Surah No. 41

Surah No. 41
Merits of the Surah

حم (1)

(41:1) Ha Mim.1

1. Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir present reports from several collections with regard to the context of revelation, which, although all of which are somewhat weak, gather strength when put together. (Razi places one of them against verse 14). A summary is as follows: `Utbah ibn Rabi`ah was sent to the Prophet in Makkah to dissuade him from preaching. He said, “Look Muhammad. Are you better than your mother? Are you better than your father? If you say no, then, are you not belittling them by disparaging those they worshiped? Look! We do not know of anyone amongst us who did worse things to his own people. You brought differences among us, broke our unity, mocked at our gods, and disgraced us among the Arabs to the extent that they have begun to say that there is now a magician and a soothsayer among the Quraysh. By God, if you need wealth, we will gather together enough to make you the richest of us, if you are looking for leadership, we shall declare you one, if you are looking for kingship, we will make you one, and, if you feel that a Jinn comes upon you then tell us, we shall get you treated.” When he was over the Prophet asked him, “Are you through O Abu Waleed?” He said, “Yes.” The Prophet read out the opening verses of this Surah. As he reached the verse, “I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt of `Ad and Thamud,” `Utbah placed his hand on the Prophet’s mouth and adjuring by the right of kinship asked him to stop.
As he returned to the Quraysh, they remarked that the man was returning with a face different from what it was when he went. When asked how Muhammad had replied, he said all that he could remember was the threat, and that he had prevented him from going any further, afraid that his words might come true: true as the man was. He advised them to let the Prophet alone. If he overcame, it would be good for the Quraysh, if not, the Arabs will take care of him (Zamakhshari, Shawkani).

تَنْزِيلٌ مِنَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ (2)

(41:2) A sending down from the Kind, the Compassionate.2

2. The mentioning of these two Attributes suggests that the sending down of the Qur’an was a requirement of Allah’s mercy (Shabbir).

كِتَابٌ فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ (3)

(41:3) A Book whose verses have been explained3 – an Arabic recitation for a people who understand.

3. “Fussilat” has other connotations those of: variegating, distinguishing, exposing, explaining in detail, and separating out. Imam Razi writes: The meaning is: verses of the Qur’an explain in detail various meanings and discuss a variety of topics. They expound Allah’s Attributes, His Mercy, His Wisdom, the wonders in His creations such as the heavens, the earth, the stars, the alternation of the days and nights, as also the wonders in the creation of human beings and animals. Some of them carry commandments addressing the heart, others are meant for the limbs of the body (to act upon). Some contain promises while others threats. Some speak of the ranks in Paradise while others of levels in the Fire. Some carry admonitions while others help improve morals and effect spiritual cleansing. Yet some others deal with the history of past nations while some narrate stories of the ancients. In short, if you are honest about it, you will find that there is no book in men’s hands that deals with so many subjects and topics and is as variegated in its contents as this one.

بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا فَأَعْرَضَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ (4)

(41:4) Giving good tidings and warning, but most of them turn away, so they hear not.

وَقَالُوا قُلُوبُنَا فِي أَكِنَّةٍ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ وَفِي آذَانِنَا وَقْرٌ وَمِنْ بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌ فَاعْمَلْ إِنَّنَا عَامِلُونَ (5)

(41:5) They said, ‘Our hearts are in a covering from what you invite us to; and in our ears there is a heaviness; and there is a veil between us and you; therefore, keep working, we are also working.'4

4. A possible meaning is: You keep working according to the demands of your religion, we shall keep working according to the demands of our religion (Razi, Qurtubi). Another meaning suggested by Mawdudi is: You can continue with your mission of trying to convert people to your cause while we shall continue to work against it.

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ أَنَّمَا إِلَٰهُكُمْ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ فَاسْتَقِيمُوا إِلَيْهِ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ۗ وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ (6)

(41:6) Say, ‘I am only a human like you,5 (except that) it has been revealed to me that your God is One God. Therefore, take the straight path to Him and seek His forgiveness. And woe unto those who Associate (partners with Him).

5. That is, being a human like you, I command no special power wherewith I could turn you faithful (Majid, reworded).

الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ (7)

(41:7) Those who expend not for purification6 and, in the Hereafter they are disbelievers.

6. That is, Suddi said, they are not believers in charity as anything worthy to adopt (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
Ibn Jarir writes: Zakah is the bridge (laid down) by Islam. He who crossed the bridge, saved himself, while he who failed, is destroyed. Those who denied zakah after the Prophet’s death said to Abu Bakr, “As for Prayers, we shall establish them. But as for zakah, you ought not to seize our wealth.” Abu Bakr replied, “I shall not accept one of the two that Allah (always) mentioned together (i.e., salah and zakah).
Zamakhshari adds: The dearest thing to a man is his wealth. If he spends it in the way of Allah, then, that is a sure sign of his sincerity towards the religion.
As to the question why zakah is demanded of those who have not believed in the first place, Thanwi answers that it is not a demand, but their refusal to expend in charity is mentioned as a continuous sign of refusal to believe in Islam, and a reason why they will not believe in it.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ (8)

(41:8) Surely, those who believed and did righteous deeds, for them is a reward unfailing.

قُلْ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَكْفُرُونَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَتَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ أَنْدَادًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ (9)

(41:9) Say, ‘Do you deny Him who created the earth in two days7 and suggest for Him equals? That is the Lord of the worlds.

7. The allusion by the “days” cannot be to the 24-hour cycle of days and nights since, at the time of creation there was neither the day nor the night as known by us now (Shabbir).
Ibn `Abbas was asked to reconcile this ayah which speaks of the creation of the earth before that of the heavens, with those in A-Nazi`at (27-30) which speak of heavens as being created first. Those verses say,
???
“What? Are you more difficult to create than the heavens that He built? He increased its expanse and then organized (and arranged) it. Then He darkened its night and brought out its daylight. Then, after that, He readied its earth.”
Ibn `Abbas replied, “Allah created the earth first – in two days. The creation of the heavens followed. Thereafter He turned to the heavens and readied them in two more days. Thereafter He readied the earth, i.e., brought out its water and pasture. He also created the mountains, the inanimate objects, reefs and all else in two other days. Thus, the earth, and all that it contains was created in four days while the heaven was created in two other days.
The report is in Bukhari (Ib Kathir). But it must be clearly noted as a statement of Ibn `Abbas.

وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ مِنْ فَوْقِهَا وَبَارَكَ فِيهَا وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ سَوَاءً لِلسَّائِلِينَ (10)

(41:10) And He placed therein pegs from above it,8 placed blessings therein,9 and ordained therein its providences10 in four days11 - alike for all who ask.12

8. (Lit., from above it), meaning, rising high above the surface of the earth (Shawkani).

9. That is, made it capable of yielding plants (Ibn Kathir); water and minerals (Qurtubi).

10. At this point Ibn Jarir quotes the hadith that we have quoted elsewhere which, (found in Muslim’s collection) tells us that Allah created the dust on Saturday, mountains on Sunday, trees on Monday, makruhat on Tuesday, Nur (according to another version, Nun) on Wednesday, the beasts on Thursday and Adam on Friday, in the last hours of the day between late evening hours before nightfall. Ibn Kathir adds that Bukhari found defect in the above report, stating in his Al-Tarikh that it is more correctly a narrative of Ka`b al-Ahbar. See note 81 of Surah 7 for discussions.

11. Some grammarians have thought that the creation and placement of providence took four days, i.e., the first two days are included in the four of later mention. They quote examples of such usage in Arabic language (Tabari, Zamakhshari, Shawkani).

12. This is how Razi and Shawkani understand “istawa” at this point.

ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَهِيَ دُخَانٌ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ائْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا طَائِعِينَ (11)

(41:11) Then He turned13 to the heaven, it was then smoke,14 and said to it and to the earth, “Come15 willingly, or unwillingly.”16 They said, “We come willingly.”

13. That is, enough providence for all who will ever inhabit the earth (Tabari, Ibn Kathir).

14. “I.e., a gas – evidently hydrogen gas, which physicists regard as the primal element from which all material particles of the universe have evolved and still evolve” (Asad).

15. “Come”: That is, Allah said to the heavens: “Bring out your suns, moons and stars,” and to the earth, “Split up to produce the springs and bring out your fruits and pasture,” and they responded (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani). Other modifications to the two – heaven and earth - were also effected (Thanwi).

16. That is, you have no choice. You will have to do as told. But the question is, are you submitted? They answered, yes we are, and are pleased to do as ordered (Thanwi).

فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَأَوْحَىٰ فِي كُلِّ سَمَاءٍ أَمْرَهَا ۚ وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَحِفْظًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ (12)

(41:12) Then He determined them as seven heavens in two days17 and revealed in every heaven its affair.18 And He adorned the earthly heaven with lamps and a means of protection. Such is the ordaining of the Mighty, the Knowing.’

17. The use of the words “thumma” or “fa” (then) need not be an indication of order or sequence. There are several Qur’anic instances to demonstrate that these articles lend other meanings (Shabbir).
A hasty totaling gives us the figure of 8 days for the creation of the heaven and earth. But, there has been overlapping. That is, while some developments were taking place in the earth, they were taking place in the heavens also. There are examples of this kind of phrasing in Arabic.

18. Mujahid and Suddi have thought that the allusion is to the placement of suns, moons, stars, and creations in every firmament (Ibn Jarir).
Shabbir quotes an opinion of Shah `Abdul Qadir which is much advanced of his times considering the fact that just a few decades ago scientists were still discussing whether there is any possibility of life in other parts of the universe, “Our Lord alone knows what kind of creations inhabit other parts of the universe, in what manner, and following what laws. In this our this little planet itself there are thousands of (various kinds of life-)systems. Can the immensely large other-worlds be empty?”

19. Furious poisonous winds, is one opinion of the Salaf. Another opinion is that the allusion is to extremely cold, high sounding winds (Ibn Jarir). But to understand it as furious,

فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا فَقُلْ أَنْذَرْتُكُمْ صَاعِقَةً مِثْلَ صَاعِقَةِ عَادٍ وَثَمُودَ (13)

(41:13) But if they turn away, then say, ‘I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt of `Ad and Thamud.

إِذْ جَاءَتْهُمُ الرُّسُلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۖ قَالُوا لَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّنَا لَأَنْزَلَ مَلَائِكَةً فَإِنَّا بِمَا أُرْسِلْتُمْ بِهِ كَافِرُونَ (14)

(41:14) When there came to them the Messengers from before them and from behind them (saying), ‘Worship not but Allah,’ they said, ‘Had our Lord willed, He would have surely sent down angels. We are indeed disbelievers in what you have been sent with.’

فَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَقَالُوا مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً ۖ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُمْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً ۖ وَكَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ (15)

(41:15) Then, as for `Ad, they waxed proud in the earth without right and said, ‘Who is stronger that we in might?’ Had they not seen that Allah who created them was stronger than they in might? But they kept disputing with Our signs.

فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا صَرْصَرًا فِي أَيَّامٍ نَحِسَاتٍ لِنُذِيقَهُمْ عَذَابَ الْخِزْيِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَخْزَىٰ ۖ وَهُمْ لَا يُنْصَرُونَ (16)

(41:16) So We sent upon them a furious wind19 through ominous days20 to make them taste the humiliating torment in the life of this world. And surely, the torment of the Hereafter is more humiliating; and they will not be helped.
poisonous, cold winds will not be going out of the way (Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

20. This was the opinion of Mujahid, Qatadah and Suddi, and which is the opinion of Tabari, although he quotes Ibn `Abbas that the allusion is to “continuous” days (Tabari).
In Majid’s words: The days were “inauspicious for them on account of the Divine visitation;” but auspicious for the believers (Ibn Qayyim).
Alusi removes a superstition of pagan origin and Thanwi reproduces it in view of its popular currency among some Muslims: Citing this ayah as evidence, some people believe that some days are ominous while others are blessed. But this ayah cannot be used in evidence because the days, as mentioned elsewhere, cover all the days of the week, and beyond. The Qur’an said elsewhere, without mentioning the ominousness:
???
“And, as for `Ad, they were destroyed by a fierce howling wind, which Allah caused to blow against them for seven nights and eight days continuously, so that you could have seen the people therein lying prostrate, as though they were trunks of palm trees fallen down” (69: 6-7)].

وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّوا الْعَمَىٰ عَلَى الْهُدَىٰ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ صَاعِقَةُ الْعَذَابِ الْهُونِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ (17)

(41:17) As for Thamud, We guided them but they preferred blindness to guidance. So there seized them torment of the debasing thunderbolt because of what they were earning.

وَنَجَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ (18)

(41:18) And We delivered those who had believed and were ever fearful (of Allah).

وَيَوْمَ يُحْشَرُ أَعْدَاءُ اللَّهِ إِلَى النَّارِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ (19)

(41:19) The day enemies of Allah will be gathered together at the Fire as they are pushed and dragged.21

21. The words "they are pushed and dragged" have Baghawi's interpretation behind them.
Suddi and Qatadah however thought that it meant to say that the first will be held until the last arrive (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).
The textual word has the sense of large numbers being involved (Zamakhshari). Further, the missing statement is, “they will be brought at the Fire, to be questioned for their deeds” (Alusi).

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا مَا جَاءُوهَا شَهِدَ عَلَيْهِمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَأَبْصَارُهُمْ وَجُلُودُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (20)

(41:20) At length, when they have arrived at it, their hearing, their sights and their skins22 will testify against them concerning what they were doing.

22. See note 51 of Surah Ya-Sin (no. 36) for commentary.
Ibn Kathir quotes a hadith from Ibn Abi Hatim which is also found in Ibn Majah which has been declared as not wholly untrustworthy by Haythami. It says,
???
Jabir reports: After I had returned to the Prophet via the sea he asked (during one of those sessions), “Will you not tell us about the strangest of things you saw in the Abyssinian lands?” One of the young men spoke out, “Sure, Messenger of Allah. Once as we were sitting around when one of their old ascetic woman passed by carrying on her head a pot filled with water. She passed by one of their young men. He placed one of his hands between her shoulders and gave her a push. She fell upon her knees and her pot broke. When she rose up, she turned to him and said, ‘You will soon know, you treacherous man, when Allah will place the Kursiyy, gather together the firsts and the lasts, and when hands and legs will speak out about what they used to do. Then you will know what will be the affair between me and you – with Allah, tomorrow.’” The Prophet (saws) remarked, “She spoke the truth; spoke the truth. How will Allah cleanse a people whose weak are not given their rights by the strong.”
Another narrative goes as follows:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, they (the Companions) asked, “Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Judgment?” He replied, “Do you doubt your seeing of the Sun at noon on a cloudless day?” They said, “No.” He asked, “Do you doubt your seeing of the moon on a full-moon lit cloudless night?” They said, “No.” He said, “By Him in whose hand is my life, you will not doubt seeing your Lord except as much you doubt seeing one of the two (sun or the moon).” Then he added, “Then a man will be cast and He will ask, ‘O so and so. Did I not honor you, gave you leadership, gave you a spouse, subjugated the horses and camels to you and let you be the head and take quarter of the booty? He will say, ‘Sure, my Lord.’ He will ask, Did you ever think that you are going to meet Me? He will say, ‘No.’ He will say, ‘So I shall forget you today as you had forgotten Me.’ Then a second one will be cast and He will ask, ‘O so and so. Did I not honor you, gave you leadership, gave you a spouse, subjugated the horses and camels to you and let you be the head and take quarter of the booty?’ He will say, ‘Sure, my Lord.’ He will ask, Did you ever think that you are going to meet Me?’ He will say, ‘No.’ He will say, ‘So I shall forget you today as you had forgotten Me.’ Then a third will be cast and he will be told the same things. He will reply, ‘My Lord. I believed in You, in Your Book, Prayed, fasted and spent in charity.’ He will speak of the good things (he did) to the possible extent. He (Allah) will say, ‘Here too?’ Then it will be said to him, ‘Now We shall raise testifiers against you’ He will start to think, ‘Who can testify against me?’ Then his mouth will be sealed and it will be said to his thigh, flesh and bones, ‘Speak out.’ His thigh, flesh and bones will speak of his deeds. That, in order that he is left with no excuse left for himself. That will be the hypocrite. That is the one Allah will be angry with.”
The one-fourth of the booty of above mention, used to be the share of the chieftain in pre-Islamic wars.

وَقَالُوا لِجُلُودِهِمْ لِمَ شَهِدْتُمْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ قَالُوا أَنْطَقَنَا اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنْطَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ خَلَقَكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ (21)

(41:21) They will say to their skins, ‘Why did you testify against us?' They will reply, ‘That Allah made us speak who makes everything speak. He it is who created you at first, and to Him you are returned.

وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَٰكِنْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ (22)

(41:22) And, you would not conceal (from us) lest your hearing, your sights or your skins testify against you.23 But rather, you assumed that Allah will not know much of what you were doing.

23. It could mean, “You took care to conceal your sins from others of your kind, but you did not from your own body limbs ruling it out altogether that one day they could betray you” (Ibn Jarir).

وَذَٰلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ الَّذِي ظَنَنْتُمْ بِرَبِّكُمْ أَرْدَاكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُمْ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ (23)

(41:23) But that assumption of yours which you assumed concerning your Lord24 brought you to destruction,25 and now you have become of those (who are) utterly lost.’

