكۡبَرُوۡۤا اِنَّا كُنَّا لَـكُمۡ تَبَعًا فَهَلۡ اَنۡتُمۡ مُّغۡنُوۡنَ عَنَّا نَصِيۡبًا مِّنَ النَّارِ‏ ﴿40:47﴾ قَالَ الَّذِيۡنَ اسۡتَكۡبَرُوۡۤا اِنَّا كُلٌّ فِيۡهَاۤ ۙاِنَّ اللّٰهَ قَدۡ حَكَمَ بَيۡنَ الۡعِبَادِ‏ ﴿40:48﴾ وَقَالَ الَّذِيۡنَ فِى النَّارِ لِخَزَنَةِ جَهَنَّمَ ادۡعُوۡا رَبَّكُمۡ يُخَفِّفۡ عَنَّا يَوۡمًا مِّنَ الۡعَذَابِ‏ ﴿40:49﴾ قَالُوۡۤا اَوَلَمۡ تَكُ تَاۡتِيۡكُمۡ رُسُلُكُمۡ بِالۡبَيِّنٰتِ ؕ قَالُوۡا بَلٰى ؕ قَالُوۡا​ فَادۡعُوۡا ۚ وَمَا دُعٰٓـؤُا الۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ اِلَّا فِىۡ ضَلٰلٍ‏  ﴿40:50﴾

(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 (40:45) Eventually Allah saved the person endowed with faith from all the evils of their guile,61 and a woeful chastisement62 encompassed the Pharaonites. (40:46) They are exposed to the Fire every morning and evening; and when the Last Hour will come to pass, a command shall be given: “Admit the Pharaonites to an even more severe chastisement.”63 (40:47) Just imagine when they will remonstrate with one another in Hell. The weak ones will say to those who waxed proud: “We were your followers. Will you, then, lighten for us a part of our suffering of the Fire?”64 (40:48) Those who had waxed proud will reply: “All of us are in it. Allah has already passed His judgement among His servants.”65 (40:49) Those suffering in the Fire will say to the keepers of Hell: “Call upon your Lord to lighten the chastisement for us just for a day.” (40:50) The keepers of Hell will ask: “Did your Messengers not come to you with Clear Signs?” They will say: “Yes (they did).” The keepers of Hell will say: “Then you yourselves should call (upon the Lord). And the call of the unbelievers will end in vain.”66

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.

61. This shows that the Believer was such an important man in the kingdom of Pharaoh that although he spoke out the truth in the face of Pharaoh, in the packed court, yet none could have the courage to punish him publicly. That is why, Pharaoh and his supporters had to make secret plans to kill him, but these plans also were frustrated by Allah.

62. It so appears from the style that this event of the Believer’s speaking out the truth had taken place in the last stage of the conflict between the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and Pharaoh. Probably being fed up and disgusted with the long drawn out conflict, Pharaoh might have at last made up his mind to kill the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). But he might have felt from the truthfulness of that influential person of his kingdom that the Prophet Moses’ (peace be upon him) influence had even reached the higher circles of his government. Therefore, he might have decided that before taking the extreme step against Moses (peace be upon him) he should find out who among the chiefs and nobles and higher officials of the kingdom had been influenced by the movement, and should seize Moses (peace be upon him) after having punished them. But while he was still busy devising his plans, Allah commanded the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and his companions to migrate, and it was while pursuing them that Pharaoh was drowned in the sea along with his hosts.

63. This verse is an express proof of the torment of barzakh, which has often been mentioned in the traditions as the torment of the grave. Allah here has in clear words mentioned two stages of the torment, a lesser torment, which is being given now to Pharaoh and his people before the coming of Resurrection, and it is, this that they are presented before the fire of Hell morning and evening, which strikes terror in their hearts and they see the Hell which they will have to enter ultimately. After this when Resurrection comes, they will be given the real and greater punishment which is destined for them, i.e. they will be hurled into the same Hell, which they are being made to witness since the time they were drowned till today, and will continue to witness it till the Hour of Resurrection. And such a treatment is not especially meant for Pharaoh and his people. All the culprits continue to witness the evil end, from the hour of death till Resurrection, which is awaiting them. On the other hand, the righteous people are made to see continually the pleasant picture of the good end, which Allah has gotten ready for them. A tradition has been related in Bukhari, Muslim, and Musnad Ahmad on the authority of Abdullah bin Umar, saying that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Whoever from among you dies is shown his final resting place morning and evening continually, whether he be a dweller of Paradise or of Hell. It is said to him: This is the place which you will enter when Allah will raise you back to life on the Day of Resurrection and will call you into His presence. (For further details, see (Surah Al-Anfaal, Ayats 50-51); (Surah An-Nahal, Ayats 28-32); (Surah Al-Mominoon, Ayats 99-100 )and the E.Ns thereof, and (E.Ns 22, 23 of Surah YaSeen).

64. This they will not say in any hope that their previous guides or rulers or leaders would actually be able to save them from the torment, or would have it reduced. At that time they will have fully realized that those people could not avail them anything there. But they will say this in order to humiliate them, as if to say: In the world you ruled over us with great show of power and authority, now save us also from this disaster which has befallen us only because of you.

65. That is, both you and we have already been sentenced and Allah has passed His judgment regarding each of us. Now it does not lie in anyone’s power to change the sentence of Allah, or to make any increase or decrease in the punishment awarded by Him.

66. That is, when the fact is this that the Messengers had come to you with the clear signs, and you have already been sentenced to suffer punishment here, because you had refused to believe in them, it is not possible for us to pray for you to Allah. For obviously there should be some plea for such a prayer, and you have exhausted every plea by your misconduct. So, you pray for yourselves if you so like, but we would tell you beforehand that the prayers of the people who had disbelieved in the world like you have been of no avail.