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36: Ya-Seen - يس
Introduction
See Introduction to Surah 34. This particular Surah is devoted to the Holy Prophet and the Revelation which he brought. The Abbreviated Letters Ya Sin are usually construed as a title of the Holy Prophet. But it is not permissible to be dogmatic about the meaning of Abbreviated Letters. See Appendix I after Surah 2. This Surah is considered to be "the heart of the Quran", as it concerns the central figure in the teaching of Islam and the central doctrine of Revelation and Hereafter. As referring to the Hereafter, it is appropriately read in solemn ceremonies after death. In chronology it belongs to the middle or early Makkan period. In Surah 37:130 (a cognate Surah) occurs the word Ilyasin; see n. 4115a. Summary- The Quran is full of wisdom, and those are unfortunate who cannot profit by it: Parable of the City that defied-all but one-the Messengers of Grace and Mercy (36:1-32, C. 194). Various Signs of Allah in nature and Revelation (36:33-50, and C. 195). The Resurrection and the Hereafter (36:51-83, and C. 196).
36:1
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Ya Sin.
Tafseer Commentary
3943 Some Commentators take Ya to be the vocative article, and Sin to be the abbreviation of Insan, Sin being the only "Firm Letter" in the word. In that case it would be an address to man. "O man!" But "man" in this connection is understood to mean the Leader of man, the noblest of mankind, Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah. For this Surah deals mainly with the Prophet and his Message. But no dogmatic assertion can be made about the Abbreviated Letters, for which see Appendix I, following S. 2. Ya Sin is usually treated as a title of the Prophet.
36:2
[ Original ]
وَالْقُرْآنِ الْحَكِيمِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
By the Qur'an, full of Wisdom,-
Tafseer Commentary
3944 The best credentials of the Prophet are: (I) the revelation which he brought("the Qur'an"), and the heroic unselfish life which he led ("on a Straight Way "). The appeal is therefore made on the testimony of these two facts.
36:3
[ Original ]
إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Thou art indeed one of the messengers,
36:4
[ Original ]
عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
On a Straight Way.
36:5
[ Original ]
تَنْزِيلَ الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
It is a Revelation sent down by (Him), the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.
Tafseer Commentary
3945 The Revelation again is characterised by two attributes which we find most helpful in contemplating about Allah. It has force and power: for Allah is Exalted in Might and able to enforce His Will. And it brings a Message of hope and mercy; for Allah is Most Merciful. By its characteristics we know that the Qur'an is from Allah. (R).
36:6
[ Original ]
لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا مَا أُنْذِرَ آبَاؤُهُمْ فَهُمْ غَافِلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
In order that thou mayest admonish a people, whose fathers had received no admonition, and who therefore remain heedless (of the Signs of Allah..
Tafseer Commentary
3946 Quraysh had received no Prophet before, and therefore one of themselves was made the vehicle for the universal Message to the whole world.
36:7
[ Original ]
لَقَدْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَىٰ أَكْثَرِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
The Word is proved true against the greater part of them: for they do not believe.
Tafseer Commentary
3947 Cf. 7:30 , and n. 1012; also 17:16, and n. 2193. If people deliberately and obstinately refuse "to believe", i.e., to receive guidance and admonition, the result must be that Allah's grace and mercy are withdrawn from them. Their own perversity inevitably blocks up all channels for their correction.
36:8
[ Original ]
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ أَغْلَالًا فَهِيَ إِلَى الْأَذْقَانِ فَهُمْ مُقْمَحُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
We have put yokes round their necks right up to their chins, so that their heads are forced up (and they cannot see).
Tafseer Commentary
3948 Man's misdeeds inevitably call forth the operation of Allah's Law, and therefore the result is in Qur'anic language attributed to Allah. The result of man's willful disobedience is now described in a series of metaphors. (1) Refusal of Allah's Light means less and less freedom of action for man: the yoke of sin is fastened round man's neck, and it gets more and more tightened, right up to the chin. (2) The head is forced up and kept in a stiff position, so that the mind becomes befogged. Moral obliquity taints the intellect. According to the Sanskrit proverb, "When destruction comes near, understanding is turned upside down." According to the Latin proverb, "Whom God wishes to destroy, He first makes demented." In other words, iniquity not only is folly, but leads deeper and deeper into folly, narrowness of vision, and blindness to the finer things of life. (3) This state of deprivation of Grace leads to such a decline in spiritual vitality that the victim can neither progress nor turn back, as explained in the next verse.