24. Hasan and Qatadah have said: Of assumptions concerning our Lord, there are two kinds: good assumptions, and evil assumptions. A believer holds good assumptions of his Lord and so good deeds flow out of him, while the unbeliever holds evil assumptions and, consequently, evil deeds flow out of him. The example of the first is, as in the Qur’an (2: 46):
“Those who hoped that the will meet their Lord and that to Him they will return.”
Or (69: 20):
“I was hopeful that I shall encounter my reckoning.”
These are the assumptions of the believers. As for the assumptions of the unbelievers, an example is the verse under consideration: “But that assumption of yours which you assumed concerning your Lord brought you to destruction.”
Accordingly, adds Ibn Jarir, Ma`mar has reported that a man will be ordered sent to the Fire. He will turn around and say, “My Lord! This is not what I had assumed of You.” He will ask, “So what was your assumption?” He will reply, “That You will forgive me and not punish me.” Allah will say, “I am with your assumption about Me.”
Razi also presents the above in brief.
Accordingly, we have a hadith-qudsi which (as found in Ahmad and declared as of Sahih narrators) says,
Allah says, “I am with the assumption of My slave about Me, and I am with him when he calls Me."
The earlier report of Ma`mar – as quoted by Ibn Jarir - could not be traced in hadith books. However, there are several ahadith of this nature in Ahmad, Abu Ya`la, and the collection of `Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak. One of them says,
Four persons will be brought out of the Fire and presented to Allah the Exalted (according to another narrator, two). He will order them thrown into the Fire. One of them will turn around and say, “My Lord, I was hoping that when You had brought me out of the Fire, you will not return me to it.” He will be told, “We shall not return you to it.”
Another report, as in `Abdullah ibn Mubarak’s collection, as also in Ahmad says,
As Allah will terminate judging the people on the Day of Judgment, two men will be left about whom He will order that they be sent to the Fire. One of them will look back. Allah the Subduer will say, “Bring him back.” So he will be brought back. He will be asked, “Why were you glancing backward?” He will reply, “I was hoping that You will admit me into Paradise.” He will be ordered sent to Paradise. The man will say, “This is my Lord’s granting. If I were to feed all the inhabitants of Paradise, it will not cause any decrease in what I have.” (That is, he will be given such a vast Paradise: Au.).
Whenever the Prophet (saws) mentioned this (adds the narrator), his face brightened up.
Haythami has commented that Ahmad’s narrators are all trustworthy except that some of them suffer some kind of weakness (Au.).
Consequently, noting the hadith of Ahmad above viz., “I am with the assumption of My slave..” Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir and Shawkani add the following report from Ahmad,
“Let not any of you die but he fastens good hope on Allah. A people’s evil hope of Allah destroyed them: ‘But that assumption of yours which you assumed concerning your Lord brought you to destruction.’”
The above report, in part or full, is found in Muslim, Abu Da’ud, Ibn Hibban and others (Shawkani).
Some reports add that the Prophet said these words three days before his death (Au.).
On the same topic, Hasan said the following: Some people’s wishful thinking led them to inactivity until they left the world without a good deed in their account. One of them says, “I fasten good hope on my Lord.” But that is a lie. If he had good hope he would have attempted good deeds (Qurtubi).

25. `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud reports the following as a context of revelation of this verse:
“Two Qurayshis and a Thaqafi, or maybe two Thaqafis and a Qurayshi – their bellies laden with fat but their hearts empty of wisdom – gathered together at the Holy House. (According to other reports, “talking together much of which I could not follow”). One of them said, “Do you think Allah hears what we speak?” The other said, “He hears if we speak aloud but not when we speak in low tones.” At that another said, “If he hears when we speak aloud, He will hear when we speak in whispers.” So Allah revealed this verse, “And, you would not conceal (from us) lest ...” (Ibn Jarir, Imam Razi, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi, Shawkani).
The report is the Sahihayn and Tirmidhi (Ibn Kathir).
The above is a shorter version. Other versions in Ahmad and others add that Ibn Mas`ud had concealed himself behind the Ka`ba covering (perhaps at night) and that Allah (swt) revealed this verse when he reported the incident to the Prophet.

فَإِنْ يَصْبِرُوا فَالنَّارُ مَثْوًى لَهُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ يَسْتَعْتِبُوا فَمَا هُمْ مِنَ الْمُعْتَبِينَ (24)

(41:24) Now, if they observe patience, then (it is all the same), the Fire is their home; but if they seek a return,26 then, they are not going to be of those returned.

26. This is how Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir understand the difficult word “yesta`tabu,” which has been explained differently also, but close in meaning such as, plea to be returned to the pleasantries they were in, or to a happier relationship with their Lord, etc. (Au.).

وَقَيَّضْنَا لَهُمْ قُرَنَاءَ فَزَيَّنُوا لَهُمْ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَوْلُ فِي أُمَمٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا خَاسِرِينَ (25)

(41:25) And We assigned to them close companions who decked out fair to them what was before them27 and what was behind them,28 and (thus) came true the Word against them (being) among the people that passed away before them of the Jinn and mankind.29 They were indeed of the losers

27. That is, they were led to believe that there was nothing before them of such things as: Hereafter, Reckoning, Paradise or Fire (Alusi).

28. That is, what was behind them of the material world, coaxing them on to plan and lead a lecherous life during the days to come.
(The Qur’an gives the answer to the question why Allah had destined evil companions for the unbelievers: Au.), it says (43: 36),
“And he who turns away from the remembrance of Allah, We appoint for him a devil so that he is his close companion” (Ibn Kathir).

29. That is, the word of chastisement came true against them, as it came true against those of the Jinn and mankind who had rebelled earlier (Tabari).

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَسْمَعُوا لِهَٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ وَالْغَوْا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُونَ (26)

(41:26) And said those who disbelieved, ‘Do not listen to this Qur’an, but make noise thereat, haply that you will overcome.’30

30. Mujahid reports through his chain that the Makkan pagans used to make noise, whistle, and clap when the Qur’an was recited by the Prophet in the Haram precincts so that it might not be heard and may not influence any listener (Tabari, Ibn Kathir).
In modern context, “This is an allusion to the efforts aimed at discrediting the Qur’an by describing it as ‘invented’ by Muhammad for his own – personal and political – ends, as a series of ‘misunderstood quotations’ from earlier scriptures, as the result of ‘hallucinations,’ and so forth: all of which implies that it challenges their self-complacent, materialistic outlook on life and ought, therefore, to be combated” (Au.).

فَلَنُذِيقَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَسْوَأَ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (27)

(41:27) We shall surely make the unbelievers taste a severe chastisement, and We shall surely requite them for the worst of what they were doing.

ذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ أَعْدَاءِ اللَّهِ النَّارُ ۖ لَهُمْ فِيهَا دَارُ الْخُلْدِ ۖ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ (28)

(41:28) That is the requital of the enemies of Allah: the Fire. For them is therein, the everlasting abode, a (fit) requital for that they were disputing with Our signs.

