Indexed OCR Text

479
Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 123 - 132
and Allah Ta'ala does. He has that inherent power to make what is not
become what is. (Bayan-ul-Qur'an)
Ascribing the attribute of creation to anyone other than Allah is
not permissible
At this point, it should be borne in mind that & (khalq) means to
create, that is, to bring something from the state of non-being into the
state of being solely on the strength of the creator's inherent power.
Therefore, this attribute is particular to Allah Ta'ala. Ascribing it to
someone else is not permissible. Hence, the custom prevailing in our time
that the articles of writers, compositions of poets and paintings of painters
are readily referred to as their 'creations' is simply not permissible. How
can people who write become 'creators' of those articles? It is not correct.
Allah is the khaliq, the creator. This is Him alone - no one else can be.
Therefore, their good writings should be called articles or something else
that alludes to their effort, imagination, research work or whatever
applies as appropriate - but, not 'creation.'
In verse 127, it was said: ◌َفَكَذَّبُوُهُ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُون :"Then they rejected him.
Therefore, they will be arraigned." It means that they will have to taste
the consequence of having belied the true messengers of Allah. It could
also be referring to the punishment of the Hereafter as well as their sad
end within this world. That the rulers of both the countries of Isra'il and
Judah had to face destruction as a result of their having rejected
Sayyidna Ilyas & has been mentioned earlier. The detailed account of
this destruction is present in Tafsir Mazhari and in the Bible: Kings I,
Chapter 22; Kings II; Chapter 1 and Chronicles II; Chapter 21.
In verse 128, it was said : ◌َإِلَّا عِبَادَ اللهِ الْمُخلَصِين (except the chosen servants
of Allah). Here, the word used is: Gel's (mukhlasin) (pronounced with a
fathah on the letter lam) which means chosen, elected, people Divinely
identified as special. As such, these will be people whom Allah has elected
to become recipients of the honor of having obeyed Him perfectly and
made themselves deserving of the best returns and rewards from Him.
Hence, it would be more appropriate to translate it in the sense of 'the
chosen' rather than 'sincere.'
The word:الياسين (il ya sin) used in : ◌َسَلامٌ عَلَى إِلَ يَاسِين (Salam on il ya sin -
130) is also the very name of Sayyidna Ilyas . The people of Arabia

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Sūrah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 139 - 148
are used to adding the letters 'ya' and 'nun' with non-Arab names fairly
often - for example, ' (sina: Sinai) could take the form of ' (sinin).
Similarly, here too, two letters have been added.
Verses 133 - 138
y
وَإِنَّ لُوطًا لَّمِنَ الْمُرُسَلِيْنَ ﴿١٣٣﴾ إِذْ نَجَّيْنُهُ وَاَهُلَهٌ أَجْمَعِيْنَ ﴿١٣٤﴾
إِلَّ عَجُوُزًا فِى الْغْبِرِينَ ﴿١٣٥) ثُمَّ دَمَّرْنَا الْآخَرِيْنَ ﴿١٣٦) وَإِنَّكُمُ
لَتَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهِمُ مُّصُبِحِيْنَ ﴿١٣٧) وَبِالَّيْلِ*ُ أَفَلَا تَعُقِلُونَ ﴿١٣٨﴾
And surely, Lut is one of the messengers. [133]
(Remember ) when We saved him and his family, all of
them, [134] except an old woman among those remaining
behind. [135] After that, We destroyed others [136] and
you do pass over them at daybreak [137] and by
nightfall. Would you still not understand? [138]
Commentary
Mentioned in these verses is the fifth event that relates to Sayyidna
Lut &Cd. This event has appeared at several places earlier, therefore, no
more details are needed. Here, the people of Makkah have been
particularly admonished that they passed by the site of Sadum (Sodom)
day and night while traveling with theirs trade caravans to the country of
Syria, and Sadum was a place where this grave event came to pass, an
event full of vital lessons, yet they failed to learn any. The time of
morning and evening was particularly mentioned for the reason that the
people of Arabia generally used to pass through here during these very
hours. Says Qadi Abu-s-Sa'ud: 'Perhaps, this site of Sodom was located at
a stage on this route that those who departed from here did so in the
hours of the morning and those who arrived here did so at the time of the
evening' (Tafsir abi-s- Sa'ud).
Verses 139 -148
وَإِنَّ يُؤْنُسَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِيْنَ ﴿١٣٩﴾ إِذْ آبَقَ إِلَى الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُوُنِ
﴿٢﴾ فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُدُحَضِيْنَ ﴿٤﴾ فَالْتَقَمَهُ الْحُوُثُ

