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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
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 Surah Yunus 10:104-109 [11/11]
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
قُلْSay,
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ"O mankind!
إِنIf
كُنتُمْyou are
فِىin
شَكٍّdoubt
مِّنof
دِينِىmy religion,
فَلَآthen not
أَعْبُدُI worship
ٱلَّذِينَthose whom
تَعْبُدُونَyou worship
مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِbesides Allah,
وَلَـٰكِنْbut
أَعْبُدُI worship
ٱللَّهَAllah,
ٱلَّذِىthe One Who
يَتَوَفَّـٰكُمْ‌ۖcauses you to die.
وَأُمِرْتُAnd I am commanded
أَنْthat
أَكُونَI be
مِنَof
ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَthe believers."
﴿١٠٤﴾
وَأَنْAnd that,
أَقِمْ"Direct
وَجْهَكَyour face
لِلدِّينِto the religion
حَنِيفًاupright,
وَلَاand (do) not
تَكُونَنَّbe
مِنَof
ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَthe polytheists.
﴿١٠٥﴾
وَلَاAnd (do) not
تَدْعُinvoke
مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِbesides Allah
مَاwhat
لَا(will) not
يَنفَعُكَbenefit you
وَلَاand not
يَضُرُّكَ‌ۖharm you.
فَإِنBut if
فَعَلْتَyou did so
فَإِنَّكَindeed, you
إِذًاthen (will be)
مِّنَof
ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَthe wrongdoers."
﴿١٠٦﴾
وَإِنAnd if
يَمْسَسْكَ ٱللَّهُAllah touches you
بِضُرٍّwith adversity
فَلَا(there is) no
كَاشِفَremover
لَهُۥٓof it
إِلَّاexcept
هُوَ‌ۖHim,
وَإِنand if
يُرِدْكَHe intends for you
بِخَيْرٍany good
فَلَاthen (there is) no
رَآدَّrepeller
لِفَضْلِهِۦ‌ۚ(of) His Bounty.
يُصِيبُ بِهِۦHe causes it to reach
مَنwhom
يَشَآءُHe wills
مِنْof
عِبَادِهِۦ‌ۚHis slaves.
وَهُوَAnd He
ٱلْغَفُورُ(is) the Oft-Forgiving,
ٱلرَّحِيمُthe Most Merciful.
﴿١٠٧﴾
قُلْSay,
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ"O mankind!
قَدْVerily
جَآءَكُمُhas come to you
ٱلْحَقُّthe truth
مِنfrom
رَّبِّكُمْ‌ۖyour Lord.
فَمَنِSo whoever
ٱهْتَدَىٰ(is) guided
فَإِنَّمَاthen only
يَهْتَدِى(he is) guided
لِنَفْسِهِۦ‌ۖfor his soul,
وَمَنand whoever
ضَلَّgoes astray
فَإِنَّمَاthen only
يَضِلُّhe strays
عَلَيْهَا‌ۖagainst it.
وَمَآ أَنَا۟And I am not
عَلَيْكُمover you
بِوَكِيلٍa guardian."
﴿١٠٨﴾
وَٱتَّبِعْAnd follow
مَاwhat
يُوحَىٰٓis revealed
إِلَيْكَto you
وَٱصْبِرْand be patient
حَتَّىٰuntil
يَحْكُمَ ٱللَّهُ‌ۚAllah gives judgment.
وَهُوَAnd He
خَيْرُ(is) the Best
ٱلْحَـٰكِمِينَ(of) the Judges.
﴿١٠٩﴾


قُلۡ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ فِىۡ شَكٍّ مِّنۡ دِيۡنِىۡ فَلَاۤ اَعۡبُدُ الَّذِيۡنَ تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ وَلٰـكِنۡ اَعۡبُدُ اللّٰهَ الَّذِىۡ يَتَوَفّٰٮكُمۡ​ ۖۚ​ وَاُمِرۡتُ اَنۡ اَكُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَۙ‏  وَاَنۡ اَقِمۡ وَجۡهَكَ لِلدِّيۡنِ حَنِيۡفًا​ ۚ وَلَا تَكُوۡنَنَّ مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَ‏   وَلَا تَدۡعُ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ مَا لَا يَنۡفَعُكَ وَ لَا يَضُرُّكَ​ۚ فَاِنۡ فَعَلۡتَ فَاِنَّكَ اِذًا مِّنَ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ‏  وَاِنۡ يَّمۡسَسۡكَ اللّٰهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهٗۤ اِلَّا هُوَ ​ۚ وَاِنۡ يُّرِدۡكَ بِخَيۡرٍ فَلَا رَآدَّ لِفَضۡلِهٖ​ ؕ يُصِيۡبُ بِهٖ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهٖ​ ؕ وَهُوَ الۡغَفُوۡرُ الرَّحِيۡمُ‏  قُلۡ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدۡ جَآءَكُمُ الۡحَـقُّ مِنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ​ۚ فَمَنِ اهۡتَدٰى فَاِنَّمَا يَهۡتَدِىۡ لِنَفۡسِهٖ​ۚ وَمَنۡ ضَلَّ فَاِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيۡهَا​ۚ وَمَاۤ اَنَا عَلَيۡكُمۡ بِوَكِيۡلٍؕ‏  وَاتَّبِعۡ مَا يُوۡحٰۤى اِلَيۡكَ وَاصۡبِرۡ حَتّٰى يَحۡكُمَ اللّٰهُ​​ ۖۚ وَهُوَ خَيۡرُ الۡحٰكِمِيۡنَ‏ 