36:9
[ Original ]
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّا وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّا فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And We have put a bar in front of them and a bar behind them, and further, We have covered them up; so that they cannot see.
Tafseer Commentary
3949 Their retreat is cut off and their progress is impossible. Further the Light that should come from above is cut off, so that they become totally devoid of any hope, and the last gleam of any spiritual understanding is extinguished in them.
36:10
[ Original ]
وَسَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنْذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنْذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
The same is it to them whether thou admonish them or thou do not admonish them: they will not believe.
Tafseer Commentary
3950 When the stage just described is reached, revelation or spiritual teaching ceases to have any value for them. Why then preach? The answer is given in the verses following.
36:11
[ Original ]
إِنَّمَا تُنْذِرُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الذِّكْرَ وَخَشِيَ الرَّحْمَٰنَ بِالْغَيْبِ ۖ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِمَغْفِرَةٍ وَأَجْرٍ كَرِيمٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Thou canst but admonish such a one as follows the Message and fears the (Lord) Most Gracious, unseen: give such a one, therefore, good tidings, of Forgiveness and a Reward most generous.
Tafseer Commentary
3951 Cf. 35:18. As far as those are concerned, who have obstinately delivered themselves to evil, the preaching of Allah's Message has no appeal, because their own will shuts them out. But there are others who are anxious to hear Allah's Message and receive Allah's grace. They love Allah and fear to offend against His Holy Law, and their fear is not merely superficial but deep-seated: for while they do not yet see Allah, nor do other people see them, they have the same sense of Allah's presence as if they saw Him, and their religion is not a mere pose, 'to be seen of men'.
3952 See n. 3902 to 35:18. Unseen is here adverbial: their reverence for Allah is unaffected by the fact that they do not see him, or that other people do not observe them, because their attitude arises out of a genuine love for Allah.
3953 To such persons the Messenger of Allah comes as a gospel or good news: because it shows them the way of forgiveness for anything wrong in their past, and it gives them the promise of a full reward in the future-generous beyond any deserts of their own, but arising out of Allah's unbounded Bounty.
36:12
[ Original ]
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَآثَارَهُمْ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَاهُ فِي إِمَامٍ مُبِينٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Verily We shall give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before and that which they leave behind, and of all things have We taken account in a clear Book (of evidence).
Tafseer Commentary
3954 All this is possible, because there is the assurance of a Hereafter, in which Allah will be all-in-all, and evil will no longer bestride the world, as the term of its respite will have expired (Cf. 6:36 and 30:19).
3955 Our deeds, good and bad, go to Allah's Judgement Seat before us. They will of course be brought to our account; but our account will also be swelled by the example we left behind us and the consequences of our deeds, that will come into play or continue to operate after our earthly life had ceased. Our moral and spiritual responsibility is therefore much wider than as affects our own person.
3956 Cf. 2:124, and n. 124. All our account will be exactly preserved as in a book of record.
36:13
[ Original ]
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ مَثَلًا أَصْحَابَ الْقَرْيَةِ إِذْ جَاءَهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Set forth to them, by way of a parable, the (story of) the Companions of the City. Behold!, there came messengers to it.
Tafseer Commentary
3957 Many of the classical Commentators have supposed that the City referred to was Antioch . Now Antioch was one of the most important cities in North Syria in the first century of the Christian era. It was a Greek city founded by Selecus Nicator, one of the successors of Alexander, about 300 B.C. in memory of his father Antiochus. It was close to the sea, and had its seaport at Seleucia . Soon after Christ his disciples successfully preached there, and they "were called Christians first in Antioch ", Acts, 11:26 . It afterwards became the seat of a most important Bishopric of the Christian Church. In the story told here "by way of a parable", the City rejected the Message, and the City was destroyed: 36:29. Following Ibn Kathir, I reject the identification with Antioch decisively. No name, or period, or place is mentioned in the text. The significance of the story is in the lessons to be derived from it as a parable, for which see the next note. That is independent of name, time, or place.