481
Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 139 - 148
وَهُوَ مُلِيُمٌ ﴿١٤٢﴾ فَلَوْلَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُسَبّحِيْنَ ﴿١٤٣﴾ لَلَبِثَ فِىُ
بَطْنِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ ﴿١٤٤﴾ فَنَبَذُنُهُ بِالْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ سَقِيمٌ ﴿١٤٥﴾
وَأَنْبَتْنَا عَلَيْهِ شَجَرَةً مِّنُ يَّقْطِيْنِ ﴿١٤٦﴾ وَأَرْسَلْنُهُ إِلَى مِائَةِ اَلْفٍ أَوْ
يَزِيدُونَ ﴿١٤٧﴾ فَامَنُوا فَمَتَّعُنُهُمُ إِلَى حِيْنٍ .
N
And surely, Yunus ( Jonah ) is from among the
messengers. [139] ( Remember ) when he ran away
towards the boat already loaded. [140] Then he
participated in drawing lots (to offload one of the
passengers ) and was the one who was defeated. [141]
Then the fish swallowed him while he was reproaching
his own self. [142] Had he not been of those who
proclaim Allah's purity, [143] he would have definitely
lived in its belly till the day when the dead will be
raised. [144] Then We cast him ashore in the open while
he was ill. [145] and We caused a tree of ourds to grow
over him. [146] And We had sent him (as messenger) to
one hundred thousand, or more. [147] So, they believed,
then, We let them enjoy for a time. [148]
Commentary
The last event described in this Surah is that of Sayyidna Yunus el.
This event, along with its details, has appeared towards the later part of
Surah Yunus (please see Ma'ariful-Qur'an, English, Volume IV, pages 573-588).
However, a few necessary comments about these particular verses are
being given below.
In the opening verse (139), it was said:َوَإِنَّ يُؤُنُسَ لَمِنَ الْمُرُسَلِين (And surely,
Yunus is from among the messengers). Was Sayyidna Yunus El
ordained as a messenger much earlier than his encounter with the fish, or
did it come to pass after that? This issue has been a subject of debate
among some commentators and historians. Some of them think that he
was made a messenger after this event. But, in view of the apparent order
and style of the noble Qur'an, and from most Hadith narrations, it is more
likely that he was invested with the mission of prophethood earlier. The
event of the fish came later.
إِذْ أَبَقَ إِلَى الْفُلُكِ الْمَشْحُون : (140) abaga) in the next verse) ابَقَ :The word
(when he ran towards the boat already loaded) has been derived from: 34

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 139 - 148
(ibaq) which means 'escaping of a slave from his master'. Allah Ta'ala has
used this word for Sayyidna Yunus deal for the reason that he had
started off without waiting for the revelation from his Lord. The noble
prophets are the close ones among the servants of Allah. The slightest slip
from them causes the swiftest grip. Hence comes this strong expression
('abaqa': 'he ran').
Verse 141 opens with the statement: plus (fasahama: Then he
participated in drawing lots ... ). These lots were drawn at a time when the
boat was caught by a storm while in the middle of the waters. It was
apprehended that its excessive weight might cause it to drown. It was
decided that one person from the boat should be cast off into the waters.
Lots were drawn to determine who would it be.
The Injunction of drawing lots
At this point, it should be borne in mind that the drawing of lots is a
method of selecting somebody to do something through which one can
neither prove someone's right, nor indict someone as a criminal. For
example, no one can be proved to be a thief by drawing lots. Similarly,
should two persons differ about the ownership of some property, it cannot
be decided by drawing lots as to who owns it. However drawing of lots is
permissible - rather, better - on an occasion where a person is totally
entitled, Shari'ah-wise, to opt for any course out of the few permissible
courses of action available. Now, it is up to him. He can, rather than go by
his will and choice and select a course of action, arrive at a decisive line of
action by drawing lots. For example, someone who has more than one
wife and is going on a journey, then, he has the right to take the wife he
elects to take with him. Now, rather than do this following his will and
choice, if he were to draw lots, it would be better - so that no one is
disheartened. The Holy Prophet
É used to do that.
The purpose behind the drawing of lots in this event relating to
Sayyidnā Yunus Şı
was not to label anyone as some culprit. In fact, to
save a whole boat-full of passengers, anyone could have been cast away
into the waters. So, the name of the person to be cast was determined by
drawing lots.
Immediately next in the verse, it was said: ◌َفَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُدُحَضِيْن :" and was
the one who was defeated." The word: 33! (idhad) literally means to

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Sūrah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 139 - 148
defeat someone or to make him fail, lose. The sense is that it was his name
that came up in the draw - and he threw himself into the waters. No one
should raise the objection that it was some sort of a suicide plunge, for it is
possible that the shore was near and he intended to swim ashore.
In verse 143, it was said: ◌َفَلَوْ لا أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُسَبِّحِين (Had he not been of
those who proclaim Allah's purity, .... ). From this verse, it is wrong to
assume that had Sayyidna Yunus & not been making tasbih, that fish
would have been living right through the last day of Qiyamah. Instead,
the sense is that the very belly of this fish would have been made the
grave of Sayyidna Yunus kı.
Distress is removed by tasbih (remembrance) and istighfar
(repentance)
لا إله إِلَّ أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنّى كُنْتُ مِنَ) From this verse we also learn that tasbih
SAUJI : the act of proclaiming the purity of Allah) and istighfar ( ... : the
act of seeking forgiveness from Him) have a proven efficacy of their own.
It has already appeared in Surah Al-Anbiya' [21] that Sayyidna Yunus
Sell, while in the belly of the fish, used to recite the following sentence of
tasbīķ:
لَّا إِلهَ إِلَّ ◌َنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّىُ كُنْتُ مِنَ الظُّلِمِيْنَ
There is no god but You - Pure are You - Indeed I was among
the wrongdoers - Al-Anbiya', 21:87.
By the Barakah of this very Tasbih, Allah Ta'ala had him delivered
from this trial, and he came out safe and sound from the belly of the fish.
Therefore, it has been continuously reported from pious elders that they
recite this tasbih one hundred and twenty-five thousand times at the time
they faced any individual or collective distress and, by virtue of its
barakah, Allah Ta'ala would have this distress removed from them.
According to a narration from Sayyidna Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas dee
appearing in Abu Dawud, the Holy Prophet y said: "Any Muslim who
recites the prayer Sayyidna Yunus Mal had made while in the belly of
the fish, that is:لا إلهَ إلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنّى كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّلِمِين (ta ilaha illa anta -
subļānaka - inni kuntu minaz-zalimin: There is no god but You - Pure
are You - Indeed I was among the wrongdoers - 21:87) for any
(permissible) objective, his du'a or prayer will be answered." (Tafsir Qurțubi)

