035- FATIR

THE ORIGINATOR

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL

# Praise be to God, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who appoints the angels as messengers, of wings two, three, and four, increasing creation as He will. Truly God is Powerful over all things. # Whatsoever mercy God opens unto mankind, none shall withhold. And whatsoever He withholds, none shall release thereafter. And He is the Mighty, the Wise. # O mankind! Remember God’s Blessing upon you. Is there a creator other than God who provides for you from Heaven and earth? There is no god but He. How, then, are you perverted? # If they deny thee, messengers before thee were denied, and unto God are all matters returned. # O mankind! Surely God’s Promise is true. So let not the life of this world delude you, nor let the Deluder delude you concerning God. # Truly Satan is an enemy unto you; so take him as an enemy. He only calls upon his party that they may be among the inhabitants of the Blaze. # Those who disbelieve, theirs shall be a severe punishment. And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, theirs shall be forgiveness and a great reward. # And what of one, the evil of whose deeds has been made to seem fair to him, such that he thinks it beautiful? Truly God leads astray whomsoever He will and guides whomsoever He will; so let not thy soul be expended in regrets over them. Truly God knows that which they do. # And God is He Who sends the winds; then they cause clouds to rise. Then We drive them to a land that is dead, and thereby revive the earth after its death. Thus shall be the Resurrection! # Whosoever desires might—to God belongs might altogether. Unto Him ascends the good word, and He uplifts the righteous deed. As for those who plot evil deeds, theirs shall be a severe punishment, and their plotting shall come to ruin. # God created you from dust, then from a drop, then He made you pairs; and no female bears or brings forth save with His Knowledge. And none who grows old grows old, nor has aught lessened of his life, but that it is in a Book. Truly that is easy for God. # Not equal are the two seas: one sweet, satisfying, pleasant to drink, and the other salty, bitter. Yet from each you eat fresh meat, and bring out ornaments that you wear. And you see the ships therein plowing through, that you may seek of His Bounty, and that haply you may give thanks. # He makes the night pass into the day and makes the day pass into the night, and He has made the sun and the moon subservient, each running for a term appointed. That is God, your Lord; to Him belongs sovereignty. As for those upon whom you call apart from Him, they do not possess so much as the husk of a date stone. # If you call upon them, they hear not your call, and even if they heard, they would not respond to you; and on the Day of Resurrection they will disown your ascribing partners unto God. And none informs you like one who is Aware. # O mankind! You are needful of God; and He is the Self-Sufficient, the Praised. # If He will, He could remove you and bring a new creation. # That is no great matter for God. # And none shall bear the burden of another. And though one burdened heavily calls for his burden to be borne, naught of it will be borne, even if it be kin. Thou warnest only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the prayer. And whosoever purifies himself purifies himself only for his own soul. And unto God is the journey’s end. # Not equal are the blind and the seeing, # nor the darkness and the light, # nor the shade and the scorching heat. # Not equal are the living and the dead. Truly God causes whomsoever He will to hear, but thou canst not cause those in graves to hear. # Thou art naught but a warner. # Truly We have sent thee with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and as a warner. And there has been no community but that a warner has passed among them. # If they deny thee, those before them also denied: their messengers brought them clear proofs, scriptures, and the luminous Book. # Then I seized those who disbelieved. How, then, was the change I wrought! ‘ Hast thou not considered that God sends down water from the sky, wherewith We bring forth fruits of diverse colors? And in the mountains are streaks of white and red, of diverse hues, and others pitch-black. # And of mankind, beasts, and cattle there are, likewise, those of diverse colors. [Yet] only those among His servants who know fear God. Truly God is Mighty, Forgiving. # Truly those who recite the Book of God, perform the prayer, and spend from that which We have provided them secretly and openly hope for a commerce that will never perish, # that He may pay them their rewards in full and increase them from His Bounty. Truly He is Forgiving, Thankful. # And that which We have revealed unto thee from the Book is the truth, confirming what came before it. Verily God is of His servants Aware, Seeing. # Then We bequeathed the Book to those of Our servants whom We had chosen. Among them are those who wrong themselves, those who take a middle course, and those who are foremost in good deeds, by God’s Leave. That is the great bounty: # Gardens of Eden which they will enter, adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments therein will be of silk. # And they will say, “Praise be to God, Who has dispelled grief from us. Truly our Lord is Forgiving, Thankful, # Who, of His Bounty, has caused us to dwell in the Abode of Everlasting Life, wherein no weariness shall touch us, nor fatigue befall us.” # As for those who disbelieve, theirs shall be the Fire of Hell. They will neither be done away with so as to die; nor will aught of its punishment be lightened for them. Thus do We requite every disbeliever. # They will cry out therein, “Our Lord! Remove us, that we may work righteousness other than that which we used to do.” “Did We not give you long life, enough for whosoever would reflect to reflect therein? And the warner came unto you, so taste [the punishment]! The wrongdoers shall have no helpers.” # Truly God knows the unseen of the heavens and the earth. Truly He knows what lies within breasts. # He it is Who appointed you vicegerents upon the earth. So whosoever disbelieves, his disbelief is to his detriment. The disbelief of the disbelievers increases them with their Lord in naught but odium. And the disbelief of the disbelievers increases them in naught but loss. # Say, “Have you considered your partners upon whom you call apart from God? Show me what they have created of the earth. Do they have a share in the heavens, or did We give them a book, such that they stand upon a clear proof from it?” Nay, the wrongdoers promise one another naught but delusion. # Truly God maintains the heavens and the earth, lest they fall apart. And were they to fall apart, none would maintain them after Him. Truly He is Clement, Forgiving. # And they swore by God their most solemn oaths that, were a warner to come unto them, they would be more rightly guided than any of the communities. Yet when a warner came unto them, it increased them in naught but aversion, # waxing arrogant upon the earth and plotting evil; yet evil plotting besets none but its authors. So do they await aught but the wont of those of old? Thou shalt find no alteration in the wont of God, and thou shalt find no change in the wont of God. # Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how those before them fared in the end, though they were greater than them in strength? Naught in the heavens or upon the earth can thwart God. Truly He is Knowing, Powerful. # Were God to take mankind to task for that which they have earned, He would not leave a single creature upon the surface of the earth. But He grants them reprieve till a term appointed. And when their term comes, truly God sees His servants.

Commentary

# Praise be to God, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who appoints the angels as messengers, of wings two, three, and four, increasing creation as He will. Truly God is Powerful over all things.

