029- AL-ʿANKABUT

THE SPIDER 

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL

# Alif. Lām. Mīm. # Does mankind suppose that they will be left to say, “We believe,” and that they will not be tried, # though We have indeed tried those who were before them? Surely God knows those who are truthful, and surely He knows the liars. # Or do those who commit evil deeds suppose that they will outstrip Us? Evil indeed is the judgment they make! # Whosoever hopes for the meeting with God, God’s term is coming. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing. # And whosoever strives, strives only for himself. Truly God is beyond need of the worlds. # And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, We shall surely absolve them of their evil deeds, and We shall surely recompense them according to the best of that which they used to do. # And We have enjoined man to be good unto his parents. But if they urge thee to ascribe as partner unto Me that whereof thou hast no knowledge, then obey them not. Unto Me is your return, whereupon I shall inform you of that which you used to do. # And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, We shall surely cause them to enter among the righteous. # Among mankind are those who say, “We believe in God”; but if he is harmed for the sake of God, he takes persecution from men to be as God’s Punishment. Yet if help comes from thy Lord, he will surely say, “We were indeed with you.” Does God not know best what lies within the breasts of all creatures? # Surely God knows those who believe, and surely He knows the hypocrites. # Those who disbelieve say to those who believe, “Follow our path and we shall bear your sins.” But they bear not aught of their sins. Truly they are liars. # Surely they will bear their own burdens, and others’ burdens along with their own, and on the Day of Resurrection they will surely be questioned concerning that which they used to fabricate. # And indeed We sent Noah unto his people and he remained among them a thousand years, less fifty; and the flood seized them, for they were wrongdoers. # Then We saved him and the companions of the ship, and We made it a sign for the worlds. # And [We sent] Abraham, when he said to his people, “Worship God and reverence Him. That is better for you, if you but knew. # You only worship idols apart from God, and you only create perversion. Truly those whom you worship apart from God have no power over what provision may come to you. So seek your provision with God, worship Him, and be thankful to Him; unto Him shall you be returned. # But if you deny, then communities have certainly denied before you; and naught is incumbent upon the Messenger but the clear proclamation.” # Have they not considered how God originates creation, then brings it back? Truly that is easy for God. # Say, “Journey upon the earth and observe how He originated creation. Then God shall bring the next genesis into being. Truly God is Powerful over all things.” # He punishes whomsoever He will and has mercy upon whomsoever He will, and unto Him will you be returned. # You thwart not on earth, nor in Heaven; and apart from God you have no protector or helper. # Those who disbelieve in God’s signs and in the meeting with Him, they despair of My Mercy, and for them there shall be a painful punishment. # Yet the answer of his people was but to say, “Slay him, or burn him!” Then God saved him from the fire. Truly in that are signs for a people who believe. # And Abraham said, “You have taken idols apart from God on account of affection between you in the life of this world. Then on the Day of Resurrection you will disown one another, and you will curse one another; your refuge will be the Fire, and you will have no helpers.” # And Lot believed him and said, “Truly I am fleeing unto my Lord. Truly He is the Mighty, the Wise.” # And We bestowed upon him Isaac and Jacob, and We established prophethood and scripture among his progeny. We gave him his reward in this world, and in the Hereafter he shall truly be among the righteous. # And [We sent] Lot, when he said to his people, “Truly you commit indecency such as none in the worlds committed before you. # What! Do you come unto men, cut off the way, and commit reprehensible deeds in your gatherings?” Yet the answer of his people was but to say, “Bring us God’s Punishment, if you are among the truthful.” # He said, “My Lord, help me against the people who work corruption.” # And when Our envoys came unto Abraham with glad tidings, they said, “We shall surely destroy the people of this town; truly its people are wrongdoers.” # He said, “Verily, Lot is in it.” They said, “We know better who is in it. Assuredly We shall save him and his family, save for his wife; she is among those who lagged behind.” # And when Our envoys came unto Lot, he was distressed on their account; yet he was constrained from helping them. And they said, “Be not afraid, nor grieve. We shall surely save thee and thy family, save for thy wife; she is among those who lagged behind. # Truly we shall bring down upon the people of this town a torment from Heaven for having been iniquitous.” # And We indeed have left of it a manifest sign for a people who understand. # And unto Midian, [We sent] their brother Shuʿayb; he said, “O my people! Worship God and hope for the Last Day, and behave not wickedly upon the earth, working corruption.” # But they denied him, and so the earthquake seized them, and morning found them lying lifeless in their abode; # and ʿĀd, and Thamūd; [their fate] is certainly evident to you from their dwellings. Satan made their deeds seem fair unto them and thus turned them from the way, though they had been discerning; # and Korah, and Pharaoh, and Hāmān! Indeed, Moses brought them clear proofs, but they waxed arrogant upon the earth, and outstripped [Us] not. # Each We seized for his sin. Among them are some upon whom We sent a torrent of stones, and among them are some whom the Cry seized, and among them are some whom We caused the earth to engulf, and among them are some whom We drowned. God wronged them not, but themselves did they wrong. # The parable of those who take protectors apart from God is that of the spider that makes a house. Truly the frailest of houses is the spider’s house, if they but knew. # Truly God knows whatsoever they call upon apart from Him. And He is the Mighty, the Wise. # These are the parables; We set them forth for mankind. But none understand them, save those who know. # God created the heavens and the earth in truth. Surely in that is a sign for believers. # Recite that which has been revealed unto thee of the Book, and perform the prayer. Truly prayer prevents against indecency and abomination, but the remembrance of God is surely greater. And God knows whatsoever you do. # And dispute not with the People of the Book, save in the most virtuous manner, unless it be those of them who have done wrong. And say, “We believe in that which was sent down unto us and was sent down unto you; our God and your God are one, and unto Him are we submitters.” # Thus have We sent down unto thee the Book. So those unto whom We have given the Book believe in it. Among them are some who believe in it; and none reject Our signs, save the disbelievers. # And thou didst not recite before this any Book; nor didst thou write it with thy right hand, for then those who make false claims would have doubted. # Nay, it is but clear signs in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge, and none reject Our signs, save the wrongdoers. # And they say, “Why have signs not been sent down unto him from his Lord?” Say, “Signs are with God alone, and I am only a clear warner.” # Does it not suffice them that We have sent down unto thee the Book that is recited unto them? Surely in that is a mercy and a reminder for a people who believe. # Say, “God suffices as a Witness between you and me. He knows whatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth.” And those who believe in what is false and disbelieve in God, it is they who are the losers. # And they bid thee hasten the punishment. Yet were it not for a term appointed, the punishment would have come upon them. And it will surely come upon them suddenly, while they are unaware. # And they bid thee hasten the punishment. Truly Hell shall encompass the disbelievers # on the Day when the punishment will cover them from above and from beneath their feet, and We shall say, “Taste that which you used to do!” # O My servants who believe! Truly My earth is vast. So worship Me. # Every soul shall taste death. Then unto Us shall you be returned. # And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, We shall surely settle them in lofty abodes of the Garden with rivers running below, therein to abide. Excellent indeed is the reward of the workers [of righteousness], # those who are patient and trust in their Lord. ` And how many a beast bears not its own provision, yet God provides for it and for you? And He is the Hearing, the Knowing. # Wert thou to ask them, “Who created the heavens and the earth and made the sun and the moon subservient?” They would surely say, “God.” How, then, are they perverted? # God outspreads and straitens provision for whomsoever He will among His servants. Truly God is Knower of all things. # And wert thou to ask them, “Who sends down water from the sky and revives thereby the earth after its death?” They would surely say, “God.” Say, “Praise be to God!” Nay, but most of them understand not. # The life of this world is naught but diversion and play. And surely the Abode of the Hereafter is life indeed, if they but knew. # And when they board a ship, they call upon God, devoting religion entirely to Him, but when He delivers them to land, behold, they ascribe partners [unto Him]. # So let them be ungrateful for that which We have given them, and let them enjoy themselves, for soon they will know! # Or have they not considered that We have made a secure sanctuary while people are snatched away all around them? Do they believe in that which is false? And are they ungrateful for God’s Blessing? # Who does greater wrong than one who fabricates a lie against God or denies the truth when it comes unto him? Is there not within Hell an abode for the disbelievers? # But as for those who strive for Us, We shall surely guide them in Our ways. Truly God is with the virtuous.