36:14
[ Original ]
إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمُ اثْنَيْنِ فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَعَزَّزْنَا بِثَالِثٍ فَقَالُوا إِنَّا إِلَيْكُمْ مُرْسَلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
When We (first) sent to them two messengers, they rejected them: But We strengthened them with a third: they said, "Truly, we have been sent on a mission to you."
Tafseer Commentary
3958 Allah sends His messengers or teachers of Truth by ones and twos, and where the opposition is great and He considers it necessary, he supports them with others. Their mission is divine, but they do not claim to be more than men. This is used by the unjust and the ungodly as if it were a reproach, whereas it should commend them to men, for mankind is glorified by such commission and by Allah's Self-revelation. The Message is clearly expressed in human language, but because it exposes all evil, men think it unlucky, as it checks their selfishness. It is often the poorest and most despised of mankind, from the outskirts or "farthest parts of the City", that accept the Message and are willing to work and die for it. The stiff-necked resist and accomplish their own destruction.
36:15
[ Original ]
قَالُوا مَا أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُنَا وَمَا أَنْزَلَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِنْ أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا تَكْذِبُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
The (people) said: "Ye are only men like ourselves; and (Allah) Most Gracious sends no sort of revelation: ye do nothing but lie."
Tafseer Commentary
3959 Cf. Acts, 14:15 , where Paul and Barnabas say, in the city of Lystra near the modern Konia , "We also are men with like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities..."
3960 They not only reject the mission of the particular messengers, but they deny the possibility of Allah's sending such mission. Note how they convict themselves of inconsistency by using Allah's name "Most Gracious", even though they may mean it ironically!
36:16
[ Original ]
قَالُوا رَبُّنَا يَعْلَمُ إِنَّا إِلَيْكُمْ لَمُرْسَلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They said: "Our Lord doth know that we have been sent on a mission to you:
Tafseer Commentary
3961 Just as a Messenger whose credentials are doubted can refer to the authority granted by his Principal, as the highest proof of his mission, so these messengers of Allah invoke the authority of Allah in proof of their mission. In effect they say: "The knowledge of Allah is perfect, and He knows that our mission is from Him; if you do not, it is your own misfortune." (R).
36:17
[ Original ]
وَمَا عَلَيْنَا إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"And our duty is only to proclaim the clear Message."
Tafseer Commentary
3962 Then they proceed to explain what their mission is. It is not to force them but to convince them. It is to proclaim openly and clearly Allah's Law, which they were breaking-to denounce their sins and to show them the better path. If they were obstinate, it was their own loss. If they were rebellious against Allah, the punishment rested with Allah.
36:18
[ Original ]
قَالُوا إِنَّا تَطَيَّرْنَا بِكُمْ ۖ لَئِنْ لَمْ تَنْتَهُوا لَنَرْجُمَنَّكُمْ وَلَيَمَسَّنَّكُمْ مِنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
The (people) said: "for us, we augur an evil omen from you: if ye desist not, we will certainly stone you. And a grievous punishment indeed will be inflicted on you by us."
Tafseer Commentary
3963 Ta'ir means a bird. Like the Roman augurs, the Arabs had a superstition about deriving omens from birds. Cf. the English word auspcious, from the Latin avis, a bird, and specie, I see. From Ta'ir (bird) came tatayyara, or ittayyara, to draw evil omens. Because the prophets of Allah denounced evil, the evildoers thought that they brought ill-luck to them. As a matter of fact any evil that happened to them was the result of their own ill-deeds. Cf. 17:13 , where the Egyptians ascribed their calamities to the ill-luck brought by Moses: and 27:47, where Thamud ascribed ill-luck to the preaching of Salih.
36:19
[ Original ]
قَالُوا طَائِرُكُمْ مَعَكُمْ ۚ أَئِنْ ذُكِّرْتُمْ ۚ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ قَوْمٌ مُسْرِفُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They said: "Your evil omens are with yourselves: (deem ye this an evil omen). If ye are admonished? Nay, but ye are a people transgressing all bounds!"