  1. This is one of five sūrahs that begin with Praise be to God (see 1:2; 6:1; 18:1; 34:1). Originator translates Fāṭir, a Divine Name related to the verb faṭara, meaning to “split” or “cleave.” In the Quran, Fāṭir always occurs as part of the larger phrase Originator of the heavens and the earth (cf. 6:14; 12:101; 14:10; 39:46; 42:11). The verbal form of this word, however, is also used in the context of God’s creation of human beings (11:51; 17:51; 20:72; 32:22; 43:27), hence its etymological relation to the fiṭrah, or primordial nature, in which God creates or “originates” human beings (see 30:30c). That God is Fāṭir can also be understood to mean that He is the “Cleaver” or “Splitter,” in that God cleaves open the heavens to prepare for the descent of spirits into bodies and then cleaves open the earth for the ascension of the spirits of human beings at the moment of resurrection (R). This relates directly to the function of the angels, who are messengers “conveying” the spirits from Heaven to earth and from earth to Heaven (R), though others understand their function as messengers to be related to the role they play in bringing revelation to the prophets (IK). Increasing creation as He will can be understood to mean that God increases the number of angels (Q) or their wings (Q, Z), as there are many reports of angels with more than two or three wings, and the Angel Gabriel is reported to have appeared to the Prophet with six hundred wings (IK). The phrase can also be understood more generally to mean that God increases whomever and whatever He wills in creation (Ṭ, Z).

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# Whatsoever mercy God opens unto mankind, none shall withhold. And whatsoever He withholds, none shall release thereafter. And He is the Mighty, the Wise.

  1. The reference to God “opening” mercy can be understood as an allusion to 42:12, Unto Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. He outspreads and straitens provision for whomsoever He will (cf. 39:63), since none can open these treasuries but God (Ṭ). In this sense, this verse provides a general assertion that none can withhold what God wills to bestow or release what He withholds, as in 10:107: And if God should touch thee with affliction, none can remove it save He; and if He desires some good for thee, none can hold back His Bounty (IK). The order of the present verse, in which God’s opening of mercy is mentioned before the withholding of mercy is related to the idea found in a famous ḥadīth qudsī: “My Mercy precedes My Wrath” (R, Z). None shall release thereafter could also be rendered, “none shall release after Him” (R), meaning that no one can dispense what God has chosen to withhold. In this regard the Prophet is reported to have said, “I cannot put mercy in your heart after God has removed it.”

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# O mankind! Remember God’s Blessing upon you. Is there a creator other than God who provides for you from Heaven and earth? There is no god but He. How, then, are you perverted?

  1. This is one of six verses to enjoin Remember God’s Blessing upon you (2:231; 5:7, 11, 20; 14:6; see 5:7c). Though some read the present verse as being addressed specifically to the people of Makkah, it can also be extended to all human beings, since all human beings have benefitted from God’s blessings (Z). Throughout his commentary, al-Rāzī maintains that there are two general categories of blessings: those of creation, or bringing into being (ījād), and those of perpetuation (ibqāʾ). He interprets Is there a creator other than God as a reference to the blessing of creation and who provides for you from Heaven and earth as a reference to the blessing of perpetuation. In this context, How, then, are you perverted? (cf. 6:95; 10:34; 40:62) is answered by the statement There is no god but He, meaning that, since God has provided all the blessings of both creation and perpetuation, how can any turn away from Him and attribute partners to Him (R)?

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# If they deny thee, messengers before thee were denied, and unto God are all matters returned.

  1. That previous messengers and prophets have been denied is a major theme of the Quran found in the stories of previous prophets and stated explicitly in several verses; see 3:184; 6:10; 13:32; 21:41; 35:4; 38:12; 40:5; 41:43; 54:9. Elsewhere, this reminder to the Prophet is followed by an additional reminder: And they bore patiently their being denied and persecuted till Our Help came to them (6:34). In this sense, the denial and persecution of previous prophets serves to console the Prophet Muhammad and encourage him to bear denial on the part of disbelievers patiently, since from a Quranic perspective all prophetic missions are ultimately victorious (see 9:33; 37:171–73; 40:51; 48:28; 58:21; 61:9). In this context, unto God are all matters returned (cf. 2:210; 3:109; 8:44; 22:76; 57:5) indicates that those who denied God’s messengers will be requited in full for what they have done (IK).

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# O mankind! Surely God’s Promise is true. So let not the life of this world delude you, nor let the Deluder delude you concerning God.

  1. Cf. 31:33. Here the statement that God’s Promise is true (cf., e.g., 4:122; 10:4, 55; 18:21) refers to the promise of Divine Punishment for the disbelievers in the previous verse (Ṭ) or to all of the events pertaining to the Hereafter (IK, JJ). Concerning the last phrase, see 31:33c.

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# Truly Satan is an enemy unto you; so take him as an enemy. He only calls upon his party that they may be among the inhabitants of the Blaze.

  1. That Satan is an enemy of human beings is stated throughout the Quran (see, e.g., 2:168, 208; 6:142; 7:22; 12:5; 17:53; 28:15; 36:60; 43:62) and voiced by Satan himself in 4:119: And surely I will lead them astray, and arouse desires in them. I will command them and they will slit the ears of cattle; I will command them and they will alter God’s creation; and 7:16–17: Because Thou hast caused me to err, I shall surely lie in wait for them on Thy straight path. Then I shall come upon them from in front of them and from behind them, and from their right and from their left. And Thou wilt not find most of them thankful. The warning to take Satan as an enemy is understood as an injunction to obey God rather than Satan (JJ, Ṭ) and to perform righteous deeds (R). In this regard, al-Rāzī writes: “Whosoever knows that he has an enemy from whom he has no escape and is certain of that, then focuses upon [opposing him], and forbears in fighting him and being patient shall triumph. Likewise for Satan, the human being cannot escape him, for he is with him. And he ceases not to follow him until he focuses upon him and routs him, for routing Satan comes through a human being’s determination, and the path is being firm in intent and trusting in servitude [to God].”

Those who are in the party of Satan are those who do not take him as an enemy and follow him rather than God and the messengers (JJ). He only calls upon his party thus means that Satan summons “the people of caprice, innovation, and error” who obey him and hearken to those who declare such things (ST). Then when they are among the inhabitants of the Blaze, Satan declares himself innocent of all that they have done; see 14:22c; 59:16.

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# Those who disbelieve, theirs shall be a severe punishment. And those who believe and perform righteous deeds, theirs shall be forgiveness and a great reward.

  1. This verse juxtaposes those who follow Satan and are thus among his party with those who take him as an enemy and follow God.

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# And what of one, the evil of whose deeds has been made to seem fair to him, such that he thinks it beautiful? Truly God leads astray whomsoever He will and guides whomsoever He will; so let not thy soul be expended in regrets over them. Truly God knows that which they do.

