Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 21–26

14. Ibrahim · Abraham

Makkan52 verses

وَبَرَزُوا۟ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا فَقَالَ ٱلضُّعَفَٰٓؤُا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًۭا فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّغْنُونَ عَنَّا مِنْ عَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍۢ ۚ قَالُوا۟ لَوْ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ لَهَدَيْنَٰكُمْ ۖ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْنَآ أَجَزِعْنَآ أَمْ صَبَرْنَا مَا لَنَا مِن مَّحِيصٍۢ

14:21Together they will be presented before Allah. Then those who were weak will say to the arrogant [leaders], ‘Indeed we were your followers. So will you avail us against Allah’s punishment in any wise?’ They will say, ‘Had Allah guided us, surely we would have guided you. It is the same to us whether we are restless or patient: there is no escape for us.’12

وَقَالَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ لَمَّا قُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ ٱلْحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِىَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن سُلْطَٰنٍ إِلَّآ أَن دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَٱسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِى ۖ فَلَا تَلُومُونِى وَلُومُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُم ۖ مَّآ أَنَا۠ بِمُصْرِخِكُمْ وَمَآ أَنتُم بِمُصْرِخِىَّ ۖ إِنِّى كَفَرْتُ بِمَآ أَشْرَكْتُمُونِ مِن قَبْلُ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ

14:22When the matter is all over, Satan will say, ‘Indeed Allah made you a promise that was true and I [too] made you a promise, but I failed you. I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot respond to your distress calls, neither can you respond to my distress calls. Indeed I disavow your taking me for [Allah’s] partner aforetime. There is indeed a painful punishment for the wrongdoers.’3

وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ تَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَٰمٌ

14:23Those who have faith and do righteous deeds will be admitted into gardens with streams running in them, to remain in them [forever], by the leave of their Lord. Their greeting therein will be ‘Peace!’

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا كَلِمَةًۭ طَيِّبَةًۭ كَشَجَرَةٍۢ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌۭ وَفَرْعُهَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ

14:24Have you not regarded how Allah has drawn a parable? A good word is like a good tree: its roots are steady and its branches are in the sky.4

تُؤْتِىٓ أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍۭ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا ۗ وَيَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

14:25It gives its fruit every season by the leave of its Lord. Allah draws these parables for mankind so that they may take admonition.

وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍۢ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ ٱجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ ٱلْأَرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍۢ

14:26And the parable of a bad word is that of a bad tree: uprooted from the ground, it has no stability.5

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 22

1.The Quran has mentioned the accursed Shaitan many times in different ways. Sometimes it has mentioned about Shaitan and human beings and other times it says about Jinns and Iblees. In some places Quran has mentioned about Shaitan as an invisible stranger that he sees you but you can’t see him. Elsewhere it is mentioned about Prophet and Shaitans and scandal-mongerers of Shaitan and in other places mentioned about Shaitan’s deceit and craftiness. It is absolutely clarified that Shaitan is real and his work is to deceive everybody. The duty of believers is to protect themselves from his craftiness and this is not possible without fear of Allah. Knowledge and wisdom without fear of God are perils to man that external acts cannot compete with hidden desires and doubts.

Verse 24

2.According to some commentators Good Word is the creed of Allah’s unity and this is also true, but all Islamic creeds come under this circle whose foundation is the word of Allah’s oneness and the word of truth.

Verse 25

3.The tree of truth or the word of truth and not like seasonal trees that yields fruits in one season and are dry in another. It is a tree that yields fruits in all seasons in every era and human beings utilize it and take advantage of it, and these utilizations have made it a Good word. Just as their loss has made the word of polytheism the dirty word which has no stability and can be removed and thrown away with ease. Just as the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) removed it from whole of Arabia within 23 years and made the foundation of the Good word.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    Barwazo Zuhur with regard to Allah does not mean the Zuhur of His knowledge. It denotes the conditions when the oppressors will realize that they are in the presence of Allah. and there is no possibility of hiding anything.. That is why argument begins among themselves. And Allah has also given them the power of speech so that they can see and understand the fates of each other.

  2. 1

    This is a past tense but it denotes the future, i.e. the fields of Mahshar. Because when something is certain it is sometimes mentioned in the past tense also. In this way its certainty is established and emphasized.

  3. 2

    This guidance refers to salvation. That is if we are saved from this punishment we would have guided you also towards this path.

  4. 3

    Suraakh is entreaty and Masrookh is one to whom one entreats. There would be such severe conditions in Qiyamat that neither the leaders shall help their followers nor the followers can help their leaders. Each of them would have to account for their own deeds.

  5. 4

    The traditions have explained Shajra Tayyiba (the good tree), that its root is the Holy Prophet (s.a. w.s.) and Ali (a.s.) is the branch and the Imams (a.s.) are its fruits and Shias are its leaves. This tree is having all the qualities mentioned in the ayats. Its base is solid and the branches are heavenly, fruits are perennial and benefits everlasting. Its benefit is according to the permission of Allah and all its parts function under co-coordinated system.

  6. 5

    The bad word is that which is harmful to humanity, whether uttered by a Muslim or a Kafir. On the basis all the words from polytheism, lies, deviation, vain Talk and others denote Kalam-e-Khabeetha. They only cause harm to man. An advisor had truly said to Tagore that, “Indeed you are a good poet, but you are writing songs when the house is on fire. Can your melodies satiate a hungry person or cure a sick?