Verses 50–63
43. Az-Zukhruf · Ornaments of gold
Makkan89 verses
فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ إِذَا هُمْ يَنكُثُونَ
43:50But when We lifted the punishment from them, behold, they would break their pledge.
وَنَادَىٰ فِرْعَوْنُ فِى قَوْمِهِۦ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ أَلَيْسَ لِى مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهَٰذِهِ ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِىٓ ۖ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ
43:51And Pharaoh proclaimed to his people, saying, ‘O my people! Do not the kingdom of Egypt and these rivers that run at my feet belong to me? Do you not perceive?*
أَمْ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌۭ مِّنْ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى هُوَ مَهِينٌۭ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ
43:52Am I not better than this wretch who cannot even speak clearly?1
فَلَوْلَآ أُلْقِىَ عَلَيْهِ أَسْوِرَةٌۭ مِّن ذَهَبٍ أَوْ جَآءَ مَعَهُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِينَ
43:53Why no bracelets of gold have been thrown to him, nor any angels accompany him as escorts?’
فَٱسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُۥ فَأَطَاعُوهُ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًۭا فَٰسِقِينَ
43:54Thus did he mislead his people and they obeyed him. Indeed, they were a transgressing lot.
فَلَمَّآ ءَاسَفُونَا ٱنتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَٰهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
43:55So when they roused Our wrath, We took vengeance on them and drowned them all.
فَجَعَلْنَٰهُمْ سَلَفًۭا وَمَثَلًۭا لِّلْءَاخِرِينَ
43:56Thus We made them the vanguard and an example for posterity.
۞ وَلَمَّا ضُرِبَ ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ مَثَلًا إِذَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْهُ يَصِدُّونَ
43:57When the Son of Mary was cited as an example, behold, your people raise an outcry.
وَقَالُوٓا۟ ءَأَٰلِهَتُنَا خَيْرٌ أَمْ هُوَ ۚ مَا ضَرَبُوهُ لَكَ إِلَّا جَدَلًۢا ۚ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ خَصِمُونَ
43:58They say, ‘Are our gods better or he?’ They cite him to you only for the sake of contention. Indeed, they are a contentious lot.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلْنَٰهُ مَثَلًۭا لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ
43:59He was just a servant whom We had blessed and made an exemplar for the Children of Israel.2
وَلَوْ نَشَآءُ لَجَعَلْنَا مِنكُم مَّلَٰٓئِكَةًۭ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَخْلُفُونَ
43:60Had We wished We would have set angels in your stead to be [your] successors on the earth.*
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَعِلْمٌۭ لِّلسَّاعَةِ فَلَا تَمْتَرُنَّ بِهَا وَٱتَّبِعُونِ ۚ هَٰذَا صِرَٰطٌۭ مُّسْتَقِيمٌۭ
43:61[Say,] ‘Indeed he is a portent of the Hour; so do not doubt it and follow me. This is a straight path.3
وَلَا يَصُدَّنَّكُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّۭ مُّبِينٌۭ
43:62Do not let Satan bar you [from the way of Allah]. Indeed he is your manifest enemy.’
وَلَمَّا جَآءَ عِيسَىٰ بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ قَالَ قَدْ جِئْتُكُم بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ وَلِأُبَيِّنَ لَكُم بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى تَخْتَلِفُونَ فِيهِ ۖ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ
43:63When Jesus brought those manifest proofs, he said, ‘I have certainly brought you wisdom, and [I have come] to make clear to you some of the things that you differ about. So be wary of Allah and obey me.4
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 51
1.The people of falsehood have nothing except the materialistic provisions and they want people to accept their statements only through this. The infidels of Quraysh also taunted poverty and the condition of materialism. So Allah repeated the parable of Moosa (a.s.) that Firon also did the same before you and you know the result of Firon. Therefore do not talk of foolishness and start observing the truths and field of knowledge than thinking of poverty and monuments.
Verse 57
2.The view of this question is when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) recited the Ayat that you and your Lords will be the fuel of the fire. So Ibne Zubari said: See he has made Isa bin Maryam also hellish and started making noise so people could not hear the answer of Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.s.). It is clear that his intention was not to clarify the command of Allah. He wanted to raise a controversy and wanted to make this affair doubtful because his temperament was such. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) announced the prayer of Isa (a.s.) and said: O foolish! The Holy Quran has said: ‘Ma Tabdoon’ and it is used for idol worshipping. It does not mean Isa (a.s.) or angels. Those all are idols and people believed as gods. These personalities worship Allah more than the people. This is the sign of wisdom.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
In 51st ayat the Nile is called Anhaar (streams) because 360 streams flowed from it and they watered all the area and the whole area depended upon them. It flowed by Firon’s palace. ‘Ayat’ denotes miracle that the Prophets presented in different ways and Allah had made both miracle and punishment as means of guidance but the people did not come to the right path.
- 1
It is the stuttering of Moosa (a.s.) that he could not even speak clearly and he was from a poor class.
- 2
How different is the style of truth and falsehood that truth raises the level of thought of the people and intends to take them from idols to the Almighty Allah and falsehood desires to take them from Almighty to stones and materialism. Firon wanted to befool the people and acquire divinity and Moosa (a.s.) was time and again inviting them to contemplate and understand. The point is that those whose arguments are weak desire to keep the people ignorant and one whose arguments are logical and rational desire to see the community educated and learned. So that the message can be completely and fully understood.
Benefit
In the 60th ayat ‘min’ is ‘instead’ that Allah can settle angels on the earth instead of you. He is not in need of your existence.
- 3
Some commentators think that this ‘pronoun’ is aimed at the Holy Quran, which has mentioned the matter of Isa (a.s.) and informed the people of the details of Qiyamat and some think that it is for Isa (a.s.) himself and he himself is the best proof of Qiyamat that the God who can create Isa (a.s.) without a father why He cannot enliven the dead.
- 4
The word Ba’az (some) shows that the actual duty of the prophet is to clarify the controversies of religion. Otherwise there are so many controversies in worldly matters that to sort out all of them is not possible in the life of any prophet. It is another thing that if the prophet gives a decision regarding worldly matter everyone has to honour it and no one can disobey it. It is surprising that the Muslim Ummah has not respected the religious decision of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) which he stated in Ghadeer Khum and became busy in worldly matters.