484
Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 139 - 148
In verse 145, it was said: ◌ٌفَنَبَذُنُهُ بِالْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ سَقِيم (Then We cast him ashore
in the open while he was ill.) The word: st, JI (al-'ara) used in the text
means an open land with no trees. Some narrations tell us that, at that
time, Sayyidna Yunus Mial had become very weak because of having
remained confined within the belly of the fish and that he had no hair left
on his body.
Said next, it was: وَأَنْبَتْنَا عَلَيْهِ شَجَرَةً مِّنٌ يَّقُطِين (and We caused a tree of gourd
to grow over him. - 146). The word: Like (yaqtin) signifies every such tree
that has no trunk. It appears in Hadith narrations that it was a gourd
creeper. The purpose of having a tree grow there was to make the
provision of shade for Sayyidna Yunus Meel. The word: 53 (shajarah:
tree) at this place serves as an indicator of two possibilities: Either Allah
had made this very plant of gourd grow with a trunk by way of a miracle,
or it was some other tree on which the creeping plant of gourd was made
to wind its way up, so that it could provide a thick shade, otherwise,
having enough shade from a winding plant alone would have been
difficult.
It was said in verse 147:َوَأَرْسَلُنُهُ إِلى مِائَةِ الْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيدُون (And We had sent him
[as messenger] to one hundred thousand, or more). A difficulty may arise
here. Is it not that Allah Ta'ala is Knowing and Aware? Why would He
have to express the doubt that the number of those people was 'one
hundred thousand, or more?' It can be answered by saying that this
statement has been made in congruity with the view of common people,
that is, if an average person would have seen them, he would have said
that their number is one hundred thousand or somewhat more than that
(Mazharī). Maulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi has said that nothing is being
doubted here in the text itself. They could be called one hundred
thousand, and also more than that - for example, if one eliminates the
fraction, their number was one hundred thousand, and if the fraction
were also taken into account, it would be more than one hundred
thousand. (Bayan-ul-Qur'an)
[147]) فَامَنُوا فَمَتَّعُنَّهُمُ إِلى حِيْنٍ:ila hin: for a time) in) إِلى حِينٍ :The expression
So, they believed, then, We let them enjoy for a time .- 148) means that as
long as they did not revert to their kufr and shirk, no punishment visited
them.

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 149 - 166
Exposing the fraud of the Qadyani imposter
It has already been demonstrated in the Tafsir of Surah Yunus
(Ma'ariful-Qur'an, English, Volume IV), and it is clear from this verse too, that
the reason why the punishment due to visit the people of Sayyidna Yunus
لعليه ٣
was averted was that his people had started believing on time -
before it actually materialized. This puts the fraudulent claim of Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani (the false pretender to prophethood from Qadian
located in Punjab, now called Haryana in India) when he had challenged
his adversaries that, should they continue to oppose him, it stood decreed
that Divine punishment would descend upon them by such and such
time. But, quite conversely, the adversaries became stronger and more
vocal, yet the punishment never came. At that time, in order to salvage
himself out from the disgrace of failure, the Qadiani imposter started
saying that since his adversaries were really scared in their hearts,
therefore, this punishment stood removed from them - as it had stood
removed from the people of Sayyidna Yunus ua. But, this verse of the
noble Qur'an declares this interpretation to be false and rejected. The
reason is that the people of Sayyidna Yunus Mal had stayed safe from
the punishment because of their 'iman, belief and faith. Contrary to this
was the case of the adversaries of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian - not
only that they did not believe in him, in fact, their struggle against him
gained more strength and momentum.
Verses 149 - 166
فَاسْتَفْتِهِمُ اَلِرَبِّكَ الْبَنَاتُ وَلَهُمُ الْبَنُوْنَ ﴿١٤٩) أَمْ خَلَقْنَا الْمَلَئِكَةَ
إِنَاثًا وَّهُمُ شَهِدُونَ ﴿١٥٠﴾ آَلَا إِنَّهُمُ مِّنُ إِفْكِهِمْ لَيَقُولُونَ ﴿١٥١﴾ وَلَدَ
اللهُ " وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكُذِبُونَ ﴿١٥٢) أَصْطَفَى الْبَنَاتِ عَلَى الْبَنِيْنَ ﴿١٥٣)
مَالَكُمْ دَكَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ ﴿١٥٤﴾ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿١٥٥﴾ آَمُ لَكُمُ
سُلْظنٌ مُّبِيْنٌ ﴿١٥٦﴾ فَأْتُوا بِكِتِكُمُ إِنْ كُنْتُمُ صدِقِيْنَ ﴿١٥٧﴾
وَجَعَلُوا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجِنَّةِ نَسَبًا * وَلَقَدْ عَلِمَتِ الْجِنَّةُ إِنَّهُمُ
نَمُحْضَرُونَ ﴿١٥٨﴾ سُبُحِنَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ﴿١٥٩) إِلَّا عِبَادَ اللهِ

