Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 8–16

40. Ghafir · The Forgiver

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رَبَّنَا وَأَدْخِلْهُمْ جَنَّٰتِ عَدْنٍ ٱلَّتِى وَعَدتَّهُمْ وَمَن صَلَحَ مِنْ ءَابَآئِهِمْ وَأَزْوَٰجِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّٰتِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

40:8Our Lord! Admit them into the Gardens of Eden, which You have promised them, along with whoever is righteous among their forebears, their spouses and their descendants. Indeed You are the All-mighty, the All-wise.1

وَقِهِمُ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ ۚ وَمَن تَقِ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ فَقَدْ رَحِمْتَهُۥ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

40:9Save them from the ills [of the Day of Retribution]; and whomever You save from the ills that day, You will have had mercy upon him, and that is the great triumph.’

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُنَادَوْنَ لَمَقْتُ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ مِن مَّقْتِكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ إِذْ تُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى ٱلْإِيمَٰنِ فَتَكْفُرُونَ

40:10It will be proclaimed to the faithless: ‘Surely, Allah’s outrage [towards you] is greater than your outrage towards yourselves, as you were invited to faith, but you disbelieved.’

قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ أَمَتَّنَا ٱثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا ٱثْنَتَيْنِ فَٱعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا فَهَلْ إِلَىٰ خُرُوجٍۢ مِّن سَبِيلٍۢ

40:11They will say, ‘Our Lord! Twice did You make us die, and twice did You give us life. We admit our sins. Is there any way out [from this plight]?’2

ذَٰلِكُم بِأَنَّهُۥٓ إِذَا دُعِىَ ٱللَّهُ وَحْدَهُۥ كَفَرْتُمْ ۖ وَإِن يُشْرَكْ بِهِۦ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ فَٱلْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْعَلِىِّ ٱلْكَبِيرِ

40:12[They will be told,] ‘This [plight of yours] is because, when Allah was invoked alone, you would disbelieve, but if partners were ascribed to Him you would believe. So the judgment belongs to Allah, the All-exalted, the All-great.’

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُرِيكُمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزْقًۭا ۚ وَمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ إِلَّا مَن يُنِيبُ

40:13It is He who shows you His signs and sends down provision for you from the sky. Yet no one takes admonition except those who return penitently [to Allah].

فَٱدْعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ

40:14So supplicate Allah, putting exclusive faith in Him, though the faithless should be averse.

رَفِيعُ ٱلدَّرَجَٰتِ ذُو ٱلْعَرْشِ يُلْقِى ٱلرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِۦ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ لِيُنذِرَ يَوْمَ ٱلتَّلَاقِ

40:15Raiser of ranks, Lord of the Throne, He casts the Spirit of His command upon whomever of His servants that He wishes, that he may warn [people] of the Day of Encounter.3

يَوْمَ هُم بَٰرِزُونَ ۖ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَىْءٌۭ ۚ لِّمَنِ ٱلْمُلْكُ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۖ لِلَّهِ ٱلْوَٰحِدِ ٱلْقَهَّارِ

40:16The day when they will emerge [from their graves], nothing about them will be hidden from Allah. ‘To whom does the sovereignty belong today?’ ‘To Allah, the One, the All-paramount!’

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 14

1.The greatest sincerity of prayer is that a man should not worry that other people like prayer or not. If this idea is created in the mind sincerity will be hurt and if this thought becomes firm then virtuous deeds would be ruined. Some scholars have pointed towards this point also that if a man in fear of hypocrisy, does his work in hiding from people that they would taunt him, then this is also a kind of hypocrisy because a man is subdued in the mind and has no respect of Allah. Otherwise if he were a sincere and pious believer in Allah, he would act freely and if Allah ordains him to act freely among people, he would do that and if Allah ordained him to act secretly, he would move to the unknown comers. His stimulus of deeds and thought is not people or their praise. On the contrary the motion of his deeds would only be to obey Allah whether people approve or disapprove of his actions.

Verse 15

2.No doubt Allah is the Exalter. He grants greatness to whomsoever He likes. He sees ability of His believers, He draws them near to Him. And if He sees someone worthy He raises him on the shoulders of the one who had gone to Me’raj [Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)].

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    The beginning of this dua is always with the word ‘O Lord’ that it is the most beautiful relationship between the Master and the servant. The inmates of heaven have given the believers four kinds of prayers, each of whom holds a singular importance.

  2. 1

    This shows that the decision of Paradise will be on the basis of righteousness and good deeds and not on the basis of relationships.

  3. 2

    Some commentators say that the first death means the death in the mother’s womb before coming of life and the second is after one dies and in the same way the first life is the life of this world and the second means the life of Qiyamat.

    Benefit: The 11th ayat, according to some people refers to the life of Barzakh and Mahshar. And it is the death of the world and Barzakh. Because there was death in the mother’s womb but it is not the application of ‘Put to death.’ Thus to consider it to be so is against the apparent meaning.

  4. 3

    The Lord of the Worlds is greatest also from the aspect of His Being, and also from the aspect of the status of others He is the One who raises their positions. As man becomes closer to His recognition his status becomes higher. Here Rooh is the revelation of Allah which is indeed the spirit and life of the Universe and on its basis the whole universe is seen to survive; otherwise without it man would have become extinct long ago.