Tafseer Commentary
3964 'What ye call omens arise from your own ill-deeds. Do you suppose that a man who comes to warn you and teach you the better way brings you ill-luck? Fie upon you! (Cf. 17:13 ).
3965 To call Good evil and accuse of falsehood men of truth who come unselfishly to bring the message of the beneficent Mercy of Allah, is the very height of extravagance and transgression.
36:20
[ Original ]
وَجَاءَ مِنْ أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلٌ يَسْعَىٰ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اتَّبِعُوا الْمُرْسَلِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Then there came running, from the farthest part of the City, a man, saying, "O my people! Obey the messengers:
Tafseer Commentary
3966 While the wealthy, influential, and fashionable men in the City were doubtful of Allah's providence and superstitiously believed in Chance and evil omens, the Truth was seen by a man in the outskirts of the City, a man held in low esteem by the arrogant. He had believed, and he wanted his City to believe. So, in Arabia , when the arrogant chiefs of Quraysh exiled the Prophet, it was men from Madman and from the outskirts, who welcomed him, believed in him, and supported his mission in everyway.
36:21
[ Original ]
اتَّبِعُوا مَنْ لَا يَسْأَلُكُمْ أَجْرًا وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"Obey those who ask no reward of you (for themselves), and who have themselves received Guidance.
Tafseer Commentary
3967 Prophets do not seek their own advantage. They serve Allah and humanity. Their hope lies in the good pleasure of Allah, to Whose service they are devoted. Cf. 10:72; 12:104; etc.
36:22
[ Original ]
وَمَا لِيَ لَا أَعْبُدُ الَّذِي فَطَرَنِي وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"It would not be reasonable in me if I did not serve Him Who created me, and to Whom ye shall (all) be brought back.
Tafseer Commentary
3968 The argument throughout is that of intense personal conviction for the individual himself, coupled with an appeal to his people to follow that conviction and get the benefit of the spiritual satisfaction which he has himself achieved. He says in effect: 'how is it possible for me to do otherwise than to serve and adore my Maker? I shall return to Him, and so will you, and all this applies to you as much as to me.' Note how effective is the transition from the personal experience to the collective appeal.
36:23
[ Original ]
أَأَتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُونِهِ آلِهَةً إِنْ يُرِدْنِ الرَّحْمَٰنُ بِضُرٍّ لَا تُغْنِ عَنِّي شَفَاعَتُهُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُنْقِذُونِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"Shall I take (other) gods besides Him? If ((Allah)) Most Gracious should intend some adversity for me, of no use whatever will be their intercession for me, nor can they deliver me.
Tafseer Commentary
3969 The next plea is that for exclusive service to Allah. 'Suppose it were proper to worship other gods-Mammon, Self, or imaginary deities set up as idols-yet of what benefit would that be? All power is in Allah. In His universal Plan, He may think fit to give me some sorrow or punishment: would these subordinate deities be able to help me or intercede for me with Him? Not at all. What use would they be? In fact I should obviously be going as tray-wandering from the true Path.'
36:24
[ Original ]
إِنِّي إِذًا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"I would indeed, if I were to do so, be in manifest Error.
36:25
[ Original ]
إِنِّي آمَنْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ فَاسْمَعُونِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"For me, I have faith in the Lord of you (all): listen, then, to me!"
Tafseer Commentary
3970 Again a transition from the assured personal conviction to the appeal to all to profit by the speaker's experience. 'I have found the fullest satisfaction for my soul in Allah. He is my God, but He is your God also. My experience can be yours also. Will you not follow my advice, and prove for yourselves that the Lord is indeed good?'
36:26
[ Original ]
قِيلَ ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ ۖ قَالَ يَا لَيْتَ قَوْمِي يَعْلَمُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
It was said: "Enter thou the Garden." He said: "Ah me! Would that my People knew (what I know)!-
Tafseer Commentary
3971 This godly and righteous man entered into the Peace of Allah, typified by the Garden of Rest and Beauty. Perhaps it is implied that he suffered martyrdom. But even then his thoughts were always with his People. He regretted their obstinacy and want of understanding, and wished even then that they might repent and obtain salvation, but they were obdurate and suffered for their sins as we learn from verses28-29 below.
36:27
[ Original ]
بِمَا غَفَرَ لِي رَبِّي وَجَعَلَنِي مِنَ الْمُكْرَمِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"For that my Lord has granted me Forgiveness and has enrolled me among those held in honour!"
Tafseer Commentary
3972 This man was just a simple honest soul, but he heard and obeyed the call of the prophets and obtained his spiritual desire for himself and did his best to obtain salvation for his people. For he loved his people and respected his ancestral traditions as far as they were good, but had no hesitation in accepting the new Light when it came to him. All his past was forgiven him and he was raised to dignity and honour in the Kingdom of Heaven .
36:28
[ Original ]
وَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ مِنْ جُنْدٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَمَا كُنَّا مُنْزِلِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And We sent not down against his People, after him, any hosts from heaven, nor was it needful for Us so to do.
36:29
[ Original ]
إِنْ كَانَتْ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ خَامِدُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
It was no more than a single mighty Blast, and behold! they were (like ashes) quenched and silent.
Tafseer Commentary
3973 Allah's Justice or Punishment does not necessarily come with pomp and circumstance, nor have the forces of human evil or wickedness the power to require the exertion of mighty spiritual forces to subdue them. A single mighty Blast-either the rumbling of an earthquake, or a great and violent wind-was sufficient in this case. Cf. 11:67 and n. 1561 (which describes the fate of Thamud); also, n. 3463 to 29:40, also36:49,
3974 Cf. 21:15 . They had made a great deal of noise in their time, but they were reduced to silence, like spent ashes.
36:30
[ Original ]
يَا حَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ ۚ مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Ah! Alas for (My) Servants! There comes not a messenger to them but they mock him!
Tafseer Commentary
3975 Cf. 6:10 and many other passages of similar import. Ignorant men mock at Allah's prophets, or anyone who takes Religion seriously. But they do not reflect that such levity reacts on themselves. Their own lives are ruined and they cease to count. If they study history, they will see that countless generations were destroyed before them because they did not take Truth seriously and undermined the very basis of their individual and collective existence. My servants is here equivalent to "men". Allah regrets the folly of men, especially as He cherishes them as His own servants.
36:31
[ Original ]
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
See they not how many generations before them we destroyed? Not to them will they return:
Tafseer Commentary
3976 Not to them will they return. What do the pronouns them and they refer to? Commentators and translators have construed them differently, and some of them evade the question. To my mind the best construction seems to be: the generations which we have destroyed before the people addressed ('do they not see?') will not be restored to the people addressed; generations (qurun) standing for the periods of prosperity and good fortune enjoyed by the ancestors. They have ail been wiped out; they will never be restored, but all people will be brought before the Judgement Seat for giving an account of their deeds.
36:32
[ Original ]
وَإِنْ كُلٌّ لَمَّا جَمِيعٌ لَدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
But each one of them all - will be brought before Us (for judgment).
36:33
[ Original ]
وَآيَةٌ لَهُمُ الْأَرْضُ الْمَيْتَةُ أَحْيَيْنَاهَا وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهَا حَبًّا فَمِنْهُ يَأْكُلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
A Sign for them is the earth that is dead: We do give it life, and produce grain therefrom, of which ye do eat.
Tafseer Commentary
3977 Lest anyone should say, 'if they are destroyed, how can they be brought before the Judgement Seat' a symbol is pointed to. The earth is to all intents and purposes dead in the winter, but Allah revives it in the spring. Cf. 2:164, 30:19, and many other passages to that effect.
36:34
[ Original ]
وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا جَنَّاتٍ مِنْ نَخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ وَفَجَّرْنَا فِيهَا مِنَ الْعُيُونِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And We produce therein orchard with date palms and vines, and We cause springs to gush forth therein:
Tafseer Commentary
3978 Date palms and vines stand as symbols for fruit trees of all kinds, these being the characteristic fruits of Arabia . Grain was mentioned in the last verse; fruit is mentioned now. All that is necessary for food and the satisfaction of the choicest palate is produced from what looks like inert soil, fertilised by rain and springs. Here is wonderful evidence of the artistry and providence of Allah.