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 149 - 166
الْمُخْلَصِيْنَ ﴿١٦٠﴾ فَإِنْكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ ﴿١٢١) مَآ أَنْتُمُ عَلَيْهِ بِفْتِنِيْنَ
﴿٢٢٠ ١﴾ إِلَّ مَنْ هُوَ صَالِ الْجَحِيمِ ﴿١٦٣) وَمَا مِنَّ ◌ِلَّ لَهُ مَقَامٌ مَّعُلُومٌ
﴿١٦٤) وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الصَّافُونَ ﴿١٢٥﴾ وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْمُسَبِّحُونَ ﴿١٦٦)
So ask them, "Does your Lord have daughters while they
have sons?" [149] Or, did We create the angels as females
while they were witnessing? [150] Beware! They are the
ones who, by way of a lie of theirs, (have the audacity
to) say, [151] "Allah has children" - and they are absolute
liars. [152] Is it that Allah has chosen daughters (for
Himself) instead of sons? [153] What is the matter with
you? How (arbitrarily) do you judge? [154] Then, is it
that you do not think about it? [155] Or, is it that there
is some open authority with you? [156] Then bring your
book, if you are truthful. [157] And they have made up
between Him and the Jinns some kinship, while the
Jinns already know that they are bound to appear
(before Him). [158] Pure is Allah from what they
describe - [159] except the chosen servants of Allah. [160]
So, you and those whom you worship - [161] none of you
can make one turn away from Him - [162] except the one
who is to burn in Jahannam. [163] And (the angels say,)
"There is no one among us who does not have a known
station, [164] and We, surely We, are those who stand in
rows [165] and We, surely We, are those who proclaim
Allah's purity." [166]
Commentary
Events relating to the noble prophets described earlier provided some
good counsel and some lessons to learn. Now, once again, the text turns to
the essential subject of the affirmation of pure monotheism (tauhid) and
the refutation of ascribing partners to the pristine divinity of Allah
(shirk). Then, described at this particular place is the shirk of a particular
kind. The disbelievers of Arabia believed that angels were the daughters
of Allah Ta'ala, and the daughters of the chieftains of Jinns were the
mothers of angels. According to 'Allamah Wahidi, this belief was not
restricted to the Quraish alone. It also prevailed among the tribes of
Juhainah, Banu Salamah, Banu Khuza'ah and Banu Malih (Tafsir Kabir,
p. 112, v. 7)
In verses beginning with: Get (So ask them ... - 149) and ending at:

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 149 - 166
Sous i' 31 (if you are truthful - 157), arguments have been given in
support of the refutation of this belief of the disbelievers of Arabia. In gist,
it has been said here: To begin with, this belief of yours is totally wrong in
terms of your own recognized practice and customs, since you yourself
regard daughters to be a source of shame. Now, what is a source of shame
for you personally, how could this thing be proved to be good for Allah
Ta'ala? Then, you have declared angels to be daughters of Allah. What
proof do you have for saying so? There could be three kinds of arguments
to prove a claim: (1) Observation (2) Report, that is, the saying of an
entity or person whose veracity is established and (3) Reason. As far as
observation is concerned, it is obvious that you have just not seen Allah
Ta'ala creating angels that could have given you the knowledge of the
gender of angels. Therefore, you have no proof from observation with
you. When it was said: ◌َآَمُ خَلَقُنَا الْمَلَئِكَةَ إِنَائًّا وَّهُمُ شهِدُون (Or, did We create the
angels as females while they were witnessing? - 150), this is what it
means. As for a reported proof, you do not have that too because one only
goes by the word of people who are trustworthy and whose veracity is well
established. Quite contrary to this, there are those who hold this kind of
belief but they are liars. Nothing they say can be a binding argument.
When it was said: ... ◌َآلاَ إِنَّهُمُ مِّنُ اِفْكِهِمْ لَيَقُوُلُون (Beware! They are the ones who,
by way of a lie of theirs, [have the audacity to] say, "Allah has children" -
and they are absolute liars - 151,152), this is what it means. As for the
rational argument, even that does not go in your favor because, in your
view, daughters have a lower status as compared to that of the sons. Now,
think of the great Being of Allah that holds the superior most status in
the entire universe - how can this superior most Being like to have
something of a lower status? When it was said: ◌َأَصْطَفَى الْبَنَاتِ عَلَى الْبَنِين (Is it
that Allah has chosen daughters (for Himself) instead of sons? - 153), this
is what it means. Now, this leaves only one likelihood unexplored - may
be, you have been blessed with some scripture from the heavens through
the medium of revelation (wahy) in which you have been asked to believe
as you do. So, if this be the case, come out and show us the proof - where
أَمْ لَكُمْ سُلُطْنٌ :is that revelation and where is that Book? When it was said
Or, is it that there is some open authority with) ◌ُبِينٌ، فَأْتُوا بِكِتْبِكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمُ صدِقِيْنَ
you? Then bring your book if you are truthful - 156, 157) this is what it
means.

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An ilzami (All) answer (based on adversary's assumption) is
more appropriate for the obstinate
From these verses we learn that it is more appropriate to tackle people
bent on obstinacy with an ilzami response. An ilzami response means
that their claim should be refuted through the analogy of some other view
of things they themselves have. In doing so, it is never necessary to
concede that we too subscribe to this other view, in fact, there could be
occasion when that other view is also incorrect. But, it is only to drive
some sense into the obstinate adversary that it is put to use functionally.
Here, to refute their belief, Allah Ta'ala has used their own view that the
existence of daughters is a cause of disgrace. It is obvious that it does not
mean that it is so with Allah Ta'ala as well, nor does it mean that, had
they called angels 'sons of God' rather than 'daughters of God,' it would
have been correct. In fact, this is an ilzami response, and its aim is to
refute their belief by citing their own claims. Otherwise, the real response
to beliefs of this nature is no other but that which finds mention in the
noble Qur'an itself - that Allah Ta'ala is independent and need-free and
neither does He need any children, nor does it befit His Most Exalted
State of Being.
In verse 158, it was said: وَجَعَلُوا بَيْنَه، وَبَيْنَ الْجِنَّةِ نَسَبًا (And they have made up
between Him and the Jinns some kinship). There are two explanations of
this sentence. According to the first Tafsir, this is a description of the false
belief held by the Mushriks of Arabia that the daughters of the chieftains
of the Jinns are mothers of the angels. As if, God forbid, the daughters of
the chieftains of the Jinns have marital relations with Allah Ta'ala and,
as a result of this bond, angels have come to exist. Hence, it appears in an
exegetical narration when the Mushriks of Arabia declared angels to be
the daughters of Allah, Sayyidna Abu Bakr 4ce asked, "Who is their
mother?" They said, "Daughters of the Jinns" (Tafsir ibn Kathir, p. 23, v. 4).
But, this Tafsir leaves an unresolved difficulty behind: The verse is
talking about the attribution of kinship between Allah Ta'ala and the
Jinns, while the marital relationship of a husband and wife is not based
on kinship.
For this reason, another Tafsir that has been reported from Sayyidna
Ibn 'Abbas, Hasan al-Basri and Dahhak seems to be weightier. According
to this Tafsir, some of the people of Arabia also believed that, God forbid,