Commentary

# Alif. Lām. Mīm.

1 The Arabic letters alif, lām, and mīm, which also appear in 2:1; 3:1; 30:1; 31:1; and 32:1 are among the separated letters (al-muqaṭṭaʿāt) that are found at the beginning of twenty-nine sūrahs and whose ultimate meaning is considered by most commentators to be known only to God; see 2:1c. In this context, some say that Alif Lām Mīm is a name for the sūrah or a name for the Quran (Q).

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# Does mankind suppose that they will be left to say, “We believe,” and that they will not be tried,

  1. That human beings will be tried is attested in many Quranic verses and is believed to be inherent in creation, as in 67:2, where God is described as He Who created death and life that He may try you as to which of you is most virtuous in deed. Of this broad Quranic theme, al-Tustarī is reported to have said, “Truly affliction is a doorway between the people of spiritual knowledge (ahl almaʿrifah) and God” (ST), meaning that through affliction and forbearance true knowledge of God can be attained. Although the meaning of this verse applies to all Muslims, commentators offer several separate instances as the possible occasion of its revelation. According to one account, this verse was revealed about Mihjaʿ, the first Muslim to be killed at the Battle of Badr. His wife and parents were distraught because of his death, so God revealed vv. 2–3, explaining that Muslims were not exempt from suffering trials and hardship for the sake of God (IJ, Q, W). According to another account, vv. 2–3 were revealed in response to the situation of a group of Muslims who had not been able to emigrate from Makkah to Madinah with the others (IJ, Q, Ṭ). When this group first attempted to emigrate, they were stopped by the idolaters; then the first ten verses of this sūrah were revealed. When they heard the revelation, they resolved to try to emigrate again. Some were killed and some were saved, and then 16:110 was revealed: Then indeed thy Lord, for those who emigrated after being oppressed, then strove and were patient, surely thy Lord thereafter is Forgiving, Merciful (IJ, Q); see commentary on 16:110; 8:74–75.

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# though We have indeed tried those who were before them? Surely God knows those who are truthful, and surely He knows the liars.

  1. Those who were before them refers to the followers of previous prophets, such as Moses and Jesus, who suffered persecution for their beliefs, but persevered (Q, Ṭ). In this sense vv. 2–3 are similar to 2:214: Or did you suppose that you would enter the Garden without there having come to you the like of that which came to those who passed away before you? Misfortune and hardship befell them, and they were so shaken that the Messenger and those who believed with him said, “When will God’s help come?” Yea, surely God’s Help is near (cf. 3:142). That God knows the truthful and the liars can be understood to mean that God tries them not to learn their true natures, but to make their true natures manifest, as God knows their true natures before they are tested (Ṭ). To be afflicted by trials is thus considered beneficial for believers, as it both manifests their true natures and serves to expiate some of their sins. In this regard, the Prophet is reported to have said, “No fatigue, disease, sorrow, sadness, hurt, or distress befalls a Muslim—even if he be pricked by a thorn—but that God expiates some of his sins thereby.” Similarly the Quran says of those who oppose the disbelievers, No thirst, nor toil, nor hunger befalls them in the way of God; nor do they take any step enraging the disbelievers; nor do they endure aught at the hands of an enemy; . . . nor do they spend aught, be it small or large; nor traverse a valley, but that it is written down for them, that God may reward them for the best of that which they used to do (9:120–21).

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# Or do those who commit evil deeds suppose that they will outstrip Us? Evil indeed is the judgment they make!

4 Whereas the previous verses chastise those who may think their declaration of faith will spare them, the present verse criticizes disbelievers who take the fact that they experience health and wealth as an indication that they will not be punished. They will not outstrip Us means that none can thwart or evade God (Ṭ, Z), as in 8:59: And let not those who disbelieve suppose they have outstripped [anyone]. Indeed, they thwart nothing (Z). Their judgment is evil (cf. 6:36; 16:59; 45:21) or simply bad, because it is based upon neither reason nor revelation and thus has no foundation (R).

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# Whosoever hopes for the meeting with God, God’s term is coming. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

5 Here the meeting with God is understood as a reference to reaching one’s final end and all it entails, such as meeting the Angel of Death, the Resurrection, the Reckoning, and the Recompense (Bḍ, Z). In this sense, Whosoever hopes for the meeting with God is sometimes interpreted to mean “Whosoever fears the meeting with God,” that is, fears God’s Punishment (Q); or it is said to refer to both those who hope for reward and those who fear the Reckoning (Aj). God’s term—that is, the term that God has appointed—refers to death (R, Z) or the Resurrection (R). In this context, that it is coming alludes to the reward that one who hopes and works for the meeting with God is to receive (R). It can also be understood as an injunction to all who believe that they must devote themselves to those acts that will demonstrate and confirm their hope to meet with God and bring them closer to Him (Z).

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# And whosoever strives, strives only for himself. Truly God is beyond need of the worlds.

6 Since human beings are punished and rewarded for their own actions, ultimately one strives only for oneself. One’s deeds are not for God, since God is beyond need of anything human beings do, and those deeds cannot be counted for or against another person, because none shall bear the burden of another (6:164; 17:15; 35:18; 39:7; 53:38). This verse thus indicates a moral reflexivity in which the ultimate impact of one’s actions, whether good or evil, falls upon oneself, as in 41:46 and 45:15: Whosoever works righteousness, it is for his own soul. And whosoever commits evil, it is to the detriment thereof (on this subject of individual moral responsibility, see also 2:9, 272; 3:69; 6:123; 8:60; 9:34–35; 10:23; 35:18).

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# And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, We shall surely absolve them of their evil deeds, and We shall surely recompense them according to the best of that which they used to do.

  1. The retribution people would receive for their evil deeds is absolved or outweighed by the reward for their good deeds (Z). In addition, idolaters who embrace belief and act in accord with it will be absolved of their previous evil deeds; that is, they will be requited in accordance with their faith rather than the acts of disobedience they committed before they embraced Islam (Z). From one perspective, their evil deeds are absolved through their faith and then they are rewarded for their good deeds (R). Faith and belief are even understood to help cover over one’s evil deeds in this life (R). God requites people according to the best of that which they used to do (cf. 9:121; 16:96–97; 24:38; 39:35; 46:16), because righteous deeds are the only deeds that truly remain, since they are performed seeking the Face of God (2:272) and all things perish, save His Face (28:88; R). In contrast, “that which is not performed for God does not last through itself, through the one who performs it, or through the one for whom it is performed; thus it is not righteous” (R). The righteous deed is said to have three components or aspects: actualization in the heart through belief, reflection, and affirmation; actualization through the tongue by bearing witness to what is in the heart, implying right intention; and actualization through the bodily members by means of acts of obedience and worship (R).

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# And We have enjoined man to be good unto his parents. But if they urge thee to ascribe as partner unto Me that whereof thou hast no knowledge, then obey them not. Unto Me is your return, whereupon I shall inform you of that which you used to do.

  1. Goodness, gratitude, and virtue toward parents are enjoined in several verses (4:36; 31:14–15; 46:15), and in 2:83 Be virtuous toward parents is listed as the first injunction of the covenant (mīthāq). Obedience toward parents is considered one of the highest virtues in Islam and is thus presented alongside the command to worship God (2:83; 4:36; 6:151; 17:23). The Prophet also told his Companions, “To attribute partners unto God and to be disrespectful toward parents” are “the greatest of the major sins.” If one’s parents remain idolaters, one is to continue to consort with them in a kindly manner, but not to obey them in matters that would run contrary to religious dictates (see 31:15).

According to several early commentators, this verse was revealed about Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqās. When he embraced Islam, his mother, Hamnah, said to him: “O Saʿd, I heard that you have renounced your old religion. By God! I will not take shelter under any roof to protect me from the sun and wind, nor will I eat or drink, until you disbelieve in Muhammad and revert to your old religion.” For three days, his mother did not eat, drink, or take shelter until it was feared that she might perish. At that point, Saʿd went to the Prophet to express his lament. As a response God revealed this verse as well as 31:14 and 46:15 (Q, Ṭ, W).

