Tadabbur i Qur’ān

Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45)

 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45)

Central Theme and relationship with the Previous Sūrah

This sūrah is the counterpart of the previous one with regard to its name, introductory verses
and basic meanings. The difference is that of brevity and explanation. The Quraysh are told in it
that every part of the heavens and the earth is replete with arguments which substantiate
monotheism and the Hereafter and God has also detailed them out in His Book; they are warned
and threatened in explicit words that if they are not being able to understand these arguments,
then they, in fact, cannot understand anything of this world; their matter now rests with God; He
will take a decision in this regard.
Muslims are given glad tidings in unequivocal words that with patience they should bear the
circumstances they are facing. If they resolutely adhere to their stance, theirs shall be the final
victory. The hardships they will bear for this cause will not go waste; God will richly recompense
them for this steadfastness.
This sūrah belongs to the time when the Jews had started to openly support the Quraysh. For
this reason, the Jews too are rebuked very blatantly that because of their misdeeds they have been
deposed from the position of religious and political leadership which God had bestowed on them.
Now their matter will be presented in the court of God, and He will then pass a verdict about their
fate. At the same time, Muslims are warned to stick to the radiant path God has made evident to
them and to be aware of these evil religious people. They are trying hard to force Muslims to
adopt the innovations they have fabricated and thereby deprive them of the path of God the way
they have deprived themselves of it.

Analysis of the Meanings

Verses (1-6): This Qur’ān has been revealed by God in a thorough and elaborate manner. The
arguments to substantiate the belief of monotheism it is calling people to and the Day of reward and
punishment it is threatening people with are present in every nook and corner of the heavens and the
earth. The creation of man, the alternation of day and night, the descent of rain, the appearance of its
blessings on earth, the movement of the winds – all contain very clear signs of the belief of
monotheism and of the Hereafter – only if they reflect and are prepared to accept the consequences
of this reflection. It is these facts which the Qur’ān is presenting. If people are not being able to
understand these clear facts, then after them what is it that they will understand and acknowledge.
Verses (7-11): The ringleaders of the creed of polytheism who have fabricated a false religion and
have become so ardent in blindly supporting it that they are not willing to listen to the words of
God are warned. When the Book of God is recited before them, they walk away with such
arrogance as if they had heard nothing. If they come to realize that anything presented is very
potent for the hearts, they start mocking it in order to reduce its influence. These people should
remember that this display of arrogance will lead them to their doom and when they will be cast
into Hell, their treasures and riches which they obtained through illegal means will be of no avail
212 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
to them nor will their alleged deities they had fabricated and associated with God be of any
benefit to them.
Verses (12-15): Some arguments in support of monotheism are presented in a new style and
Muslims are urged to show patience and perseverance. They should not the slightest care about the
nonsensical talk of the idolaters; on the contrary, they should remain steadfast on their stance. If
these adversaries do not listen to him, they will only harm their own selves; no harm will come to
the believers.
Verses (16-20): Sorrow is expressed on the Israelites: they were blessed with political authority,
prophethood, abundant resources of sustenance as well as the leadership of other nations.
However, they never fulfilled their obligations towards these favours; in fact, they created
differences in the religion of God because of mutual jealousy and animosity. Muslims are
directed that the Almighty has taken back the sharī‘ah He had entrusted to the Jews and handed it
over to them. They should guard themselves from going astray like the Jews and strongly adhere
to the religion of God. They should not be overawed at this time by the alliance of the Jews and
the idolaters. The help of God will nevertheless remain with those who fear Him.
Verses (21-37): Some objections raised by the rejecters of the Hereafter are dispelled. The state of
affairs on that day of the deniers of the Hereafter is depicted. At the end, the subject of
monotheism is once again taken up.

Section I: Verses (1-15)

Text and Translation

ۡ ‫ﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ‬
‫ﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ‬ ٰ ۡ ٰ ‫ﺑﺴﻢ ﷲ‬ ۡ
ۡ ‫ﻳﺒﺚ‬ & ۡ & ۡ IJ
& ‫ﺧﻠﻘﻜﻢ و ﻣﺎ‬ ۡ ‫﴾ و‬¤٣﴿ •B‫ﻟﻠﻤﺆﻣﻨ‬ ۡ ۡ&ۡ ٰٰ ۡ ۡ ٰ ٰ IJ ‫﴾ ن‬٢﴿ ‫ﻟﺤﻜﻴﻢ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﻌﺰﻳﺰ‬ ۡ ۡ ٰ ‫ﻟﻜﺘﺐ ﻣﻦ ﷲ‬ & ۡ ۡ ﴾ۚ ١﴿ ‫ﺣﻢ‬
ٰ ۡ ‫ﻳﻞ‬#$‫ﺗ‬ ٓ ٰ
‫دآﺑﺔ‬
ٍ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ ‫ﻵﻹﻳﺖ‬
ٍ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و ﻵﻹرض‬
ٰ ‫<ﻳﻒ‬À‫ﺗ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻣﻮﺗﻬﺎ و‬ ۡ ‫ﻵﻹرض‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻓﺎﺣﻴﺎ ﺑﻪ‬ ۡ ‫ﻣﻦ ۡرزق‬ ٰ ۡ ۤ ۡ ۡ & ۡ‫ﻟﻘﻮم &ﻳﻮ‬ ٌ ٰٰ
‫ﻟﺮﻳﺢ‬ ۡ ‫ﻌﺪ‬X ٍ ۡ ‫﴾ و ﺧﺘﻶﻹف ۡﻟﻴﻞ و ﻟﻨﻬﺎر و ﻣﺎ ﻧﺰل ﷲ & ﻣﻦ ﻟﺴﻤﺂء‬٤ۙ ﴿ ‫ﻗﻨﻮن‬ ٍ ۡ ‫ﻳﺖ‬
ۡ ٍ ‫وﻳﻞ &ﻟ¯ﻞ‬ ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻳﺘﻪ‬ ٰ ٰ ۡ ‫ﺣﺪﻳﺚ‬ ۡ ۡ ۡ & ۡ ٰ ‫ﻳﺖ ﷲ‬ & ٰ ٰ ‫ﺗﻠﻚ‬ ۡ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬ ٌ ٰٰ
﴾ۙ٧﴿ ‫ﺛﻴﻢ‬ ٍ ‫ﻓﺎك‬
ٌ ۡ ﴾٦﴿ ‫ﻳﺆﻣﻨﻮن‬ ٖ ٰ ‫ﻌﺪ ﷲ و‬X d ۡ ‫ﻋﻠﻴﻚ ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ { ﻓﺒﺎي‬ ‫ﻧﺘﻠﻮﻫﺎ‬ ﴾٥﴿ ‫ﻌﻘﻠﻮن‬P ٍ ۡ ‫ﻳﺖ‬
ً & & ‫ﺷﻴﺌﺎ ﺗﺨﺬﻫﺎ‬ ۨ ۡ & ۡ { ‫ﻳﺴﻤﻌﻬﺎ‬ ً ۡ ۡ & <À‫ﻳ‬ & & & ۡ ٰ ۡ& ٰ ٰٰ& ۡ
) ‫ﻫﺰو‬ ‫ﻣﻦ ٰ ٰﻳﺘﻨﺎ‬
ۡ ‫﴾ و ذ ﻋﻠﻢ‬٨﴿ ‫ﻌﺬ ب ۡﻟﻴﻢ‬X ‫ﻓﺒ–<ه‬
ٍ ٍ
ۡ ۡ ‫ﺎن ۡﻟﻢ‬c ۡ AŒ‫ﻣﺴﺘﻜ‬ ‫ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺛﻢ‬Ir‫ﻳﺴﻤﻊ ﻳﺖ ﷲ ﺗﺘ‬
& ٰ & ً & ۡ ۡ & ٌ ۡ & ‫ﻟﻬﻢ ﻋﺬ ٌب‬ ۡ & ‫وﻟ†ﻚ‬° &
‫ﻟﻬﻢ ﻋﺬ ٌب‬ ۡ ‫دون ﷲ ۡوﻟﻴﺂء { و‬ ۡ & ‫ﻣﻦ‬
ۡ ‫ﺗﺨﺬو‬ ۡ ‫ﺷﻴﺌﺎ و ﻵﻹ ﻣﺎ‬ ۡ ‫ﻛﺴﺒﻮ‬ ۡ & ‫ﻋﻨﻬﻢ ﻣﺎ‬ ۡ yÍ‫ﻐ‬P ۡ ‫ﺟﻬﻨﻢ { و ﻵﻹ‬ & ‫ورآ•ﻬﻢ‬ ۡ ۡ ﴾¤٩﴿ •B‫ﻣﻬ‬
‫ﻣﻦ‬
‫ﻓﻴﻪ‬ ۡ ‫ﻟﻔﻠﻚ‬ & ۡ&ۡ ۡ ۡ ۡ &&
‫< ﻟﻜﻢ ﻟﺒ·< ﻟﺘﺠﺮي‬Ò‫ﻟﺬي ﺳ‬ ۡ & ٰ ‫﴾ ﷲ‬١١﴿ ‫ﻟﻴﻢ‬ ٌ ۡ ‫رﺟﺰ‬ ۡ ۡ ٌ ۡ& ۡ ٰٰ ۡ& ۡ ً& ٰ ٌۡ
ٍ ‫و ﺑﺎﻳﺖ رﺑﻬﻢ ﻟﻬﻢ ﻋﺬ ب ﻣﻦ‬RS‫﴾ ﻫﺬ ﻫﺪي { و ﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﻛ‬١٠¤ ﴿ ‫ﻋﻈﻴﻢ‬
ٍ ۡ ‫ﻵﻹﻳﺖ‬
‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬
ٰ ٰۡ
ٍ ٰ ‫ ذﻟﻚ‬IJ
ۡ ًۡ
‫ﺟﻤﻴﻌﺎ ﻣﻨﻪ& ) ن‬ ‫ﻵﻹرض‬ ۡ ۡ IJ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و ﻣﺎ‬ ٰ ٰ IJ ‫ﻟﻜﻢ ﻣﺎ‬ ۡ & <Ò‫﴾ و ﺳ‬١٢ۚ ﴿ ‫<ون‬Ð‫ﺗﺸ‬ ۡ & & ۡ ‫ﻟﻌﻠﻜﻢ‬ ۡ & ‫ﻓﻀﻠﻪ و‬ ٖ ‫ﻣﻦ‬
ۡ ۡ ۡ& ۡ
‫ﺑﺎﻣﺮه و ﻟﺘﺒﺘﻐﻮ‬ ٖ ۡ
ۡ ً ‫ﻣﻦ ﻋﻤﻞ‬ ۡ ﴾١٤﴿ ‫ﻳﻜﺴﺒﻮن‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﺎﻧﻮ‬c ًۢ ۡ
ۡ & ‫ﻗﻮﻣﺎ ﺑﻤﺎ‬ ۡ ٰ ‫ﻳﺮﺟﻮن ﻳﺎم ﷲ‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﻠﺬﻳﻦ ﻵﻹ‬
ۡ ‫و‬RS‫ﻐ‬P ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻣﻨﻮ‬ ۡ & ٰ ‫ﻟﻠﺬﻳﻦ‬ۡ ‫ﻗﻞ‬ ۡ & ﴾١٣﴿ ‫<ون‬Ð‫ﻳﺘﻔ‬ ۡ&
{ ‫ﻓﻠﻨﻔﺴﻪ‬
ٖ ‫ﺻﺎﻟﺤﺎ‬ ‫ﻟﻴﺠﺰي‬
﴾١٥﴿ ‫ﺗﺮﺟﻌﻮن‬ ۡ & IŠٰ ‫ &ﺛﻢ‬Á ‫ﻓﻌﻠﻴﻬﺎ‬
ۡ & ۡ & ‫رﺑﻜﻢ‬ ۡ ‫ﻣﻦ ﺳﺂء‬ ۡ ‫و‬
In the name of God, the Most-Gracious, the Ever-Merciful.
This is Ḥā Mīm. The elaborate revelation of this Book is from God, the Mighty, the Wise.
There are many signs in the heavens and the earth for those who profess faith. And similarly, in
your own creation, and in the beasts He has spread all around are many signs for those who want
to have conviction. And in the alternation of night and day, in the means of sustenance God sends
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 213
down from the sky with which He revives the earth after its death, and in the moving about of the
winds also are signs for men who understand. (1-5)
These are God’s revelations that We are reciting to you with absolute truth. So, after God and
His signs what else will they believe in? Destruction is for every lying sinner who hears God’s
revelations recited to Him and then, as though he never heard them, persists in arrogance on his
behaviour. So give them glad tidings of a painful torment. And when he comes to know of
something from Our revelations, He makes fun of them. It is these people for whom there is a
humiliating torment. Hell is in front of them and what they have earned will not be of the slightest
benefit to them nor shall those they have served besides God. And for them will be a great
punishment. This is the real guidance and those who have denied their Lord’s revelations will
face a painful scourge that will produce shivers. (6-11)
It is God alone Who has made the ocean harmonious for you so that ships may sail upon it at
His bidding and so that you may be grateful to Him. And it is He Who has put in your service
what is in the heavens and the earth; all from Him. Indeed, there are signs in this for those who
reflect. (12-13)
Tell the believers to forgive those who do not expect the great days of God to manifest so that
God fully reward a people according to their deeds. He who does a virtuous deed, it is for his own
good; and he who commits evil does so at his own peril. Then to your Lord shall you be returned.
(14-15)

Explanation
1
﴾٢﴿ ‫ﻟﺤﻜﻴﻢ‬ ۡ ۡ ٰ ‫ﻟﻜﺘﺐ ﻣﻦ ﷲ‬
ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﻌﺰﻳﺰ‬ & ۡ ۡ ﴾ۚ ١﴿ ‫ﺣﻢ‬
ٰ ۡ ‫ﻳﻞ‬#$‫ﺗ‬ ٓ ٰ
The Qur’ānic name of this sūrah too is Ḥā Mīm. In the exegesis of previous sūrahs, I have
already alluded to the commonality of topics of the sūrahs which have this name.
Like the introductory part of the previous sūrah, this sūrah too contains a reference to the
& ۡ ۡ
exaltedness and significance of the Qur’ān. However, the nature of significance mentioned here is
different from the one mentioned in the previous sūrah. I have explained in detail the word ‫ﻳﻞ‬#$‫ﺗ‬
at an appropriate place in this exegesis and shown that it contains the meaning of gradual
progression and elaborate effort and I have explained at various places in this exegesis the nature
of this elaborate effort and thoroughness of the Almighty in revealing the Qur’ān. Here, besides
mentioning this elaborate arrangement, God has also referred to two of His attributes: al-‘Azīz
and al-Ḥakīm. The former means powerful and dominant and the latter refers to someone whose
each and every word and deed has some wisdom. By mentioning together these two attributes
here, two things are evident:
Firstly, the God Who has revealed this Qur’ān in such a thorough and elaborate manner is not
weak, frail and helpless; in fact, He is the sovereign Lord and the dominion of this universe is in
His hands. This Qur’ān is not a request; it is a royal decree of the real Master of this Universe
Who must necessarily be obeyed. If it is not duly honoured, then people should remember that
when He will seize them no one will be able to stop Him.
Secondly, besides being powerful, sovereign and dominant, God is also wise. This means that
every word and deed of His is based on wisdom. The majesty of His wisdom is evident from His
Book which is replete with wisdom – only if people care to reflect on it. A majestic feature of His
wisdom is that even though some ingrates and worthless people are showing disregard to His

1. This is Ḥā Mīm. The elaborate revelation of this Book is from God, the Mighty, the Wise.
214 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
Book and to His Messenger, He in spite of being powerful and prevailing is not showing haste in
seizing them. On the contrary, He keeps on extending their respite so that those who have the
ability can mend their ways and make themselves worthy of His mercy and those who have
wasted their abilities are conclusively conveyed the truth; on the Day of Judgement, they will
have no excuse to present.
ۡ ۡ&ۡ ٰٰ ۡ ۡ ٰ ٰ IJ ‫ن‬
2
﴾¤٣﴿ •B‫ﻟﻠﻤﺆﻣﻨ‬ ‫ﻵﻹﻳﺖ‬
ٍ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و ﻵﻹرض‬
This verse refers to the call and message of the Qur’ān regarding monotheism and to the
arguments it contains that are spread all around man to substantiate the Day of Judgement. It says
that the signs of what the Qur’ān is calling people to and what it is warning them of are present in
every nook and corner of this world. However, they are useful only for those who profess faith.
Those who do not profess faith remain blind even after observing everything and keep demanding
more signs. If a new sign is shown to them as per their demand, even then they are not convinced
and start demanding another one. The real thing is a person’s intent. If a person has a yearning for
the truth and the will to reach his destination, the Creator of heavens and the earth has left no
stone unturned in guiding him to this destination. The heavens have landmarks everywhere which
point to it and the earth also provides guidance at every step. However, people who are lured
away by their desires can neither see these signals sent out by the heavens nor the signs put forth
by the earth. They keep wandering about all their lives.

ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬ ٌ ٰ ٰ ٍ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ & &

ۡ ‫ﻳﺒﺚ‬ ۡ & ۡ IJ
3
﴾٤ۙ ﴿ ‫ﻳﻮﻗﻨﻮن‬ ٍ ۡ ‫دآﺑﺔ ﻳﺖ‬ ‫ﺧﻠﻘﻜﻢ و ﻣﺎ‬ ۡ ‫و‬
After directing attention to the composite signs of the heavens and the earth, attention is now
drawn to the creation of man and to the tremendous system set up by God to nurture and sustain
him. If a person reflects on all the phases of his creation, he will become aware of those facts
about God’s providence, power and wisdom which will leave no room for doubt in him about the
oneness of God and about the Hereafter being possible and about reward and punishment being
certain! How can it be difficult for the Creator Who has created man in such a grand mould from
clay and a drop of water to recreate him? How can it be expected from the God Who for the
purpose of nurturing man has made such elaborate arrangement from the first phase of his
creation to the last that He will not hold man accountable. Why would not man – created with
such great qualities – be held answerable for how he used these qualities? Moreover, what has
come over man that he should associate partners with the God Who has put into his service the
& & elements of nature.
conflicting and opposing
ۡ ‫ﻳﺒﺚ‬
The words ‫دآﺑﺔ‬
ٍ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ ‫ و ﻣﺎ‬refer to the resources of providence which the Almighty has blessed
man with in the form of beasts. If man reflects only a little, there is no doubt that the multifarious
benefits he is receiving from these beasts are not merely chance happenings; in fact, God has
created these beasts to provide these benefits to man and made each of their benefits very
appropriate for him. If man was in need to transport himself and his belongings and things, God
created animals which were appropriate for this purpose. If man needed milk, meat, wool and
hides, God created different beasts to provide him with these needs. All this bears evidence that

2. There are many signs in the heavens and the earth for those who profess faith.
3. And similarly, in your own creation, and in the beasts He has spread all around are many signs for
those who want to have conviction.
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 215
the Creator of this world is very merciful and it is essential that He be shown gratitude. What this
elaborate arrangement of blessing man with favours further necessitates is that a day come
wherein God ask him about these favours and those who fulfilled their rights be rewarded and
those who forgot God after receiving them be punished for their ingratitude.
ۡ & ۡ & in ‫ﻳﻮﻗﻨﻮن‬
The verb ‫ﻳﻮﻗﻨﻮن‬ ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬
ٍ ۡ is to express intention. In other words, the referred to phenomena
contain numerous arguments in support of monotheism, the Hereafter and reward and punishment;
however, mere existence of such arguments is not enough for them to be beneficial unless people
have the intention to accept them. A person who does not want to be convinced invents one doubt
or another against obvious realities.

ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬ ٌ ٰٰ ٰ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻣﻮﺗﻬﺎ و‬ ۡ ‫ﻣﻦ ۡرزق‬

ۡ ۡ ‫ﻓﺎﺣﻴﺎ ﺑﻪ‬
ۡ ‫ﻵﻹرض‬ ٰ ۡ ۤ ۡ
﴾٥﴿ ‫ﻌﻘﻠﻮن‬P ٍ ۡ ‫<ﻳﻒ ﻟﺮﻳﺢ ﻳﺖ‬À‫ﺗ‬ ۡ ‫ﻌﺪ‬X ٍ ۡ ‫و ﺧﺘﻶﻹف ۡﻟﻴﻞ و ﻟﻨﻬﺎر و ﻣﺎ ﻧﺰل ﷲ & ﻣﻦ ﻟﺴﻤﺂء‬
4

ٌ ْ
The word ‫ﺧﺘﻶﻹف‬ here means the consecutive alternation of day and night. At the same time, it
subtly refers to the difference in the temperament of the night and the day which is essential for
ۡ ۡ
the existence, sustenance and well-being of this universe. The words ‫رزق‬ ٍ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ refer to water which
becomes a means for sustenance. In other words, here the effect connotes the cause. This usage is
common not only in Arabic but in every language.
The argumentative aspect found in the alternation of day and night is referred to by the Qur’ān
in many places: in spite of the fact that both are opposites to one another: one is dry and the other
is warm; one is peaceful and the other is noisy; one is dark and the other is radiant; however, to
nurture man both of them form a harmonious pair. This is a very clear evidence to the fact that
both have been created by the same God and at His bidding are continuously carrying out the
responsibilities entrusted to them with full vigilance. If they had been created by different gods,
then harmony and accord between the two would have been impossible and in the absence of this
harmony, life on this earth would have been impossible.
Similar is the situation with the rain. Though it comes down from the heavens, it gives life to
the earth and its inhabitants. This bears clear testimony to the fact that a single intention prevails
in the heavens and the earth. If the heavens had their own god and the earth its own, then why
would the heavens rain down sustenance for the inhabitants of the earth? Moreover, every person
without distinction observes that at times a piece of land is dry and desolate and there is not a
single place in it in which any form of life can be seen when suddenly it springs to life after
receiving rain. So will it be difficult for the God Whose majesties like these one witnesses in
every season to recreate this world after it dies?
The words ‫ﻟﺮﻳﺢ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ و‬point to the fact that in the movement of the winds also can be seen the
ٰ ‫<ﻳﻒ‬À‫ﺗ‬
signs of God’s power, mercy, providence and punishment. It is quite evident that they are
controlled by a single controller Who uses them as per His wisdom. If He stops them, the whole
world will be destroyed in the blink of an eye. He can make them a boon for one people and a bane
for another. It was because of this movement of the wind that God saved Moses (sws) and his
people and destroyed the Pharaoh and his people. Every now and then, it comes to our notice that
farmers are very satisfied by the future of their crops; yet suddenly blows a storm and darkens their
future; sailors while opening the sails of their ships and farmers while carrying their equipment to

4. And in the alternation of night and day, in the means of sustenance God sends down from the sky with
which He revives the earth after its death, and in the moving about of the winds also are signs for men who
understand.
216 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
clean the wheat crop wait for suitable winds but no one except God has the authority to send such
winds. Although, in these times, man on the basis of scientific advancement has become audacious
enough to claim that he has been able to control the clouds and the winds to a great extent;
however, a little jolt from providence becomes enough to expose the extent of this control. All
these things clearly bear witness that it is one single Being Who rules over all the elements of the
universe. Without & ۡ His permission, even a single leaf cannot move from its place.
ۡ
The words ‫ﻌﻘﻠﻮن‬P ‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬ ۡ ٌ ٰٰ
ٍ ‫ ﻳﺖ‬imply that though the signs which bear witness to monotheism and the
Hereafter are found at every step, only those will benefit from them who use their intellect. Those
who don’t use their intellect or use it to the extent of acquiring material benefits always remain
deprived of the real majesty of these signs.
Here the Qur’ān has referred very briefly to these signs. For this reason, I too will confine
myself to briefly alluding to them. All these signs have been explained in detail in previous
sūrahs and I have full explained them there.
It is evident from the previous three verses that for the believers every nook and corner of this
universe is replete with the signs of monotheism and the Hereafter. For the others too, these signs
are not concealed on the condition that they have the courage to acknowledge and fully accept
and the will to use their faculty of sense and reason. People who do not want to believe a reality
however much evident it may be or do not use their faculty of sense and reason for the purpose it
was given to them will never be cured of this blindness.

ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻳﺘﻪ‬ ٰ ٰ ۡ ‫ﺣﺪﻳﺚ‬ ۡ ۡ ۡ & ۡ ٰ ‫ﻳﺖ ﷲ‬ ۡ

& ٰ ٰ ‫ﺗﻠﻚ‬
5
﴾٦﴿ ‫ﻳﺆﻣﻨﻮن‬ ٖ ٰ ‫ﻌﺪ ﷲ و‬X d ۡ ‫ﻋﻠﻴﻚ ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ { ﻓﺒﺎي‬ ‫ﻧﺘﻠﻮﻫﺎ‬
This verse sounds an assurance to theۡ Prophet (sws) and rebukes his adversaries. The
antecedent of the demonstrative pronoun ‫( ﺗﻠﻚ‬these) is the signs found in the world around man
and that within him referred to in the previous verses. The verse says that these are the signs of
God’s oneness, His power and wisdom and of the day of reward and punishment which God
through the Qur’ān is reciting out to the Prophet (sws) with their full consequences and
implications. So evident are these signs that no sensible person can deny them. The Qur’ān is
only calling people to accept their real consequences and implications. If his adversaries are not
willing to accept the obvious consequences of these signs, then what else can be more convincing
and satisfying on which they will profess faith!
ۡ ۡ
The word ‫ ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ‬in ‫ﻋﻠﻴﻚ ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ‬ ۡ & ۡ refers to the certain and factual consequences which one
ۡ ‫ﻧﺘﻠﻮﻫﺎ‬
reaches after reflecting on these signs. As a qualifying word, it alludes to the fact that as far as
reflection on these signs is concerned, others too reflect on them but they do so with their
confined and limited angles. For this reason, they are either not able to reach out to the realities
concealed in them or they do reach out to them but since they are against their whims and desires,
they avoid accepting them. For example, astronomers also reflect on the signs found in the
heavens and the earth and medical scientists do research on the anatomy of man and zoologists
deliberate on various aspects of animal life and meteorologists study the movement of winds,
seasons of rain and their effects and climatic changes. However, all of them, because of their narrow
mindedness, can in fact see from their telescopes and microscopes a spot as minute as a needle
point yet are unable to see the mountain of reality concealed by this point. The meteorologists will
predict that in the next twenty four hours the weather will remain warm and dry and may also put

5. These are God’s revelations that We are reciting to you with absolute truth. So after God and His signs
what else will they believe in?
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 217
forward absurd justifications for this. Many a time their predictions prove to be true and at times
one cannot deny the justification put forth by them; however, their observation and analysis is
confined to the nature of wind movement and its effects. They never bother to reflect beyond this
to find out who the real Controller and Bringer about of changes is and what His rights are even
though all the changes and transformations which occur in the universe are meant to take a person
to the real question and find out its answer; moreover, if some fellow human being tells him a
convincing answer to this question he should accept it. The Qur’ān has specially stressed those
ۡ ۡ
aspects of these signs which highlight the actual reality. Thus it has used the words: ‫ﻋﻠﻴﻚ ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ‬ ۡ&ۡ .
‫ﻧﺘﻠﻮﻫﺎ‬
A very important thing which becomes evident from this discussion is that the call and message
of the Qur’ān is not based on forcing people to accept it; it is based on arguments found in the
world within man and that around him as well as on the obvious norms of sense and human
nature. The reason people who do accept these arguments is not that they are hidden from them; it
is only because they find it against their base desires and thus want to evade them. People who
are afflicted with this ailment obviously will not accept anything which is against their whims and
desires even though it may be as radiant as the sun.
The second thing which becomes evident is that God and His signs are self-evident – in fact,
the most self-evident of realities of this world. Those who reject them will never accept anything
else; they are mere slaves of their desires and worship material things. If such people demand
some new signs or miracles, then they are not worthy of being paid attention to. The greatest of
miracles cannot open the eyes of such blind people!

& ۡ { ‫ﻳﺴﻤﻌﻬﺎ‬
ۡ ‫ﻌﺬ ب‬X ‫ﻓﺒ–<ه‬ ۡ AŒ‫ﻣﺴﺘﻜ‬
ۡ ۡ ‫ﺎن ۡﻟﻢ‬c & & & ۡ ٰ ۡ& ٰ ٰٰ& ۡ
ً ۡ ۡ & <À‫ﻳ‬ ۡ ٍ ‫وﻳﻞ &ﻟ¯ﻞ‬
ٌ ۡ
6
﴾٨﴿ ‫ﻟﻴﻢ‬
ٍ ٍ ‫ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺛﻢ‬Ir‫﴾ﻳﺴﻤﻊ ﻳﺖ ﷲ ﺗﺘ‬٧ۙ ﴿ ‫ﺛﻴﻢ‬
ٍ ‫ﻓﺎك‬
The rebuke sounded in the previous verse continues in these verses as well. Destruction awaits
these people who have denied all these signs only to give credence to their sinful lives.
The word ‫ﻓﺎك‬ٍ refers to a person who distorts facts; in other words, the signs of God refer to
some other reality and he, while being a slave to his desires, completely changes and distorts it.
The foremost people on whom this verse applies are the idolaters of the Quraysh who had
distorted and disfigured the religion of Abraham (sws) because of blindly following their whims
and desires! However, the verse generally applies to all those who in every period of time distort
and change the directives of God because of their base whims and desires.
The word ‫ﺛﻴﻢ‬ ۡ
ٍ refers to a sinner, especially one who neither discharges his obligations nor fulfils
the rights of others. The mention of this trait with the previous one shows that only those
worthless people are guilty of conniving to distort facts who want to evade their rights and
obligations towards God and want to insist on their sinful ways. The verse says that destruction
awaits such wretched people. The reason is that the verses of God are being recited out to them
but they very arrogantly walk away as if they heard nothing. This is a reference to the attitude the
leaders of the Quraysh would adopt in response to the preaching of the Prophet (sws). In the very
first place, they would regard going to the gatherings of the Prophet (sws) as something that
would bring them shame. However, if they would go there at times or the Prophet (sws) would
himself come to them to read out the Qur’ān to them, they would repulsively move away as if
they had heard nothing!