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 167 - 179
Iblis was a brother to Allah Ta'ala who was the creator of good while he
was the creator of evil. Here, this very false belief has been refuted (please
see Tafsir ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qurtubi and Tafsir Kabir).
Immediately next within verse 158 it was said:
13
وَلَقَدُ عَلِمَتِ الجنة إِنهُمْ
3-3: (158)', while the Jinns already know that they are bound to
appear (before Him).' Here, 'they' could be referring to the kinds of
Mushriks who took Jinns and satans as equals of God, meaning thereby
that the Jinns know that these Mushriks will appear before Allah Ta'ala
for being punished, and could also refer to the Jinns themselves. In this
situation, the sense of the verse would come to be that 'the satans and
Jinns you have taken to be associated with Allah in one or the other form
already know very well that they are going to face a terrible fate in the
Hereafter. For example, Iblis is perfectly aware of his evil end. Now,
someone who himself believes that he has to taste his punishment could
hardly be the equal of God and taking him to be so would certainly be a
gross lack of good sense.
Verses 167 - 179
وَإِنْ كَانُوا لَيَقُوْلُوْنَ ﴿١٢٧) لَوْاَنَّ عِنْدَنَا ذِكْرًا مِّنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿١٦٨﴾
لَكُنَّا عِبَادَ اللّهِ الْمُخْلَصِيْنَ ﴿١٦٩﴾ فَكَفَرُوا بِهِ فَسَوُفَ يَعْلَمُونَ
﴿١٧٠ ﴾ وَ لَقَدْ سَبَقَتُ كَلِمَتْنَا لِعِبَادِنَا الْمُرُسَلِيْنَ ﴿١٧١﴾ ◌ِنَّهُمُ لَهُمُ
الْمَنْصُوُرُونَ ﴿١٢٢﴾ وَإِنَّ جُنْدَنَا لَهُمُ الْغِلِبُونَ ﴿١٧٣﴾ فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمُ
حَتّى حِيْنٍ ﴿١٧٤﴾ وَأَبْصِرُهُمْ فَسَوْفَ يُبْصِرُونَ ﴿١٧٥) أَفَبِعَذَا بِنَا
يَسْتَعُجِلُونَ ﴿١٧٦﴾ فَإِذَا نَزَلَ بِسَاحَتِهِمْ فَسَآءَ صَبَاحُ الْمُنْذَرِيْنَ
﴿١٧٧﴾ وَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمُ حَتّى حِيْنٍ ﴿١١٨﴾ وَأَبْصِرُ فَسَوْفَ يُبْصِرُونَ
61190
And they used to say, [167] "Had there been a scripture
like that of the former ones with us, [168] certainly we
would have been the chosen servants of Allah." [169]
Then they disbelieved in it. So, very soon, they will
come to know. [170] And Our Word has already gone

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Sūrah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 167 - 179
ahead in favor of Our servants - the messengers - [171]
they are the ones who will have Allah's support, {172]
and verily it will be Our army (of chosen servants) that
prevails. [173] So, withdraw your attention from them
for a time. [174] But, see them for they shall soon see.
[175] Are they asking for Our punishment to come
sooner? [176] So, when it descends in their courtyard,
then, evil will be the dawn of those warned. [177] So,
withdraw your attention from them for a time. [178]
And watch them, for they shall soon see. [179]
Commentary
After having provided proofs of the basic beliefs of Islam, these verses
now mention the obstinacy of the disbelievers. It has been said that,
before the blessed appearance of the Holy Prophet 3, these people used
to crave for the coming of some prophet from Allah, so that they could
follow him. But, when he did come, they started confronting him with a
posture of obstinacy and hostility. After that, the Holy Prophet 25 has
been comforted that he should not worry about the pain these people
cause to him. The time was coming very soon when he will prevail, and
his oppressors will be defeated and punished. That this will unfold
comprehensively in the Hereafter is already settled, but in the mortal
world too, Allah Ta'ala showed the spectacle that, in every Jihad from the
battle of Badr up to the conquest of Makkah, His blessed rasul came out
victorious and his adversaries, disgraced.
The sense of 'the victory of the people of Allah'
وَلَقَدُ سَبَقَتُ كَلِمَتُنَا (إلى قوله تعالى) وَإِنَّ جُنُدَنَا لَهُمُ الْغُلُبُونَ : In verses 171-173, it was said
(And Our Word has already gone ahead in favor of Our servants - the
messengers - they are the ones who will have Allah's support, and verily
it will be Our army that prevails). The sense of these verses is that it
stands predetermined with Allah that His chosen servants, that is, the
prophets would be the ones to prevail. This may raise a difficulty, for in
the mortal world, some prophets did not. For an answer to this, it could be
said that the majority of prophets consists of the noble souls whose people
belied them and met their punishment while they were kept safe from it.
There are only a few among the blessed prophets who, though, could not
prevail outwardly and physically right up to the end of their tenure in
this world, but they always enjoyed ascendancy in the field of logic and
argument, and the ultimate intellectual victory remained always theirs.