  1. One for whom the evil of his deeds has been made to seem fair to him is one who has failed to consider Satan an enemy, since it is Satan who has made their deeds seem fair unto them (8:48; 16:63; 27:24; 29:38). Deeds seeming fair and being led astray are one and the same, since it is as a result of following caprice that one comes to see what is ugly as beautiful and what is beautiful as ugly (Z). Such people think their bad deeds are good or that their vice is virtue, for few who commit evil deeds are aware of it, just as few who are ignorant are aware of their ignorance (R). In this context, that God leads astray whomsoever He will and guides whomsoever He will (cf. 13:27; 14:4; 16:93; 74:31) can be understood as the reason why the Prophet should not expend regrets over their being astray (Ṭ). Let not thy soul be expended in regrets over them is one of several injunctions enjoining the Prophet not to grieve for those who reject the message (see 3:176; 5:41, 68; 6:33; 10:65; 16:127; 18:6; 26:3; 27:70; 31:23; 36:76). Such passages indicate that the Prophet need not worry about the condition of the disbelievers, but should simply spread the Word of God as he has been enjoined, since God knows that which they do.

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# And God is He Who sends the winds; then they cause clouds to rise. Then We drive them to a land that is dead, and thereby revive the earth after its death. Thus shall be the Resurrection!

  1. The positive, revivifying dimension of winds (in the plural) occurs ten times in the Quran and each time conveys an aspect of God’s Mercy, as in 7:57 and 25:48: He it is Who sends the winds as glad tidings ahead of His Mercy (see also 30:46). In contrast, wind (in the singular) is often used to express God’s Wrath and Punishment (see 3:117; 10:22; 17:69; 22:81; 30:51; 33:9; 41:16; 46:24; 51:41; 54:19; 69:6). This verse is one of many where the manner in which God revives the dead earth is employed as a metaphor for the Resurrection (IK); see also 7:57; 16:65; 22:5; 25:48–49; 29:63; 30:19, 24, 50; 36:33; 41:31, 39; 43:11; 45:5; 50:9–11.

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# Whosoever desires might—to God belongs might altogether. Unto Him ascends the good word, and He uplifts the righteous deed. As for those who plot evil deeds, theirs shall be a severe punishment, and their plotting shall come to ruin.

  1. Whosoever desires might means whoever desires honor, power, and glory in this world and the next. To God belongs might altogether reminds one to be obedient toward God, as all such qualities come from God (IK); it is thus understood as a command not to seek such might from idols or other gods (IK, Ṭ) or from disbelievers, as in 4:139: Those who take disbelievers as protectors instead of believers—do they seek might through them? Truly might belongs altogether to God (IK). It is also understood to mean that any who seek true honor, power, and glory and are sincere in their desire, so that they seek with humility and poverty before God, will find these qualities with God and they will be unveiled to them (Q); see 10:65c.

The good word may refer to the remembrance and invocation of God, the recitation of the Quran, and supplicatory prayer (IK) or to the declaration of God’s Oneness (Q). This sentence can be understood to mean that all good words and righteous deeds ascend to God and that one is thus rewarded for them, or that God uplifts the righteous deed over the good word because the deed constitutes the verification of the word (Q), since it is putting faith into action. The subtle phrasing of this verse also allows for it to be read, “Unto Him ascends the good word and the righteous deed uplifts it,” meaning the deed uplifts the word (Q), as in a saying attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās: “The good word is the remembrance of God, which is taken up to God, and the righteous deed is the performance of obligatory duties. Whosoever remembers God while performing an obligatory duty, his deed carries his remembrance of God and takes it up to God. Whosoever remembers God and does not perform the obligatory duties, his words will be rejected, as will his deed” (IK). But it must also be recognized that the good word is a good deed in and of itself (Q). The phrase could also be understood to mean, “Unto Him ascends the good word, and as for the righteous deed, it uplifts it” (Q), meaning that the good word uplifts the righteous deed in the sense that no good deed is accepted by God unless there is a sincere declaration of faith that precedes or accompanies it (Q). He uplifts it is thus understood to mean that God makes it reach Him “due to the presence of sincerity toward God within it” (ST). Those who plot evil deeds is understood as a reference to people of duplicity and hypocrisy (IK, Q, Ṭ) who perform “righteous deeds” only to deceive others into thinking that they obey God (IK) and whose deeds do not ascend. Their plotting shall come to ruin, because God knows that they perform such deeds only to be seen of others (see 2:264; 4:38, 142; 8:47) and not because of belief in God (see 4:37–39c).

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# God created you from dust, then from a drop, then He made you pairs; and no female bears or brings forth save with His Knowledge. And none who grows old grows old, nor has aught lessened of his life, but that it is in a Book. Truly that is easy for God.

  1. Following upon v. 9, the mention of the stages of creation here is in part a reminder of God’s Ability to resurrect, as in 22:5: O mankind! If you are in doubt concerning the Resurrection, [remember] We created you from dust, then from a drop, then from a blood clot, then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed, that We may make clear for you. As the drop from which human beings were created (cf. 16:4; 18:37; 22:5; 36:77; 40:67; 53:46; 76:2; 80:19) is a draught of base fluid (32:8; cf. 77:20) and was preceded by dust, that God created you from dust, then from a drop also serves to remind human beings of their lowly origins. That God created mates for human beings is attested in several verses (4:1; 16:72; 42:11; 78:8). Here, as in 16:72 and 42:11, the connection to procreation is emphasized. Elsewhere, the emotional, psychological, and spiritual benefits of marriage are emphasized; see 2:187; 30:21c. The remainder of the verse means that the term of one’s life has been decreed by God, that one may reach a term appointed (40:67); see 40:67c.

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# Not equal are the two seas: one sweet, satisfying, pleasant to drink, and the other salty, bitter. Yet from each you eat fresh meat, and bring out ornaments that you wear. And you see the ships therein plowing through, that you may seek of His Bounty, and that haply you may give thanks.

  1.  Regarding the two seas, also see 25:53, which adds that God has set between them a divide and a barrier, forbidden (cf. 55:20). The fresh meat refers to all the fruits of the sea, and the ornaments that you wear to pearls and coral stones (55:22; JJ, Z). Many commentators understand the two seas as a metaphor for the believer and the disbeliever (Bḍ, Z). But, as al-Rāzī observes, the fact that one brings fresh meat from each sea makes this metaphor difficult to apply. Drawing a spiritual lesson from this metaphor, Ibn ʿAjībah likens the Law to the ocean that is sweet, satisfying, pleasant to drink and the ocean of Reality to the one that is salty, bitter, because the latter requires exerting one’s innermost self, lowering one’s head, spending of one’s wealth, and abandoning the world and its people, whereas the Law does not require as much. Fresh meat and ornaments are retrieved from each sea. From the ocean of the Law “one obtains the sweetness of proper conduct,” while from the ocean of Reality one tastes “the sweetness of witnessing [God] and of spiritual knowledge” (Aj). The ships are then seen as the spiritual reflections that are plowing through the seas of Dominion (malakūt) and Majesty (jabarūt) to the completion of spiritual knowledge from God’s Bounty in order to be among those who give thanks (Aj).