Translation
(10:104) (O Prophet!) Tell them:106 'Men! If you are still in doubt concerning my religion, know that I do not serve those whom you serve beside Allah. I only serve Allah Who will cause (all of) you to die.107 I have been commanded to be one of those who believe, (10:105) and to adhere exclusively and sincerely to the true faith,108 and not to be one of those who associate others with Allah in His divinity.109 (10:106) Do not call upon any apart from Allah on those who have no power to benefit or hurt you. For if you call upon others than Allah you will be reckoned among the wrong-doers. (10:107) If Allah afflicts you with any hardship, none other than He can remove it; and if He wills any good for you, none can avert His bounty. He bestows good upon whomsoever of His servants He wills. He is AllForgiving, All-Merciful.' (10:108) Tell them (O Muhammad): 'Men! Truth has come to you from your Lord. Whosoever, then, follows the true guidance does so for his own good; and whosoever strays, his straying will be to his own hurt. I am no custodian over you. (10:109) And follow, (O Prophet!), whatever is revealed to you, and remain patient until Allah brings forth His judgement. He is the best of those who judge.'

Commentary

106. In this concluding portion, the same thing that was stated at the beginning of the discourse, has been reiterated. Therefore it will be worthwhile to keep in view the introductory passage (Ayats 1-10).

107. The Arabic word yatawaffa-kum literally means “gives you death”, but it has been purposely translated into “who causes you to die” in order to convey its real spirit in the content it occurs. It implies this: I worship only that One, who has full power over your life: He has complete authority and power to let you live as long as He wills and cause you to die at any moment He wills. That is why I am fully convinced that I should submit and surrender, worship, serve and obey Him alone.

Now let us consider why of all His characteristics, this quality of Allah was specifically cited here. This was to bring home to the mushriks of Makkah that the doctrine of shirk was absolutely false. For they also believed (and all the mushriks have always believed) that death is entirely in the hands of Allah, the Lord of the universe, and none else has any power over it; so much so that they confessed that even those beings, whom they believed to be partners with God in other qualities and powers of, His, could not avert death even from themselves. Thus the mention of this quality of Allah along with the statement of the doctrine of Tauhid has been made to serve as a proof of that creed. That is, I serve only Him for He alone has the full power over life and death. Why should, then, I serve others who have no power at all over their own lives and deaths, not to mention the lives and deaths of others? The eloquence and force of the statement has been enhanced manifold by saying, “Who gives you death” instead of “Who gives me death”. For this contains the statement of the doctrine, its proof and invitation to it, all the three combined in one concise sentence. Had it been said, “I serve that one Who gives me death” then it would have implied, “I alone should serve Him.” But by saying, “Who gives you death” the implication is: It is not only I, who should serve Him, but you also should serve Him. For it is absolutely wrong to serve any other than Allah, Who alone has such powers.

108. The force of the Arabic words “direct your face toward the religion” of the text means “dedicate yourself sincerely, exclusively and steadfastly to this faith”, is worth deep consideration. The purpose might have been served by the use of such words as “Adopt this faith” or “Follow this faith”. But Allah considered such expressions as weak and incapable of serving the real purpose, which is implied in the wording of the text. For the literal meaning is “Set your face steadfastly”, which implies: You should steadfastly turn your face in one direction only, without turning it even slightly to right or left, or backward, and go on marching in the same direction. Though these words were in themselves quite sufficient, the addition of the word made it all the more forceful. For hanif is one who turns away from all others and exclusively turns to one direction. Thus what Allah demands is this: Adopt this faith, this way of the worship of Allah and this way of life in such a manner that your worship, subjection, submission, servitude and obedience should be dedicated exclusively to Allah, the Lord of the universe, so that you do not deviate in the least after adopting this way. You should have nothing to do with those ways that you have discarded and that you should not even have a look at the crooked paths that erroneous people follow.

109. This negative way of forbidding from shirk has been purposely adopted. It implies this: You should not at all be one of those, who set up in any way whatsoever other gods as partners with Allah in His essence, His attributes, His rights and His powers, whether that god be one’s own self or another man or a group of men or some spirit or jinn or angel or some material or imaginary being. The demand of Tauhid has been made both in the positive form, “Dedicate.... faith”, and in the negative form, “and do not be of those who associate partners (to Allah).” Thus it forbids shirk both in deed and in creed, in individual and in collective life, in places of worship and in education, in courts and in legislative assemblies, in political and in economic activities. Therefore it demands from the worshiper of Tauhid to adopt a different way in every aspect of life from the way of those who adulterate Godworship with ungodly worships, for the former can never be a fellow traveler with those who practice shirk. As such things can never be expected from him, it can never be imagined that he would follow them.

Thus it is clear that it cuts at the very root of shirk, both jali (open) and khafi (hidden). As a matter of fact, shirk in its latter form is even more dangerous and should therefore be avoided most scrupulously. This warning is necessary, as some foolish people consider it to be almost harmless just because it is hidden. The fact is that open shirk is like an avowed enemy who makes an attack in the open and hidden shirk is like an enemy in the guise of a friend. Or the former is like a disease of which the symptoms are quite apparent and the latter like the hidden disease that gradually undermines one’s health. Thus it is obvious that when the open shirk comes into conflict with the faith of Tauhid, it may be cured. But the one who suffers from the hidden shirk does not realize the threat posed by it and slowly and gradually succumbs to it, while the victim remains quite unaware that his faith is being devoured by the deadly secret enemy.