Verses 36–45
21. Al-Anbiyaa · The Prophets
Makkan112 verses
وَإِذَا رَءَاكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلَّا هُزُوًا أَهَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى يَذْكُرُ ءَالِهَتَكُمْ وَهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ هُمْ كَٰفِرُونَ
21:36Whenever the faithless see you they only take you in derision: ‘Is this the one who remembers your gods?’ while they remain defiant towards the remembrance of the All-beneficent.
خُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مِنْ عَجَلٍۢ ۚ سَأُو۟رِيكُمْ ءَايَٰتِى فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ
21:37Man is a creature of haste. Soon I will show you My signs. So do not ask Me to hasten.1
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
21:38And they say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, if you are truthful?’
لَوْ يَعْلَمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ حِينَ لَا يَكُفُّونَ عَن وُجُوهِهِمُ ٱلنَّارَ وَلَا عَن ظُهُورِهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
21:39If only the faithless knew about the time when they will not be able to keep the Fire off their faces and their backs, nor will they be helped!
بَلْ تَأْتِيهِم بَغْتَةًۭ فَتَبْهَتُهُمْ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ رَدَّهَا وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ
21:40Indeed, it will overtake them suddenly, dumbfounding them. So they will neither be able to avert it, nor will they be granted any respite.
وَلَقَدِ ٱسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِٱلَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
21:41Apostles were certainly derided before you; but those who ridiculed them were besieged by what they had been deriding.
قُلْ مَن يَكْلَؤُكُم بِٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ مِنَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ۗ بَلْ هُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّهِم مُّعْرِضُونَ
21:42Say, ‘Who can guard you, day and night, against [the punishment of] the All-beneficent [should He want to punish you]?’ Indeed, they are disregardful of their Lord’s remembrance.
أَمْ لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌۭ تَمْنَعُهُم مِّن دُونِنَا ۚ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَا هُم مِّنَّا يُصْحَبُونَ
21:43Do they have gods besides Us to defend them? Neither can they help themselves, nor can they shield [the idolaters] from Us.2
بَلْ مَتَّعْنَا هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَءَابَآءَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ طَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْعُمُرُ ۗ أَفَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّا نَأْتِى ٱلْأَرْضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَآ ۚ أَفَهُمُ ٱلْغَٰلِبُونَ
21:44Indeed, We have provided for them and their fathers until they lived on for long years. Do they not see how We visit the land diminishing it at its edges? Are they the ones who will prevail?
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أُنذِرُكُم بِٱلْوَحْىِ ۚ وَلَا يَسْمَعُ ٱلصُّمُّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا مَا يُنذَرُونَ
21:45Say, ‘I indeed warn you by the means of revelation.’ But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned.3
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 36
1.The disbelievers have no other weapon hence instead of giving answer of these arguments they make mockery and fun and reject the truth in this manner. They become entirely ignorant that this habit of making fun and mockery shapes their personality as jesters. Indeed you have seen that those who are expert at joking, they consider themselves as comedians and seek to entertain at all times. They are not given the status of solemnity of any kind. Allah has made a law that a community who had made fun of their apostle has to face the same state of affairs. They would be made fun of in the manner they were afflicting others.
Verse 44
2.The limit of their foolishness is that, they witness the Mastery of God in their daily lives yet they do not reflect upon their status.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
The infidels had denied faith in the Beneficent Lord but when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) denied the divinity of their idols, they were astonished. But actually love is something which makes one blind and deaf.
- 1
Ujlat: To do something before its time. Sur-at means the completion of a work at its earliest time. That is the reason that Sur-at is desirable in charitable deeds. According to some commentators man is by nature impatient. Although this is not applicable to everyone. Intelligent people deliberate and think before they take any step. It is rather the characteristic of unjust people and oppressors who due to lack of patience perform every work before its time. We should abstain from such oppressive behaviour.
- 2
The commentators have mentioned many meanings of this word but the correct meaning is to give refuge to one whom he takes up. And it was the idiom of the Arabs. Benefit: The defect of the earth could be the defect of its dusty nature or it could be the defect of the intellectuals and scholars. Because of the deficiency of people earth itself is said to be deficient.
Benefit
The accurate accounting on the Day of Judgement is apparent from the fact that it will have a balance and that too a just balance. There is no scope of injustice in it. There will be no injustice on anything. Not even equal to a mustard seed. Allah is sufficient for taking the account.
- 3
Those who do not listen to truth are called deaf in Quranic terminology even though they have proper ears.