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# He makes the night pass into the day and makes the day pass into the night, and He has made the sun and the moon subservient, each running for a term appointed. That is God, your Lord; to Him belongs sovereignty. As for those upon whom you call apart from Him, they do not possess so much as the husk of a date stone.

# If you call upon them, they hear not your call, and even if they heard, they would not respond to you; and on the Day of Resurrection they will disown your ascribing partners unto God. And none informs you like one who is Aware.

13–14 Regarding the first sentence of v. 13, see commentary on the almost identical phrasing in 31:29. That the deities called upon do not possess so much as the husk of a date stone reaffirms God’s absolute sovereignty in that it underlines the complete powerlessness of all upon whom people call apart from God, as in 22:73: Truly those upon whom you call apart from God will never create a fly, even if they gathered together to do so. And if the fly should rob them of aught, they could not rescue it from it. Feeble are the seeker and the sought! (cf. 34:22). Elsewhere, the idolaters are challenged, So call upon them! Let them answer you, if you are truthful (7:194). The idols and gods they call upon are heedless of their calling (46:5). They then disown the idolatry of the disbelievers, as in 10:28, where it is reported that they will say, It was not us that you worshipped, which reflects the manner in which Satan disavows the disbelievers, saying, Surely I am quit of you. Truly I fear God, the Lord of the worlds (59:16), and I cannot respond to your cries for help, nor can you respond to my cries for help. Truly I disbelieved in your ascribing me as partner aforetime (14:22; see commentary). Thus, when mankind is gathered together, such will be enemies unto them and deniers of their worship (46:6). In general, that none informs you like one who is Aware means that no one can inform you in the manner that God informs you (Aj, Q, Z). In context, this phrase can also refer to the account of the idols, meaning that only God tells you the truth regarding this matter (Aj, Z), especially as it pertains to the Unseen and cannot be deduced through reasoning (R). That none informs you like one who is Aware can also refer to the events on the Day of Resurrection (IK, Ṭ).

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# O mankind! You are needful of God; and He is the Self-Sufficient, the Praised.

15 Like God is the Rich, and you are the poor in 47:38, this verse has played an important role in the Sufi understanding of the relationship between the Divine and the created order, especially human beings: God is completely Rich and Self-Sufficient and human beings completely poor, in utter need of God with regard to being both brought into existence and provided sustenance (Aj). From this perspective, realizing the Fullness or Richness of God depends upon the realization of one’s complete poverty before God. As al-Tustarī writes, “You [depend] upon Him in your very selves, for when God created creation, He ordained (ḥakama) poverty for His servants in relation to Him, while He is the Rich. So whosoever claims wealth has been veiled from God. And whosoever shows his poverty in relation to Him, God will join his poverty to His wealth. The servant must feel poverty toward Him in his innermost being (sirr), cutting himself off from all that is other than Him, so that his servanthood may be pure; for pure servanthood is abasement and humility” (ST). From this perspective one must cut oneself off from all that is other than God, because poverty toward and need for God is intrinsic to human nature, whereas poverty toward or need for other things is accidental. Therefore, every need that one experiences is ultimately a need for God, since the phenomena for which one experiences need are veils that hide God and also reveal God. That God is the Praised thus indicates that being praised is intrinsic to the Divine Nature and not dependent upon anything to praise Him. In this respect, al-Maybudī states that only those who fully realize poverty truly praise God.

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# If He will, He could remove you and bring a new creation.

# That is no great matter for God.

16–17 In this context, that God can make people disappear underlines His Self-Sufficiency (R) and the utter poverty of human beings in that God’s making them disappear depends only upon God’s Will. Bring a new creation means that God will replace them with other people (IK), either another people who already exist or a whole new people whom He will create who are better and more perfect than the previous ones (R); see also 4:133; 5:54c; 6:133; 14:19–20; 47:38.

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# And none shall bear the burden of another. And though one burdened heavily calls for his burden to be borne, naught of it will be borne, even if it be kin. Thou warnest only those who fear their Lord unseen and perform the prayer. And whosoever purifies himself purifies himself only for his own soul. And unto God is the journey’s end.

  1. That none shall bear the burden of another (cf. 6:164; 17:15; 39:7; 53:38)—that is, that no one will bear the sins or duties of others (Aj, IK, R, Ṭ)— points to God’s Justice (Aj). In this context, the phrase can be understood as the introduction of a new discussion (Q), or as connected to the previous verses in that being poor in relation to God (see 35:15c) also means that one cannot take on the burden of another or cast one’s burden upon another (R), since human beings are powerless to make such determinations. Commentators reconcile this phrase with 29:13, Surely they will bear their own burdens, and others’ burdens along with their own, by saying that their own burdens refers to what corrupt leaders will endure for the sin of having been misled themselves and that others’ burdens refers to that for having misled others (Aj). That one who purifies himself purifies himself only for his own soul means that whoever performs good deeds receives the benefit of those deeds (IK), just as the first part of this verse indicates that only those who commit evil deeds suffer the punishment for such deeds. This verse thus demonstrates a moral reflexivity in which the ultimate impact of actions, good or bad, is always upon the one who performs these actions (see 2:9, 272; 3:69; 6:123; 8:60; 9:34–35; 10:23; 29:6).

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# Not equal are the blind and the seeing,

  1. Here, seeing is used as a metaphor for belief and blindness for disbelief (Aj, Ṭ, Q), as in 40:58: And the blind and the seer are not equal; nor are those who believe and perform righteous deeds and the evildoer. Little do you reflect (cf. 6:50; 11:24; 13:16). This juxtaposition can also be seen as a metaphor for knowledge and ignorance, as in 39:9: Are those who know and those who do not know equal? Some also read the present verse as a contrast between God and the idols (Aj), since the Quran often notes the powerlessness and lifelessness of the idols (e.g., 7:194; 22:73; 34:22).