6. Destruction is for every lying sinner who hears God’s revelations recited to Him and then, as though
he never heard them, persists in arrogance on his behaviour. So, give them glad tidings of a painful
torment.
218 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
The words ‫ﻋﻠﻴﻪ‬ ۡ Ir‫ﺗﺘ‬ ۡ&
ٰ express the severity of their crime: if God’s message has not reached
someone and he remains unaware of it, then he may be afforded with a legitimate excuse; but what
answer will the wretch give to God to whom the Prophet (sws) himself would go and vehemently
deliver the message of God.
ً ۡ ۡ & <À‫ﻳ‬
The words AŒ‫ﻣﺴﺘﻜ‬
& &
point to the reason of their insistence on polytheism. The reason for this
insistence is not because the reality is not evident to them. It was because they regarded it to be an
insult to them that in spite of being chiefs and leaders they submit to someone inferior in status to
them.
The words ‫ﻟﻴﻢ‬ ۡ &ۡ ٌ ْ
ٍ ‫ﻌﺬ ٍب‬X ‫ ﻓﺒ–<ه‬are an explanation of the ‫( وﻳﻞ‬destruction) mentioned in the previous
verse: all such arrogant people should be given glad tidings of a painful doom. In other words, the
Prophet (sws) is asked to tell them that if because of conceit they have shut their eyes to the glad
tidings of salvation, then in any case the Prophet (sws) should sound them glad tidings of the
doom such people necessarily meet.

ٌ ۡ & ‫ﻟﻬﻢ ﻋﺬ ٌب‬

ۡ & ‫وﻟ†ﻚ‬° & ) ‫ﻫﺰو‬ ۨ ۡ
ً & & ‫ﺷﻴﺌﺎ ﺗﺨﺬﻫﺎ‬
7
﴾¤٩﴿ •B‫ﻣﻬ‬ ‫ﻣﻦ ٰ ٰﻳﺘﻨﺎ‬
ۡ ‫و ذ ﻋﻠﻢ‬
The previous verse mentions the attitude the arrogant would adopt when the Prophet (sws)
himself would try to read out the Qur’ān to them. This verse mentions the attitude they would
adopt when they would hear a Qur’ānic verse or directive through someone else. It says that when
God’s verses come to their knowledge, they make fun of them so that others are not influenced by
them. It needs to be kept in mind that at the time of revelation of the Qur’ān there existed people
who would try to listen to the Qur’ān with an impartial mind and would also get influenced by it.
These people would also try to bring its verses in the knowledge of their leaders in order to ask
their opinion about them. Their leaders would immediately realize that they are getting influenced
by it. To counter this effect they could not convince them through arguments by saying that such
and such a verse of the Qur’ān is against sense and reason or against human nature or is factually
incorrect. The only measure they could adopt was to make fun of the Qur’ān so that it is belittled
and is not able to influence anyone. Though this despicable step would not produce the desired
effect yet people having a weak personality would temporarily be deceived. This trick is adopted
by all devils against the truth in every period of time.
ٌ ۡ & ‫ﻟﻬﻢ ﻋﺬ ٌب‬
The words •B‫ﻣﻬ‬ ۡ & ‫وﻟ†ﻚ‬° & express that since the real motive of their attitude is the arrogance
pointed out in the previous verse, they will face a grievous punishment. They showed haughtiness
before the truth. Hence they will face humiliation in the Hereafter. It needs to be kept in
consideration that though refuge needs to be sought with God from all His torments; however,
His greatest torment is one which is accompanied by humiliation. This torment is reserved
specifically for the arrogant.

8
﴾١٠¤ ﴿ ‫ﻋﻈﻴﻢ‬ ۡ & ‫دون ﷲ ٰ ۡوﻟﻴﺂء { و‬
ٌ ۡ ‫ﻟﻬﻢ ﻋﺬ ٌب‬ ۡ & ‫ﻣﻦ‬ ۡ & ‫ﺷﻴﺌﺎ و ﻵﻹ ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ ‫ﺗﺨﺬو‬ ًۡ ۡ&
‫ﻋﻨﻬﻢ ﻣﺎ ﻛﺴﺒﻮ‬ ۡ ۡ & ‫ﺟﻬﻨﻢ { و ﻵﻹ‬
ۡ & ۡ yÍ‫ﻐ‬P & ‫ورآ•ﻬﻢ‬
ۡ ۡ
‫ﻣﻦ‬
The meaning of the word ‫ ورآء‬like the words “here” and “there” is determined by the context
and occasion. It can mean both “the back” and “the front”. The verse says that Hell is in front of

7. And when he comes to know of something from Our revelations, He makes fun of them. It is these
people for whom there is a humiliating torment.
8. Hell is in front of them and what they have earned will not be of the slightest benefit to them nor shall
those they have served besides God. And for them will be a great punishment.
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 219
them in which they will be flung. Once they enter it, neither will their illegally acquired treasures
and riches which was the reason of their arrogance and evasion from the truth be of any avail to
them nor will their alleged deities and intercessors which instead of God they regarded as their
helpers be of any benefit to them.
ۡ & ‫ و‬express that this torment would not be easy to bear in any way; it would
ٌ ۡ ‫ﻟﻬﻢ ﻋﺬ ٌب‬
The words ‫ﻋﻈﻴﻢ‬
be a grievous one and its horrible nature cannot be imagined today.

ۡ ۡ ٌ ۡ& ۡ
ٌ ۡ ‫رﺟﺰ‬
﴾١١﴿ ‫ﻟﻴﻢ‬ ٰٰ ۡ& ۡ ً& ٰ
ٍ ‫و ﺑﺎﻳﺖ رﺑﻬﻢ ﻟﻬﻢ ﻋﺬ ب ﻣﻦ‬RS‫ﻫﺬ ﻫﺪي { و ﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﻛ‬
9

This Qur’ān is a guidance revealed from God; it is no joke. Those who deny its verses or make
fun of them should remember that they will face a painful torment. The words ‫رﺟﺰ‬ ۡ ۡ
ْ ٍ ‫ ﻣﻦ‬explain the
nature of this torment. The word ‫ رﺟٍﺰ‬refers to the torment which creates shivers. The implication is
that it would not be any ordinary torment; it would be a painful one which will cause the hearts to
shiver and tremble.

ۡ & <Ò‫﴾ و ﺳ‬١٢ۚ ﴿ ‫<ون‬Ð‫ﺗﺸ‬

ٰ ٰ IJ ‫ﻟﻜﻢ ﻣﺎ‬
IJ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و ﻣﺎ‬ ۡ & ‫ﻓﻀﻠﻪ و‬
ۡ & & ۡ ‫ﻟﻌﻠﻜﻢ‬ ۡ ۡ ۡ& ۡ
ٖ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ ٖ ۡ ‫ﻓﻴﻪ‬
‫ﺑﺎﻣﺮه و ﻟﺘﺒﺘﻐﻮ‬
& ۡ&ۡ ۡ ۡ ۡ & &
ۡ ‫ﻟﻔﻠﻚ‬ ‫< ﻟﻜﻢ ﻟﺒ·< ﻟﺘﺠﺮي‬Ò‫ﻟﺬي ﺳ‬ۡ & ٰ‫ﷲ‬
ٰ ٰۡ & ۡ ‫ﺟﻤﻴﻌﺎ‬ ۡ ۡ
10 ۡ&
﴾١٣﴿ ‫<ون‬Ð‫ﻳﺘﻔ‬ ‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬ ٍ ٰ ‫ ذﻟﻚ‬IJ
ٍ ۡ ‫ﻵﻹﻳﺖ‬ ‫ﻣﻨﻪ ) ن‬ ً ۡ ‫ﻵﻹرض‬
The previous four verses were interposed between the arguments cited in support of
monotheism and the Hereafter so that the leaders of the Quraysh are warned forthwith and the
Prophet (sws) is assured. From this verse, the actual line of discourse is taken up again. The
verses say that it is God Who has put the sea in the service of man so that it allows him to cut
across it in his ships. The word ‫ﺑﺎﻣﺮه‬ ٖ ۡ refers to the fact that this happens especially because of
God’s directive. Had God not directed so, a ship would have drowned in the sea the way smaller
objects are drowned when they enter it; on the other hand, a ship weighing thousands of tons sails
on it. It is a God-made law that a small piece of iron drowns in the sea but a ship laden with
thousands of tons of iron does not drown in it. It is evident from contextual indications that a
ْ & ْ (so that you embark [on it]) or ‫ﻟﺘﺴﺎ=<و‬
word like ‫•ﺒﻮ‬A‘‫ﻟ‬ ْ & & (so that you travel [on it]) is suppressed
&ۡ ۡ
before ‫و ﻟﺘﺒﺘﻐﻮ‬. The particle of conjunction ‫ و‬is an evidence to this suppression. The implication is
that God has made this elaborate arrangement so that man can travel from one place to another
and through trade& ۡ strive& to earn the blessings of God.
ۡ & ۡ
The words ‫<ون‬Ð‫ و ﻟﻌﻠﻜﻢ ﺗﺸ‬point to the real message which should be received by every person –
having even a little life in his conscience and intellect – observes in the various manifestations of
God’s providence. The Almighty has shown these majesties to man so that he can show gratitude
to Him. It should be kept in mind that it is this feeling of gratitude which is the foundation of
worshipping God. I have explained this fact in& the exegesis of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah.
Consider next, the part: ‫ﻵﻹرض‬ ۡ ۡ IJ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و ﻣﺎ‬
ٰ ٰ IJ ‫ﻟﻜﻢ ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ <Ò‫و ﺳ‬. Before this part, how the seas had been put to
the service of man has been alluded to because the sea is the most powerful of things that comes in
the observation of man and which is apparently uncontrollable and most people have experienced

9. This is the real guidance and those who have denied their Lord’s revelations will face a painful
scourge that will produce shivers.
10. It is God alone Who has made the ocean harmonious for you so that ships may sail upon it at His
bidding and so that you may be grateful to Him. And it is He Who has put in your service what is in the
heavens and the earth; all from Him. Indeed, there are signs in this for those who reflect.
220 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
sea travel also. After this specific mention, a reference is made to the general things of this world:
the same God has put all other things of the heavens and the earth in the service of man.
ۡ ًۡ
The expression &‫ﺟﻤﻴﻌﺎ ﻣﻨﻪ‬ refers to the fact that all these things are directly or indirectly serving
man. The word ‫ﺟﻤﻴﻌﺎ‬ ً ۡ does not relate to the previous words; it relates to ‫ﻣﻨﻪ‬ & ۡ . In other words, none
of these things were harnessed by man nor by any other being nor are these things serving man of
their own accord; all these, in fact, have been harnessed by God because He alone is their Creator
and He alone controls them.
ٰ ٰ ۡ
ۡ&
The words ‫<ون‬Ð‫ﻳﺘﻔ‬ ‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬ ٍ ٰ ‫ ذﻟﻚ‬IJ
ٍ ۡ ‫ﻵﻹﻳﺖ‬ ‫ ن‬express the fact that for people who deliberate there exist
multifarious arguments in the world around them in favour of monotheism and the Hereafter.
– the fact that the elements of nature have been harnessed for man shows that none of these
elements can occupy the status of God and be worshipped; every one of them by its very
existence bears testimony to the fact that it is subservient to a superior authority who is using
them through His will and wisdom.
– in spite of the fact that these elements are conflicting and opposing to one another they are
harmonious with one another the way the parts of a machine are. This congruence between them
shows that a single will prevails in this universe.
– this system contains such signs of providence, mercy and wisdom as forms an unassailable
evidence to refute the fact that an uncontrollable and unrestrained force is running the affairs of
this universe. His knowledge, mercy and wisdom necessitate that He also bring about a day in
which He reward those who fulfilled their obligations towards His favours and punish those who
did not duly value these favours and got involved in disbelief and polytheism. If He does not bring
about such a day, then it would either mean that God forbid He is totally powerless or insensitive
or merely wants to entertain Himself. All these conclusions are against His noble attributes.
ْ&
The word ‫<ون‬Ð‫ﻳﺘﻔ‬ at the end depicts the fact that as far as arguments are concerned, they are
numerous. Every nook and corner of the universe is replete with them, and the Qur’ān has also
fully explained them. The only thing that is lacking is reflection and deliberation. People do not
reflect on the signs of God. This deliberation is something on which God does not force them; it
is up to them to undertake it.

ۡ & ۡ ‫ﺎﻧﻮ‬c ًۢ ۡ
ۡ & ‫ﻗﻮﻣﺎ ﺑﻤﺎ‬ ۡ ٰ ‫ﻳﺮﺟﻮن ﻳﺎم ﷲ‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﻠﺬﻳﻦ ﻵﻹ‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻣﻨﻮ‬
ۡ ‫و‬RS‫ﻐ‬P ۡ & ٰ ‫ﻟﻠﺬﻳﻦ‬
ۡ ‫ﻗﻞ‬ ۡ &
11
﴾١٤﴿ ‫ﻳﻜﺴﺒﻮن‬ ‫ﻟﻴﺠﺰي‬
ۡ
ۡ & here means to forgive and ignore someone.
The word ‫و‬RS‫ﻐ‬P ٰ
The expression ‫ ﻳﺎم ﷲ‬refers to the historic days of God’s revenge and retribution in which He
wiped out the rejecters of His messengers from the face of the earth. The history of past nations
mentioned inۢ the Qur’ān refers to these days and the succeeding verses also mention them. The
ٌ ْ in ‫ﻗﻮﻣﺎ‬
word ‫ﻗﻮم‬ ۡ refers to the enemies which are under discussion from the previous verses. It
ً ۡ ‫ﻟﻴﺠﺰي‬
has been used as an indefinite noun to express hate and abhorrence. This usage is similar to that
ٌ ْ & & in (٢٤:٤٧) ‫ﻗﻔﺎﻟﻬﺎ‬
of the indefinite noun ‫ﻗﻠﻮب‬
& ۡ ۡ&& ٰ ۡ
‫ﻗﻠﻮب‬
ٍ Ir‫ م ﻋ‬. People who have interpreted it to refer to
Muslims have failed to reflect on the context of the discourse and its eloquence of style.
Just as in verse 6, the Prophet (sws) was sounded assurance on the stubbornness of his
opponents, in a similar manner, the believers are assured here: they should not get dejected at the
evil-doing of the evil-doers; in fact, they should ignore them for now. Since they do not fear that
the horrible day they are being warned of will in fact manifest itself, they have become audacious.

11. Tell the believers to forgive those who do not expect the great days of God to manifest so that God
fully reward a people according to their deeds.
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 221
However, God is giving respite to such detestable people so that they are left with no excuse and
then He will duly punish them. It is the practice of God to give full respite to the mischievous so
that the truth is conclusively conveyed to them, and when they are seized by Him, they are left
with no excuse.

12
﴾١٥﴿ ‫ﺗﺮﺟﻌﻮن‬ ۡ & IŠٰ ‫ &ﺛﻢ‬Á ‫ﻓﻌﻠﻴﻬﺎ‬
ۡ & ۡ & ‫رﺑﻜﻢ‬ ۡ ‫ﻣﻦ ﺳﺂء‬ ٖ
ۡ
ۡ ‫ﻓﻠﻨﻔﺴﻪ { و‬ ً ‫ﻣﻦ ﻋﻤﻞ‬
‫ﺻﺎﻟﺤﺎ‬ ۡ
This verse further elucidates the assurance sounded earlier: if these people adopt the path of
virtue, they themselves will be rewarded for it and if they adhere to vice, then they alone will suffer
its evil consequences. The believers will in no way be responsible for this since they had done their
job of conveying the truth. Then everyone will come in the presence of God on the Day of
Judgement. It will then be decided as to who is right and who is wrong and what fate each deserves.