That in the Hereafter God will inform people about their deeds performed during the life of this world is a prevalent Quranic theme; see 5:14, 105; 6:60, 108, 159; 9:94, 105; 10:23; 24:64; 31:15, 23; 39:7; 41:50; 58:6–7; 62:8; 64:7; 75:13.

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# And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, We shall surely cause them to enter among the righteous.

  1. Cause them to enter among the righteous means that believers will either enter the Garden with the righteous or be counted among those who are righteous. In a similar vein, those who believe and perform righteous deeds will enter Gardens with rivers running below (4:57, 122; 14:23; 22:14, 23; cf. 2:25; 10:9), be made joyous in a Garden (30:15), and have Gardens of bliss (31:8; cf. 22:56). God shall pay them their rewards in full, and will increase them from His Bounty (4:173), for to them God has promised forgiveness and a great reward (5:9; cf. 22:50), thus theirs is blessedness and a beautiful return (13:29) and for them shall the Compassionate ordain love (19:96).

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# Among mankind are those who say, “We believe in God”; but if he is harmed for the sake of God, he takes persecution from men to be as God’s Punishment. Yet if help comes from thy Lord, he will surely say, “We were indeed with you.” Does God not know best what lies within the breasts of all creatures?

  1. This verse addresses the state of hypocrites who would backslide whenever affliction befell them (Q, Ṭ, W). According to Mujāhid, it was revealed about people who would declare faith with their tongues, but would succumb to disbelief when tested with trials or calamities (Q, W). Ibn ʿAbbās is reported to have said that this verse was revealed about some believers in Makkah who were forced by the idolaters to march with them to the Battle of Badr and about whom 4:97 was then revealed, claiming that they had no excuse for having joined the Makkan army (Q, Ṭ, W), after which 16:110 then offered them a means of repentance (Ṭ); see 4:98–99c; 29:2c. That God knows what lies within the breasts is repeated verbatim in 3:119, 154; 5:7; 8:43; 11:5; 31:23; 35:38; 39:7; 42:24; 57:6; 64:4; 67:13; see 5:7c.

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# Surely God knows those who believe, and surely He knows the hypocrites.

  1. This is most likely the first use of hypocrites (munāfiqūn) in the chronological order of revelation, as hypocrisy did not become an issue within the Muslim community until the Madinan period. In the Quranic context, hypocrisy indicates moral wavering in addition to conscious dissembling, so that one who is unable to commit and always seeking to maintain options can also be considered a munāfiq; see the introduction to Sūrah 63; 63:1–8c.

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# Those who disbelieve say to those who believe, “Follow our path and we shall bear your sins.” But they bear not aught of their sins. Truly they are liars.

# Surely they will bear their own burdens, and others’ burdens along with their own, and on the Day of Resurrection they will surely be questioned concerning that which they used to fabricate.

12–13 Cf. 14:21; 40:47. Those who have led others in disbelief and in rejecting God’s messengers will bear the burden of the punishment for their own disbelief and an additional burden for having led others astray (see also 16:25). This punishment will not, however, alleviate the burden of those who followed them, for individuals are responsible for their own actions, since none shall bear the burden of another (6:164; 17:15; 35:18; 39:7; 53:38). Elsewhere, those whom they have led astray supplicate to God, Our Lord, it was they who led us astray; so give them a double punishment in the Fire (7:38; cf. 33:68; 38:61); see 7:38–39c.

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# And indeed We sent Noah unto his people and he remained among them a thousand years, less fifty; and the flood seized them, for they were wrongdoers.

# Then We saved him and the companions of the ship, and We made it a sign for the worlds.

14–15 For the Quranic account of Noah and the flood, see 7:59–64; 10:71–73; 11:25–48; 21:76–77; 23:23–30; 26:105–21; 37:75–82; 54:9–15, and Sūrah 71. The companions of the ship refers to his children and his wives (Ṭ) or to a larger group of seventy-eight, ten, or eight believers, divided evenly between men and women (Z). As with other prophets whose people met with calamity and destruction for having rejected them, Noah and those who followed him were spared the punishment. That God made it a sign is understood to mean that the ship remained for many years upon the top of Mount Jūdī (IJ, Ṭ), though some say that it refers to the punishment (Ṭ, Ṭs), hence the flood that came upon Noah’s people. In either interpretation it can be understood as a sign of the manner in which God will separate the believers from the disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection (Ṭs). When a sign is understood as a reference to the whole story, it also reminds one to reflect upon the Grace of God in providing for and saving Noah and those with him, as God not only warned them, but also made the waters recede before their provisions ran out (R).

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# And [We sent] Abraham, when he said to his people, “Worship God and reverence Him. That is better for you, if you but knew.

# You only worship idols apart from God, and you only create perversion. Truly those whom you worship apart from God have no power over what provision may come to you. So seek your provision with God, worship Him, and be thankful to Him; unto Him shall you be returned.

16–17 Various aspects of Abraham’s story are repeated in over two hundred verses of the Quran. Islam presents itself as the renewal of his creed, as in 6:161, where the Prophet is enjoined, Say, “Truly my Lord has guided me unto a straight path, an upright religion, the creed of Abraham.” Thus 2:130 asks rhetorically, Who shuns the creed of Abraham, but a foolish soul? And Muslims are all enjoined to follow the creed of Abraham (3:95; 16:123). When challenged by Jews and Christians as to the origins of their religion, Muslims are counseled to say, [Ours is] the creed of Abraham (2:135); see 3:67c.

The injunction to worship God and reverence Him is a summation of

Abraham’s more extensive entreaties in 19:42–48, where he withdraws from his people; 21:52–66, where he smashes their idols; 26:69–76; and 37:85–95. His criticism of their idol worship is found in several accounts, as when he chastises his father, saying, Do you take idols for gods? Truly I see you and your people in manifest error (6:74; cf. 19:42; 21:52). But the only justification that his father and his people are able to give is, We found our fathers worshipping them (21:53; cf. 26:74).

That they only create perversion refers to their lie in claiming that their idols are gods (IJ). That the idols they worship have no power over what provision may come (cf. 16:73) indicates the utter futility of their worship and that their “gods” cannot even be considered minor deities who bring them closer to God, as they claim when they say, We do not worship them, save to bring us nigh in nearness unto God (39:3). Similarly Jesus is said to have addressed the disbelievers, Do you worship, apart from God, that which has no power over what benefit or harm may come upon you? (5:76); see 25:3c. Unto Him shall you be returned (cf. 2:28, 245; 10:56; 11:34; 21:35; 28:70, 88; 29:57; 30:11; 39:44; 41:21) speaks to the promise of the Resurrection; see 2:28c.

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# But if you deny, then communities have certainly denied before you; and naught is incumbent upon the Messenger but the clear proclamation.”

  1. This verse can be read as a continuation of Abraham’s address to his people or as the beginning of a break in the story of Abraham, which then resumes in v. 24 (IK). In either reading, communities have certainly denied before you serves as a reminder and a consolation to the Prophet Muhammad that, as in the case of Abraham, previous communities rejected the messengers sent to them, though the messengers eventually prevailed. That Muhammad and other prophets are only responsible for the clear proclamation—that is, for delivering God’s Message—is emphasized in many passages (e.g., 3:20; 5:92, 99; 13:40; 16:35, 82; 24:54; 36:17; 42:48; 64:12).

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# Have they not considered how God originates creation, then brings it back? Truly that is easy for God.

19–23 Most commentators see these verses as a break in the story of Abraham, which is resumed in v. 24. Others interpret them as a continuation of Abraham’s words in vv. 16–18.

  1. This verse is one of many instances in which the Quran refers to God’s Ability to “originate creation” as an argument for His Ability to resurrect, both of which are said to be easy for God, as in 30:27: He it is Who originates creation, then brings it back, and that is most easy for Him (see also 10:34; 27:64; 64:7; 10:4c; 30:11c).

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# Say, “Journey upon the earth and observe how He originated creation. Then God shall bring the next genesis into being. Truly God is Powerful over all things.”

