Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 11–21

39. Az-Zumar · The Groups

Makkan75 verses

قُلْ إِنِّىٓ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصًۭا لَّهُ ٱلدِّينَ

39:11Say, ‘I have been commanded to worship Allah with exclusive faith in Him,

وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

39:12and I have been commanded to be the foremost of those who submit [to Him].’

قُلْ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّى عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍۢ

39:13Say, ‘Indeed, should I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a tremendous day.’1

قُلِ ٱللَّهَ أَعْبُدُ مُخْلِصًۭا لَّهُۥ دِينِى

39:14Say, ‘I worship [only] Allah, putting my exclusive faith in Him.

فَٱعْبُدُوا۟ مَا شِئْتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَهْلِيهِمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۗ أَلَا ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْخُسْرَانُ ٱلْمُبِينُ

39:15You worship whatever you wish besides Him.’ Say, ‘The losers are those who ruin themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection.’ Indeed, that is a manifest loss!2

لَهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ ظُلَلٌۭ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ وَمِن تَحْتِهِمْ ظُلَلٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ يُخَوِّفُ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ عِبَادَهُۥ ۚ يَٰعِبَادِ فَٱتَّقُونِ

39:16There will be canopies of fire above them, and [similar] canopies beneath them. With that Allah deters His servants. So, My servants, be wary of Me!

وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱجْتَنَبُوا۟ ٱلطَّٰغُوتَ أَن يَعْبُدُوهَا وَأَنَابُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ لَهُمُ ٱلْبُشْرَىٰ ۚ فَبَشِّرْ عِبَادِ

39:17As for those who stay clear of the worship of fake deities and turn penitently to Allah, there is good news for them. So give good news to My servants

ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ ٱلْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُۥٓ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ هَدَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمْ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ

39:18who listen to the word [of Allah] and follow the best [interpretation] of it. They are the ones whom Allah has guided, and it is they who possess intellect.*

أَفَمَنْ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ كَلِمَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ أَفَأَنتَ تُنقِذُ مَن فِى ٱلنَّارِ

39:19Can he against whom the word of punishment has become due…? Can you rescue someone who is in the Fire?

لَٰكِنِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ رَبَّهُمْ لَهُمْ غُرَفٌۭ مِّن فَوْقِهَا غُرَفٌۭ مَّبْنِيَّةٌۭ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ ۖ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمِيعَادَ

39:20But as for those who are wary of their Lord, for them there will be lofty abodes with [other] lofty abodes built above them, with streams running beneath them—a promise of Allah. Allah does not break His promise.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ فَسَلَكَهُۥ يَنَٰبِيعَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِۦ زَرْعًۭا مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَٰنُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصْفَرًّۭا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُۥ حُطَٰمًا ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ

39:21Have you not seen that Allah sends down water from the sky, then He conducts it through the ground as springs. Then He brings forth with it crops of diverse hues. Then they wither and you see them turn yellow. Then He turns them into chaff. There is indeed a lesson in that for those who possess intellect.

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 18

1.The excellent character of a man is that he should be attentive and then take decision concerning what is good and then follow it. He should not follow blindly everything and he should not become heedless and act according to his wishes and not listen to others. And when this perfection would be created in him that he would listen and would follow what is good in the world, then automatically he would become a true Muslim having perfect faith in God. No speech is better than Allah the exalted and full perfection is that he would follow the commands and would not exceed his limit nor deviate from it.

Verse 21

2.Allah, the Lord of Universe has mentioned about water very often that the water is an original existence of mankind, water is the life source of human beings. The greatest discrimination is that besides having an abundant collection it keeps good effects and benefits but if a man cannot be thankful to Allah then how will he be grateful for other favors of Allah that do not even deem valuable and important in his sight.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    It is the perfection of the feeling and servitude that the servant should not become proud of his superiority. And he should remember that he is a servant in any case. And whatever I have is bestowed by that Master. He bestows in goodness. And also punishes disobedience.

  2. 2

    It does not denote that divine chastisement is imaginary and that it is mentioned only to put fear into the creatures. The Almighty can never resort to false statements. The clear meaning is that chastisement is a reality and its repeated mention is only to warn you and to save you from it. Otherwise He has the right to punish you without warning. And to think that it does not behove the most Merciful God to punish His weak servant is explained in the way that it does not behove the weak servant to disobey the Powerful and punishment-dispensing God. On the basis of which power does he dare to commit such a blatant act? Thus if he can disobey, He can punish him.

  3. Benefit

    The 18th ayat is a good example of freedom of thought and opinion in Islam. Although if like the deviated books if something proves to be poisonous its freedom shall be restrained. Because the freedom of thought and expression does not mean uncontrolled destruction.