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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Ahqaf 46:27-30 [4/4] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
وَلَقَدْAnd certainly
أَهْلَكْنَاWe destroyed
مَاwhat
حَوْلَكُمsurrounds you
مِّنَof
ٱلْقُرَىٰthe towns,
وَصَرَّفْنَاand We have diversified
ٱلْأَيَـٰتِthe Signs,
لَعَلَّهُمْthat they may
يَرْجِعُونَreturn.
﴿٢٧﴾
فَلَوْلَاThen why (did) not
نَصَرَهُمُhelp them
ٱلَّذِينَthose whom
ٱتَّخَذُواْthey had taken
مِن دُونِbesides
ٱللَّهِAllah
قُرْبَانًا ءَالِهَةَۢ‌ۖgods as a way of approach?
بَلْNay,
ضَلُّواْthey were lost
عَنْهُمْ‌ۚfrom them.
وَذَٲلِكَAnd that
إِفْكُهُمْ(was) their falsehood
وَمَاand what
كَانُواْthey were
يَفْتَرُونَinventing.
﴿٢٨﴾
وَإِذْAnd when
صَرَفْنَآWe directed
إِلَيْكَto you
نَفَرًاa party
مِّنَof
ٱلْجِنِّthe jinn,
يَسْتَمِعُونَlistening
ٱلْقُرْءَانَ(to) the Quran.
فَلَمَّاAnd when
حَضَرُوهُthey attended it,
قَالُوٓاْthey said,
أَنصِتُواْ‌ۖ`Listen quietly.`
فَلَمَّاAnd when
قُضِىَit was concluded,
وَلَّوْاْthey turned back
إِلَىٰto
قَوْمِهِمtheir people
مُّنذِرِينَ(as) warners.
﴿٢٩﴾
قَالُواْThey said,
يَـٰقَوْمَنَآ`O our people!
إِنَّاIndeed, we
سَمِعْنَا[we] have heard
كِتَـٰبًاa Book
أُنزِلَrevealed
مِنۢ بَعْدِafter
مُوسَىٰMusa
مُصَدِّقًاconfirming
لِّمَاwhat
بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ(was) before it,
يَهْدِىٓguiding
إِلَىto
ٱلْحَقِّthe truth
وَإِلَىٰand to
طَرِيقٍa Path
مُّسْتَقِيمٍStraight.
﴿٣٠﴾

وَلَقَدۡ اَهۡلَكۡنَا مَا حَوۡلَـكُمۡ مِّنَ الۡقُرٰى وَصَرَّفۡنَا الۡاٰيٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُوۡنَ‏  فَلَوۡلَا نَصَرَهُمُ الَّذِيۡنَ اتَّخَذُوۡا مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ قُرۡبَانًا اٰلِهَةً ؕ بَلۡ ضَلُّوۡا عَنۡهُمۡ​ۚ وَذٰلِكَ اِفۡكُهُمۡ وَمَا كَانُوۡا يَفۡتَرُوۡنَ‏   وَاِذۡ صَرَفۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡكَ نَفَرًا مِّنَ الۡجِنِّ يَسۡتَمِعُوۡنَ الۡقُرۡاٰنَ​ۚ فَلَمَّا حَضَرُوۡهُ قَالُوۡۤا اَنۡصِتُوۡا​ۚ فَلَمَّا قُضِىَ وَلَّوۡا اِلٰى قَوۡمِهِمۡ مُّنۡذِرِيۡنَ‏  قَالُوۡا يٰقَوۡمَنَاۤ اِنَّا سَمِعۡنَا كِتٰبًا اُنۡزِلَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مُوۡسٰى مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيۡنَ يَدَيۡهِ يَهۡدِىۡۤ اِلَى الۡحَقِّ وَاِلٰى طَرِيۡقٍ مُّسۡتَقِيۡمٍ‏  
Translation
(46:27) Surely We destroyed many a town around you. We sent Our Messages to them repeatedly and in diverse forms that they may eschew (their evil ways) and return (to Allah). (46:28) So why did those whom they had set up as gods apart from Allah, hoping that they would bring them nearer to Him, not come to their aid?32 Instead, they failed them. This was the end of the lie they had fabricated and the false beliefs they had invented. (46:29) And call to mind when We sent to you a party of the jinn that they may listen to the Qur'an.33 When they reached the place (where you were reciting the Qur'an), they said to one another: “Be silent (and listen).” And when the recitation ended, they went back to their people as warners. (46:30) They said: “Our people, We have heard a Scripture revealed after Moses, verifying the Scriptures revealed before it; it guides to the Truth and to the Straight Way.34
Commentary

32. That is, they had put faith in those things in the beginning with the idea that they were favorite servants of God and through them they would attain nearness to Him, but then gradually they made them their gods. They started invoking them for help; they formed the belief that they had the powers to change their destinies and could answer their prayers and remove their hardships. To deliver them from this error Allah sent His revelations through His Messengers over and over again in different ways to bring them to the right path, but they persisted in the worship of their gods, and continued to insist that they would still invoke them instead of Allah. Now consider this: When the torment of Allah visited these polytheists because of their deviation, where had their redressers of grievances and removers of hardships disappeared? Why didn’t they come to their rescue at the time of affliction?

33. The traditions that have been related from Abdullah bin Masud, Zubair, Abdullah bin Abbas, Hasan Basri, Saeed bin Jubair, Zarr bin Hubaish, Mujahid, Ikrimah and others in connection with the commentary of this verse concur that this incident of the first visit of the jinns, which has been mentioned in this verse, had occurred in the valley of Nakhlah. And according to Ibn Ishaq, Abu Nuaim Isfahaini and Waqidi, this incident occurred during the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) return journey from Taif to Makkah. On the way, when he halted at Nakhlah, and was reciting the Quran in the Isha or the Fajr or the Tahajjud Prayer, a group of the jinns happened to pass by and stopped to listen to him. In this connection, all the traditions agree that on this occasion the jinns did not appear before the Prophet (peace be upon him), nor did he feel their presence, but Allah informed him afterwards by revelation that they had come and listened to the Quranic recitation.

The place where this incident took place was either Az- Zaimah or AsSayl-ul-Kabir, for both these places are situated in the valley of Nakhlah and at both water is available and are green; if the travelers from Taif have to halt in this valley, they can halt at either of the places.

34. This shows that these jinns had already had faith in the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and in the divine Books. After hearing the Quran they felt that it gave the same teachings as the former Prophets had been preaching. Therefore, they believed in this Book forthwith and also in the Prophet (peace be upon him) who had brought it.