  1. Although here the call is to journey upon the earth and observe or reflect upon the created order, other instances call for one to journey in order to observe how the deniers fared in the end (3:137; 16:36; cf. 6:11; 27:69; 30:42). Regarding the spiritual value of journeying, see 30:9c. The next genesis (cf. 53:37) refers to resurrection after death (IJ, Ṭ).

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# He punishes whomsoever He will and has mercy upon whomsoever He will, and unto Him will you be returned.

  1. This verse refers to God’s Punishment and Mercy either in this life or after the next genesis (IJ), or both.

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# You thwart not on earth, nor in Heaven; and apart from God you have no protector or helper.

  1. People cannot thwart God on earth, and the inhabitants of the heavens cannot thwart God in Heaven; or people cannot thwart God on earth, and were they in Heaven, they could not thwart Him there either (IJ, Q, Ṭ); cf. 8:59; 9:2–3; 11:20; 35:44; 42:31; 46:32; 72:12. And they have no protector or helper near at hand to benefit them or prevent God’s Punishment from coming upon them (IJ); cf. 2:107; 9:116; 42:31.

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# Those who disbelieve in God’s signs and in the meeting with Him, they despair of My Mercy, and for them there shall be a painful punishment.

  1. Those who disbelieve in and thus deny God’s signs, meaning His proofs (Ṭ), such as the Quran (IJ, Ṭ, Z), evidentiary miracles (Z), and the Resurrection, will despair of ever reaching the Garden (IJ) or of receiving God’s Forgiveness

(IJ).

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# Yet the answer of his people was but to say, “Slay him, or burn him!” Then God saved him from the fire. Truly in that are signs for a people who believe.

  1. His people means Abraham’s people. For the story of Abraham and the fire, see 21:66–70c. Truly in that are signs for a people who believe (cf. 6:99; 16:79; 27:86; 30:37; 39:52) refers to God saving Abraham from the fire. That the believers will be saved, despite severe trials, is a major theme of this sūrah.

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# And Abraham said, “You have taken idols apart from God on account of affection between you in the life of this world. Then on the Day of Resurrection you will disown one another, and you will curse one another; your refuge will be the Fire, and you will have no helpers.”

  1. That they have taken idols on account of affection . . . in the life of this world indicates that their love for the world is what leads them to worship idols, but as this love pertains entirely to this world, it will bring them no benefit in the Hereafter, and their affection will also be cut off (Ṭ). That the disbelievers will disown one another, and . . . curse one another points to the rancor within their breasts (see also 2:166–67; 7:38–39c; 34:31–33), since friends on that Day will be enemies to one another, save for the reverent (43:67).

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# And Lot believed him and said, “Truly I am fleeing unto my Lord. Truly He is the Mighty, the Wise.”

       26–35 For other narrative accounts of Lot (who is considered to be either Abraham’s nephew or cousin) and his people, see 7:80–84; 11:77–83; 15:57–77; 26:160–73; 27:54–58; 54:33–38. A similar Biblical narrative is found in Genesis 19.

  1. Lot’s declaration I am fleeing unto my Lord indicates that he is emigrating from Sodom to wherever God will provide him refuge, a practice similar to what is enjoined upon the first Muslim community in Makkah and lauded in 16:41–42: And those who emigrate for the sake of God, after having been wronged, We shall surely settle them in a good place in this world—and the reward of the Hereafter is greater, if they but knew—those who are patient and trust in their Lord (see also 2:218; 3:195; 4:100; 8:72–75; 9:20; 16:110; 22:58; 24:22). The present verse can thus be read as an extension of the theme in v. 10, when that verse is interpreted as being addressed to those Muslims who had failed to emigrate and thus suffered affliction and nearly apostatized.

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# And We bestowed upon him Isaac and Jacob, and We established prophethood and scripture among his progeny. We gave him his reward in this world, and in the Hereafter he shall truly be among the righteous.

  1. Here him refers to Abraham. Isaac and Jacob are also identified as Divine gifts in 6:84 and 19:49 and referred to as an added gift in 21:72 (called added because Ishmael was born before Isaac). For the account of Abraham and his wife, Sarah, receiving the news of Isaac’s impending birth, see commentary on 37:101; 51:28–30.

***

# And [We sent] Lot, when he said to his people, “Truly you commit indecency such as none in the worlds committed before you.

# What! Do you come unto men, cut off the way, and commit reprehensible deeds in your gatherings?” Yet the answer of his people was but to say, “Bring us God’s Punishment, if you are among the truthful.”

28–29 For the story of Lot, who was sent to the people of Sodom, see 7:80–84; 11:77–83; 15:57–77; 26:160–73; 27:54–58; 54:33–38; and Genesis 19. Similarly in 7:80, Lot proclaims, What! Do you commit an indecency such as none in the worlds committed before you? In both accounts, indecency renders fāḥishah, which denotes an abominable sin and is most often used with reference to sexual transgression (see 4:15c). Here indecency is understood as a specific reference to sexual relations between men (cf. 7:81; 26:165–66; 27:55), a transgression that, based upon this verse, commentators say no people had committed on such a wide scale before Lot’s people (IK; cf. 7:81).

Given the aggressive manner in which the men of Sodom are said to have approached other men in 11:77–79; 15:67–71; and Genesis 19, some maintain that Lot reproaches them for forcible rather than consensual sexual relations. However, the emphasis here and in 7:81; 26:165–66, and 27:54 is upon approaching men with desire and lust, whether consensual or not, and thus “leaving their spouses their Lord created for them” (see 26:166); also see 7:80–81c. That they cut off the way by preferring men over women means they cut off the way to having children (Ṭs), or they cut off the way of travelers, as, according to some accounts, they specifically targeted travelers to rape them (Ṭs). Their challenge to Lot is similar to the one the ʿĀd pose to the prophet Hūd (Then bring upon us that wherewith you have threatened us, if you are among the truthful; 46:22; cf. 7:70) and the one the Thamūd pose to the prophet Ṣāliḥ (see 7:77).

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# He said, “My Lord, help me against the people who work corruption.”

30 Elsewhere, “working corruption” is connected in a more general manner to committing physical violence (see 2:11, 27, 30, 205; 5:33, 64; 7:127; 17:4; 26:183; 27:48–49; 28:4; 29:30; 38:28; 47:22). In other verses, it often implies a combination of spiritual and worldly corruption; see 7:74, 85–86, 103; 11:85; 13:25. For the Quranic understanding of corruption, see 30:41c.

***

# And when Our envoys came unto Abraham with glad tidings, they said, “We shall surely destroy the people of this town; truly its people are wrongdoers.”

# He said, “Verily, Lot is in it.” They said, “We know better who is in it. Assuredly We shall save him and his family, save for his wife; she is among those who lagged behind.”

31–32 For a more complete account of Abraham’s encounter with the angels, to whom reference is made elsewhere as the guests of Abraham (15:51), see 51:24–34; 15:51–60; and commentary on 11:69–74. This town refers to the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham also pleads with the angels concerning the people of Lot in 11:74, but here and in 15:58–60 the angels explain that they will destroy everyone in it, save for the family of Lot . . . except for his wife. . . . She is indeed among those who lagged behind (15:59–60; cf. 7:83; 26:171; 27:57). The angels’ statement We know better who is in it means that they know better than Abraham who the wrongdoers and believers are, and that Lot is not among the wrongdoers (Ṭ). Those who lagged behind renders ghābirīn and indicates that they are destroyed in this life, completely covered over by dust (ghubār), and that they will be disgraced in the Hereafter, when their faces shall be covered with dust (ghabarah), overspread with darkness (80:40–41). For more on Lot’s wife, see 7:83c.

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# And when Our envoys came unto Lot, he was distressed on their account; yet he was constrained from helping them. And they said, “Be not afraid, nor grieve. We shall surely save thee and thy family, save for thy wife; she is among those who lagged behind.

# Truly we shall bring down upon the people of this town a torment from Heaven for having been iniquitous.”

33–34 Torment, which also appears in 2:59 and 7:134, renders rijz, a word that can also be understood to mean “defilement,” as in 8:11, where God purifies Lot and his people from the defilement of Satan (rijz al-shayṭān), or to mean “plague.” This verse could thus indicate that God will send a plague or some form of defilement upon Lot’s people, though it most likely refers to the stones of baked clay (11:82; 15:74) or torrent of stones (54:34) said to have rained down upon them; see also 7:84.