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا رَبَّنَا أَرِنَا اللَّذَيْنِ أَضَلَّانَا مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ نَجْعَلْهُمَا تَحْتَ أَقْدَامِنَا لِيَكُونَا مِنَ الْأَسْفَلِينَ (29)

(41:29) And those who disbelieved will say, ‘Our Lord! Show us both the Jinn and men who misled us.31 We shall place them under our feet so that they be of the lowest.’32

31. Although it is reported of `Ali that the allusion is to the first unbeliever of the Jinn, Iblis, and the first murderer from among the humankind, Qabil, (as in Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir), the prevalent opinion has been that the allusion is general, applicable to all those of the Jinn and men who misled others to Hellfire (Au.).

32. That is, we shall place them a level below our level in the fire where the punishment is hardest (Ibn Jarir).

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ (30)

(41:30) Surely, those who said, ‘Our Lord is Allah,’ and then remained steadfast,33 angels descend on them (saying),34 ‘Do not fear, nor grieve.35 But receive good tidings of the Paradise that you were being promised.

33. That is, as Abu Bakr al-Siddique explained, they never associated with Allah and remained in that state, disinclined towards anyone or anything, until they died (Tabari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani). Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Suddi and others followed suite in his opinion. However, `Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ibn `Abbas and others thought that “istiqamah” is to obey Allah in matters declared obligatory – and not furtively evading, (added `Umar), like a fox (Tabari, Qurtubi Ibn Kathir)
The Prophet was asked by a Thaqafi:
???
“Messenger of Allah, tell me something that I could hold fast unto.” He said, “Say my Lord is Allah and then remain steadfast.” He asked, “Messenger of Allah. What could be the worst thing about me that you could fear?” In reply he held his own tongue in hand and said, “This.” The report is also in Muslim (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

34. That is, at the time of death: Mujahid and Suddi. But Ibn `Abbas thought that this will happen in the Hereafter (Tabari).
Actually, writes Imam Razi, this could happen three times: at the time of death, in the graves, and at the time of Resurrection. This was the opinion of Zayd b. Aslam (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir). At all events, the long hadith that describes the events at the time of death, both of a believer as well as a non-believer, has the following words of the angels addressing the dying believer:
???
“O peaceful soul, come out to mercy and providence, and a Lord who is not angry” (Ibn Kathir).
The report is in Tabarani’s “Al-Kabir” which Haythami declared as one carrying trustworthy chain of narrators (Au.).

35. That is, fear not the future, and grieve not the past: Mujahid and Suddi (Tabari).
Fear and grief are the two causes of depression which strike a quarter of mankind today. Fear is always of something wrong that might happen in the future, while grief is over unpleasant events that have been in the past. Further, fear of the future is always greater than grief over mishaps of the past. This could explain why fear always happens to be of first mention in the Qur’an (Au.).

نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَاؤُكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنْفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ (31)

(41:31) We are your protector-friends in the life of this world and in the world to come; for you therein all that your souls desire, and for you therein all that you ask for.

نُزُلًا مِنْ غَفُورٍ رَحِيمٍ (32)

(41:32) As hospitality from One All-forgiving, All-compassionate.'

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِمَّنْ دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ (33)

(41:33) And who is better than he in speech, who invited to Allah, did righteous deeds and said, ‘Indeed I am of the believers.'36

36. Although some scholars have interpreted that the allusion is to the “Prayer-caller” (muadhdhin), the application is general, applicable to everyone who invited to good and himself led a righteous life (Ibn Kathir).

وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ (34)

(41:34) Not equal are the good and the evil. Repel (therefore) with that which is better, and thereupon, he between whom and you is enmity, is, as if a warm friend.

وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ (35)

(41:35) An none is granted this but those who exercise patience, and none is granted this but one of great fortune.

وَإِمَّا يَنْزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ (36)

(41:36) And when Satan provokes you with a provocation, seek Allah’s refuge. Surely, He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ۚ لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ (37)

(41:37) And among His signs are the night and the day, the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate yourselves to the sun37 nor to the moon,38 but prostrate yourselves to Allah who created them,39 if it is Him you (wish to) worship.40

37. Majid comments: “(The sun has been) one of the most popular of all deities. ‘Rivaling in power and glory, the all-encompassing Heaven, the Sun moves eminent among the deities of nature .. It is no exaggeration to say with Sir William James, that one great fountain of all idolatry in the four quarters of the globe was the veneration paid by men to the sun.’ (PC.II, p.286) ‘To men who could look on the sky, earth and sea as animated intelligent beings, the Sun, the giver of light and life to the world, rising and crossing the sky and descending at night in the under-world whence he arose, has a clearest divine personality… As far back as ancient history reaches, the Sun-god appears .. (as a deity among the people: Au.)’ - (Taylor, opp.cit. p.360). According to a modern writer, if one were to merely list the people who have been votaries of the Sun, the list would include almost all nations, old and new, from Akkadians and Aztecs to Lapps and Zulus. ‘As one of the most conspicuous and powerful objects in the physical world the un has naturally attracted the attention and obtained the homage of many races, who have personified and worshiped it as a god… Whatever the reasons maybe a solar religion appears to flourish best among nations which have attained to a certain degree of civilization, such as the ancient Egyptians and the Indians of Mexico and Peru at the time they were discovered by the Spaniards.’ (FWN pp. 441-442). Proceeding further, Frazer gives accurate and minute details of Sun-worship in India (both ancient and modern), Persia, Greece, Rome, Egypt, Babylon, Arabia, Japan, and other countries.”
This is the reason why, Shafi` points out at ayah 78 of Surah 19, that the Prayer timings in Islam have all been disassociated with the hours when the sun was or is worshiped. Fajr Prayers are held before sunrise; Zuhr only after it has begun to decline; `Asr when it begins to lose its shine; Maghrib when it has set and `Isha only when its light has completely disappeared.

38. Majid again, “’Nearly every place in early times would have a sun god or a moon god or both, and in the political development of the country the moon, god of the conquering city, displaced or absorbed the moon god of the conquered.’ (Rogers, Religion of Babylonia, pp. 78, 79) ‘Moon worship naturally ranking below Sun-worship in importance ranges through nearly the same district of culture. There are remarkable cases in which the Moon is recognized as a great deity by tribes who take less account, or none at all, of the Sun.’ (PC. II p.299) ‘The Moon-god or goddess marks the festival of rude forest tribes who dance by the light of the moon. It is not uncommon for the Moon to rank above the Sun, as perhaps for astronomical reasons was the case in ancient Babylonia; but more usually the Sun stands first, as seems to us more natural; and commonly Sun and Moon are locked on as a pair, brother and sister, or husband and wife.’ (Taylor, op. cited p. 361).”

39. Ibn Khuwayzmandad has said that this ayah is the basis for the Salah al-Kusuf as instituted by the Prophet (Qurtubi).

40. The pagans who paid tributes to these celestial objects contended that it is not these very objects that they worshiped, but rather, they aimed at the One Supreme God through them. They are told here that there is no need to use them as intermediaries, you could directly worship Allah, if it is Him you wish to serve. (Au.).
Sayyid comments: “These signs are open to sights that eyes cannot miss to see: whether of the educated as well as the uneducated. They touch upon the hearts of men directly, even if a man is quite ignorant of the (cosmological) knowledge concerning them. There is a deep relationship between them and the humans which is deeper than that it should depend on a scientific knowledge of them. Between man and them, there exists a profound association: in their respective emergence, in their natures, and in their make-up. He is of them and they are of him. His make-up is their make-up and their make-up is his make-up. His material of creation is their material of creation. His laws are their laws. His Lord is their Lord. Accordingly, he embraces the knowledge of their reality with a deep feeling of harmony. It is for this reason that the Qur’an simply draws attention to them, awakens his heedlessness towards them .. to reinvigorate the old relationship with these forgotten companions of his, and to make him recall the old affiliations deeply rooted in his being.”

فَإِنِ اسْتَكْبَرُوا فَالَّذِينَ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ يُسَبِّحُونَ لَهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْأَمُونَ ۩ (38)

(41:38) But if they wax proud, then those that are near your Lord glorify Him by night and day, and grow not weary.

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنَّكَ تَرَى الْأَرْضَ خَاشِعَةً فَإِذَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا الْمَاءَ اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِي أَحْيَاهَا لَمُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (39)

(41:39) And among His signs is that you see the earth withered. Then, when We send down water upon it, it quivers and swells. Surely, He who quickens it will quicken the dead, surely, He has power over all things.41

41. “Although the allusion to the reviving earth often occurs in the Qur’an as a parable of man’s ultimate resurrection, in the present context (and in tune with the entire passage comprising verses 33-39) it appears to be an illustration of God’s power to bestow spiritual life upon hearts that have hitherto remained closed to the truth of His existence and omnipotence. Hence it implies a call to the believer never to abandon the hope that ‘those who deny the truth’ may one day grasp the truth of the Qur’anic message” (Asad).
Yusuf Ali is on the same line of thought: “Evil makes of the souls of men what drought makes of land: it kills life, beauty, and fruitfulness. Allah’s Word in the spiritual world has the same wonderful effect as rain has on barren land: it gives life, beauty, and fruitfulness. And the effect of Allah’s Word is also seen through the lives of men who repel evil with what is better. They also convert dead souls (which harbour spite and hatred) into living souls, which come into the main current of spiritual life, and help in carrying out Allah’s beneficent Purpose.”

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي آيَاتِنَا لَا يَخْفَوْنَ عَلَيْنَا ۗ أَفَمَنْ يُلْقَىٰ فِي النَّارِ خَيْرٌ أَمْ مَنْ يَأْتِي آمِنًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ (40)

(41:40) Verily, those who seek deviation42 in Our verses, they are not hidden from Us.43 Is he then who will be cast into the Fire (better) or he who will come secure on the Day of Standing? Do as you like. Surely, He is Seeing of all that you do

42. “Lahada” is for the act of turning to a side while digging a hole, hence the derived meaning of turning away from the truth, in this instance, from the Qur’an (Zamakhshari, Razi, Qurtubi).To distort, deny, corrupt the meaning, etc., are other connotations of the original “yulhidun” without one receiving preference over another, but rather, demanding a combination of all (Ibn Jarir).
In Yusuf Ali’s words, “Pervert the Truth in Our Signs; either by corrupting the scriptures or turning them to false and selfish uses; or by neglecting the Signs of Allah in nature around them, or silencing His voice in their own conscience. Everything is known to Allah. Why not work for true salvation at the final Judgment?

43. The implied threat is, in time such criminals will be taken care of. They will not escape the consequences of their crimes.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالذِّكْرِ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ ۖ وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ (41)

(41:41) Surely, those who denied the Admonition after it had come to them .. although it is a Mighty Book.44.

44. That is, “those who reject the Qur’an, do so for their own want of understanding and not on account of any defect or deficiency in the Qur’an itself” (Majid).

لَا يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ ۖ تَنْزِيلٌ مِنْ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ (42)

(41:42) No falsehood can approach it from before it or from behind it:45 a sending down by One full of wisdom, worthy of Praise.

45. By the words, “from before it” the allusion is to any reduction, distortion in meaning or perversion of the text and its message, while by the words, “from behind it” the allusion is to the introduction of anything into it that does not belong to it (Ibn Jarir).
An extended meaning is that no interpretation that disagrees with the plain Qur’anic texts, in meaning and implications, will be accepted as true by a seeker of the Qur’anic truth (Au.).

مَا يُقَالُ لَكَ إِلَّا مَا قَدْ قِيلَ لِلرُّسُلِ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ وَذُو عِقَابٍ أَلِيمٍ (43)

(41:43) Nothing will be said to you but what was said to Messengers before you. Surely, your Lord is the Master of Forgiveness, and the Master of a painful chastisement.46

46. The two parts of the verse are connected in the following manner: It was said, “Nothing will be said to you (O Muhammad) but what was said to the Messengers before you.” In response it could be asked, “Then what? What happened?” The answer is, “Surely, your Lord is the Master of Forgiveness” towards His pious slaves, “while “Master of a painful chastisement,” for His enemies (Alusi).

وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَقَالُوا لَوْلَا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ ۖ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ ۗ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ (44)

(41:44) And, had We made it a non-Arabic recitation,47 they would have surely said, ‘Why have its verses not explained clearly?48 Is it (in) non-Arabic (tongue)49 while (the Messenger is) an Arab?’ Say, ‘It is a guide and a cure50 unto the believers. As for those who do not believe, they have deafness in their ears and it is a blindness upon them. They are being called from a distant place‘.51

47. One of the contentions of the Quraysh was that since the Prophet is an Arab, his bringing of a message in Arabic leaves them open to doubt that he might have made it himself. Had it been in a non-Arab language, that doubt could be removed (Mawdudi).

48. “.. since the Prophet was an Arab and lived in an Arabic environment, his message had to be expressed in the Arabic language, which the people to whom it was addressed in the first instance could understand.. (Allah said elsewhere, 14:4) ‘Never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than [with a Message] in his own people’s tongue, so that he might make [the truth] clear unto them.’ Had the message of the Qur’an been formulated in a language other than Arabic, the opponents of the Prophet would have been justified in saying, ‘between us and thee is a barrier’” (Asad).
Majid draws our attention to the implied meaning that has been ignored by many. What the Makkans meant by saying, “And, had We made it a non-Arabic recitation, they would have surely said, ‘Why have its verses not explained clearly,’ is that had the Qur’an been revealed in any other language, the intents and purposes of the Qur’anic texts would never have been met fully, but rather, would have been vague, unclear and subject to several interpretations, contradictory, but of equal strength. It is the clarity of the Arabic language, that no other language could have matched, had another language been chosen for revelation (Au.).
Majid quotes: “’The Arabic language – in which the Arabs themselves took particular delight, for its copious vocabulary, its wealth of forms and its inherent capability of cultivation – was peculiarly fitted to take a leading position in the world. If it is compared, for example, with the unwieldy Latin, or even with the turgid Persian, it is found to be specially distinguished by the possession of short abstract forms – a property of great service in scientific expression. It is capable of indicating the finest shades of meaning…’ (De Boers, History of Philosophy in Islam, pp. 31-32). ‘Classical Arabic is characterized by an extraordinary richness of vocabulary and the logical, systematic character of its grammatical structure.’ (EBr. II p. 192).”

49. Etymologically, the word “a`jamiyy” is the antithesis of “fasih” (eloquent), in other words, a language which does not help in attaining clarity of meaning. Applied to a person or people, a`jamiyy is someone, no matter of what ethnic origin, including an Arab, who is unable to express himself properly, like the animals (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi).

50. It is a cure for the diseases of the heart (Zamakhshari).

51. That is, although near, but because they hear it with disbelief and attitude of rejection, the Qur’anic call comes to them from a distance. They hear a vague distant voice saying something they are unable to comprehend.
“They pretended that it was too deep for them, when they meant that they were superior to it! The fact was that by putting themselves in an artificially false position, they rendered themselves impervious to the Message. The voice of Revelation or the voice of conscience sounded to them as if it came from a far-off place! They themselves made themselves strangers to it” (Yusuf Ali).

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ فَاخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ ۗ وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِنْهُ مُرِيبٍ (45)

(41:45) Indeed, We gave Musa the Book, but it was differed with.52 Had it not been for a Word preceding from your Lord, (the matter) would have been judged between them.53 Surely they are in suspicion concerning it, (in) a disquieting doubt thereof.

52. That is, some saying, it is the truth, others differing with them and saying, it is not the truth (Zamakhshari).

53. The word was to the effect that they will not be punished but after a while, which will take place in the Hereafter (Razi).
In Mawdudi’s words, “It has two meanings: (1) If Allah had not already decreed that the people would be given enough respite for consideration, the disputants would have long been destroyed; (2) if Allah had not already decreed that the disputes would finally be decided on the Day of Judgment, the reality would have been made plain as to who is in the right and who is in the wrong.”

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَسَاءَ فَعَلَيْهَا ۗ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ (46)

(41:46) Whoever works righteousness, it is for his own self, and whoever does evil, it is against itself. Your Lord is not unjust (in the least)54 to the slaves.

54. The hyperbolic expression (zallam) denies the least possible occurrence of oppression (Qurtubi).
Another possible meaning, as pointed out by Zarkashi is that, had “zulm” been one of Allah’s Attributes, it would have been in exaggerated form and, thus, He would not have been a mere “zalim” but a “zallam” (Au.).

إِلَيْهِ يُرَدُّ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ ۚ وَمَا تَخْرُجُ مِنْ ثَمَرَاتٍ مِنْ أَكْمَامِهَا وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنْثَىٰ وَلَا تَضَعُ إِلَّا بِعِلْمِهِ ۚ وَيَوْمَ يُنَادِيهِمْ أَيْنَ شُرَكَائِي قَالُوا آذَنَّاكَ مَا مِنَّا مِنْ شَهِيدٍ (47)

(41:47) To Him is referred the knowledge of the Hour. And no fruit emerges out of its sheath, and not a female conceives, nor gives birth save with His knowledge. And, the day He shall call to them, ‘Where now are the associates (attributed) to Me?’ They will answer, ‘We proclaim to You, there is none among us to testify.’

وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۖ وَظَنُّوا مَا لَهُمْ مِنْ مَحِيصٍ (48)

(41:48) Lost from them are what they used to invoke earlier and they will come to realize that they have no place of escape.

لَا يَسْأَمُ الْإِنْسَانُ مِنْ دُعَاءِ الْخَيْرِ وَإِنْ مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ فَيَئُوسٌ قَنُوطٌ (49)

(41:49) Man wearies not of praying for the good. But if an evil touches him, lo, he loses all hope and is in despair.

وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِنَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ ضَرَّاءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَٰذَا لِي وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِنْ رُجِعْتُ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي إِنَّ لِي عِنْدَهُ لَلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ فَلَنُنَبِّئَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِنْ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ (50)

(41:50) And if We make him taste mercy from Us, after an affliction had touched him, he will surely say, ‘This is my due.55 I do not believe the Hour will be struck. And, if I am brought back to my Lord, then, surely, there shall be good for me with Him.'56 We shall surely show the unbelievers (te truth of) what they used to do, and We shall surely give them the taste of a severe chastisement.

55. “Being fully convinced of his own merit (as expressed in his own words, ‘this is but my due’), he is confident that – in case there should really be a life after death – his own flattering view of himself will be confirmed by God” (Asad).

56. “When men entertain false ideas of values in life, there are two or three possible attitudes they may adopt in reaction to their experiences. In the first place, their desire may be inordinate for the good things of this life, and any little check brings them into a mood of despair.. In the second place, if their desire is granted, they are puffed up, and think that everything is due to their own cleverness or merit, and they forget Allah. Not only that, but they go a step further, and begin to doubt a Hereafter at all! If by chance they have a faint glimmering of the Hereafter, which they cannot help recognizing, they think themselves ‘favoured of Heaven’, because of some small favours given to them in this life by way of trial. Thus they turn all things, good or evil, away from their real purpose, because they are devoted to falsehood” (Yusuf Ali).

وَإِذَا أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَى الْإِنْسَانِ أَعْرَضَ وَنَأَىٰ بِجَانِبِهِ وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ فَذُو دُعَاءٍ عَرِيضٍ (51)

(41:51) And when We bestow favors upon man, he turns away and withdraws aside. But when evil touches him, lo, he is full of lengthy supplications.57

57. Yusuf Ali again, “The last verse and note dealt with men’s distortion of the values of life. Here we come to men’s ingratitude and hypocrisy. If they receive good, they go farther away from Allah, instead of coming nearer to him. If they suffer ill, they call on Allah and offer prolonged prayers, but it is not sincere devotion and therefore worthless.”

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ كَفَرْتُمْ بِهِ مَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ هُوَ فِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ (52)

(41:52) Say, ‘Have you considered, if it is from Allah, yet you rejected it, then who can be in greater wrong than he who is in a far-fetched schism?’

سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ (53)

(41:53) We shall show them Our signs in the horizons and in their own selves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.58 Is it not sufficient for your Lord that He is over all things a Witness?

58. “I.e., through progressive deepening and widening of their insight into the wonders of the universe as well as through a deeper understanding of man’s own psyche – all of which points to a conscious Creator” (Asad).
Mawdudi offers another perspective: “One of the two interpretations of the major commentaries has been that the allusion of signs in the horizon is to the prediction that Islam will prevail over large tracts of land in and beyond Arabia. It is then that the sign referred to in this verse will be fully perceived and recognized. The objection that can be raised is that political dominance does not prove the veracity of a Message or its carriers. The answer is, the triumph of Islam was not a military or political triumph. It was not the kind of triumph which results in a conqueror ending up owning the life and property of the conquered nation, in consequence, the land filled with tyranny and injustice. (At this point, and at this time of writing, one might be reminded that – by the accounts of a British newspaper and other sources – five years of American occupation of Iraq has resulted in transformation of a vast area into the stone-age: no power, no water, no fuel and no food. To obtain a few liters of petrol in this oil-rich country, people sleep at the petrol stations to queue up in the morning. So far, close to a million of Iraqis have died, several times more injured and maimed, and several millions have become refugees. This is the “conquer” that Mawdudi is alluding to. And, to continue with Mawdudi: Au.): “Contrary to this, the Islamic conquest brought with it a great religious, moral, intellectual, cultural, political, economic and social change whose influences elicited what was best in man and suppressed what was worst in him. The revolution brought by this phenomenon nurtured the moral excellence that the world could hope to see in the hermit and meditative recluses: in the politics of the rulers, in the wars and conquest, in the work of the tax-collectors or commerce of the big business, everywhere a huge moral upliftment, unseen anytime in human history, was achieved. The influence was so great and deep, that within a short time, in morality, character and behavior, cleanliness and purity, the common man was raised above the selected few of other societies. The Muslim conquests brought about in the conquered lands order in place of chaos, peace in place of anarchy, piety in place of wickedness, justice in place of tyranny, purity in place of obscenity and brotherhood in place of sanctioned inequality.
“These were the signs that the Makkan Arabs were told they will see in the horizons. And it has not stopped there. People of all ages have been witness to the signs foretold in this Qur’anic passage. The Muslims – even during their decline - have displayed such moral order as has not been attained by their antagonist contemporaries. No precedents can be found from any period of Muslim history of the tyrannical treatment that has been meted out by the Western nations to the subdued nations of Africa, America, Asia and, in fact, of Europe itself. Anyone can check through history books how the Muslims treated Christians in Spain and how the Christians treated Muslims there; how the Muslims behaved towards Hindus during their long rule in India and how the Hindus have begun to treat the Muslims once in power, how the Muslims treated the Jews during 1300 years and how the Jews are treating the Muslims since the deceptive occupation of Palestine.”
“The other meaning given by the commentators is that the unbelievers will be shown physical signs in the material world, as well as those found in their own physical existence. These signs will never end. In every new generation new signs will be discovered that will lead to the recognition that the world is not an accident but a well-designed creation” (With minor modifications).
Majid has a short comment on this aspect, “The words are also of general application. If we only care to reflect on the marvelous structure of the atom and on the still more marvelous nature of the human mind, we are inevitably, inescapably, led to the truth of an All-Designing, Omnipotent, Omnipresent Being.”
Following the same theme as above, one could add that by the words “within their own selves”, the allusion could be to the unbelievers of all ages who, once antagonists and opposed to Islam, undergo mighty changes in their own selves, to become, with the acceptance of Islam, entirely new – and laudable – personalities endowed with exemplary character (Au.).
Yusuf Ali puts it in a more sublime manner: "Allah’s Truth always spreads, in its own good time, across to the uttermost ends of the earth, as it did in the case of Islam. But its intensive spread in the hearts and souls of people is even more remarkable than its extensive spread over large areas. Men like the four Companions of the Prophet - and many more - became leaders of men and arbiters of the world’s fate. Madinah from being a focus of jarring tribes and factions that hated each other, became the seat of heroic actions and plans and the nursery of great and noble heroic deeds that resounded throughout the world. It makes no difference what men may say or do. Allah’s Truth must prevail, and He knows who obstruct and who help.”

أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ فِي مِرْيَةٍ مِنْ لِقَاءِ رَبِّهِمْ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُحِيطٌ (54)

(41:54) Lo! They are surely in a doubt concerning the meeting with their Lord. Lo! He is, of all things, encompassing.