Section II: Verses (16-23)

The succeeding verses discuss the attitude the Jews had adopted in their enmity with Islam to
support the idolaters. As is indicated earlier, in this period they had started to openly back them.
Since the Jews were regarded as a religious group, their support had greatly encouraged the
idolaters. These circumstances entailed that they be exposed so that fear does not arise among the
Muslims because of their opposition, and the Idolaters are also informed that people on whose
encouragement they feel very proud are actually even greater criminals in the eyes of God; if the
Idolaters listen to their advice, then ultimately both will reach the same fate. In this regard, the
Prophet (sws) is urged to adhere to his stance with full perseverance; he is told that he is now the
bearer of the last sharī‘ah of God and he should neither care about the Jews nor the idolaters;
only he and his companions enjoy the help of God and this help is sufficient!
Readers may now proceed to study the verses.

Text and Translation

‫ﺑﻴﻨﺖ ﻣﻦ‬ ٍ
ٰ ۡ & ٰۡ ٰ ۡ ۡ
‫﴾ و ﺗﻴﻨﻬﻢ‬١٦ۚ ﴿ •B‫ ٰﻟﻌﻠﻤ‬Ir‫ﻓﻀﻠﻨﻬﻢ ﻋ‬ۡ & ٰ ۡ ‫ﻟﻄﻴﺒﺖ و‬ ٰ ‫رزﻗﻨﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ‬ & & ‫ﻟﺤﻜﻢ و‬
ۡ & ٰ ۡ ‫ﻟﻨﺒﻮة و‬ ۡ&ۡ ٰ ۡ ‫<آءﻳﻞ‬¢
‫ﻟﻜﺘﺐ و‬ ۡ ۡ yÍ‫ﺑ‬ ۤۡ ۡ ٰ ‫ﻟﻘﺪ‬
‫ﺗﻴﻨﺎ‬ ۡ ‫و‬
& ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻓﻴﻪ‬ ۡ & ‫ﻓﻴﻤﺎ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ ) ن رﺑﻚ‬ ًۢ ۡ & ۡ ۡ & & ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻵﻹﻣﺮ { ﻓﻤﺎ‬
‫﴾ ﺛﻢ‬١٧﴿ ‫ﻳﺨﺘﻠﻔﻮن‬ ۡ ‫ﺎﻧﻮ‬c ۡ ‫ﻟﻘﻴﻤﺔ‬ ٰ ۡ ‫ﻳﻮم‬ ۡ & ۡ y§‫ﻘ‬P
ۡ ‫ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻐﻴﺎ‬X 2 ‫ﻌﺪ ﻣﺎ ﺟﺂءﻫﻢ ﻟﻌﻠﻢ‬X ۡ ‫ﻣﻦ‬? ‫ﺧﺘﻠﻔﻮۤ ﻵﻹ‬ ۡ ۡ
ۡ ٰ ًۡ ٰ ۡ ۡ& ۡ& ۡ ۡ & ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﻵﻹ‬ ۡ ‫ﺗﺘﺒﻊ ۡﻫﻮآء‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻵﻹﻣﺮ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻌﺔ ﻣﻦ‬P<Î ۡ ٰ ٰۡ
•B‫ﺷﻴﺌﺎ ) و ن ﻟﻈﻠﻤ‬ ‫ﻐﻨﻮ ﻋﻨﻚ ﻣﻦ ﷲ‬P ‫﴾ ﻧﻬﻢ ﻟﻦ‬١٨﴿ ‫ﻌﻠﻤﻮن‬P ‫ﻓﺎﺗﺒﻌﻬﺎ و ﻵﻹ‬ ٍ Ir‫ﺟﻌﻠﻨﻚ ﻋ‬
& ۡ ‫ﻟﺬﻳﻦ‬ ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬ ٌ ۡ ً& ٰ ۡ ۡ & ٰ ۡ ‫وﻟﻴﺂء‬ ۡ& &ۡ
& ۡ ‫ﻌﻀﻬﻢ‬X
‫ﺣﻮ‬A‘‫ﺟ‬ ۡ ‫﴾ ۡم ﺣﺴﺐ‬٢٠﴿ ‫ﻳﻮﻗﻨﻮن‬ ٍ ۡ ‫﴾ ﻫﺬ ﺑﺼﺂ•ﺮ& ﻟﻠﻨﺎس و ﻫﺪي و رﺣﻤﺔ‬١٩﴿ •B‫ &ﻟﻤﺘﻘ‬IŠ‫ﻌﺾ { و ﷲ & و‬X ٍ
‫ﻵﻹرض‬ ٰ ٰ & ٰ ‫﴾ و ﺧﻠﻖ ﷲ‬٢١﴿ ‫ﻳﺤﻜﻤﻮن‬
ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و‬ ۡ & & ۡ ‫ﻣﻤﺎﺗﻬﻢ ) ﺳﺂء ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ & & ‫ﻣﺤﻴﺎﻫ ۡﻢ و‬
& ۡ ‫ﺳﻮآء‬ ً 2 ‫ﻟﺼﻠﺤﺖ‬ ٰ ٰ ‫ﻋﻤﻠﻮ‬ & ۡ & ٰ ‫ﺎﻟﺬﻳﻦ‬c
‫ﻣﻨﻮ و‬ ۡ ‫ﻧﺠﻌﻠﻬﻢ‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻴﺎت ۡن‬ ٰ
ٰ ‫ﻋﻠﻢ و ﺧﺘﻢ‬ ۡ ٰ &ٰ & & ٰ u ٰ ۡ& ۡ& ۡ & ۡ ۡ & & ٰۡ & ۡ
ٖ ۡ Ir‫ﻋ‬
‫ﺳﻤﻌﻪ و‬ ۡ
ٍ Ir‫ﻪ و ﺿﻠﻪ ﷲ ﻋ‬ê‫﴾ =<ءﻳﺖ ﻣﻦ ﺗﺨﺬ ﻟـﻬﻪ ﻫﻮ‬٢٢﴿ ‫‹ﻔﺲ ﺑﻤﺎ ﻛﺴﺒﺖ و ﻫﻢ ﻵﻹ ﻳﻈﻠﻤﻮن‬ d ‫ﻞ‬c ‫ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ و ﻟﺘﺠﺰي‬
ۡ & ‫ﻌﺪ ﷲ ٰ ) ﻓﻶﻹ‬X
﴾٢٣﴿ ‫ﺗﺬ—<ون‬ ۡ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻓﻤﻦ‬
? ‫ﻳﻬﺪﻳﻪ‬ ً ٰ
ۡ ) ‫ﻏﺸﻮة‬ ‫<ه‬À‫ﺑ‬
ٖ Ir‫ﻋ‬ ٰ ‫ﻗﻠﺒﻪ و ﺟﻌﻞ‬
ٖ
ۡ
And indeed We gave the Book to the Israelites and bestowed on them authority and prophethood
and provided them with wholesome sustenance and exalted them above the people of the world.

12. He who does a virtuous deed, it is for his own good; and he who commits evil does so at his own
peril. Then to your Lord shall you be returned.
222 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
And We gave them clear injunctions of God’s sharī‘ah; and they only differed after being granted
knowledge because of mutual stubbornness. Indeed, their Lord will decide between them on the
Day of Judgement in all matters they had differed. Then We set you on a clear sharī‘ah from
God. So, follow it only and do not follow the desires of those who have no knowledge. These
people will be of no benefit to you against God and these who wrong their souls help one another,
and God is the helper of those who fear Him. (16-19)
This is a collection of verses which engenders vision in people and a guidance and mercy for
those who have conviction. Do those who have committed sins think that We will equate them
with those who embraced faith and did righteous deeds; their life and death shall be the same?
What an evil judgement they are passing. And God has created the heavens and the earth with a
purpose and so that each soul be recompensed according to what it did and they shall not be
wronged. (20-22)
Have you seen him who makes his lust his god and he whom God led astray even though he
had knowledge and set a seal upon his ears and heart and drew a veil over his eyes? Who can
guide such people after God has led them astray? Will you people not take heed? (23)

Explanation
13 ۡ ۡ ۡ & ٰ ۡ ‫ﻟﻄﻴﺒﺖ و‬
﴾١٦ۚ ﴿ •B‫ ٰﻟﻌﻠﻤ‬Ir‫ﻓﻀﻠﻨﻬﻢ ﻋ‬ ٰ ‫رزﻗﻨﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ‬ & & ‫ﻟﺤﻜﻢ و‬
ۡ & ٰ ۡ ‫ﻟﻨﺒﻮة و‬ ۡ&ۡ ٰ ۡ ‫<آءﻳﻞ‬¢
‫ﻟﻜﺘﺐ و‬
ۤۡ
ۡ ۡ yÍ‫ﺑ‬ ۡ ٰ ‫ﻟﻘﺪ‬
‫ﺗﻴﻨﺎ‬ ۡ ‫و‬
This is a reference to the great favours done by the Almighty to the Israelites. The purpose of
referring to them, as I have indicated earlier and as will become evident from subsequent verses,
is to highlight the fact that the Almighty had done great favours to them, but they turned out to be
such wretches that they did not value any of these favours. The stage reached when they were
stripped of God’s gifts and blessings and wanted to see others in this same state.
ٰ ۡ
The word ‫ ﻟﻜﺘﺐ‬obviously refers to the Torah.ْ
Contextual indications show that the word ‫ &ﺣﻜﻢ‬refers to the kingdom which was acquired by the
Israelites in the times of David (sws) and Solomon (sws) and which continued to exist for a long
period. The relationship between the Book and political authority is that one necessitates the
other. The Book of God is a collection of all His directives and laws; for this reason, the nation to
whom God bestows His scripture of law and injunctions is necessarily bestowed with political
authority by Him because this is necessary for the implementation of the laws. Such nations are
& & is very evident. However, here it is mentioned for a specific
deprived of political authority when they show indifference to the directives of God.
The meaning of the word ‫ﻟﻨﺒﻮة‬
purpose: after Moses (sws), a whole series of prophets were consecutively sent among the Israelites
with Jesus (sws) being the last in line. The Israelites were condemned for the attitude they adopted
with Jesus (sws) and then were deprived forever of both political power and prophethood.
The words ‫ﻟﻄﻴﺒﺖ‬ ۡ & ٰ ۡ ‫ و‬refer to the abundance in sustenance, means of livelihood as well as
ٰ ‫رزﻗﻨﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ‬
the favours and affluence given to the Israelites. This began with their occupation of the land of
Palestine and reached its climax in the time of Solomon (sws).
ۡ ۡ ۡ & ٰ ۡ ‫ و‬is an essential outcome of a nation being blessed
The superiority mentioned in •B‫ ٰﻟﻌﻠﻤ‬Ir‫ﻓﻀﻠﻨﻬﻢ ﻋ‬
with a divine Book. This Book is the light of guidance for the masses. When the Almighty hands
over this light to a nation, then this means that He has chosen that nation to guide His creation.
Indeed, this superiority is huge. However, at the same time, this superiority is dependent on

13. And indeed We gave the Book to the Israelites and bestowed on them authority and prophethood and
provided them with wholesome sustenance and exalted them above the people of the world.
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 223
certain conditions. As long as a nation continues to discharge this obligation of guiding people, it
is blessed with this superiority. When it forgoes this obligation, it is deprived of this superiority.

ۡ & ‫ﻓﻴﻤﺎ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ ) ن رﺑﻚ‬ ًۢ ۡ & ۡ ۡ & & ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻵﻹﻣﺮ { ﻓﻤﺎ‬ ٰ ۡ & ٰۡ ٰ
ۡ ‫ﺎﻧﻮ‬c
‫ﻓﻴﻪ‬ ٰ ۡ ‫ﻳﻮم‬
ۡ ‫ﻟﻘﻴﻤﺔ‬ ۡ & ۡ y§‫ﻘ‬P
ۡ ‫ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻐﻴﺎ‬X ? ‫ﺧﺘﻠﻔﻮۤ ﻵﻹ‬
2 ‫ﻌﺪ ﻣﺎ ﺟﺂءﻫﻢ ﻟﻌﻠﻢ‬Xۡ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﺑﻴﻨﺖ ﻣﻦ‬
ٍ ‫و ﺗﻴﻨﻬﻢ‬
14 ۡ& ۡ
﴾١٧﴿ ‫ﻳﺨﺘﻠﻔﻮن‬
The word ‫ﻣﺮ‬ٌ ْ here refers to sharī‘ah and religion. The verse says that God further blessed them
with directives of the sharī‘ah in a clear, certain and unequivocal manner so that there is no
possibility that they differ with one another or try to escape from these directives. However, in
spite of this elaborate arrangement, they differed with one another and this difference did not
arise because there was a genuine reason for it. On the contrary, in spite of the presence of divine
revelations, this difference arose in obduracy and malice for one another. The result was that they
were finally deprived of the light of God. Now He will decide about their degree of veracity on
the Day of Judgement and will also assess on that Day how much role did stubbornness,
obstinacy, partisanship and the desire to defeat the opponent play.
Here the purpose to refer to this aspect of their character is two fold. On the one hand, it is to
assure the Muslims that today people who have assumed the position of arbitrators and want to
decide whether the Quraysh are on the right or the Muslims have themselves been deprived of
God’s religion because of mutual differences as well as mutual animosity and jealousy. If such
wretched people show jealousy to the Muslims and start opposing them, then this should be no
matter of amazement!
On the other hand, it is to warn the Quraysh that they should not expect people who have are
afflicted with self-inflicted blindness to show them the way. They will only want that just as they
themselves are wandering in darkness by blowing out the light provided by God, in a similar
manner, the Quraysh too are deprived of it and wander about in the same darkness.
A very important thing that becomes evident from this verse is that if there exists a difference
of opinion in understanding a precept of religion, then this is neither a matter of amazement nor is
it harmful for religion and its bearers. People of knowledge have differed with one another and
can differ with one another. However, if the basis of this difference is mutual rivalry and jealousy
and the desire to harm and defeat one another, then this attitude indeed razes down the whole
edifice of religion. It was this type of difference which deprived the People of the Book from the
light of God and it is this type of difference which has doomed the Muslims as well.