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 167 - 179
However, the physical traces of this ascendancy were - due to some
consideration of wisdom, such as a trial, or its likes - deferred until the
Hereafter. Hence, as said by sage Thanavi, it is like the case of a highway
robber, who starts harassing a high appointee of the state while on his
journey. But, this appointee would never, by virtue of his God-given
intellectual sobriety, stoop to the low-down robber, until he reaches the
capital of his state where the robber will be seized and punished.
Therefore, simply due to this temporary ascendancy, neither can we call
that robber an authority, nor that authority a subject. In fact, given the
true state of affairs, that robber - despite this temporary ascendancy - is
still a subject, while that man of authority - despite his temporary lack of
ascendancy - is still the authority he had been all along. Sayyidna Ibn
'Abbas des has expressed this more briefly and lucidly by saying: 1,2 3!
Those who are not helped to ascend in the present) فِى الدُّنْيَا يُنْصَرُوا فِى الْآخِرَةِ
world are helped to ascend in the Hereafter) - Bayan-ul- Qur'an, the Tafsir of
Surah al-Ma'idah (5).
But, it should always be borne in mind that no group of people
achieves this supremacy or ascendancy, whether in the present world or
in the Hereafter, simply by having particular racial traits, or by belonging
to a religion only in name. In fact, this actually happens only when every
human being makes himself a member of 'the army of Allah.' It
necessarily implies that he or she should be committed to the obedience of
Allah in every department of life as the objective of his or her life. Here,
the word: "La." (Our army) is telling us very clearly that the person who
embraces Islam will have to enter into a solemn pledge to devote his or
her entire life in waging a struggle against the forces of self and Satan -
and his or her supremacy, whether material or moral, whether in this
world or in the Hereafter, depends on this condition.
In verse 177, it was said : ◌َفَإِذَا نَزَلَ بِسَاحَتِهِمْ فَسَآءَ صَبَاحُ الْمُنْذَرِيْن (So, when it
descends in their courtyard, then, evil with be the dawn of the warned).
The word: al (sabah) appearing in this verse literally means a
courtyard, and the expression: «zu Ji (nazala bisahatihi: descended in
his courtyard) is an Arabic idiom that denotes the appearance of a
calamity face to face, while the time of morning has been specified, as an
attack would usually come at that hour among the people of Arabia. This
also used to be the practice with the Holy Prophet
that, should he

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Surah Aş-Şaffat : 37 : 180 - 182
reach the territorial jurisdiction of some enemy at the time of night, he
used to postpone his attack until the morning (Mazhari) According to
Hadith narrations, when the Holy Prophet attacked the fort of
الله اكبر، خربت خيبر، أنّا إذا نزلنا بساحة :Khaibar during the morning hours, he said
Allahu Akbar, Khaibar is destroyed. Verily, when we) قوم فساء صباح المنذرين
descend on the courtyard of a people, the morning of those who had been
already warned is too bad).
Verses 180 - 182
سُبُحِنَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ﴿١٨٠﴾ وَسَلَامٌ عَلَى الْمُرُسَلِيْنَ
﴿َ)﴾ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلْهِ رَبِّ الْغَلَمِيْنَ ﴿١٨٢)
Pure is your Lord, the Lord of all might and honor,
from what they describe [180] and salam be on the
messengers [181] and praised is Allah, Lord of all the
worlds. [182]
Commentary
Surah As-Saffat has been concluded on these verses, and the truth of
the matter is that it would take volumes to explain this beautiful finale.
In sum, Allah Ta'ala has compressed all subjects of this Surah in these
three verses. The Surah began with a description of tauhid, the theme of
the Oneness of Allah, the essence of which was that Allah Ta'ala is free
from everything the Mushriks attribute to Him. Accordingly, the first
verse serves as an indicator of this very detailed subject. After that,
described in the Surah there were events relating to the noble prophets.
Accordingly, a hint towards these has been made in the second verse.
After that, it was very openly and explicitly that the beliefs, doubts and
objections of disbelievers were refuted, both in terms of report and reason
and, along with that, it was also declared that supremacy will ultimately
be the lot of the people of truth - and whoever listens to these statements
with good sense and insight is bound to end up praising Allah Ta'ala.
Accordingly, it is on this note of praise for Allah that the Surah has been
concluded.
In addition to that, in these verses, the basic beliefs of Islam - tauhid
(Oneness of Allah) and risalah (prophethood) - were mentioned clearly,

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while the mention of the Hereafter also came up as a corollary, things the
confirmation of which was the real purpose of the Surah. Along with it,
given there was the teaching that it is naturally expected of a true
Muslim that he or she would conclude every article, every address and
every sitting by admitting and stating the greatness of Allah Ta'ala, and
by saying words of praise for Him. Accordingly, at this place, 'Allamah
al-Qurtubi has, on his authority, reported this saying of Sayyidna Abu
Sa'id al-Khudri dge:
"I have heard it many times from the Holy Prophet
that he, after
the Salah was over, used to recite these verses:
سُبُحِنَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
'Pure is your Lord, Lord of great might and honor, from what
they describe and salam be on the messengers and all praise
belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds - 180-182 - Qurtubi.
In addition to that, there are several commentaries in which the
following saying of saying of Sayyidna 'Ali has been reported with
reference to Imam al-Baghawi:
"Whoever wishes to have the best of return filled to the brim on
the Day of Judgment should recite this at the end of every
sitting attended:
سُبْحِنَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُوْنَ
Ibn Abi Hatim has also reported this very saying from a
narration of Sha'bi that ascends to the Holy Prophet f - Tafsir
Ibn Kathir.
سُبْحِنَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ وَسَلَامٌ عَلَى الْمُرُسَلِيْنَ وَالْحَمُدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ
الْغَلَمِيْنَ
By the grace of Allah Ta'ala
The commentary on
Sūrah Aş-Şaffat
Ends here.