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# And We indeed have left of it a manifest sign for a people who understand.

35 God has left the punishment that He inflicted upon the people of Lot as a sign, a proof and a warning, for those who understand (Ṭ). It could refer to the ruins of their town, the stones or rain that came down upon them, or the account of their story (Z).

***

# And unto Midian, [We sent] their brother Shuʿayb; he said, “O my people! Worship God and hope for the Last Day, and behave not wickedly upon the earth, working corruption.”

# But they denied him, and so the earthquake seized them, and morning found them lying lifeless in their abode;

36–37 This discussion of Shuʿayb likely comes after that of Abraham and

Lot, because the Midianites are said to take their name from Midian, the son of Abraham from whom they descended (see Genesis 25:2); see 7:85c. Though considered an Arab prophet, Shuʿayb is usually identified with the Biblical figure Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, since the Quran mentions that Moses met his future wife and father-in-law in the area of Midian (see 26:22–23). According to some commentators, Shuʿayb was sent both to the people of Midian and to “the inhabitants of the thicket” (al-aykah), while others consider “the inhabitants of the thicket” to be another reference to the people of Midian (see 15:78; 26:176; 38:13; 50:14c). The warning given here is part of a longer warning delivered by Shuʿayb in 7:85 (see also 11:85; 26:183). For the meaning of working corruption and its place in the Quran, see 30:41c. For more complete accounts of the story of Shuʿayb, see 7:85–93; 11:84–95; 26:176–89.

The description in v. 37 of the destruction of the Midianites for their rejection of Shuʿayb (cf. 7:91; 11:94) is identical to the description of that of the tribe of Thamūd for their rejection of the prophet Ṣāliḥ (see 7:77–78c; 11:67–68c). Lying lifeless can be understood to mean that they were rigid corpses or that they were prostrate upon their knees, dead (Z), which would imply a humiliating position with their faces on the ground and their hindquarters in the air.

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# and ʿĀd, and Thamūd; [their fate] is certainly evident to you from their dwellings. Satan made their deeds seem fair unto them and thus turned them from the way, though they had been discerning;

  1. The ʿĀd and the Thamūd were pre-Islamic Arabian tribes that rejected the prophets sent to them, Hūd and Ṣāliḥ, respectively. For the tribe of ʿĀd, see commentary on 7:65–72; 11:50–60. For the tribe of Thamūd, see commentary on 7:73–79; 11:61–68. That Satan made their deeds seem fair unto them (cf. 8:48; 16:63; 27:24) means that he made them consider their disbelief in God and their rejection of His messengers to be a mark of their excellence (Ṭ). That Satan turned them from the way can also mean that he blocked the way for them. Though they had been discerning implies that they were people of intelligence who nonetheless did not act in accord with the truth (Q, Z), or that they had seen clearly that a punishment would come upon them (IJ, Q), but followed Satan nonetheless (Z). It could also be rendered “Though they had understood,” referring to the fact that they had been shown the truth through the messengers God had sent (R) and were thus aware that they were in error (Q, Ṭ).

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# and Korah, and Pharaoh, and Hāmān! Indeed, Moses brought them clear proofs, but they waxed arrogant upon the earth, and outstripped [Us] not.

  1. The initial and connects those listed in the verse to the fates of the tribes of ʿĀd and Thamūd in the previous verse or to the phrase Satan made their deeds seem fair unto them and thus turned them from the way (Ṭ). For the story of Korah, a great grandson of Levi (Numbers 16:1) with vast wealth who was swallowed by the ground for opposing Moses (Numbers 16:32), see commentary on 28:76–82. For Hāmān, a member of Pharaoh’s court who was ordered to light a fire and make a tower (28:38) to proclaim Pharaoh a deity, see 28:6, 8, 38; 40:24, 36-37; 28:6c. Although some have confused this Hāmān with the Haman mentioned in the Biblical book of Esther (9:5–14), it most likely refers to the head of Pharaoh’s stone quarries; see 28:36c. Here clear proofs refers to the miracles that Moses performed, such as the white hand and the staff turned serpent, as well as the plagues against the Egyptians in 7:133, in the face of all of which Pharaoh and “his notables” waxed arrogant (cf. 7:133; 10:75; 23:46; 28:39). That they cannot “outstrip” God means they cannot escape what God has decreed (Ṭ, Z), as in v. 22: You thwart naught on earth, nor in Heaven; see also 56:60c.

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# Each We seized for his sin. Among them are some upon whom We sent a torrent of stones, and among them are some whom the Cry seized, and among them are some whom We caused the earth to engulf, and among them are some whom We drowned. God wronged them not, but themselves did they wrong.

  1. A torrent of stones (cf. 17:68; 67:17) was sent against the people to whom Lot preached (see 15:74; 29:33; 54:34). Those whom the Cry seized (cf. 15:73, 83; 23:41) were the tribe of Thamūd (11:66–68; 11:95) and the Midianites (11:94–95). Those whom the earth swallowed (cf. 16:45; 34:9; 67:16) were the people of Korah (28:81). Those drowned refers to Noah’s people, and Pharaoh and Hāmān. The Cry is also interpreted to indicate lightning and its accompanying thunder. Thus in this verse human beings are destroyed by the four traditional elements: fire, through lightning or the Cry; water, through drowning; earth, which engulfed them; and air, by whose wind God sent a torrent of stones. None of these punishments were arbitrary, but were, from a Quranic perspective, the outcome of the people’s own iniquity. Thus God wronged them not, but themselves did they wrong (cf. 2:57; 7:160; 9:70; 16:33, 118; 30:9).

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# The parable of those who take protectors apart from God is that ofthe spider that makes a house. Truly the frailest of houses is the spider’s house, if they but knew.

  1. The Quranic criticism of those who take protectors apart from God (cf. 7:30; 39:3; 42:6; 45:10) is directed against those who take other human beings as protectors (see, e.g., 4:139c; 5:51c; 9:23–24c), those who take satans as protectors (see 7:27c; 18:50c), and those who take idols as protectors (see 2:257). From a Quranic perspective, God is the ultimate Protector (Walī), and the Prophet and the community of believers are the only true protectors for Muslims in the human realm (see, e.g., 2:107, 257; 3:68, 122; 4:45, 139; 5:55; 6:14, 127; 7:196; 8:72; 9:71, 116), whereas the idolaters seek protection from their idols (e.g., 2:257; 13:16) and disbelievers seek protection from Satan and each other (e.g., 7:30; 8:73; 16:100).

Just as a house provides shelter and protection, while a spider’s house, or web, does not, so too do true protectors provide nourishment and shelter, while false protectors taken by the disbelievers do not (R). They are thus afflicted with the forms of destruction mentioned in the previous verse and with punishment in the Hereafter. And just as the spider’s house becomes scattered dust, so too do the creeds and rituals that the idolaters have constructed for their religion become scattered dust and their deeds have come to naught (2:217; 3:22; 5:53; 7:147; 9:17; 18:105). In this way, this verse also points to the hidden polytheism of those who worship God to be seen of men (2:264; 4:38, 142; 8:47), for they have, in effect, taken a god other than God (R). From this perspective, any religion or ideology produced by human beings is the frailest of houses.

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# Truly God knows whatsoever they call upon apart from Him. AndHe is the Mighty, the Wise.

  1. Even though the idolaters are unaware of the emptiness of whatsoever they call upon, or worship, apart from Him, God knows and will not reward them for it.

***

# These are the parables; We set them forth for mankind. But noneunderstand them, save those who know.

  1. These are the parables refers to the parable of the spider’s house and similar parables found throughout the Quran (Sh). Similarly, 59:21 states that God sets forth parables for mankind, that haply they may reflect. Commenting upon the present verse, al-Tustarī writes, “God sets forth the parables for mankind in general, since those things that bear witness to power point to the Powerful. But none understands them, save His elect. Thus knowledge is rare and comprehension of God even rarer. Whosoever attains knowledge by himself through his natural self is deluded. And whosoever comes to know Him through the knowledge of God, God knows what He Himself desired for him. The creature has no knowledge of the truth beyond that. This allusion [to the parables] was made due to the distance of hearts from the knowledge of reality” (ST).