ۡ
ۡ ‫ﺗﺘﺒﻊ ۡﻫﻮآء‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﻵﻹ‬ ۡ ‫ﻵﻹﻣﺮ‬ ۡ ٰ
ۡ ۡ ‫ﻌﺔ ﻣﻦ‬P<Î ٰۡ &
15
﴾١٨﴿ ‫ﻌﻠﻤﻮن‬P ‫ﻓﺎﺗﺒﻌﻬﺎ و ﻵﻹ‬ ٍ Ir‫ﺛﻢ ﺟﻌﻠﻨﻚ ﻋ‬
ْ ۡ
ۡ ‫ ﻣﻦ‬is used in this
The word ‫ﻌﺔ‬P<Î means “a clear path and a distinct method.” The expression ‫ﻵﻹﻣﺮ‬
verse in the same meaning as the previous one. When these People of the Book lost the straight
path which God had informed them of and no one remained to guide the creation, at that time the
Almighty sent the Prophet Muḥammad (sws) with a clear sharī‘ah. The implication is that if
today these Israelites are spreading the malicious campaign against the preaching mission of the

14. And We gave them clear injunctions of God’s sharī‘ah; and they only differed after being granted
knowledge because of mutual stubbornness. Indeed, their Lord will decide between them on the Day of
Judgement in all matters they had differed.
15. Then We set you on a clear sharī‘ah from God. So, follow it only and do not follow the desires of
those who have no knowledge.
224 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
Prophet (sws) that what was the need of a new Book and sharī‘ah in their presence and in the
presence of their sharī‘ah, the reason for this is that they are not observing the mischief they have
worked. Had they keenly observed it, they would have known the requirements of both religion
and people which necessitated the Prophet’s advent. This topic has already been discussed in
verse 45 of Sūrah Ḥā Mīm al-Sajdah.
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﻵﻹ‬ ۡ
ۡ ‫ﺗﺘﺒﻊ ۡﻫﻮآء‬ ۡ . The word ‫( ۡﻫﻮآء‬literally: desires), as has
Consider next the portion: ‫ﻌﻠﻤﻮن‬P ‫ﻓﺎﺗﺒﻌﻬﺎ و ﻵﻹ‬
been numerously explained in this exegesis, refers to religious innovations. Since these
innovations are invented to lend religious credence to ones desires, they are called ‫ ﻫﻮآء‬so that
ۡ
their source is unfolded. Their origin is not religion or intellect; it is base whims and desires.
These words emphasize on the Prophet (sws) to follow the clear sharī‘ah given to him by the
Almighty after it had been cleansed from all religious innovations and deviances and to not
follow the religious innovations of those who know not which include the Jews and the
Christians. The idolaters of Arabia were obviously not conversant with divine scriptures or the
sharī‘ah. They did claim that they were the inheritors of Abraham’s religion; however, all they
inherited was the innovations which their ignorant forefathers had fabricated in the name of
Abraham’s religion. It is while supporting such innovations that they would fight with the
Prophet (sws) alleging that his message was obliterating their ancestral religion. Though the Jews
and Christians claimed to be the bearers of the Book of God, but, as is mentioned earlier, they had
created so many differences in the religion of God that its pristine teachings had been lost. When
ۡ
the Qur’ān highlighted these real teachings negating their religious innovations (‫) ﻫﻮآء‬, they too
got very angry. They contended that this new religion had endangered their beliefs which they
laid claim to fool their masses. The fact was that the message of the Qur’ān had not only revived
in its true form the religion of the prophets but also completed it. However, since the Jews and
Christians were totally in the dark with regard to the real religion, so instead of siding with the
Prophet (sws), they sided with the Quraysh and embarked upon wiping out Islam.
The Qur’ān has emphasized on the Prophet (sws) that it is he who is following the sharī‘ah of
God; so however much should his opponents oppose him, he should continue to adhere to it, and
should certainly not follow the religious innovations of those who are unaware of the real religion
of God.
This was not, God forbid, emphasized on the Prophet (sws) because of any possibility that he
would be inclined to their religious innovations; this style was adopted to indirectly express
abhorrence for them. The Almighty did not even like addressing such people directly. He deemed
it appropriate to address his Prophet (sws) and tell him to abstain from their religious innovations.
This style of address is adopted at numerous places in the Qur’ān.

ۡ ۡ ٰ ۡ ٰ
ۡ & & ۡ •B‫ﻟﻈﻠﻤ‬ ًۡ ٰ ۡ ۡ& ۡ& ۡ ۡ &
16
﴾١٩﴿ •B‫& &ﻟﻤﺘﻘ‬IŠ‫ﻌﺾ { و ﷲ & و‬X
ٍ
ۡ ‫وﻟﻴﺂء‬
& ۡ ‫ﻌﻀﻬﻢ‬X ‫ن‬ ‫و‬ ) ‫ﺷﻴﺌﺎ‬ ‫ﻐﻨﻮ ﻋﻨﻚ ﻣﻦ ﷲ‬P ‫ﻧﻬﻢ ﻟﻦ‬
However hard these people should try, the Prophet (sws) should not care about them. They will
be of no avail to him before God. He alone and not they who will be asked of the responsibility
imposed on him by God. Thus he should obey the directives of God. Whether these people try to
stop him through their opposition or to soften him by showing sympathy, he should totally ignore
ۡ ٰ ۡ ۡ & &ٰ ۡ ٰ
them.
The word •B‫ ﻟﻈﻠﻤ‬in •B‫ &ﻟﻤﺘﻘ‬IŠ ۡ ‫وﻟﻴﺂء‬
‫ﻌﺾ { و ﷲ و‬X ۡ & & ۡ •B‫ﻟﻈﻠﻤ‬
& ۡ ‫ﻌﻀﻬﻢ‬X ‫ و ن‬refers to both the People of the Book
ٍ
16. These people will be of no benefit to you against God and these who wrong their souls help one
another, and God is the helper of those who fear Him.
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 225
and the idolaters because both were guilty of being unjust to their souls viz a viz the religion of
God. The verse states that these wrongdoers have indeed joined hands in opposing the Qur’ān;
however, the Prophet (sws) should not the slightest fear this alliance. God is at the support and
backing of those who fear Him (ie the Muslims). The implication is that when God is their helper,
why should they fear anyone? They should continue with their ways; God will ease out all their
hardships. And who can conquer those who are helped by the might of God?

ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻟﻘﻮ ٍم‬ ٌ ۡ ً & ‫ﺑﺼﺂ•ﺮ ﻟﻠﻨﺎس و‬

17
﴾٢٠﴿ ‫ﻳﻮﻗﻨﻮن‬ ۡ ‫رﺣﻤﺔ‬ ‫ﻫﺪي و‬ & ‫ٰﻫﺬ‬
This is a reference to the Qur’ān to oppose which the People of the Book and the idolaters had
joined hands. It has also been referred to in verse eleven. The demonstrative pronoun ‫ ﻫﺬ‬refers to
ٰ
&
the Qur’ān in the collective sense and the word ‫ﺑﺼﺂ•ﺮ‬ has been used keeping in consideration the
verses of the Qur’ān which the disbelievers were making fun of. The verse states that this Qur’ān
is a collection of verses which provide vision and insight. If people are making fun of it and
oppose it, then they are only fooling their own selves. It is evident from the style of this verse that
as far as the ability of the Qur’ān to give insight and vision is concerned, like the sun it can be
benefited from by everyone. The Almighty has revealed it for this very purpose; however, only
they will avail this blessing who open their eyes to benefit ٌ from its radiance.
ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻟﻘﻮم‬
After delineating the general benefit, the words ‫ﻳﻮﻗﻨﻮن‬ ۡ ً&
ٍ ۡ ‫ و ﻫﺪي و رﺣﻤﺔ‬point to the specific benefit of
the Qur’ān: it is guidance and mercy for those who have conviction in the warnings and glad ٌ ْ
tidings sounded by it. I have explained elsewhere that wherever the words ‫ﻫﺪى‬ ً & (guidance) and ‫رﺣﻤﺔ‬
(mercy) have been used in this context, both have a different meaning viz. for those who have
conviction, this Qur’ān is a guidance in this world and mercy in the Hereafter; in this world, it will
guide them to the straight path and in the Hereafter it will unlock the doors of God’s immeasurable
mercy.

18 ۡ & & ۡ ‫ﻣﻤﺎﺗﻬﻢ ) ﺳﺂء ﻣﺎ‬

﴾٢١﴿ ‫ﻳﺤﻜﻤﻮن‬ ۡ & & ‫ﻣﺤﻴﺎﻫﻢ و‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﺳﻮآء‬
ً 2 ‫ﻟﺼﻠﺤﺖ‬ &
ٰ ٰ ‫ﻋﻤﻠﻮ‬ ۡ & ٰ ‫ﺎﻟﺬﻳﻦ‬c
‫ﻣﻨﻮ و‬ ۡ ‫ﻧﺠﻌﻠﻬﻢ‬ ٰ
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻴﺎت ۡن‬ & ۡ ‫ﻟﺬﻳﻦ‬
‫ﺣﻮ‬A‘‫ﺟ‬ ۡ ‫ۡم ﺣﺴﺐ‬
The verse signifies that people who are making fun of the warnings and glad tidings sounded by
the Qur’ān are rather of the view that the believers and disbelievers are equal in the sight of God;
the life and death of both is the same. The verse says that if this is their view, then this is a very
bad judgment that they are passing. In other words, it is absolutely against the awareness of the
justice divinely ordained in human nature. Whether a person leads a virtuous life or a sinful one,
in his heart he always respects virtue and virtuous people. A person who views matters in an
unbiased manner will never like that the virtuous and the sinful be treated equally. In all laws
legislated by man in various periods of time, this principle of justice has always basically
remained in consideration. So how can the principle of justice so universally acknowledged by
human beings be regarded as devoid in the Almighty? If the virtuous and the sinful are equal in
His eyes, then this would necessitate that either He is oppressive and unjust or is absolutely
insensitive towards virtue and vice. Of course such concepts cannot even be imagined for God. If
He is fair and just, then it is necessary that He bring about a day in which He administers

17. This is a collection of verses which engenders vision in people and a guidance and mercy for those
who have conviction.
18. Do those who have committed sins think that We will equate them with those who embraced faith
and did righteous deeds; their life and death shall be the same? What an evil judgement they are passing.
226 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
impartial justice between people on that Day. He should then fully reward those who led a just
and virtuous life and fully punish those who led a life of disobedience and defiance. The advent
of such a day is also necessary because this world is governed on the basis trials and tests. Here
both the righteous and the evil-doers have been given the opportunity to lead a life of virtue or of
vice; the Almighty will not necessarily punish those who lead the life of vice here or reward those
who lead a virtuous one. The Almighty has appointed a special day for this reward and
punishment. The Qur’ān has been revealed to inform people of the punishment which will be
meted out on that day and to inform and give glad tidings of the reward that will given be to
people on that day. It is as if people who are making fun of these warnings and glad tidings are of
the view that the Creator of this universe has created it for His own entertainment and sport and
has no concern for its good and evil.

ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻫﻢ ﻵﻹ‬

﴾٢٢﴿ ‫ﻳﻈﻠﻤﻮن‬ ۡ & ‫ﻛﺴﺒﺖ و‬
ۡ ۡ & & ٰۡ &
‫‹ﻔﺲ ﺑﻤﺎ‬ ‫ﻞ‬c ‫ﻟﺘﺠﺰي‬ ‫و‬
ۡ
‫ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ‬ ‫ﻵﻹرض‬ ٰ ٰ & ٰ ‫و ﺧﻠﻖ ﷲ‬
ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و‬
d
19

The verse implies that while these naïve people think what is stated in the previous verse, the
fact is that the Almighty has created the heavens and the earth for a purpose. It is the requirement
of this purpose that a day come wherein the Almighty decide between people and each person be
rewarded or punished with full justice in accordance with his deeds. If such a day does not come
and this world continues to exist for a time and then ends without any day of reward or
punishment, then this would mean that it is without a purpose; it is a useless and baseless place
and a playground of amusement for its Creator who is interested in sport and has created it for His
merrymaking; He has fashioned this enormous creation without any purpose.
ْ
ْ & ْ ‫ﻟﻴﻔﺼﻞ‬
In my opinion, words to the effect ‫ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ‬ (that He may decide between them) are suppressed
ْ ۡ ۡ & & ٰۡ &
after ‫ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ‬. The part ‫‹ﻔﺲ ﺑﻤﺎ ﻛﺴﺒﺖ‬
d ‫ﻞ‬cۡ ‫ﻟﺘﺠﺰي‬ ‫ و‬is co-ordinated to these suppressed words.
ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻫﻢ ﻵﻹ‬
The qualifying clause ‫ﻳﻈﻠﻤﻮن‬
& ‫ و‬points to the fact that it is essential that on that day impartial
justice be meted out to every soul and it should not be wronged in any manner. If a person is
wronged in any manner or treated unjustly, then this would mean that this world is a totally
meaningless and purposeless creation. This qualifying clause also refutes the baseless concepts of
polytheism and intercession with which both the idolaters and the People of the Book were
afflicted. In the presence of these concepts, believing in the Hereafter or disbelieving in it is the
same. How can impartial and unbiased justice be imagined when it is believed that whatever the
deeds of a person, the deities and partners he imputes to God will earn him salvation through their
intercession and influence. In this case, the door to injustice and oppression would stand opened.
ٰ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻓﻤﻦ ﻳ‬ ً ٰ ۡ
ٰ ‫ﻗﻠﺒﻪ و ﺟﻌﻞ‬ ۡ ٰ &ٰ &
ٰ ‫ﻋﻠﻢ و ﺧﺘﻢ‬ & ٰ u ٰ
‫ﻌﺪ ﷲ ) ﻓﻶﻹ‬Xۡ ‫ﻣﻦ‬
? ‫ﻬﺪﻳﻪ‬ ۡ ) ‫ﻏﺸﻮة‬ ‫<ه‬À‫ﺑ‬
ٖ Ir‫ﻋ‬ ٖ ۡ Ir‫ﻋ‬
ٖ ‫ﺳﻤﻌﻪ و‬ ۡ
ٍ Ir‫ﻪ و ﺿﻠﻪ ﷲ ﻋ‬ê‫=<ءﻳﺖ ﻣﻦ ﺗﺨﺬ ﻟـﻬﻪ ﻫﻮ‬
20 ۡ&
﴾٢٣﴿ ‫ﺗﺬ—<ون‬
In the previous verse, the erroneous concept about the life of the idolaters was censured. In this
verse, an assurance is sounded to the Muslims about the Jews who are supporting the Idolaters in
spite of being claimants to the Book of God; this is because the Almighty has set a seal on their