497
Surah Şad : 38 : 1 - 16
Surah Şad
Surah Şad was revealed in Makkah and it has 88 verses and 5 sections
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful
Verses 1 - 16
صَ والْقُرْآنِ ذِى الذِّكُرِ ﴿٢﴾ بَلِ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا فِىُ عِزَّةٍ وَّ شِقَاقٍ
﴿٢﴾ كَمُ أَهْلَكُنَا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمُ مِّنُ قَرْنٍ فَنَادَوْا وَّلَاتَ حِيْنَ مَنَاصٍ ﴿٣﴾
وَعَجِبُوْآ أَنْ جَآءَهُمُ مُّنْذِرٌ مِّنْهُمُ ﴿ وَقَالَ الْكُفِرُوْنَ هُذَا سُحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ
﴿ أَجَعَلَ الْآلِهَةَ إِلَهَا وَّاحِدًا جُ إِنَّ لهُذَا لَشَىْءٌ عُجَابٌ ﴿﴾ وَانْطَلَقَ
الْمَلَأُ مِنْهُمْ أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوْا عَلَى آلِهَتِكُمُ ◌ٍ إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَىْءٌ يُّرَادُ
﴿٢﴾َ مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهِذَا فِى الْمِلَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ مٍ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّ اخْتِلَاقٌ ﴿(١)
ءَأُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكُرُ مِنْ بَيْنِنَاءُ بَلْ هُمْ فِىُ شَكٍّ مِّنُ ذِكْرِىٌ ، بَلْ لَّمَّا
يَذُوْقُوْا عَذَابٍ ﴿٨ٌ﴾ آَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ خَزَآئِنُ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّكَ الْعَزِيزِ الْوَهَّابِ
﴿٤﴾ أَمْ لَهُمْ مُّلُكُ السَّمُوْتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا نَ فَلْيَرْتَقُوا فِى
الْأَسُبَابِ ﴿١٠) جُنُدٌ مَّا هُنَالِكَ مَهُزُوُمٌ مِّنَ الْأَحْرَابِ ﴿١١﴾ كَذَّبَتُ
قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَعَادٌ وَّفِرْعَوْنُ ذُوالَا وْتَادِ ﴿١٢﴾ وَثَمُوُدُ وَقَوْمُ لُوْطٍ
وَّ أَصُحِبُ لْفَيْكَةٍ ﴿ أُوْلَئِكَ الْأَحْزَابُ ﴿١٣﴾ إِنْ كُلُّ إِلاَّ كَذَّبَ
الرُّسُلَ فَحَقَّ عِقَابٍ ﴿٤°﴾ وَمَا يَنْظُرُ هَؤُلَاءٍ إِلَّ صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً مَّالَهَا
مِنْ فَوَاقٍ ﴿١٥﴾ وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا عَجِّلُ لَّنَا قِطّنَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ ﴿١٦)

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Surah Şad : 38 : 1 - 16
Sad. By the Qur'an, (the book) of advice, (this is true,)
[1] but those who disbelieve are (involved) in false pride
and opposition. [2] How many a generation We have
destroyed before them, so they cried out (for mercy),
while no time was left for having refuge. [3] And they
wonder that a warner has come to them from among
themselves. And the disbelievers say, " This is a
magician, a sheer liar. [4] Has he (not) turned all the
gods into a single God? Certainly, it is a very strange
thing." [5] And the leaders among them went forth
saying (to their followers)," Walk away (from the
Prophet) and stay firm on (adhering to) your gods. This
(call of the Prophet) is surely something designed (for
his personal benefit). [6] We never heard of it in the
former faith (of ours). This is nothing but a false
invention. [7] Is it (believable) that the message of
advice has been sent down to him (alone) from among
all of us?"_ The fact is that they are in doubt about My
message; rather, they have not yet tasted My
punishment. [8] Do they have the treasures of the mercy
of your Lord, the Mighty, the Bountiful? [9] Or do they
have the ownership of the heavens and the earth and
what lies between them? Then let them ascend (to the
sky) by ropes. [10] What is there (in Makkah) is just a
host of the (opposing) groups that has to be defeated.
[11] Even before them, the people of Nuh and 'Ad and
Fir'aun (Pharaoh), the man of stakes, [12] and Thamud
and the people of Lut and the people of Aykah have
rejected (the messengers). They were the (strong)
groups. [13] All of them did nothing but declare the
messengers as liars; hence, My punishment became due.
[14] And these people are waiting for nothing but for a
single Cry (the sound of the Trumpet to be blown on the
Doomsday) that will have no pause. [15] And they say, "
O our Lord, give us our share (of the punishment)
sooner, before the Day of Reckoning." [16]
Commentary
The background of the revelation
The background of the revelation of the initial verses of this Surah
was that Abu Talib, the uncle of the Holy Prophet af was doing his best
as his guardian, despite that he had not yet embraced Islam. When he fell
sick, the chiefs of the tribe of Quraish held a consultative meeting in
which Abu Jahl, 'As Ibn Wa'il, Aswad Ibn Muttalib, Aswad Ibn 'Abd
Yaghuth and several other chiefs participated. They discussed the

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Surah Şad : 38 : 1 - 16
situation they faced. Abu Talib was sick. If he were to pass away and they
were to take some strong action against the Holy Prophet w to restrain
his activities in favor of promoting his new faith, the people of Arabia will
throw taunts at them and say, 'Here are these people who could do
nothing against him while his uncle Abu Talib was alive while, now when
he has died, they have stood up against him as their target. So, they came
to the conclusion that they should decide this thing about Muhammad
while Abu Talib was still alive, so that he would stop speaking ill about
their objects of worship.
Accordingly, these people came to Abu Talib and said to him that his
nephew spoke ill of their objects of worship. They appealed to his sense of
justice, and asked him to tell his nephew that he was free to worship any
god he liked, but say nothing against their objects of worship. The truth
of the matter was that the Holy Prophet
himself did not say about
these idols anything more than that they were insensate and lifeless.
They were not their creators, nor their sustainers, and that nothing that
could benefit or harm them was in their control. Abu Talib asked the Holy
Prophet to come in the meeting. To him, he said, 'My dear nephew,
these people are complaining about you that you speak ill of their objects
of worship. Leave them on their faith and, on your part, you keep
worshiping your God.' People from the Quraish also kept making their
comments following it.
Finally, the Holy Prophet *
said, 'My dear uncle, should I not be
inviting them to something that is better for them?' Abu Talib said, 'What
thing is that?' He said, 'I want them to say a particular kalimah
(statement) by virtue of which the whole Arabia will be at their feet, and
they will become masters of the non-Arab lands beyond it.' Thereupon,
Abu Jahl said, 'Tell us. What that kalimah is? By your father, not simply
one kalimah, we are ready to say ten of them.' To this he replied, 'Just
say: Aný Ný (la ilaha il-lal-lah: There is no god (worthy of worship) but
Allah). Hearing this, all of them rose to leave saying, 'Are we supposed to
leave all objects of worship we have, and take to just one? This is
something very strange.' It was on this occasion that these verses of
Surah Şad were revealed. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, pp. 27, 28 v. 4)
In verse 6, it was said: ... ◌ْوَانْطَلَقَ الْمَلَأُ مِنْهُم (And the leaders among them
went forth saying (to their followers)," Walk away (from the Prophet) and