***

# God created the heavens and the earth in truth. Surely in that is asign for believers.

  1. That God created the heavens and the earth in truth (cf. 6:73; 16:3; 39:5; 45:22; 64:3) is reiterated in various ways in several verses (see 10:5; 14:19; 15:85; 30:8; 46:3; see also 44:38–39c). In truth translates bi’l-ḥaqq, which can also mean “for the truth,” indicating that creation was brought forth to manifest the truth (IJ). In this context, that in that is a sign for believers (cf. 15:77) alludes to the frailty of the created order, of which the spider’s web described in v. 41 is a symbol, and evokes the idea that every created thing can be used by God as a parable, as in 2:26: Truly God is not ashamed to set forth a parable of a gnat or something smaller.

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# Recite that which has been revealed unto thee of the Book, andperform the prayer. Truly prayer prevents against indecency and abomination, but the remembrance of God is surely greater. And God knows whatsoever you do.

  1. Here prayer refers to the obligatory prayers (IJ, Q, R). Some say it means the act of reciting the Quran (IJ, Ṭ), which is another form of supererogatory worship, but al-Rāzī argues against such an interpretation, given that the verse already begins with the mention of reciting the Quran. The combined command to recite the Quran and perform the prayer can be understood to mean that if one performs the prayers and then reflects upon the words of the Quran recited in them, it will prevent one from committing indecency and abomination (IJ), though others understand this verse to mean that prayer in and of itself fulfills this function (IJ). According to a saying sometimes attributed to the Prophet and sometimes to his Companion Ibn Masʿūd, “He whose prayer does not prevent indecency and abomination, his prayer increases him in naught but distance [from God]” (IJ, R, Sh, Ṭ). From this perspective, prayer in and of itself may not prevent indecency and abomination unless it is combined with sincerity and repentance, as in 5:27: God accepts only from the reverent (Z). Nonetheless, it is thought that the grace of prayer itself can move one away from bad deeds and toward good deeds, as when the Prophet said of a young man who prayed with him but inclined toward indecent acts, “Surely his prayer will soon prevent him [from doing that]” (Bḍ, Q, Z). Here indecency may refer to fornication and abomination to disobedience (Ṭ). Prayer prevents these and other sins in that it purifies the heart, a function alluded to when the Prophet asked his Companions, “Tell me, if one of you had a river at his door in which he washed five times a day, would any of his filth remain?” To which the people replied, “Nothing of his filth would remain.” He said, “That is a likeness of the five prayers. God obliterates sins with them” (Q). In this vein, al-Ghazzālī advises penetrating deeper into prayer, since it was not prescribed merely for the words and motions it entails, but for “polishing the heart and renewing the remembrance of God” (Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn [Beirut, 1998], 1:142). Regarding the function of prayer in protecting against indecency and abomination, al-Tustarī is reported to have said, “Every prayer that does not restrain shameful and unjust deeds and is devoid of the adornment of shunning these deeds is tainted, and it is incumbent upon one to purify it” (ST, Su).

The remembrance of God is surely greater (or “greatest”) means that to remember God is greater than all else (IJ, Sh, Ṭ), including other acts of worship. From another perspective, it means that God’s remembrance of human beings is greater than their remembrance of God (Bḍ, IJ, Sh, Su, Ṭ, Z), since His remembrance is eternal and theirs is temporal (Su), or both meanings can obtain at the same time (Sh, Ṭ). From a Sufi perspective, the two meanings together indicate that the fullness of remembrance comes only when individuals have been annihilated before God, so that no selfhood or egotism remains, and they thus realize that their remembrance of God is in fact God’s remembrance of God Himself through and within them. Only this form of remembrance can be truly “great,” since only this form of remembrance is beyond the contingencies of time and place, to which any ordinary human remembrance of God would, by definition, be bound.

Some also understand this verse to mean that remembering God in prayer is better than the indecency and abomination that it prevents (IJ, Ṭ), that believers’ remembrance of God is better than idolaters’ remembrance of their gods (R), or that prayer, which some understand to be what is meant by the remembrance of God in this verse, is better than all other acts of obedience (Bḍ, Z). Regarding the preeminence of the remembrance of God, whichever of the meanings above may obtain, the Prophet is reported to have said, “The world is accursed, accursed is all that is in it, save the remembrance of God and that which supports it.”

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# And dispute not with the People of the Book, save in the mostvirtuous manner, unless it be those of them who have done wrong. And say, “We believe in that which was sent down unto us and was sent down unto you; our God and your God are one, and unto Him are we submitters.”

  1. This verse is an injunction to the Prophet and Muslims to not argue with Jews and Christians, except in a beautiful manner that calls them through God’s signs and draws evidence from God’s proofs (Ṭ) or in a manner that exhorts them to good, as in 16:125: Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation. And dispute with them in the most virtuous manner (IK); this means that even if others speak poorly, Muslims should still speak well (Ṭ). Those of them who have done wrong means those People of the Book who turn away from the signs delivered by God’s prophets and remain stubborn and arrogant (IK), or those who engage in physical conflict against the Muslims and who will not enter into a treaty with them (Ṭ). According to some, this verse was abrogated by 9:29, but al-Ṭabarī argues that this verse is in effect and not abrogated, emphasizing that a verse cannot be considered abrogated in the absence of definitive proof.

Muslims are then ordered to declare the fundamental similarities between the revelations sent to them and those sent to previous religious communities, as in 2:136: Say, “We believe in God, and in that which was sent down to us, and in that which was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in what Moses and Jesus were given, and in what the prophets were given from their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them, and unto Him we submit” (cf. 3:84). Regarding discussions with the People of the Book, the Prophet is reported to have counseled his followers, “Do not confirm the People of the Book and do not deny them; say, ‘We believe in that which was sent down unto us and that which was sent down unto you; our God and your God are one, and unto Him are we submitters’” (IK, Q, Ṭ, Z).

***

# Thus have We sent down unto thee the Book. So those unto whomWe have given the Book believe in it. Among them are some who believe in it; and none reject Our signs, save the disbelievers.

  1. Among them are some who believe in it means that among the People of the Book, here referred to as those unto whom We have given the Book, are some who believed in the Quran and the prophethood of Muhammad (Ṭ, Z); or it means the Makkans (Z), some of whom believed in the Quran, but many of whom did not. When understood as a reference to the People of the Book, most commentators interpret it to mean those Jews and Christians who became Muslim (IK, Q, Ṭ, Z). But this need not be the case, as in 3:199: And truly among the People of the Book are those who believe in God and that which has been sent down unto you, and that which has been sent down unto them. Such people would not have rejected God’s signs and thus would not have been those who opposed the Muslims; also see commentary on 3:110–15; 5:82–83.

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# And thou didst not recite before this any Book; nor didst thou write it with thy right hand, for then those who make false claims would have doubted.

  1. This verse is understood to mean that the Prophet had no part in authoring the Quran, one of the fundamental beliefs of all schools of Islamic thought. Addressing him directly, it alludes to his having lived among his people for many years, during which time he had never recited another book or made any claims to have composed one, since he was “unlettered” or “unschooled” (ummī), as in 7:157, where Muhammad is referred to as the unlettered Prophet (IK, Ṭ, Z). Both 26:224–27 and 36:69 also reject the idea that the Prophet was a poet. This verse then proposes that, had the Prophet engaged in recitation and composition, those who make false claims, meaning either the Quraysh (Ṭ, Z) or those among the People of the Book who opposed him (Z), may have had more reason to doubt the origin of the revelation, as in 25:5: And they say, “They are fables of those of old which he has had written down, and they are recited to him morning and evening” (cf. 6:25; 8:31; 16:24; 23:83; 27:68; 46:17; 68:15; 83:13).

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# Nay, it is but clear signs in the breasts of those who have beengiven knowledge, and none reject Our signs, save the wrongdoers.