19. And God has created the heavens and the earth with a purpose and so that each soul be recompensed
according to what it did and they shall not be wronged.
20. Have you seen him who makes his lust his god and he whom God led astray even though he had
knowledge and set a seal upon his ears and heart and drew a veil over his eyes? Who can guide such people
after God has led them astray? Will you people not take heed?
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 227
ears and hearts and covered their eyes with a veil as a punishment for their misdeeds. So who can
guide people who have been seized by the law of God.
The word ‫=<ءﻳﺖ‬ ۡ is used to express amazement or sorrow at the situation of a person. It is like
saying: “Look at him …,” or “Have you seen such and such a person?” In this verse, attention is
directed with wonder at the circumstances of the Jews because God made them the recipients of
His Book and sharī‘ah; but they totally ignored it and worshipped their whims and desires. When
a person becomes such a slave to his desires that he does not even care about explicit divine
directives and regards following his desires to be beneficial for himself, then such a person is not
a slave of God; he is the slave of his desires and religious innovations. This desire-worship trait of
ۡ ٰ &ٰ &
the Jews has been mentioned in detail in Sūrah al-Baqarah.
The words ‫ﻋﻠﻢ‬ٍ Ir‫ﻋ‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ﺿﻠﻪ‬ ‫و‬ imply that the real deprivation of these people is not that they were
without the radiance of faith; their misfortune is that instead of giving due importance to the
knowledge given to them by God, they only followed their desires and religious innovations. The
punishment of this love ۢ of theirs to go astray was that God let them wander astray. In verse 17
earlier, it was said: ‫ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ‬ & ۡ ۡ ‫ﺟﺂءﻫﻢ‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻐ ًﻴﺎ‬Xۡ 2 ‫ﻟﻌﻠﻢ‬ & & ‫ﻌﺪ ﻣﺎ‬Xۡ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻵﻹﻣﺮ { ﻓﻤﺎ‬
? ‫ﺧﺘﻠﻔﻮۤ ﻵﻹ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﺑﻴﻨﺖ ﻣﻦ‬
ٍ
ٰ ۡ & ٰۡ ٰ
‫( و ﺗﻴﻨﻬﻢ‬and We gave them clear
injunctions of God’s sharī‘ah; and they only differed after being granted knowledge because of
mutual stubbornness). What is said in this verse by the words ‫ﻟﻌﻠﻢ‬ & ۡ ۡ ‫ﺟﺂءﻫﻢ‬
&& ۡ ‫ﻣﻦ‬
‫ﻌﺪ ﻣﺎ‬X ? is the same as
ۡ ٰ
expressed by the words ‫ﻋﻠﻢ‬ ٍ Ir‫ﻋ‬ in the verse under discussion. In other words, these people have
been let to wander in darkness after they had been blessed with light; so Muslims should not
expect anything good from them.ٰ
ً ٰ ‫ﻗﻠﺒﻪ و ﺟﻌﻞ‬ ۡ ٰ ‫و ﺧﺘﻢ‬. What is said here has also been
Consider next the portion: ‫<ه ﻏﺸﻮة‬À‫ﺑ‬ ٖ Ir‫ﻋ‬ ٖ ۡ Ir‫ﻋ‬
ٖ ‫ﺳﻤﻌﻪ و‬
discussed in verse 7 of Sūrah al-Baqarah about these very Jews; there I have explained in detail
the nature of God setting seal on the hearts of people. The Qur’ān only mentions the Jews by this
ۡ & ‫ﻌﺪ ﷲ ٰ ) ﻓﻶﻹ‬X ۡ . ie. ‫ﺿﻠﻪ ﷲ ٰ & ﻣﻦ‬
attribute.
There is a governing noun (muḍāf) suppressed after ‫ ﻣﻦ‬in ‫ﺗﺬ—<ون‬ ۡ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻓﻤﻦ‬
? ‫ﻳﻬﺪﻳﻪ‬ & ‫ْن‬
ْ
‫ﻌﺪ‬X. The implication is that who can guide people on whose hearts a seal has been set as per the
established practice of God. I have explained at many places in this exegesis the practice of God
about guiding people and leading them astray. Readers may look up the discussion of sealing of
hearts by God in the exegesis of Sūrah al-Baqarah.
The words ‫ﺗﺬ—<ون‬ ۡ & ‫ ﻓﻶﻹ‬counsel – in fact – warn Muslims: why are they amazed that these literate
claimants to the Book and religion of God have become the enemies of the Qur’ān and friends of
the idolaters. Muslims should remember that God guides only those who duly value His guidance.
Those who do not do so are caught in the noose of this very guidance. I have explained this in the
following verse of Sūrah al-Baqarah: (٢:٢٦) AB‫ﻛﺜ‬ ً ۡ ‫ﻳﻬﺪي ٖﺑﻪ‬
ۡ ۡ ‫ و‬2 AB‫ﻛﺜ‬ & & (through it, He guides many
ً ۡ ‫ﻀﻞ ٖﺑﻪ‬P
and leads astray many, (2:26)).

Section III: Verses (23-37)

In the succeeding verses, a comment is made on an absurd demand of the rejecters of the Day
of Judgement: when they were warned of it, they would say that if it is to come, then the Prophet
(sws) should raise their forefathers back to life! While refuting this demand, the fate of these
rejecters is portrayed which they will necessarily encounter in the Hereafter. At the same time, it
is delineated that on the day they will meet this fate, no deity or intercessor will be able to save
them from the punishment of God. On that day, the supreme triumph will be achieved only by
228 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
those who profess faith in the Hereafter and in monotheism and instead of relying on polytheism
and intercession rely on what they can earn through pious deeds.
Readers may now proceed to study the verses.

Text and Translation

ٰ ۡ & ‫﴾ و ذ‬٢٤﴿ ‫ﻳﻈﻨﻮن‬

Ir‫ﺗﺘ‬ ۡ & & ‫ﻫﻢ ﻵﻹ‬ ۡ & ‫ﻋﻠﻢ { ۡن‬ ۡ ۡ ٰ ۡ& &ۡ ۤ & ۡ& ۡ & ۡ& ۡ & & ۡ&
ٍ ‫” ﻵﻹ ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻨﺎ ﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ ﻧﻤﻮت و ﻧﺤﻴﺎ و ﻣﺎ ﻳﻬﻠﻜﻨﺎ ﻵﻹ ﻟﺪﻫﺮ { و ﻣﺎ ﻟﻬﻢ ﺑﺬﻟﻚ ﻣﻦ‬Ê ‫و ﻗﺎﻟﻮ ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ & & ۡ ‫ﻳﻤﻴﺘﻜﻢ &ﺛﻢ‬
IŠٰ ‫ﻳﺠﻤﻌﻜﻢ‬ ۡ & ۡ ۡ & & ٰ ‫﴾ &ﻗﻞ ﷲ‬٢٥﴿ •B‫ﺻﺪﻗ‬
ۡ & & ۡ & ‫ﻳﺤﻴﻴﻜﻢ &ﺛﻢ‬ ۡ ٰ ۡ&ۡ& ۡ ۤ ٰ ۡ&ۡ & ۡ ۤ ۡ& &
‫ﺎن ﺣﺠﺘﻬﻢ ﻵﻹ ن ﻗﺎﻟﻮ ﺋﺘﻮ ﺑﺎﺑﺂ•ﻨﺎ ن ﻛﻨﺘﻢ‬c ‫ﺑﻴﻨﺖ ﻣﺎ‬
ٰ & ٰۡ ۡ
ٍ ‫ﻋﻠﻴﻬﻢ ٰﻳﺘﻨﺎ‬
ۡ & ۡ & ۡ <½‫ﻳﺨ‬& ۡ ‫ﻳﻮﻣ†ﺬ‬ & & ۡ & ‫ﻳﻮم‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و‬ٰ ٰ ‫ﻣﻠﻚ‬ & ۡ& ٰ ۡ & ۡ ‫ ﻟﻨﺎس ﻵﻹ‬A´•ۡ ‫ﻓﻴﻪ و ٰﻟﻜﻦ‬ ۡ ‫ﻟﻘﻴﻤﺔ ﻵﻹ‬ ٰ ۡ ‫ﻳﻮم‬
﴾٢٧﴿ ‫ﻟﻤﺒﻄﻠﻮن‬ ٍ ۡ ‫ﻘﻮم ﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔ‬L ۡ ‫ﻵﻹرض ) و‬ ‫﴾ و ﷲ‬٢٦﴿ ‫ﻌﻠﻤﻮن‬P ۡ ‫رﻳﺐ‬ ۡ
& ۡ ۡ&ۡ & ۡ & ٰ ٰ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻛﻨﺘﻢ‬ ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﺗﺠﺰون ﻣﺎ‬ ۡ ۡ & ‫ﻟﻴﻮم‬ ۡ ۡ ) ‫ ٰﻛﺘﺒﻬﺎ‬IŠٰ ”•‫ﺗﺪ‬ » ۡ & ‫ﻞ &ﻣﺔ‬c& & h ‫ﺟﺎﺛﻴﺔ‬
ً & &
‫ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ ) ﻧﺎ ﻛﻨﺎ‬ ‫﴾ ﻫﺬ ﻛﺘﺒﻨﺎ ﻳﻨﻄﻖ‬٢٨﴿ ‫ﻌﻤﻠﻮن‬L ٍ ٍ ‫ﻞ‬c ‫و ٰﺗﺮي‬
‫ﻣﺔ‬
& ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﻔﻮز‬&ۡ ۡ & ٰ ۡ & & ۡ & ‫ﻟﺼﻠﺤﺖ‬
ۡ & & ‫ﻓﻴﺪﺧﻠﻬﻢ‬ ٰ ٰ ‫ﻋﻤﻠﻮ‬ & ۡ & ٰ ‫ﻟﺬﻳﻦ‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻛﻨﺘﻢ‬ & ۡ ۡ
ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻧﺴﺘﻨﺴﺦ ﻣﺎ‬
‫﴾ و ﻣﺎ‬٣٠﴿ •B‫ﻟﻤﺒ‬ ‫رﺣﻤﺘﻪ ) ذﻟﻚ ﻫﻮ‬ ٖ ۡ IJۡ ‫رﺑﻬﻢ‬ ‫ﻣﻨﻮ و‬ ۡ ‫﴾ ﻓﺎﻣﺎ‬٢٩﴿ ‫ﻌﻤﻠﻮن‬L
&
ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔ ﻵﻹ‬ ٌ ٰ ۡ ۡ ‫﴾ و ذ‬٣١﴿ •B‫ﻣﺠﺮﻣ‬ ۡ ۡ & ًۡ ۡ&ۡ& ۡ&ۡ ۡ ۡ ۡ&ۡ ٰ ۡ& ۡ ٰٰۡ & ۡ ۡ & ‫ﻟﺬ ۡﻳﻦ‬
‫رﻳﺐ‬ ‫وﻋﺪ ﷲ ﺣﻖ و‬ ‫ﻗﻴﻞ ن‬ ‫ﺗﻢ و ﻛﻨﺘﻢ ﻗﻮﻣﺎ‬AŒ‫ ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ ﻓﺎﺳﺘﻜ‬Ir‫ ﺗﺘ‬y‚‫ ﻓﻠﻢ ﺗﻜﻦ ﻳ‬h ‫و‬RS‫ﻛ‬
ۡ & ‫ﺑﻬﻢ ﻣﺎ‬ ۡ ‫ﻋﻤﻠﻮ و ﺣﺎق‬ ۡ & ‫ﺳﻴﺎت ﻣﺎ‬ & ٰ ۡ& ۡ ۡ ۡ& & ۡ ً & & ‫ ۡن‬2 ‫ﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔ‬
& ۡ ۡ ‫ﻗﻠﺘﻢ ﻣﺎ‬ ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻓﻴﻬﺎ‬
ۡ
‫ﺎﻧﻮ ٖﺑﻪ‬c ‫﴾ و ﺑﺪ ﻟﻬﻢ‬٣٢﴿ •B‫ﺑﻤﺴﺘﻴﻘﻨ‬ ‫ﻧﻈﻦ ﻵﻹ ﻇﻨﺎ و ﻣﺎ ﻧﺤﻦ‬ ‫ﻧﺪري ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﺑﺎﻧﻜﻢ‬ & & ‫ذﻟﻜﻢ‬ ۡ & ٰ ﴾٣٤﴿ ‫<ﻳﻦ‬À‫ﻧ‬ ۡ ‫ﻣﻦ‬ ٰ ۡ ‫ﻟﻜﻢ‬ ۡ & ‫ﻜﻢ ﻟﻨ &ﺎر و ﻣﺎ‬ê‫ﻣﺎو‬& & ٰ ۡ ‫ﻳﻮﻣﻜﻢ ٰﻫﺬ و‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻧﺴﻴﺘﻢ ﻟﻘﺂء‬ ۡ & ٰ ۡ ‫ﻟﻴﻮم‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻧﻨﺴﻜﻢ ﻛﻤﺎ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻗﻴﻞ‬ ۡ ‫﴾ و‬٣٣﴿ ‫ﻳﺴﺘﻬﺰءون‬ ۡ& ۡ ۡ
‫ﺗﺨﺬﺗﻢ‬
‫ﻵﻹرض رب‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و رب‬ ٰ ٰ ‫ﻟﺤﻤﺪ رب‬ & ۡ ۡ ٰ ‫﴾ ﻓ‬٣٥﴿ ‫ﻳﺴﺘﻌﺘﺒﻮن‬ ۡ & ۡ ۡ & ‫ﻫﻢ‬ ۡ & ‫ﻣﻨﻬﺎ و ﻵﻹ‬ ۡ ۡ& ۡ& ۡ ۡ
‫<ﺟﻮن‬Ò‫ﻟﺤﻴﻮة ﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ { ﻓﺎﻟﻴﻮم ﻵﻹ ﻳ‬
ۡ& & ٰ ۡ &&ۡ
‫ﻫﺰو و <ﺗﻜﻢ‬ ً & & ٰ ‫ٰ ٰﻳﺖ ﷲ‬
& ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﻌﺰﻳﺰ‬
﴾٣٧﴿ ‫ﻟﺤﻜﻴﻢ‬ & ۡ ۡ ‫ و &ﻫﻮ‬W ‫ﻵﻹرض‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و‬ & ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﻪ‬
ٰ ٰ IJ ‫ﻳﺂء‬AŒ‫ﻟﻜ‬ & ‫﴾ و‬٣٦﴿ •B‫ﻟﻌﻠﻤ‬ ۡ ٰۡ
And they say: “Our life is only the life of this world. We die and live here and nothing but the
fortunes of time destroy us.” And they have no knowledge of this. They are merely speculating.
And when Our clear verses are recited to them, their only argument is: “If you are true in your
claim, bring back to us our fathers!” Tell them: “It is God who gives you life and then gives you
death. It is He who will then gather you till the Day of Resurrection in which there is no doubt;
yet most men do not know this fact.” (24-26)
And to God belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. And on the day when the
Hour comes, the wrongdoers will be the losers. And you shall see each community on its knees.
Each community shall be summoned to its record of deeds. They will be told: “You shall this day
be rewarded for your deeds. This is Our record which will bear true witness over you. We have
been recording whatever you have been doing.” (27-29)
As for those who embraced faith and did good deeds, their Lord will admit them into His mercy.
This is, in fact, a clear triumph. As for those who disbelieved, they will be told: “Were not My
verses recited out before you; so you showed arrogance and you were a criminal people; and when
you were told: ‘God’s promise is true and the Hour of Doom is sure to come,’ you would reply:
‘We know nothing of the Hour of Doom; it is only conjecture; nor are we convinced.’” (30-32)
And the evil of their deeds they did will manifest itself to them, and what they would make fun
of will encompass them. And it will be said to them: “Today we will disregard you the way you
remained oblivious of the meeting of this day of yours and Hell is your abode and none will be
your helper. This is because you made fun of God’s verses and were led away by the worldly
life.” Thus, today neither shall they be taken out from it nor shall they be given the opportunity to
present an apology. Thus, God alone is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the worlds,
worthy of being praised and to Him belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and He
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 229
is Mighty and Wise. (33-37)

Explanation
ۡ & & ‫ﻫﻢ ﻵﻹ‬
﴾٢٤﴿ ‫ﻳﻈﻨﻮن‬
ۡ ۡ
ۡ & ‫ﻋﻠﻢ { ۡن‬ ٰ ۡ& &ۡ ۤ & ۡ& ۡ & ۡ& ۡ & & ۡ&
ٍ ‫” ﻵﻹ ﺣﻴﺎﺗﻨﺎ ﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ ﻧﻤﻮت و ﻧﺤﻴﺎ و ﻣﺎ ﻳﻬﻠﻜﻨﺎ ﻵﻹ ﻟﺪﻫﺮ { و ﻣﺎ ﻟﻬﻢ ﺑﺬﻟﻚ ﻣﻦ‬Ê ‫و ﻗﺎﻟﻮ ﻣﺎ‬
21