500
Surah Şad : 38 : 1 - 16
stay firm on (adhering to) your gods - 12). This is pointing out to the event
mentioned above that, once they heard the call to pure monotheism
(tauhid), they left the meeting.
and Fir'aun, the man of the stakes - 12). The literal) وَفِرُعَوُنُ ذُوالَاوُتَادٍ
meaning of this expression appearing in verse 12 is 'Pharaoh of the stakes
or pegs'. The commentators have explained this phrase in different ways.
Some of them have said that this phrase refers to the stability of his
dominion, and the sense is that the stakes or pegs of his kingdom were
well-rooted in his country. Maulana Thanavi has translated the phrase
according to this explanation. Some others have said that he used to
punish people by making them lie flat on the ground and driving stakes
or pegs through their hands and feet, and on top of that, he would have
snakes and scorpions released over the victim's body. Still others have
said that he used to play some kind of a game with ropes and pegs and
then, there are those who say that 'al-autad' or pegs means buildings for
he had set up very strong structures (Tafsir Qurțubi). Pure is Allah who
knows best.
They were the [strong] groups. - 38:13) One explanation) أُولَئِكَ الْأَحْزَابُ
of this statement is that it is the description of the word 'groups' in verse
11. In other words, 'these are the groups or Confederates that have been
pointed out in this verse.' Maulana Thanavi has gone by this Tafsir in his
explanation of the verse. But, other commentators explain it in the sense
that actually they were the groups that were really strong, not these
people of Makkah. In other words, those who possessed real strength and
power were the people of Nuh and 'Ad and Thamud and others like them.
Compared with them, the Mushriks of Makkah were nothing. When such
powerful people could not escape Divine punishment, they would hardly
count. (Qurțubi)
The word:ٌفَوَاق (fawaq) in verse 15:ِمَالَهَا مِنٌ فَوَاق (that will have no
pause.) is used in Arabic to convey several meanings. To begin with,
'fawaq' is the period of time that intervenes between milking an animal
and creation of milk in its teats once again. Then, it also means 'comfort.'
Whatever the case, the sense is that the Horn (Sur) blown by Sayyidna
Israfil Se would be so continuous that there will be no pause in it.
(Qurțubi)

501
Sūrah Şad : 38 : 17 - 20
us u jas (O our Lord, give us our share [of the punishment] sooner, -
38:16 ). The word: Lt (qitt) used here is, in reality, the document through
which someone has been promised with a reward. Later, this word came
to be used also as a 'share' in an absolute sense. Here, this very sense is
meant, that is, 'let us have whatever share is coming to us from the
reward and punishment of the Hereafter right here in this world.'
Verses 17 - 20
إِصْبِرُ عَلى مَايَقُوُلُونَ وَاذْكُرُ عَبْدَنَا دَاوُدَ ذَا الْإِيْدِّ إِنَّةَ أَوَّابٌ ﴿١٧) إِنَّا
سَخَّرْنَا الْجِبَالَ مَعَهْ يُسَبِّحْنَ بِالْعَشِيّ وَ الْإِشْرَاقِ ﴿١٨﴾ وَالطَّيْرَ
مَحْشُوْرَةً * كُلُّ لَّهَ آَوَّابٌ ﴿١٩﴾ وَشَدَدْنَا مُلْكَهُ وَاتَيْنُهُ الْحِكُمَةَ
وَفَصُلَ الْخِطَابِ ﴿٢٠﴾
Bear patiently with what they say, and remember Our
slave Dawud, the man of might. Surely he was
ever-turning to Allah. [17] We had subjugated the
mountains to join him (in) making tasbih (i.e.
pronouncing Allah's purity) at evening and sunrise, [18]
and the birds as well, mustered together. All were
turning to Allah with him. [19] And We made his
kingdom strong, and gave him wisdom and decisive
speech. [20]
Commentary
It was said in verse 17: ◌ِوَاذْكُرُ عَبْدَنَا دَاؤدَ ذَا الْأَيُد (and remember Our servant,
Dawud, the man of might). Nearly all commentators have explained it in
the sense that he used to demonstrate great courage and strength during
the course of his acts of worship ('ibadah), therefore, soon after it, comes
the sentence: ' (Surely, he was ever-turning to Allah - 38:17).
Accordingly, in a Hadith of the Sahihayn (al-Bukhari and Muslim), the Holy
Prophet
isto
said: "In sight of Allah, the most liked Salah is the Salah of
Dawud &# and the most liked fasts are the fasts of Dawud Sekl. He
would sleep half a night, worship a third of it, and then sleep during the
sixth part, and would fast one day and remain without fast on the other;
and when he confronted the enemy, he would never desert the battlefield;
and, without any doubt, he turned to Allah sincerely and profusely."
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir)