Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 19–29

47. Muhammad · Muhammad

Madinan38 verses

فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنۢبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمْ وَمَثْوَىٰكُمْ

47:19Know that there is no god except Allah, and plead [to Allah] for forgiveness of your sin and for the faithful, men and women. Allah knows your itinerary and your [final] abode.12

وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَوْلَا نُزِّلَتْ سُورَةٌۭ ۖ فَإِذَآ أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌۭ مُّحْكَمَةٌۭ وَذُكِرَ فِيهَا ٱلْقِتَالُ ۙ رَأَيْتَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌۭ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ نَظَرَ ٱلْمَغْشِىِّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ فَأَوْلَىٰ لَهُمْ

47:20The faithful say, ‘If only a surah were sent down!’ But when a conclusive surah is sent down and war is mentioned in it, you see those in whose hearts is a sickness looking upon you with the look of someone fainting at death. So woe to them!34

طَاعَةٌۭ وَقَوْلٌۭ مَّعْرُوفٌۭ ۚ فَإِذَا عَزَمَ ٱلْأَمْرُ فَلَوْ صَدَقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَكَانَ خَيْرًۭا لَّهُمْ

47:21Obedience and upright speech.... So when the matter has been resolved upon [concerning going to war], if they remain true to Allah that will surely be better for them.5

فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَن تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوٓا۟ أَرْحَامَكُمْ

47:22May it not be that if you were to wield authority you would cause corruption in the land and ill-treat your blood relations?

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ فَأَصَمَّهُمْ وَأَعْمَىٰٓ أَبْصَٰرَهُمْ

47:23They are the ones whom Allah has cursed, so He made them deaf, and blinded their sight.

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَآ

47:24Do they not contemplate the Quran, or are there locks on the hearts?7

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱرْتَدُّوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَدْبَٰرِهِم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلْهُدَى ۙ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ سَوَّلَ لَهُمْ وَأَمْلَىٰ لَهُمْ

47:25Indeed those who turned their backs after the guidance had become clear to them, it was Satan who had seduced them, and he had given them [far-flung] hopes.6

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ كَرِهُوا۟ مَا نَزَّلَ ٱللَّهُ سَنُطِيعُكُمْ فِى بَعْضِ ٱلْأَمْرِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِسْرَارَهُمْ

47:26That is because they said to those who loathed what Allah had sent down: ‘We shall obey you in some matters,’ and Allah knows their secret dealings.

فَكَيْفَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَٰرَهُمْ

47:27But how will it be [with them] when the angels take them away, striking their faces and their backs?!*

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ مَآ أَسْخَطَ ٱللَّهَ وَكَرِهُوا۟ رِضْوَٰنَهُۥ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ

47:28That, because they pursued what displeased Allah, and loathed His pleasure. So He has made their works fail.

أَمْ حَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ أَن لَّن يُخْرِجَ ٱللَّهُ أَضْغَٰنَهُمْ

47:29Do those in whose hearts is a sickness suppose that Allah will not expose their spite?

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 20

1.Jihad and Belief are two necessary realities and it is not possible that one should be a believer but without an ardent desire for Jihad. Because Jihad denotes the spending of all the capacities in the way of Allah whether it be on the battlefield or any other occasion. The true faith in Allah implies that one should be ready to offer whatever Allah has bestowed on him. Otherwise it is possible that flight from the battlefield would be a sign of absence of faith. As mentioned by Ali (a.s.) in the battle of Uhud that would I have embraced infidelity after accepting faith by fleeing from the battlefield? Actually Jihad is the dividing line between belief and hypocrisy. The hypocrite can excel a believer in raising slogans and also may be ahead in offering prayers but he cannot exhibit steadfastness in the battlefield because he has embraced Islam to live and not to give sacrifices. So how can he prepare to die and how can he perform Jihad the way it has to be?

Verse 28

2.There are two major causes for the destruction of the deeds of people: (i) The person starts performing the things disliked by Allah. (ii) He dislikes those things liked by Allah and that which earns His pleasure. One should consider these two as the standards and one must evaluate his deeds on this scale. He should be able to decide about his hereafter himself and he should not be in any kind of misunderstanding because the Shaitan always intends to keep the people in misunderstandng and through this he tries to deviate them from the path of faith and good deeds.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    Those who have disease in the heart. It is a Quranic term for the polytheists. To apply it for weak believers is against the import and terminology of Quran.

  2. 1

    Mutakallib - The coming and going in the affairs of the world.

  3. 2

    Maswa - The stage of comfort and peace.

  4. 3

    Surah Mohkama - The Surah which contains a clear command of Jihad. This condition was an effort to escape by hypocrites, just like the people of world prescribe the condition of ‘with due honour’ with every peace treaty so that they may deny it if need arises.

  5. 4

    Uola here means wael and destruction.

  6. 5

    It is a proper sentence that it would have been better for the hypocrites to forgo hypocrisy and excuses and obey Allah and speak proper things.

  7. 7

    When the hypocrites come before you they bring hypocrisy and when they return, they return with the intentions of conspiracies. Therefore the angels will thrash them at the faces and backs and punish them according to their character because in the divine system the punishment is as per the deed.

  8. 6

    Shaitan has enlarged their hopes and kept them in deceit.

  9. Benefit

    In the 24th ayat invitation is towards ‘Tadabbur Fil Quran’ just as on other places there is invitation for Tafakkur and the apparent difference in both of them is that Tafakkur is contemplation on causes and origin and Tadabbur is to consider the results and consequences.