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# nor the darkness and the light,

# nor the shade and the scorching heat.

20–21 The contrasts between the darkness and the light and the living and the dead (v. 22) are combined in 6:122: Is he who was dead, and to whom We give life, making for him a light by which to walk among mankind, like unto one who is in darkness from which he does not emerge? Combining vv. 19–22, Ibn Kathīr writes, “The believer sees and hears, and walks in the light upon a straight path in this world and the Hereafter, so that he comes to settle in Gardens wherein are shade and springs. The disbeliever is blind and deaf, walking in darkness from which he cannot escape; he is lost in his misguidance in this world and the Hereafter, so that he ends up amidst scorching wind and boiling liquid, and the shadow of black smoke, neither cool nor refreshing [56:42–44].”

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# Not equal are the living and the dead. Truly God causes whomsoever He will to hear, but thou canst not cause those in graves to hear.

  1. This verse can be seen as a response to the rhetorical questions posed in 6:122 and 39:22; that is, not equal are the living, those whose hearts are alive with faith in God, and the dead, those whose hearts are dead because they are covered with disbelief (Ṭ). That God causes whomsoever He will to hear, but thou canst not cause those in graves to hear is related to the first part of the verse in that those whose hearts are alive are those who hear the truth of the revelation, while those whose hearts are buried in the grave of ignorance cannot hear it (Ṭ). God’s causing them to hear thus refers to His guiding them and supporting them (Aj); see also 30:52–53.

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# Thou art naught but a warner.

  1. In this context, that the Prophet is naught but a warner (cf. 11:12; 13:7; 27:92; 34:46; 38:65; 79:45) indicates that it is not his function to cause those in graves to hear; it is only his function to deliver the message, so that those who believe or may come to believe will hear, as in 30:53: Thou makest none to hear, save those who believe in Our signs and are submitters. The Prophet is thus enjoined to leave their belief or disbelief in the Hands of God. In this way, this verse is an extension of v. 8: So let not thy soul be expended in regrets over them (Ṭ).

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# Truly We have sent thee with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and as a warner. And there has been no community but that a warner has passed among them.

  1. The Prophet is also referred to as both a bearer of glad tidings and a warner in 5:19; 7:188; 11:2; 17:105; 25:56; 33:45; 34:28; 48:8; in other verses these functions are attributed to all prophets (2:213; 4:165; 6:48; 18:56). According to Islamic belief, every human collectivity has been sent a warner (cf. 16:36) or messenger (10:47) and will thus be held accountable for heeding or ignoring the warning; see 67:9c.

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# If they deny thee, those before them also denied: their messengers brought them clear proofs, scriptures, and the luminous Book.

  1. Cf. 3:184. Regarding the denial of previous prophets, see 35:4c. That their messengers brought them clear proofs (cf. 7:101; 10:13; 14:9; 30:9; 40:83) refers to the miracles that bear witness to the truth of their prophetic missions (Q, Z) as well as the revealed laws (Q). Scriptures translates zubur, which is the plural of zabūr, a word employed elsewhere to designate the revelation sent to David, hence “the Psalms” (see 4:163; 17:56; 21:105). Zubur, however, is used more broadly in the Quran to denote various different revelations (see 3:184; 16:44; 23:53; 26:196; 54:43).

***

# Then I seized those who disbelieved. How, then, was the change I wrought!

  1. God’s seizing the disbelievers indicates that they are being punished, as in 40:5: they disputed by means of falsehood in order to reject the truth thereby; so I seized them. How, then, was My Retribution! (cf. 13:32). How, then, was the change I wrought! (cf. 22:44; 34:45; 67:18) could also be rendered, “How was the nature of My reproach!” Both translations imply “How severe was My Punishment!” (Q), indicating that the punishment that befalls the disbelievers of this generation will be as severe as the punishment that befell earlier ones.

***

# Hast thou not considered that God sends down water from the sky, wherewith We bring forth fruits of diverse colors? And in the mountains are streaks of white and red, of diverse hues, and others pitch-black.

  1. Hast thou not considered is addressed to the Prophet, but can also be read as a direct address to the reader or listener (R). It refers to seeing with the vision of the heart (Q), which enables one to know the true nature of things. In this vein, Ibn ʿAjībah relates the fruits of diverse colors to different forms of knowledge, and the different streaks upon mountains to the various paths by which knowledge is obtained; regarding the many signs in God’s sending down water from the sky, see 6:99c.

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# And of mankind, beasts, and cattle there are, likewise, those of diverse colors. [Yet] only those among His servants who know fear God. Truly God is Mighty, Forgiving.

  1. This verse refers to the differentiation between races and ethnicities, as in 30:22, And among His signs are the creation of the heavens and the earth and the variation in your tongues and colors (IK), but it can also be understood as a reference to the manner in which the inner states of human beings differ (Q). Those . . . who know is understood by many to mean those who know that God is Powerful over all things (IK, Q, Ṭ). In this regard, the Prophet is reported to have said, “The one among you who has the most knowledge of God is the one whose fear of Him is most intense” (Z). That only those among His servants who know fear God is understood to indicate the superiority of knowledge over worship (R), as in a famous ḥadīth: “Whosoever sets upon a path to seek knowledge, God will set him upon a path to the Garden. Verily the angels lower their wings being content with the one who seeks knowledge. And whosoever is in the heavens and on earth, even the fish in the sea, ask forgiveness for the person of knowledge. The superiority of one who has knowledge over the worshipper is as that of the moon over all other heavenly bodies. Those who have knowledge are the heirs of the prophets, for the prophets did not leave behind dīnārs and dirhams; they only left behind knowledge; and whosoever receives it, receives an abundance of good fortune.” Yet the manner in which this verse is followed by the mention of the obligatory acts of worship demonstrates that such knowledge must be combined with worship and manifest in one’s actions in order to be of benefit (Bḍ).

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# Truly those who recite the Book of God, perform the prayer, and spend from that which We have provided them secretly and openly hope for a commerce that will never perish,

  1. Both the obligatory and supererogatory manifestations of the three religious practices mentioned here are extolled (Q). The mention of the three together may be understood as an allusion to worshipping with one’s tongue, worshipping with one’s body, and expending one’s wealth, while the reference to fearing God in the previous verse alludes to remembering God with one’s heart (R). Regarding the recitation of the Quran, see 73:3–4c; 47:16c. In this context, some see those who recite the Book of God as a reference to those who recite the Quran constantly (Aj). The injunction to spend of one’s wealth secretly and openly (cf. 2:274; 13:22; 14:31; 16:75) indicates that one should give both openly, so that others are encouraged to do the same, and privately, so as not to be boastful. That those who perform these actions hope for a commerce that will never perish (cf. 61:10) alludes to their sincerity in seeking only the Face of God (R), as they do not perform such deeds to be seen of men (2:264; 4:38, 142; 8:47).