  1. Some understand this verse to mean that the Quran is composed of clear signs or verses that are easy to memorize, as in 54:17: And indeed We have made the Quran easy to remember (cf. 54:22, 32, 40), and that these signs or verses are preserved, recited, and interpreted by those who have been given knowledge (Aj, IK, Z). Others interpret those who have been given knowledge (cf. 22:54; 34:6; 58:11) as a reference to those among the People of the Book who had found references to or clear signs of the Prophet Muhammad in their scriptures (Aj, Ṭ).

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# And they say, “Why have signs not been sent down unto him fromhis Lord?” Say, “Signs are with God alone, and I am only a clear warner.”

  1. This is one of several verses in which the disbelievers call for a miraculous sign as proof of the reality of the revelation (see 2:118; 10:20; 13:7; 17:90–93; 20:133; 6:37c; 54:1–2c). That the signs are with God alone refers to God alone having the keys to the treasuries of the Unseen and dispensing signs as He alone wills, as in 6:50, where the Prophet is enjoined, Say, “I do not say to you that with me are the treasuries of God; nor do I know the Unseen; nor do I say unto you that I am an angel. I follow only that which is revealed unto me.” The Prophet is told to say, “I am only a clear warner” or “I am naught but a warner” in several verses (22:49; 38:70; 46:9; 67:26; also see 27:92), and other verses instruct the Prophet, Thou art but a warner (13:7; 79:45), and Thou art naught but a warner (35:23).

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# Does it not suffice them that We have sent down unto thee theBook that is recited unto them? Surely in that is a mercy and a reminder for a people who believe.

  1. This verse is a response to the objection raised in the previous verse (Q) meaning, “Does it not suffice as a sign that God has sent the Quran as a revelation?” (Ṭ). See also 20:133: They say, “Why has he not brought us a sign from his Lord?” Has there not come unto them the clear proof of that which is in the scriptures of old? Regarding the sufficiency of the Quran as a sign, the Prophet is reported to have said, “There is no prophet who was not given miracles that would make the people believe in him. What I have been given is revelation that God reveals to me, and I hope that I will have the greatest number of followers on the Day of Resurrection” (IK). The Quran is a mercy, since it tells of the Blessings and Bounty of God, and a reminder, or admonition, regarding God’s Punishment (IK).

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# Say, “God suffices as a Witness between you and me. He knowswhatsoever is in the heavens and on the earth.” And those who believe in what is false and disbelieve in God, it is they who are the losers.

  1. In 17:96, the Prophet is also enjoined to say God suffices as a Witness between you and me when the disbelievers object to his prophethood by saying, Has God sent a human being as a messenger? (17:94). In the present sūrah, the disbelievers ask for a sign, meaning a miracle, as proof of the Prophet’s claims, and in 17:92 they ask why God did not send angels. In both instances they seek an undeniable supernatural proof, but as 6:25 states, Were they to see every sign, they would not believe in it (cf. 7:146). Thus the Prophet is enjoined to respond by letting them know that God suffices as a Witness (cf. 4:79, 166; 13:43; 17:96; 46:8; 48:28), meaning that He will settle their differences, since He knows those who believe in what is false and those who attest to the truth. In a similar vein, the Prophet is enjoined to say to the disbelievers who reject his prophethood, God and whosoever possesses knowledge of the Book suffice as a witness between you and me (13:43).

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# And they bid thee hasten the punishment. Yet were it not for aterm appointed, the punishment would have come upon them. And it will surely come upon them suddenly, while they are unaware.

# And they bid thee hasten the punishment. Truly Hell shall encompass the disbelievers

53–54 That they seek to hasten the punishment refers to the manner in which disbelievers ignore the warnings of the prophets and mock the punishments they foretell, saying, When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful? (10:48; 21:38; 27:71; 34:29; 36:48; 67:25), even going so far as to say, O God, if this be the truth from Thee, rain down stones upon us from the sky, or bring us a painful punishment (8:32). This attitude of derision is attributed to all disbelievers in one way or another and is elsewhere contrasted with that of the believers: Those who believe not in it would seek to hasten it, and those who believe are wary of it and know that it is the truth (42:18; for other passages in which the disbelievers seek to hasten their punishment, see 10:50–51; 13:6; 22:47; 26:204; 27:46, 72; 37:176–77; 38:16; 51:14). In response to this attitude, the Prophet is told to say, That which you seek to hasten is not within my power. Judgment belongs to God alone, He relates the Truth, and He is the best of deciders (6:57; see also 22:47).

A term appointed appears in several contexts in the Quran, most often as a reference to the span of a human being’s life (6:2, 60; 11:3; 14:10; 22:5, 33; 39:42; 40:67; 71:4); in other instances, as here, it alludes to Divine Punishment (16:61; 20:129; 29:53; 35:45) and is a reference to the Day of Judgment (35:45; 42:14). It also appears in reference to the spans decreed for the trajectories of the moon and the sun (13:2; 31:29; 35:13; 39:5), the span of existence of the heavens and the earth (30:8; 46:3), and paying one’s debts (2:282). For more regarding the interpretation of a term appointed, see 35:45c.

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# on the Day when the punishment will cover them from above andfrom beneath their feet, and We shall say, “Taste that which you used to do!”

55 That the punishment covers the disbelievers from above and from beneath their feet is an idiomatic expression meaning that punishment will envelop them from all sides (cf. 5:66; 6:65; 33:10). It may also refer to the various forms of punishment that come from above, such as floods of rain, torrents of stones, and a destructive thunderbolt, and from below, such as earthquakes; see 6:65c. Taste that which you used to do implies taste the punishment everlasting for that which you used to do (32:14; cf. 3:106; 6:30; 7:39; 8:35; 46:34).

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# O My servants who believe! Truly My earth is vast. So worshipMe.

56 This verse was reportedly revealed to advise some Muslims to emigrate from Makkah to Abyssinia, where they would be able to practice their religion freely (IK, Q). Similar to vv. 1–10, it indicates that those who are unable to worship God in the land in which they live should migrate to another land where they will be able to be true to their religion (Z). In this regard, it is related to 4:97: When the angels take the souls of those who were wronging themselves, [the angels] say, “In what state were you?” They say, “We were weak and oppressed in the land.” [The angels] will say, “Was not God’s earth vast enough that you might have migrated therein?” These shall have their refuge in Hell— what an evil journey’s end!

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# Every soul shall taste death. Then unto Us shall you be returned.

  Cf. 3:185; 21:35. In the immediate context, this frequently quoted verse explains why the previous verse enjoins worship of God. Since death is inevitable, everyone must prepare for it by worshipping God.

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# And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, We shall surely settle them in lofty abodes of the Garden with rivers running below, therein to abide. Excellent indeed is the reward of the workers [of righteousness],

# those who are patient and trust in their Lord.

58–59 After souls have returned to God, each is informed of its place in the Hereafter. Believers are given lofty abodes of the Garden, which are elsewhere described as lofty abodes above which are lofty abodes (39:20). Regarding them the Prophet is reported to have said, “In the Garden there are rooms whose outside can be seen from the inside, and whose inside can be seen from the outside. God has prepared them for those who give food, those who speak well, those who pray and fast continually, and those who stand in prayer at night while others sleep” (IK). That God shall settle them alludes to the difficulties some may confront in emigrating, addressed in v. 56, assuring the believers that whatever they give up, if they emigrate for the sake of God (16:41), they will receive lofty abodes in the Hereafter, if not in this life. Elsewhere, they are assured: Those who emigrate for the sake of God, after having been wronged, We shall surely settle them in a good place in this world—and the reward of the Hereafter is greater, if they but knew (16:41). In contrast to the disbelievers, who sought to hasten their final end (vv. 53–54), such individuals are patient with what confronts them in the present and trust in their Lord regarding what He will provide them in the future (cf. 16:42; R).

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# And how many a beast bears not its own provision, yet God provides for it and for you? And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.

60 Here the manner in which wild animals trust in God for their provision is cited as an example for believers, as in a famous ḥadīth: “Were you to trust in God as He merits, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds; they depart with empty stomachs and return full” (Q). In this context, that God is the Hearing, the Knowing serves as a reminder that God is aware of and provides for the needs of all things. It can also be understood to mean that He hears believers when they make supplication and knows their needs when they are silent (R).