Mentioned in verses 21 and 22 earlier were the arguments relating to morals and morality as
well as the ones found within man and outside him in support of the Day of Judgement. Here an
objection on these arguments raised by the rejecters of the Day of Judgement is referred to: when
they are reminded of it, they very arrogantly say that their existence is confined to this worldly
life only; after this life, there is no life or death; people who threaten them with life after death
and accountability of their deeds are merely bluffing and are inflicted with a baseless notion.
& ۡ&
ۡ ‫ﻧﻤﻮت و‬
The words ‫ﻧﺤﻴﺎ‬ express their view that their life and death is confined to this world. After
dying everything willۤ come & ۡ & to an end.
& ۡ
The words ‫ و ﻣﺎ ﻳﻬﻠﻜﻨﺎ ﻵﻹ ﻟﺪﻫﺮ‬continue to state their stance. They are of the opinion that it is
absolutely wrong that God gives them death and that He is gathering them one day to hold them
accountable for their deeds and then reward and punish them; they contend that it is in fact the
fortunes of time which destroys them and not God; just as a tree sprouts and reaches its
culmination and then becomes dry to whither away, similarly, they too are born; then because of
vagaries of time
ۡ & & eitherۡ & ۡ
die
ۡ inۡ
their
ٰ ۡ childhood
&
or youth or do so in old age.
The part ‫ﻋﻠﻢ { ن ﻫﻢ ﻵﻹ ﻳﻈﻨﻮن‬ ٍ ‫ و ﻣﺎ ﻟﻬﻢ ﺑﺬﻟﻚ ﻣﻦ‬is a comment of God on their nonsensical talk: whatever
they say is not based on knowledge; it is mere speculation and conjecture; they do not want to
believe in the Hereafter because this would curtail their freedom and stall their luxurious life-style.
For this reason, they utter such absurd words without even thinking what they are saying. They are
thereby denying a reality to which their very nature and the whole system of this world bear
witness to. The Hereafter is a consequence of God’s power, wisdom, mercy, providence and justice.
If it does not come into being, then this world becomes merely a place of sport and amusement.
Some people have deduced from this verse that there was a group of atheists in Arabia which
denied God and the Hereafter. In my view, this is not correct. Whether there were a few such
individuals or not is another thing; however, as a group, there was not a single person in those
times who explicitly denied God and the Hereafter or was a pure materialist. The Arabs were not
those who denied these realities; they were polytheists and because of this polytheism, they had
made God totally ineffectual in the system of this world; they also did not absolutely deny the
Hereafter and the life therein; they were hesitant and uncertain about them. They reckoned that
being raised to life again after death was in the first place very improbable and if this would ever
take place, they would have to deal with their own deities and not God; these deities would
procure high ranks for them and if God would intend to punish them, these deities would save
them from Him because of their power and influence.
Their statement that the fortunes of time destroy them does not insinuate God’s denial; by these
words, they only wanted to refute the philosophy of history which the Qur’ān recounted with
great detail before the Quraysh that the earlier peoples were destroyed because of their erroneous
beliefs, misdeeds and rejection of the Messengers of God; if they too follow in their steps, their
fate will be the same as well. Since this warning was based on certain facts, people who were far-
sighted to some extent were influenced by it. They feared this warning to be true and that if they

21. And they say: “Our life is only the life of this world. We die and live here and nothing but the
fortunes of time destroy us.” And they have no knowledge of this. They are merely speculating.
230 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
too deny the true call like the ‘Ād, the Thamūd, the people of Madyan and the Pharaoh and not
reform their beliefs and deeds, they too might be tormented by the punishment the Qur’ān is
threatening them with. In order to appease such people, the Quraysh fabricated the philosophy
that it is absolutely wrong to think that the previous peoples were destroyed because of erroneous
beliefs, misdeeds and rejection of the Messengers of God; what relation has God to such things;
people are only destroyed because of the fortunes of time; a person is born, he grows up, reaches
old age and then dies and his beliefs and deeds have no relationship with his death; his death is
only a result of the vagaries of time; on similar lines, nations are born, progress and develop,
create cultures and civilizations, vanquish lands and then die away because of the fortunes of
time; a drama is continuously being enacted on the stage of this world and will continue to go on;
it is nothing but the product of fortunes of time; people who relate this to belief and deeds are

ۡ & & ‫ﻫﻢ ﻵﻹ‬

merely superstitious and want to afflict others with a superstition as well.
ۡ ۡ
ۡ & ‫ﻋﻠﻢ { ۡن‬ ٰ ۡ&
The words ‫ﻳﻈﻨﻮن‬ ٍ ‫ و ﻣﺎ ﻟﻬﻢ ﺑﺬﻟﻚ ﻣﻦ‬express the fact that these people would say this with
arrogance and authority without having any knowledge in this matter; it is mere speculation on
which they have built the edifice of this philosophy. The teaching of human intellect and nature,
of the world inside man and that outside him as well of prophets and sages is the same as what the
Qur’ān is presenting; however, these people instead of knowledge want to follow conjectures
because only conjecture and not knowledge can provide sanction to all their desires. This style of
discourse expresses great yearning and sorrow: very unfortunate are these people who have made
their thoughts and conjectures to be their guides in such a great matter.

22 ۡ ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﺋﺘﻮ ٰﺑﺎﺑﺂ•ﻨﺎ ۤ ۡن‬

﴾٢٥﴿ •B‫ﻛﻨﺘﻢ ٰﺻﺪﻗ‬
& ۡ ۤ ۡ& &
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻗﺎﻟﻮ‬ ٰ & ٰۡ ۡ ٰ ۡ&
ٍ ‫ﻋﻠﻴﻬﻢ ٰﻳﺘﻨﺎ‬
‫ﺎن ﺣﺠﺘﻬﻢ ﻵﻹ ن‬c ‫ﺑﻴﻨﺖ ﻣﺎ‬ Ir‫و ذ ﺗﺘ‬
This verse explains the conjecture of these people which they made as their guide to counter the
clear arguments of the Qur’ān: when they are recited out explicit verses of the Qur’ān relating to
the Hereafter, the only argument they have to negate it is their demand from the Prophet (sws)
and his companions that if they are true in this claim, then they should bring back to life the
deceased ancestors of these people.
ۡ & & is the enunciative (khabar) of ‫ﺎن‬c. This subject is discussed in Sūrah al-‘Ankabūt
The word ‫ﺣﺠﺘﻬﻢ‬
ۡ ٰ ۡ& ٰ ۡ & ۤ
in slightly different words: (٢٩:٢٩) .•B‫ۡن ﻛﻨﺖ ﻣﻦ ﻟﺼﺪﻗ‬ ‫ﻌﺬ ب ﷲ‬X ‫ﻗﻮﻣﻪۤ ﻵﻹ ۡن ﻗﺎﻟﻮ ﺋﺘﻨﺎ‬
ٖ ۡ ‫ﺎن ﺟﻮ ب‬c ‫( ﻓﻤﺎ‬the only
answer of their nation would be: “if you are truthful in your claim bring to us the torment of God,
(29:29)). By the word ‫ &ﺣﺠﺖ‬is meant their answer. Out of arrogance they would regard it to be a
conclusive argument; for this reason, the Qur’ān has sarcastically called it ‫ &ﺣﺠﺖ‬. The objective is to
show that in such a big issue, they have fallen back on an answer which has neither any near or
distant relationship with the real discussion nor has it got anything to do with reason and logic; it is
only a baseless notion of theirs; they are under the wrong impression that they have been able to
save themselves from what the Qur’ān is warning them of.

23 ۡ & ۡ ‫ ﻟﻨﺎس ﻵﻹ‬A´•ۡ ‫ﻓﻴﻪ و ٰﻟﻜﻦ‬

﴾٢٦﴿ ‫ﻌﻠﻤﻮن‬P ٰ ۡ ‫ﻳﻮم‬
ۡ ‫ﻟﻘﻴﻤﺔ ﻵﻹ‬
ۡ ‫رﻳﺐ‬ ۡ & & ۡ ‫ﻳﻤﻴﺘﻜﻢ &ﺛﻢ‬
ۡ IŠٰ ‫ﻳﺠﻤﻌﻜﻢ‬ ۡ & ۡ ۡ & & ٰ ‫&ﻗﻞ ﷲ‬
ۡ & & ۡ & ‫ﻳﺤﻴﻴﻜﻢ ﺛ&ﻢ‬
In this verse, they are reminded of the real claim through the tongue of the Prophet (sws). The

22. And when Our clear verses are recited to them, their only argument is: “If you are true in your claim,
bring back to us our fathers!”
23. Tell them: “It is God who gives you life and then gives you death. It is He who will then gather you
till the Day of Resurrection in which there is no doubt; yet most men do not know this fact.”
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 231
style adopted is such that the argument in favour of the claim is made evident by its own self. The
verse says that they are not being told that whoever they pinpoint today can be brought back to
life; what they are being told is that it is God alone Who gives them life and He alone Who gives
them death; then He will gather them and this gathering together will continue till the Day of
Judgement and there is no doubt about the arrival of that Day.
In other words, when life and death are in the hands of God and this is a fact that cannot be
denied, then the question whether He can recreate after giving death is needless. Why cannot He
who has given life give life again? When He alone has given death to whom He has given life and
if He wants to give another life to whom He has created, then who can stop Him in this? This
could only have been possible if someone had the ability to give life and some other to give
death. Inalienable proofs show that this universe is devoid of this duality. Its very existence bears
witness that only one intention
ۡ & & ۡ ‫ &ﺛﻢ‬mention the essential requirement of life and death: if after these, a
prevails in it.
The words ‫ﻟﻘﻴﻤﺔ‬ٰ ۡ ‫ﻳﻮم‬
ۡ IŠٰ ‫ﻳﺠﻤﻌﻜﻢ‬
day of accountability does not come, then the whole universe becomes a meaningless and
purposeless creation. Hence it is essential that God gather everyone one day and this gathering
together continue till the Day of Judgement whose advent is essential to make this life and death
ۡ & & ۡ expresses continuity and proximity; ie. this gathering together
to be purposeful and about whose advent there is no doubt.
The preposition Iٰ Š after ‫ﻳﺠﻤﻌﻜﻢ‬
will continue till the Day of Judgement. It is evident from this that before the Day of Judgement,
no one will be raised up nor did the Qur’ān or Prophet (sws) ever make such a claim. Hence,
meaningless is the claim of the people who are demanding that their forefathers should be raised
to life and be shown to them.
ۡ & ۡ ‫ ﻟﻨﺎس ﻵﻹ‬A´•ۡ ‫ و ٰﻟﻜﻦ‬express sorrow at the state of the disbelievers of the Day of
The words ‫ﻌﻠﻤﻮن‬P
Judgement: there is no question of any doubt in what they are being informed of; however, most
people know not; ie. they do not know the dreadful punishment they will encounter by denying
this obvious reality.

ۡ & ۡ & ۡ <½‫ﻳﺨ‬

& ۡ ‫ﻳﻮﻣ†ﺬ‬ & & ۡ & ‫ﻳﻮم‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و‬ & ۡ& ٰ
ٰ ٰ ‫ﻣﻠﻚ‬
﴾٢٧﴿ ‫ﻟﻤﺒﻄﻠﻮن‬ ٍ ۡ ‫ﻘﻮم ﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔ‬L ۡ ‫ﻵﻹرض ) و‬ ‫وﷲ‬
24

If these people trust their alleged deities that they will save them in case there is a Day of
Judgement, then this is a naïve notion. To God alone belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and
the earth; no one can dare influence His decisions. Those who are afflicted with such baseless
desires will be ruined when that Day comes.

25
﴾٢٨﴿ ‫ﻌﻤﻠﻮن‬L ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﺰون ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻛﻨﺘﻢ‬ ۡ & ‫ﻟﻴﻮم‬
ۡ ‫ﺗﺠ‬ ۡ ۡ ) ‫ ٰﻛﺘﺒﻬﺎ‬IŠٰ ”•‫ﺗﺪ‬ ٍ
& & h ‫ﺟﺎﺛﻴﺔ‬
» ۡ & ‫ﻞ &ﻣﺔ‬c ً & &
ٍ ‫ﻞ‬c ‫و ٰﺗﺮي‬
‫ﻣﺔ‬
The verse portrays the situation people will encounter on that Day: every group will be sitting
on its knees with legs folded to hear the verdict; each group will be called towards its record of
deeds and will be told that on that day they will receive what they did in the previous world.
Though the word ‫ﺗﺮي‬ ٰ is singular, however, its address like ‫ ْﻟﻢ ﺗﺮ‬can also be general; here
contextual evidence shows that this is the case here too.

24. And to God belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. And on the day when the Hour
comes, the wrongdoers will be the losers.
25. And you shall see each community on its knees. Each community shall be summoned to its record of
deeds. They will be told: “You shall this day be rewarded for your deeds.”
232 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
& &
The words ‫أﻣﺔ‬ ٍ ‫ﻞ‬c refer to the fact that on that Day everyone – believers as well as disbelievers,
righteous as well ً as wrong-doers
&ْ will be gathered; no one will be given exception in this attendance.
The word ‫ﺟﺎﺛﻴﺔ‬ is from ‫ﻳﺠﺜﻮ‬ ‫ﺟﺜﺎ‬ . The expression ‫ﻟﺮﺟﻞ‬& & ‫ ﺟﺜﺎ‬has been explained by lexicographers as
ْ ْ &
‫رﻛﺒﺘﻴﻪ‬ Ir‫( ﺟﻠﺲ ﻋ‬a person sat on both his knees). Slaves, subordinates and criminals used to sit
26

before their masters in this manner to hear their verdict.

The word ‫ ﻛﺘﺎب‬here refers to the register of deeds because this book will contain the record of
deeds of groups and nations. The word register is very aptly used thus. In Sūrah al-Taṭfīf,
inshā’Allāh, this will be further explained. There the names of these registers are also mentioned.
ْ & ‫ﻗﻴﻞ‬
to the effect ‫ﻟﻬﻢ‬ ْ (it will be said to them) are suppressed before ‫ﻟﻴﻮم‬ ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﺗﺠﺰون ﻣﺎ‬
ْ ْ in ‫ﻛﻨﺘﻢ‬ ۡ ۡ & ‫ﻟﻴﻮم‬
ۡ ۡ
&ۡ Words
ۡ on account of contextual indication. Each group will be called towards its register of deeds
‫ﻌﻤﻠﻮن‬L
and would be told that on that day it will be rewarded for whatever it did in the previous world.
The implied meaning is that a person who did not do good deeds and only dreamt of a blissful
future on the basis of polytheism and intercession will find nothing but deprivation for himself on
that day.
& ۡ ۡ &
ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﻧﺴﺘﻨﺴﺦ ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻛﻨﺘﻢ‬ ۡ ۡ&ۡ & ۡ & ٰ ٰ
27
﴾٢٩﴿ ‫ﻌﻤﻠﻮن‬L ‫ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ ﺑﺎﻟﺤﻖ ) ﻧﺎ ﻛﻨﺎ‬ ‫ﻫﺬ ﻛﺘﺒﻨﺎ ﻳﻨﻄﻖ‬
What is said here is part of the previous sentence: they will be informed that there is no
possibility of any injustice or oversight from this register; it will truly and faithfully tell them
what each person did because the record of each would be found in written form. Whatever they
have been doing was being noted down by the angels at the behest of God.