***

# that He may pay them their rewards in full and increase them from His Bounty. Truly He is Forgiving, Thankful.

  1. Cf. 3:57; 4:152, 173. God will reward the devout believers mentioned in the previous verse for what they have done and increase it to an extent that they could not fathom (IK). That God is Forgiving, Thankful (cf. 35:34; 42:23) indicates that He forgives bad deeds and accepts good deeds.

***

# And that which We have revealed unto thee from the Book is the truth, confirming what came before it. Verily God is of His servants Aware, Seeing.

  1. From the Book refers either to the guidance and clarifications from the Quran or else to the Quran itself being from the Preserved Tablet (85:22; R), which is held to be the source of all revelation. The Book confirms what came before it, so that there is no difference between it and previous revelations (R), as in 41:43, which addresses the Prophet, saying, Naught has been said unto thee save that which has been said unto the messengers before thee. From this perspective, the Quran cannot but confirm previous scriptures; see 2:41, 89, 91, 97, 101; 3:3, 81; 5:48; 6:92; 10:37; 46:30.

***

# Then We bequeathed the Book to those of Our servants whom We had chosen. Among them are those who wrong themselves, those who take a middle course, and those who are foremost in good deeds, by God’s Leave. That is the great bounty:

  1. The Book refers to the Quran (IK, JJ) or to all revealed books (Ṭ). With regard to the latter, that God has bequeathed it means that God has bequeathed the truth conveyed by all revelations to those who follow the Quran, as these truths are preserved in this revelation. Some see God’s having bequeathed it after having revealed it (in v. 31) as an allusion to the fact that there is no revelation after the Quran (R, Ṭs). The chosen to whom the Book is bequeathed refers to the prophets (Ṭb, Ṭs); or the people of knowledge, as in a famous ḥadīth, “The people of knowledge are the heirs of the prophets” (Ṭs, Ṭū); or the whole of the Muslim community (Ṭb, Ṭs). In this last sense, it would be similar to 40:53, which says of the Jews, And indeed We gave Moses guidance, and We bequeathed the Book to the Children of Israel (Ṭb). According to the Shiite tradition, Our servants whom We had chosen refers to descendants of the Prophet (Ṭb) or to the Imams specifically (Qm). The fifth and sixth Shiite Imams are reported to have said of this verse, “This refers specifically to us” (Ṭs). From this perspective, those who wrong themselves refers to those of Our servants who do not follow the Imams (Qm).

From a Sunni perspective, the three types of people listed here refer to three categories of believers (R): those who wrong themselves are believers who are careless, omitting some obligatory actions and committing some that are forbidden; those who take a middle course are those who perform the obligatory actions and avoid what is forbidden, but neglect praiseworthy deeds and do some things that are disliked by God; and those who are foremost in good deeds are those who perform both obligatory and praiseworthy acts and avoid both what is forbidden and what is disliked (IK). Those who wrong themselves are thus forgiven, while those who take a middle course are given an easy reckoning, and the foremost enter the Garden with no reckoning (IK, Q, Ṭ). From this perspective, the Book has been bequeathed to all three groups, and even those who believe yet wrong themselves will be forgiven (IK, Q). Others understand those who wrong themselves as a reference to disbelievers or hypocrites, those who take a middle course as a reference to believers who may still be disobedient, and the foremost as a reference to those who are truly reverent (Q, Ṭ). In this vein, they liken those who wrong themselves to the companions of the left (56:9), those who take a middle course to the companions of the right (56:8), and those who are foremost in good deeds to the foremost (56:10; Q, Ṭ). Those who wrong themselves are then said to be in the Fire, while the two categories of believers attain Paradise (Ṭ). Al-Tustarī is reported to have related these three categories to the attainment of knowledge: “The one who is foremost is the one who is learned; the one who takes a middle course is the one who is learning; and the one who wrongs himself is the one who is ignorant” (ST). AlḤasan al-Baṣrī is also reported to have said, “The foremost are those whose good deeds outweigh their misdeeds; those who take a middle course are those whose good deeds and misdeeds balance each other; and the wrongdoers are those whose misdeeds outweigh their good deeds” (ST).

That is the great bounty may refer to the Gardens of Eden (v. 33), but is also understood as a reference to the bequest of the Book (JJ) or to the fact that being foremost in good deeds is a bounty that God may bestow upon those who take a middle course and those who wrong themselves (Ṭ), as it is a degree only attained by God’s Leave.

That the Book is bequeathed to all of God’s servants may not necessarily introduce the complication that all of the commentators are trying to address here, namely, “How it is that the Book can be bequeathed to those who wrong themselves”? From an Islamic perspective, revelation can be understood as bequeathed to all human beings, even the disbelievers, in that, as the Prophet has said, “The Quran is a proof, either for you or against you,” since its truth shows each human being his or her true nature (see 36:7c; 40:6c). This verse could then be understood as addressing the three tendencies within human beings: those who wrong themselves are those who experience God’s Anger; those who take a middle course are those who at times are astray; and the foremost are those who follow a straight path. The way they are presented here, from lowest to highest, could also be understood as an allusion to the manner in which the bequest of the Book can bring one from the lowest state, in which one wrongs oneself, to the highest state, in which one is among the foremost, by God’s Leave, which is the great bounty.

***

# Gardens of Eden which they will enter, adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments therein will be of silk.

  1. Other references to the raiment and ornaments of the inhabitants of the Garden include 18:31; 22:23; 44:53; 76:21. Regarding bracelets of gold, see 18:31c. The inhabitants of the Garden are also said to be adorned with silvern bracelets (76:21). Elsewhere, their garments are said to be of fine silk and rich brocade (18:31; 76:21).

***

# And they will say, “Praise be to God, Who has dispelled grief from us. Truly our Lord is Forgiving, Thankful,

  1. Those who praise God for removing their sorrow are either all those who enter Paradise or those who wrong themselves (v. 32) when the latter is understood to mean those believers who nonetheless remained somewhat disobedient to God. In this vein, the Prophet is reported to have said, “As for one who wrongs himself, he will be afflicted by distress and sorrow in that state, and that is [the meaning of] Praise be to God, Who has dispelled grief from us” (Ṭ). In either interpretation, the grief that God dispels is the sorrow that arises from the fear of the Fire (Ṭ), the anxieties of this life and the next (IK, Z), or Satan and his whispering (Z). It may also refer to death (Ṭ), as they will not die again. Hence the Quran says of those who attain Paradise, No fear shall come upon them; nor shall they grieve (2:38, 62, 112, 262, 274, 277; 3:170; 5:69; 6:48; 7:35; 10:62; 46:13).

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# Who, of His Bounty, has caused us to dwell in the Abode of Everlasting Life, wherein no weariness shall touch us, nor fatigue befall us.”