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# Wert thou to ask them, “Who created the heavens and the earthand made the sun and the moon subservient?” They would surely say, “God.” How, then, are they perverted?

61 Cf. 43:87. When asked who is creator and master of all things, they—that is, the idolaters among the Quraysh—would surely say, “God” (cf. 10:31; 23:84–85; 29:63; 31:25; 39:38; 43:9, 87), because they still believed in a supreme deity, though they nonetheless worshipped idols alongside—that is, attributed partners to—this deity. The Prophet is then told to respond, saying, Praise be to God (v. 63), meaning that only God should be praised for everything in creation and not those partners they attribute to Him, partners who had nothing to do with creation, and that no one other than God should be worshipped (Z).

How, then, are they perverted translates annā yuʾfakūn (cf. 43:87), which is literally, “How are they turned away?” and which always carries a negative connotation, meaning turning away from truth toward falsehood—turning from telling the truth to lying or from beautiful actions to ugly ones (Iṣ)—and thus becoming perverted or deluded (Tāj al-ʿarūs). Here it is an expression of astonishment meaning, “How could they turn away from the Oneness of God and attribute partners to Him, even while they affirm that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth?” (Z). In this sense, it relates to the prevalent Quranic theme that many believe in God, but do not act in accord with their belief; see 23:84–89.

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# God outspreads and straitens provision for whomsoever He willamong His servants. Truly God is Knower of all things.

# And wert thou to ask them, “Who sends down water from the skyand revives thereby the earth after its death?” They would surely say, “God.” Say, “Praise be to God!” Nay, but most of them understand not.

62–63 God outspreads and straitens provision for whomsoever He will (cf. 13:26; 17:30; 28:82; 30:37; 34:36, 39; 39:52; 42:12; see 34:39c) serves as a transition from the discussion of God as Creator to God as Sustainer. Here, that the disbelievers would surely say, “God” (cf. 10:31; 23:84–85; 29:61; 31:25; 39:38; 43:9, 87) indicates that just as they acknowledge a Supreme Creator, so too should they acknowledge that God provides for them. Nonetheless, they fail to draw the proper conclusion because most of them understand not (cf. 5:103; 49:4). God’s Ability to revive barren land also stands as an argument for His Ability to resurrect (cf. 7:57; 16:65; 22:5; 30:19, 24, 50; 35:9; 36:33; 41:31, 39; 43:11; 45:5; 50:9–11).

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# The life of this world is naught but diversion and play. And surelythe Abode of the Hereafter is life indeed, if they but knew.

  1. This world is also described as naught but play and diversion (6:32; cf. 47:36), indicating the rapidity with which it dissipates (Aj), and as naught but the enjoyment of delusion (3:185). In 57:20 the world is described more fully as play, diversion, glitter, mutual boasting, and vying for increase in property and children—the likeness of a rain whose vegetation impresses the farmers; then it withers such that you see it turn yellow; then it becomes chaff; see 57:20c. The Abode of the Hereafter (cf. 2:95; 6:32; 7:169; 12:109; 16:30; 28:77, 83; 33:29) refers to Paradise.

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# And when they board a ship, they call upon God, devoting religion entirely to Him, but when He delivers them to land, behold, they ascribe partners [unto Him].

  1. Cf. 10:22–23; 17:67; 31:32. A storm at sea can be seen as a parable for the afflictions that beset one in life. Devoting religion entirely to Him (cf. 7:29; 10:22; 31:32; 40:14, 65; 98:5) refers to the singularity of people’s devotion in the face of the severity of the afflictions that befall them (Ṭ). Yet when they are delivered to safety, they turn away and are ungrateful (17:67), return to their polytheism, and behave tyrannically upon the earth without right (10:23). In the context of the previous verse, this verse can be understood as an allusion to religious and spiritual hypocrisy, as many will pray, turning to God briefly in their state of dire need, but then when no longer in need turn away, forgetting God and devoting themselves to seeking the things of this world. In this sense, it is attachment to the life of this world that prevents many people from believing in God (R).

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# So let them be ungrateful for that which We have given them, andlet them enjoy themselves, for soon they will know!

  1. Cf. 16:55; 30:34. If people do not want God’s Blessings, they may choose to reject them and disbelieve, as in 18:29, when the Prophet is enjoined to say, So whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve. The phrase let them enjoy themselves follows upon v. 64. Though they think the diversion and play of this world is good, as they are able to enjoy a little (77:46), in fact this respite that God has granted them lets them dig a deeper hole for themselves, as in 31:24: We grant them enjoyment a little, then We compel them toward a grave punishment (see also 3:178; 10:69–70; 15:3; 16:55; 26:205–7). Thus soon they will know how their attempt to direct their own affairs led to their destruction (Aj).

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# Or have they not considered that We have made a secure sanctuarywhile people are snatched away all around them? Do they believe in that which is false? And are they ungrateful for God’s Blessing?

  1. The secure sanctuary is Makkah. Traditionally, no fighting was to take place within its confines, and the Makkans were well protected from possible incursions by other tribes. This verse thus rebukes the Quraysh for not reflecting upon the security with which God has blessed them in contrast to other tribes (Ṭ, Z; see also commentary on 106:1–4). Do they believe in that which is false? is a rhetorical question rebuking them both for believing in the idols they worshipped and for believing themselves to be the source of their own security. God’s Blessing, for which they are ungrateful, refers to both the security He provides and His having sent them a prophet (Aj). The secure sanctuary can also be read as a reference to any form of security or stability that God grants human beings in the face of the instability and uncertainty of the storms of life. On a spiritual level it refers to being preserved from the diversion and play (v. 64) of the world that ensnares those who believe in falsehood and are ungrateful for God’s Blessings.

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# Who does greater wrong than one who fabricates a lie against Godor denies the truth when it comes unto him? Is there not within Hell an abode for the disbelievers?

  1. The condemnation of one who fabricates a lie against God is a recurring Quranic theme (see 3:94; 6:21–23, 93, 144; 7:37; 10:17; 11:18; 18:15; 61:7c). In the end, they will surely be questioned concerning that which they used to fabricate (29:13), and that which they used to fabricate will forsake them (10:30; 16:88; 28:75; see also 6:24; 7:53; 11:21). The truth that the creators of lies deny may refer to the Prophet, to the Quran (Aj), to the general message of Divine Unity and all that it entails (Ṭ), or to all of them. Is there not within Hell an abode for the disbelievers? (cf. 39:32), or elsewhere an abode for the arrogant (39:60), is a rhetorical question meaning that they are undoubtedly in Hell (Ṭ, Z).

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# But as for those who strive for Us, We shall surely guide them inOur ways. Truly God is with the virtuous.

  1. Those who strive for Us refers to those who strive with their very souls against Satan, against their own lower souls, and against the enemies of religion (Aj). That God will guide them in His ways indicates that they will be guided on the straight path (Ṭ) or on ways that lead to good and to Divine Succor (Z), and that they will be guided to God (Aj). This verse is subject to many interpretations, each reflecting the belief that striving to obtain one good will lead to another good. Among these, some say it means that those who strive to act upon what they know will be guided to greater knowledge that they did not have before (Aj, IK); those who strive to obtain knowledge will be guided to the ways of acting in accord with it; those who strive to do what is pleasing to God will be guided to the attainment of contentment; those who strive in repentance will be guided upon the paths of sincerity; or those who strive to serve God will be guided upon the path of intimate converse with God (Aj).

Although several verses speak of God’s Love for the virtuous (2:195; 3:134, 148; 5:13, 93), this is the only verse to say that God is with the virtuous. Here, the virtuous translates muḥsinīn, which means those who do what is beautiful or who make things beautiful. It is related to iḥsān, “making or doing what is beautiful,” and is thus related to “virtue” or “goodness” and to ḥusn, meaning both “good” and “beauty.” Regarding iḥsān, the Prophet said to his Companions, “God has ordained doing what is beautiful for all things.” From this perspective, at the core of the Quran’s message stands the idea that one must do all things with beauty and goodness (ḥusn).

Source: The Study Quran, by Sayyed Hossein Nasr and 4 Others

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John Doe
23/3/2019

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    • John Doe
    23/3/2019

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    • John Doe
    23/3/2019

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

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