Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 43 Az-Zukhruf, Ayat 36-45

وَمَنۡ يَّعۡشُ عَنۡ ذِكۡرِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ نُقَيِّضۡ لَهٗ شَيۡطٰنًا فَهُوَ لَهٗ قَرِيۡنٌ‏ ﴿43:36﴾ وَاِنَّهُمۡ لَيَصُدُّوۡنَهُمۡ عَنِ السَّبِيۡلِ وَيَحۡسَبُوۡنَ اَنَّهُمۡ مُّهۡتَدُوۡنَ‏  ﴿43:37﴾ حَتّٰٓى اِذَا جَآءَنَا قَالَ يٰلَيۡتَ بَيۡنِىۡ وَبَيۡنَكَ بُعۡدَ الۡمَشۡرِقَيۡنِ فَبِئۡسَ الۡقَرِيۡنُ‏ ﴿43:38﴾ وَلَنۡ يَّنۡفَعَكُمُ الۡيَوۡمَ اِذْ ظَّلَمۡتُمۡ اَنَّكُمۡ فِى الۡعَذَابِ مُشۡتَرِكُوۡنَ‏  ﴿43:39﴾ اَفَاَنۡتَ تُسۡمِعُ الصُّمَّ اَوۡ تَهۡدِى الۡعُمۡىَ وَمَنۡ كَانَ فِىۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِيۡنٍ‏ ﴿43:40﴾ فَاِمَّا نَذۡهَبَنَّ بِكَ فَاِنَّا مِنۡهُمۡ مُّنۡتَقِمُوۡنَۙ‏ ﴿43:41﴾ اَوۡ نُرِيَنَّكَ الَّذِىۡ وَعَدۡنٰهُمۡ فَاِنَّا عَلَيۡهِمۡ مُّقۡتَدِرُوۡنَ‏  ﴿43:42﴾ فَاسۡتَمۡسِكۡ بِالَّذِىۡۤ اُوۡحِىَ اِلَيۡكَ​ ۚ اِنَّكَ عَلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِيۡمٍ‏  ﴿43:43﴾ وَاِنَّهٗ لَذِكۡرٌ لَّكَ وَلِقَوۡمِكَ​ ۚ وَسَوۡفَ تُسۡـئَـلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿43:44﴾ وَسۡـئَلۡ مَنۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا مِنۡ قَبۡلِكَ مِنۡ رُّسُلِنَاۤ اَجَعَلۡنَا مِنۡ دُوۡنِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ اٰلِهَةً يُّعۡبَدُوۡنَ‏ ﴿43:45﴾

(43:36) He who is negligent to remember the Merciful One,34 to him We assign a satan as his boon companion, (43:37) and these satans hinder them from the Right Path, while he still reckons himself to be rightly-guided. (43:38) But when he comes to Us, he will say (to his satan): “Would that there had been between me and you the distance as between the East and the West. How evil a companion you were!” (43:39) (He will then be told): “Today it will not benefit you the least that after your wrong-doing you and your satans now share the chastisement.”35 (43:40) Can you, (O Prophet), then make the deaf hear, or direct to the Right Way the blind or one lost in manifest error?36 (43:41) We shall inflict retribution on them, whether We take you away from the world (before We do that), (43:42) or make you see the end that We had promised them, for We have full power over them.37 (43:43) So hold fast to what has been revealed to you. Surely you are on the Straight Way.38 (43:44) Verily it is a great source of eminence for you and your people, and soon you will be called to account concerning that.39 (43:45) Ask all Our Messengers whom We sent before you whether We had appointed any deities beside the Merciful One to be worshipped.40

Notes

34. Dhikrir Rahman: His remembrance as well as His admonition and the Quran.

35. That is, in this there is no aspect of consolation for you that the one who misguided you is being punished, for you are also receiving the same punishment for accepting and following the deviation.

36. It means to say: Pay attention to those who are inclined to listen and have not closed their eyes to the realities, and do not consume yourself in showing the way to the blind and making the deaf to hear, nor consume yourself with the grief as to why your near and dear ones are not coming to the right path, and why they are making themselves worthy of Allah’s torment.

37. This thing can be understood fully only by keeping in view the background in which it was said. The disbelievers of Makkah thought that the person of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had become a source of trouble for them. If they could somehow get rid of him, matters would become normal. On the basis of this evil thought they were holding consultations day and night and planning to kill him. At this, Allah addresses His Prophet (peace be upon him) so as to tell them indirectly: It doesn’t make any difference whether you remain among them or not. If you live, you will see them meet their doom with your own eyes. If you are recalled from the world, they will be sent to their doom in your absence, because they cannot in any case escape the consequences of their misdeeds.

38. That is, you should not worry as to what punishment do those who are resisting and opposing the truth with injustice and dishonesty receive and when. Nor should you worry whether Islam flourishes during your lifetime or not. For you this satisfaction is quite enough that you are on the right path. Therefore, you should go on fulfilling your mission unconcerned about the results, and leave it to Allah whether He defeats falsehood in front of you or after you.

39. That is, there can be no greater good fortune for a person than that Allah should choose him from among all men to become the recipient of His Book, and there can be no greater good fortune also for a nation than that Allah should raise His Prophet in it, apart from all other nations of the world, and should send down His Book in its tongue, and give it the opportunity to rise as the standard-bearer of divine message in the world. If the Quraish and the people of Arabia have no sense of this great honor, and spurn it, a time will come when they will be called upon to account for it.

40. Ask the Messengers: Find out from the Books brought by them. Just as the meaning of: “If there arises any dispute among you about anything, refer it to Allah and His Prophet,” is not that the dispute should be taken before Allah and His Messenger, but that one should turn to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger for a decision, so “asking the Messengers” also does not mean that one should approach all the Messengers who have left the world and ask them, but the right meaning is: Discover what teachings the Messengers of Allah have left in the world as to which of them taught that another than Allah also is worthy of worship and service.