  1. Of His Bounty is understood by some as an allusion to the fact that entry into the Garden is entirely in God’s Hands, as when the Prophet said to some of his Companions, “None will enter Paradise by virtue of good deeds, not even me, unless God encompasses me with Mercy and Bounty” (IK). In Arabic, weariness (naṣab) and fatigue (lughūb) are practically synonymous. Here, however, many commentators distinguish between them by saying that lughūb is fatigue and weariness, while naṣab is the toil and work that brings it about (R). Others say that these synonyms are used to refer to different types of “weariness,” naṣab being weariness of the body and lughūb being that of the soul or spirit (IK).

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# As for those who disbelieve, theirs shall be the Fire of Hell. They will neither be done away with so as to die; nor will aught of its punishment be lightened for them. Thus do We requite every disbeliever.

  1. They will neither be done away with so as to die is similar to 20:74: Verily, whosoever comes unto his Lord guilty, surely his shall be Hell, wherein he neither dies nor lives. The punishment is not lightened after the disbelievers have been sentenced, because they had already been granted respite and thus had many opportunities to repent during the life of this world; see 2:162 and 3:88: The punishment shall not be lightened for them; nor shall they be granted respite (cf. 2:86; 16:85; 43:74–75). Rather, God promises, Every time it abates, We shall increase for them a blazing flame (17:97; cf. 78:30).

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# They will cry out therein, “Our Lord! Remove us, that we may work righteousness other than that which we used to do.” “Did We not give you long life, enough for whosoever would reflect to reflect therein? And the warner came unto you, so taste [the punishment]! The wrongdoers shall have no helpers.”

  1. Having witnessed the realities of Resurrection and Judgment that they had denied (see 32:12; 19:38) and been made to admit their sin (67:11; cf. 40:11), the disbelievers ask for a reprieve, claiming that they will now work righteousness, or as they say in 6:27: Would that we were sent back! Then we would not deny the signs of our Lord, but we would be among the believers! (cf. 7:53; 26:102). Yet the warners who had been sent to them and the opportunity to reflect throughout their life constitute such a reprieve; thus 4:18 says, And repentance is not accepted from those who do evil deeds till, when death confronts one of them, he says, “Truly now I repent,” nor from those who die as disbelievers. For those We have prepared a painful punishment. In 23:100 it is said of their requests to be sent back and of their repentance, Nay, indeed these are words that he speaks. God thus denies all such requests, because even if they were sent back, they would return to the very thing they had been forbidden (6:28). Thus the wrongdoers shall have no helpers (cf. 2:270; 3:192; 5:72; 22:71), because they turned away from God and the help that He sent them during their life in this world. For the manner in which this and other verses can be seen as part of an extended discourse between God and the denizens of Hell, see 40:11–12c.

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# Truly God knows the unseen of the heavens and the earth. Truly He knows what lies within breasts.

  1. Elsewhere God is said to be Knower of the Unseen and the seen (6:73; 9:94, 105; 13:9; 23:92; 32:6; 39:46; 59:22; 62:8; 64:18), but this is one of only two verses to assert that God knows the unseen of the heavens and the earth (cf. 49:18). That God knows what lies within breasts is repeated in 3:119, 154; 5:7; 8:43; 11:5; 29:10; 31:23; 39:7; 42:24; 57:6; 64:4; 67:13. This warning can be understood as a reminder not to break the covenant either outwardly or intentionally or secretly, for God always knows and holds one accountable for what lies within breasts (R, in commentary on 5:7).

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# He it is Who appointed you vicegerents upon the earth. So whosoever disbelieves, his disbelief is to his detriment. The disbelief of the disbelievers increases them with their Lord in naught but odium. And the disbelief of the disbelievers increases them in naught but loss.

  1. Just as God created Adam as a vicegerent upon the earth (2:30), so too has God appointed all human beings as vicegerents upon the earth (cf. 6:165). Thus humanity is asked, Hast thou not considered that God has made whatsoever is on the earth subservient unto you (22:65; cf. 14:33; 31:20; 45:13); see 2:30c; 6:165c. That a person’s disbelief is to his detriment (cf. 30:44) relates to v. 18 (None shall bear the burden of another), since no one can carry the burden of another’s disbelief. It also relates to the role of human beings as vicegerents, for insofar as any disbelief is concerned, they reject their true nature and responsibility toward God. Their disbelief increases them in naught but odium means that the longer they persist in their disbelief, the more they will lose on the Day of Resurrection (IK). For other passages where the call of God’s messengers increases disbelievers in opposition and other negative reactions, see, for example, 9:125; 17:41; 25:60; 35:42; 71:6.

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# Say, “Have you considered your partners upon whom you call apart from God? Show me what they have created of the earth. Do they have a share in the heavens, or did We give them a book, such that they stand upon a clear proof from it?” Nay, the wrongdoers promise one another naught but delusion.

  1. This is one of several verses that challenge the idolaters to bring proof that their idols do indeed have the powers attributed to them. Elsewhere, the Prophet is told to say, Bring me your proof! (21:24). This verse and several others (46:4; 10:34; 21:24) address the inability of their “gods” to create; 25:3 denies all of the powers attributed to them: But they have taken gods apart from Him, who create naught and are themselves created, and who have no power over what harm or benefit may come to themselves, and who have no power over death, or life, or resurrection. The question Do they have a share in the heavens? (cf. 46:4) is connected to the preceding mention of your partners, meaning, “Do the idols they worship have a share in God’s Powers?” Alternately, it is connected to what follows, meaning, “Do the idolaters have some access to the heavens by which they perceive these things they claim?” (R). A book means a revelation; so the question asks, “Were they given a revelation that tells them of the things they claim?” (R). This second interpretation could thus allude to their having no way to substantiate their claims through intellect (ʿaql) or transmission (naql; R). Their claims are thus based upon nothing more than their promises to one another, which, having no foundation, are naught but delusion. Did We give them a book? is similar to challenges posed to the idolaters in several verses, such as 43:21: Or did We give them a book beforehand to which they hold fast? (cf. 34:44; 46:4; 68:37–38); see 46:4c.

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# Truly God maintains the heavens and the earth, lest they fall apart.And were they to fall apart, none would maintain them after Him. Truly He is Clement, Forgiving.

  1. Similar to 22:65, And He maintains the sky lest it fall upon the earth, save by His Leave, this verse confirms that none but God maintains the created order, since the sky and the earth stand fast by His Command (30:25). In this context, that God is Clement, Forgiving (cf. 17:44) alludes to God continuing to uphold the heavens even when the disbelievers declare that others uphold them, thus giving them time to repent (IK, R, Ṭ).