28 &ۡ ۡ & ٰ
& ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻟﻔﻮز‬
﴾٣٠﴿ •B‫ﻟﻤﺒ‬ ٖ ۡ IJۡ ‫رﺑﻬﻢ‬
‫رﺣﻤﺘﻪ ) ذﻟﻚ ﻫﻮ‬ ۡ & & ۡ & ‫ﻟﺼﻠﺤﺖ‬
ۡ & & ‫ﻓﻴﺪﺧﻠﻬﻢ‬ &
ٰ ٰ ‫ﻋﻤﻠﻮ‬ ۡ & ٰ ‫ﻟﺬﻳﻦ‬
‫ﻣﻨﻮ و‬ ۡ ‫ﻓﺎﻣﺎ‬
This verse depicts the fate of each group once they have been informed of their record. The fate
of the believers is mentioned first: those who believed and did good deeds will be admitted by
God to His mercy. The word ‫رﺣﻤﺖ‬ ْ (mercy) here refers to the fact that not only will these people be
rewarded because of their deeds, they will be immensely blessed by Him as well. After this, they
are praised by saying that it is this which is open success that these people will achieve and not
the luxuries of this world by which these foolish people were lured away only to lose this eternal
kingdom.

ۡ ۡ & ًۡ ۡ& ۡ& ۡ&ۡ ۡ ۡ ۡ & ۡ ٰ ۡ& ۡ ٰٰۡ & ۡ ۡ & ‫ﻟﺬﻳﻦ‬
ۡ ‫و ﻣﺎ‬
29
﴾٣١﴿ •B‫ﻣﺠﺮﻣ‬ ‫ﺗﻢ و ﻛﻨﺘﻢ ﻗﻮﻣﺎ‬AŒ‫ ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ ﻓﺎﺳﺘﻜ‬Ir‫ ﺗﺘ‬y‚‫ ﻓﻠﻢ ﺗﻜﻦ ﻳ‬h ‫و‬RS‫ﻛ‬
This verse depicts the fate of the disbelievers; their fate is mentioned in more detail than that of
the believers. This sūrah specifically deals with them; in particular, with the arrogant among
them. The verse says that as for those who disbelieved, they would be told that is not this a reality
that when in order to inform them of this day, the verses of God would be recited out to them,
they showed arrogance and persisted on their sins in spite of God’s warnings and reminders. The

26. Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-‘arab, vol. 14, 131.

27. “This is Our record which will bear true witness over you. We have been recording whatever you
have been doing.”
28. As for those who embraced faith and did good deeds, their Lord will admit them into His mercy. This
is, in fact, a clear triumph.
29. As for those who disbelieved, they will be told: “Were not My verses recited out before you; so you
showed arrogance and you were a criminal people.”
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 233
details of their persistence on this arrogance have already been alluded to in verses 8-9 and 24-25
of this very sūrah. At this stage, the question posed to them would obviously not be meant to
elicit an answer; the purpose would be to rebuke them in order to further humiliate them.

ۡ ۡ ۡ& & ۡ ً & & ‫ ۡن‬2 ‫ﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔ‬

& & ۡ & ‫ﻓﻴﻬﺎ‬
ۡ ۡ ‫ﻗﻠﺘ ۡﻢ ﻣﺎ‬ &
ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔ ﻵﻹ‬
ۡ ‫رﻳﺐ‬ ٌ ٰ ۡ ۡ ‫وذ‬
30
﴾٣٢﴿ •B‫ﺑﻤﺴﺘﻴﻘﻨ‬ ‫ﻧﻈﻦ ﻵﻹ ﻇﻨﺎ و ﻣﺎ ﻧﺤﻦ‬ ‫ﻧﺪري ﻣﺎ‬ ‫وﻋﺪ ﷲ ﺣﻖ و‬ ‫ﻗﻴﻞ ن‬
The verse explains their arrogance: when it is said to them the promise of God regarding
reward and punishment is bound to be fulfilled and that there is not the slightest doubt about the
advent of the Day of Judgment, they answer with great arrogance that they do not know the
meaning of the Day of Judgment; it is a thought in their hearts and they have no conviction in it.
It is evident from this verse that as far as the thought was concerned, these disbelievers did
ۡ & ۡ & ‫ﺋﺘﻮ ٰﺑﺎﺑﺂ•ﻨﺎۤ ۡن‬
have it in their hearts; however, their demand was that only when they are fully convinced about
it, then they will believe in it. Their demand [expressed earlier in the sūrah] was: ‫ﻛﻨﺘﻢ‬ ۡ&ۡ
ۡ ٰ
•B‫( ﺻﺪﻗ‬if you are true in your claim, bring back to us our fathers). Obviously, this was an absurd
demand. It meant that a person will only believe in that thing which he can see from his eyes and
will not believe in any other thing even though there may exist very clear logical and ethical
arguments in its favour. If a person becomes so foolish, then the faculty of sense and reason
becomes absolutely redundant; in fact, the only difference that then remains between man and
cattle is that of appearance. This means that a person should not believe in the faculty of sense
and reason a person has because he has never seen it nor touched it. If we evaluate the treasure
trove of knowledge and its disciplines that man has, it will become evident that a large part of it
comprises intellectual and moral principles. If the belief of these arrogant people of
acknowledging only observable realities is accepted, then this would mean that all these branches
of knowledge created by man should be dumped.
Deliberation will reveal the fact that in such important matters which can have far reaching
results, the guidance of overriding conjecture is enough. A fissure created in a dam which can
endanger the whole city will not attract our attention only when it has become a wide hole;
sensible people remain on guard in such matters much earlier. The matter of the Hereafter is a
very important one – in fact the most important matter of this universe. The arguments in favour
of it mentioned in the Qur’ān and in the previous scriptures are irrefutable. At best, what a person
can say is that he cannot believe in it the way he can believe an eye-witness happening. If he
cannot be convinced to such an extent, then let it be so; what should be seen is that can he say
with full certainty that there is no Hereafter? Obviously, no one can make such a claim. In such a
situation, prudence demands that a person compare which among the two scenarios is beneficial
to him: should a person live his life being lured away by his desires becoming indifferent to the
Hereafter and not even concern himself with what will happen after his death or should he believe
in the Hereafter and lead a life while considering that he will be rewarded or punished one day
though he might have to sacrifice some of his desires? Deliberation will lead us to conclude that it
is more wise to adopt the second of these scenarios because adopting the first one can eternally
and permanently put a person in danger and its only benefit is that he, as per his arrogant claim,
will think that he is free to choose any life according to his desires even though their fulfillment is
not based on his will. On the other hand, there is no danger in the second scenario. If the
Hereafter comes, a person will be rewarded with an eternal kingdom, and if, as per the opinion of

30. “And when you were told: ‘God’s promise is true and the Hour of Doom is sure to come,’ you would
reply: ‘We know nothing of the Hour of Doom; it is only conjecture; nor are we convinced.’”
234 Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān
the disbelievers it does not come, what will be the loss? At best, he will have to sacrifice some of
his worldly desires in this worldly life whilst their fulfillment too is not in his control and rests
with some other Being.

31
﴾٣٣﴿ ‫ﻳﺴﺘﻬﺰءون‬ ۡ & ‫ﺑﻬﻢ ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ & ۡ ۡ ‫ﺎﻧﻮ ٖﺑﻪ‬c ۡ & ‫ﺳﻴﺎت ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ ‫ﻋﻤﻠﻮ و ﺣﺎق‬ & ٰ ۡ&
‫و ﺑﺪ ﻟﻬﻢ‬
The consequences of the intellectual and moral sins a person does in this world do not come
before him immediately; for this reason he becomes brave on this respite and regards his well-
wishers to be fools and makes fun of them let alone paying heed to their advice. On that Day, the
blindest of people will see the horrible harvest of the seeds he had sown in the previous world; the
messengers of God had warned him of the evil fate of the venomous seeds he had cultivated, but
he paid no heed to their warnings. On that day, the punishment he boldly used to make fun of will
embrace him in such a manner that he will not be able to escape it in any way.

32 ۡ ٰ ‫ﻣﻦ‬
﴾٣٤﴿ ‫<ﻳﻦ‬À‫ﻧ‬ ۡ & ‫ﻟﻨﺎر و ﻣﺎ‬
ۡ ‫ﻟﻜﻢ‬ & & ٰ ۡ ‫ﻳﻮﻣﻜﻢ ٰﻫﺬ و‬
& ‫ﻜﻢ‬ê‫ﻣﺎو‬ ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻧﺴﻴﺘﻢ ﻟﻘﺂء‬ ۡ & ٰ ۡ ‫ﻟﻴﻮم‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﻧﻨﺴﻜﻢ ﻛﻤﺎ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻗﻴﻞ‬
ۡ ‫و‬
The verb y×‫ ﻧ‬here means “to ignore.” In other words, in the very first phase, they would be told
that just as in the previous world they had ignored the warnings of the messengers of God and his
righteous people and did not pay heed to their calls about being raised up on such a horrible day,
in a similar manner, God will ignore them on that Day. However much may they plead and
beseech Him, they will not receive any response to their imploring. They should also remember
that if they were very proud of their group of associates and comrades, they too will be of no help
to them on that day, and if they trusted the intercession of their deities and of the partners they
had imputed to God, then they too will be of no avail to them.

33 ۡ ۡ& ۡ& ۡ ۡ
ۡ & ‫ﻣﻨﻬﺎ و ﻵﻹ‬
ۡ & ۡ ۡ & ‫ﻫﻢ‬
﴾٣٥﴿ ‫ﻳﺴﺘﻌﺘﺒﻮن‬
ۡ& & ٰ ۡ &&ۡ
‫<ﺟﻮن‬Ò‫ﻟﺤﻴﻮة ﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ { ﻓﺎﻟﻴﻮم ﻵﻹ ﻳ‬ ً & & ٰ ‫ﺗﺨﺬﺗﻢ ٰ ٰﻳﺖ ﷲ‬
‫ﻫﺰو و <ﺗﻜﻢ‬ & & ‫ذﻟﻜﻢ‬
ۡ & ۡ ‫ﺑﺎﻧﻜﻢ‬ ۡ& ٰ
The implication of this verse is that these people became worthy of this indifferent attitude
from God because when His verses informing them of the Last Day would be recited out to them,
they would make fun of them and would walk away from that place as if they had not heard a
thing. This subject
ۡ & has & & ۡ ‫ و‬imply that they concluded from the affluence and opulence God
& ٰ ۡ already been brought up in verses 8 and 9 earlier.
The words ‫ﻟﺤﻴﻮة ﻟﺪﻧﻴﺎ‬ ‫<ﺗﻜﻢ‬
blessed them with in this world that they were worthy of these favours and that this prosperity of
theirs is an evidence to the fact that there is nothing wrong in their beliefs and deeds; their wealth
and riches made them so arrogant that they made fun of those people who tried to direct their
attention to the erroneous nature of their beliefs and deeds; they even went as far as to inquire
from these well-wishers of theirs whether these well-wishers were better off or they themselves.
They contended that when their circumstances were far better than those of their well-wishers,
then why should they not believe that their beliefs and deeds were also better and that if there was
something wrong, it was not in them but in their well-wishers.

31. And the evil of their deeds they did will manifest itself to them, and what they would make fun of
will encompass them.
32. And it will be said to them: “Today we will disregard you the way you remained oblivious of the
meeting of this day of yours and Hell is your abode none will be your helper.”
33. “This is because you made fun of God’s verses and were led away by the worldly life.” Thus, today
neither shall they be taken out from it nor shall they be given the opportunity to present an apology.
 Sūrah al-Jāthiyah (45) 235
ۡ ۡ& ۡ& ۡ ۡ
ۡ & ‫ﻣﻨﻬﺎ و ﻵﻹ‬
ۡ & ۡ ۡ & ‫ﻫﻢ‬
The words ‫ﻳﺴﺘﻌﺘﺒﻮن‬ ‫<ﺟﻮن‬Ò‫ ﻓﺎﻟﻴﻮم ﻵﻹ ﻳ‬state that because of this arrogance neither will they be
able to come out of Hell nor afforded with the opportunity of seeking repentance from their Lord
and win His favour. Every door to any hope will be closed upon them.
The change of style in this section of the verse is worth noting. In the previous section, the
discourse directly addressed the disbelievers; here, they are no longer addressed. It is as if the
threat to ignore them has begun to manifest itself so that they were not even deemed worthy of
being directly addressed. It needs to be kept in mind that the indirect address is often used at
instances when the addressees are not worthy of being addressed. Several examples of this style
have been pointed out earlier in this exegesis.

34 & ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﻌﺰﻳﺰ‬
﴾٣٧﴿ ‫ﻟﺤﻜﻴﻢ‬ & ۡ ۡ ‫ و &ﻫﻮ‬W ‫ﻵﻹرض‬
ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و‬ & ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﻪ‬
ٰ ٰ IJ ‫ﻳﺂء‬AŒ‫ﻟﻜ‬ ۡ ٰۡ
& ‫﴾ و‬٣٦﴿ •B‫ﻟﻌﻠﻤ‬ ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و رب‬
‫ﻵﻹرض رب‬ &ۡ ۡ ٰ ‫ﻓ‬
ٰ ٰ ‫ﻟﺤﻤﺪ رب‬
Here, at the end, all the discussion thus far is summed up: when all facts are evident, then it is
only God Who should be the fountainhead of all praise and gratitude from His creatures. He is the
Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth and Lord of all the creatures of the Universe. The
implication of this statement is that from where have these people fashioned other deities as their
Lord? How have they set up separate deities for the heavens and the earth? And in spite of being
created and nurtured by God, why have they invented so many deities – both male and female?
& ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﻌﺰﻳﺰ‬
The words ‫ﻟﺤﻜﻴﻢ‬
& ۡ ۡ ‫ و &ﻫﻮ‬W ‫ﻵﻹرض‬
ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮت و‬ & ۡ ۡ ‫ﻟﻪ‬
ٰ ٰ IJ ‫ﻳﺂء‬AŒ‫ﻟﻜ‬ & ‫ و‬are the second necessary consequence of what is
stated above: when God is the Lord of the Universe, then in the presence of the real Master and
King, how can some other being be regarded as sovereign and exalted? In this situation, He alone
has the right to all sovereignty; everyone must submit and resign themselves to Him; if anyone in
His kingdom tries to rise against him, it is as if he challenges His sovereignty, and he who does so
will necessarily meet his fate. God is Mighty ie. He is dominant and powerful. Thus no one can
save himself from His grasp; however, He is wise as well; thus if He has given respite to people
to rebel, then people should not misconstrue this lenience on His part that they are beyond His
grasp. On the contrary, every act of God is based on wisdom and this wisdom will one day
manifest itself before everyone. ٰ & ْ ْ
By the grace of God, I come to the end of the exegesis of this sūrah: ‫ ْﺣﺴﺎﻧﻪ‬Ir‫ﻓﺎﻟﺤﻤﺪ ﷲ ﻋ‬ (so all
gratitude be to God for His favour).

Raḥmānābād,
21st June, 1976 AD
22nd Jumādī al-Thānī 1396 AH
_______________

34. Thus, God alone is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the worlds, worthy of being praised
and to Him belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and He is Mighty and Wise.