***

# And they swore by God their most solemn oaths that, were a warner to come unto them, they would be more rightly guided than any of the communities. Yet when a warner came unto them, it increased them in naught but aversion,

  1. Whereas the previous verses (vv. 38–41) discussed the disbelievers’ denial of Divine Oneness (tawḥīd), this verse addresses their denial of the Prophet. Before the Prophet had been sent to them, they denied only tawḥīd; afterwards they denied the Prophet and hence the revelation as well (R). It thus increased the idolaters in naught but aversion. Similarly, the disbelievers “increase in aversion” when the Prophet calls them to prostrate before the Compassionate (25:60), and when God expounds His signs in the Quran that they might reflect (17:41); see also 17:60, 82; 71:6, 24. According to some accounts, the Makkans had criticized the Jews, claiming that, were a messenger to be sent to them (the Makkans), they would not deny the messenger in the same way that previous communities had denied their messengers (R), as in 6:157: Or lest you should say, “If the Book had been sent down upon us, we would surely have been better guided than they.” Now there has come unto you a clear proof from your Lord, a guidance and a mercy. So who does greater wrong than one who denies the signs of God and turns away from them?

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# waxing arrogant upon the earth and plotting evil; yet evil plottingbesets none but its authors. So do they await aught but the wont of those of old? Thou shalt find no alteration in the wont of God, and thou shalt find no change in the wont of God.

  1. Waxing arrogant translates istikbāran, which can be also be read in relation to the previous verse to mean, “It increased them in naught but aversion and arrogance,” or “. . . aversion due to arrogance” (R, Z). The verse could also be read to mean, “It increased them in naught but delusion, waxing arrogant upon the earth, and evil plotting” (Z). According to some, waxing arrogant refers to their preventing the weaker ones among them from following the Prophet, while plotting evil refers to their polytheism (Ṭ). Their plotting evil (or evil plotting) could also mean their plotting against the Prophet (Z). That evil plotting besets none but its authors evokes the Quranic theme of moral reflexivity, as in 10:23: O mankind! Your tyranny is only against yourselves; see 35:18c.

This is one of several verses that reference the wonts or customs of previous peoples (see 3:137; 4:26; 8:38; 15:13; 17:77; 18:55). In this context, the wont of those of old is understood to mean God’s wont concerning them (Bḍ, R, Ṭ), thus the forms of punishment with which God afflicted them (Q). That there is no change in the wont of God (cf. 33:62; 48:23) can be understood as a reference to the permanence of the laws and principles God established for creation. In this context, it indicates both that God always allows the plotting of the disbelievers to close in upon them and that the outcome is something decreed, which none can avert (70:2; R). It also has a note of irony, as if to say to those who persist in disbelief, “You want to follow the wont of those of old? Then God will bring a wont in which there is no alteration or change” (R), meaning that their end will be like the end of those before them. The absence of alteration in God’s wont can be seen as a reference to the fact that God will always recompense the disbelievers with their just deserts, while the absence of change can be seen as a reference to the fact that none can avert God’s Punishment by making the recompense due for one fall upon another (Bḍ, Q, R); for the wont of God, see also 3:137c; 33:38, 62; 40:85; 48:23.

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# Have they not journeyed upon the earth and observed how thosebefore them fared in the end, though they were greater than them in strength? Naught in the heavens or upon the earth can thwart God. Truly He is Knowing, Powerful.

  1. The injunction to observe how those before them fared in the end, which is here directly connected to the mention of the wont of those of old in v. 43, is repeated several times in the Quran (12:109; 30:9, 42; 40:21, 82; 47:10). The Quran frequently mentions the fate of the guilty, the corrupt, the wrongdoers, and those who denied God’s messengers as an admonition to the disbelievers (see 3:137; 6:11; 7:84, 86, 103; 10:39, 73; 16:36; 27:14, 69; 37:73; 43:25). Those before them is thus understood as a reference to previous tribes and peoples who were destroyed despite being mightier than those who opposed the Prophet (see also 40:21, 82). For more on the Quranic discussion of journeying upon the earth and the spiritual and moral edification to be derived from it, see 30:9c.

In this context, that naught in the heavens or upon the earth can thwart God (cf. 8:59; 9:2–3; 11:20; 24:57; 29:22; 42:31; 46:32; 72:12) reaffirms that those of old could not in any way escape the punishment merited by their aversion, arrogance, and plotting, despite their great material and physical strength (R); thus the disbelievers to whom these verses are addressed will also not be able to avert the punishment that is their due, as in 6:134: Indeed, that which you are promised shall come to pass, and you cannot thwart [it].

***

# Were God to take mankind to task for that which they have earned, He would not leave a single creature upon the surface of the earth. But He grants them reprieve till a term appointed. And when their term comes, truly God sees His servants.

  1. Were God to give human beings the recompense for their acts of disobedience immediately, rather than granting them respite (Ṭū), no creature would remain upon the face of the earth (Ṭū). The reference to a single creature can be understood to mean only human beings and jinn (Q) or only human beings (Bḍ, Q). But it most likely refers to all living creatures, who will suffer from the sins of human beings, as they did in the flood of Noah (Q), though others say the reference to a term appointed indicates that this applies only to human beings. It is proposed that one of the ways in which God would not leave a single creature upon the surface of the earth is by withholding the rain, which would destroy all living things (Q, Z). The elimination of the creatures of the earth can also be seen as part of the punishment for human beings, since creatures are a means of provision (R). Their elimination from the surface of the earth can also indicate the severity of the punishment and point to the fact that the lives of human beings are integrated with those of the creatures around them, so that the punishment they bring upon themselves cannot but affect other forms of life (R).

In this context, a term appointed (cf. 6:60; 7:34; 10:49; 14:10; 16:61; 39:5, 42; 71:4) indicates the Day of Resurrection (Q, Z). All individuals and communities (7:34; 10:49) as well as all created phenomena (see 13:2; 31:29; 35:13; 39:5; 46:3) have a term appointed, meaning a final end that has been determined or “measured out” by God. That people are granted reprieve until a term appointed points to God’s Mercy, but also warns that one has only this life to repent and perform good deeds; otherwise when the punishment comes, those who did wrong will say, “Our Lord! Grant us reprieve for a term nigh, that we might respond to Thy call and follow the messengers” (14:44). The respite granted to all in this life may give some the opportunity to repent, but 3:178 warns, Let not those who disbelieve suppose that the respite We grant them is good for them. We only grant them respite that they may increase in sin, and theirs shall be a humiliating punishment (see also 11:8; 14:42). That God sees His servants when the appointed term has come alludes to His requiting them for all that they have done (Aj, Bḍ).

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

    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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    • 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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