36:35
[ Original ]
لِيَأْكُلُوا مِنْ ثَمَرِهِ وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أَيْدِيهِمْ ۖ أَفَلَا يَشْكُرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
That they may enjoy the fruits of this (artistry): It was not their hands that made this: will they not then give thanks?
Tafseer Commentary
3979 Literally, eat (akala). Cf. 7:19 . n. 1004 and 5:66, n. 776. The same wide meaning of profit, satisfaction, and enjoyment may be attached to the word "eat" in verse 33 above.
3980 Man may till the soil and sow the seed, but the productive forces of nature were not made by man's hands. They are the handiwork and artistry of Allah, and are evidence of Allah's providence for His creatures. See n. 3978 above.
36:36
[ Original ]
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ الْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Glory to Allah, Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge.
Tafseer Commentary
3981 The mystery of sex runs through all creation-in man, in animal life, in vegetable life and possibly in other things of which we have no knowledge. Then there are pairs of opposite forces in nature, e.g., positive and negative electricity, etc. The atom itself consists of a positively charged nucleus of protons, surrounded by negatively charged electrons. The constitution of matter itself is thus referred to pairs of opposite energies.
36:37
[ Original ]
وَآيَةٌ لَهُمُ اللَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُمْ مُظْلِمُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And a Sign for them is the Night: We withdraw therefrom the Day, and behold they are plunged in darkness;
Tafseer Commentary
3982 Withdrawing the Day from the Night: is a striking phrase and very apt. The Day or the Light is the positive thing. The Night or Darkness is merely negative. We cannot withdraw the negative. But if we withdraw the real thing, the positive, which filled the void, nothing is left but the void. The whole of this section deals with Signs and Symbols-things in the physical world around us, from which we can learn the deepest spiritual truths if we earnestly apply ourselves to them.
36:38
[ Original ]
وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And the sun runs his course for a period determined for him: that is the decree of (Him), the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing.
Tafseer Commentary
3983 Mustaqarr may mean: (1) a limit of time, a period determined, as in 6:67, or (2) a place of rest or quiescence; or (3) a dwelling place, as in 2:36.1 think the first meaning is best applicable here; but some Commentators take the second meaning. (R).
36:39
[ Original ]
وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And the Moon,- We have measured for it mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date stalk.
Tafseer Commentary
3984 The lunar mansions are the 28 divisions of the Zodiac, which are supposed to make the daily course of the moon in the heavens from the time of the new moon to the time when the moon fades away in its "inter-lunar swoon", an expressive phrase coined by the poet Shelley.
3985 ' Urjun; a raceme of dates or of a date palm; or the base or lower part of the raceme. When it becomes old, it becomes yellow, dry, and withered, and curves up like a sickle. Hence the comparison with the sickle-like appearance of the new moon. The moon runs through all its phases, increasing and decreasing, until it disappears, and then reappears as a little thin curve.
36:40
[ Original ]
لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنْبَغِي لَهَا أَنْ تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).
Tafseer Commentary
3986 Though the sun and the moon both traverse the belt of the Zodiac, and their motions are different, they never catch up each other. When the sun and the moon are on the same side and on a line with the earth there is a solar eclipse, and when on opposite sides in a line, there is a lunar eclipse, but there is no clash. Their Laws are fixed by Allah, and form the subject of study in astronomy. Similarly Night and Day follow each other, but being opposites cannot coincide, a fit emblem of the opposition of Good and Evil, Truth and Falsehood: see also n. 3982 above.
3987 Cf. 21:33 , and n. 2695. How beautifully the rounded courses of the planets and heavenly bodies are described, "swimming" through space, with perfecdy smooth motion! As Shakespeare expresses it, each "in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims!"
36:41
[ Original ]
وَآيَةٌ لَهُمْ أَنَّا حَمَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ فِي الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And a Sign for them is that We bore their race (through the Flood) in the loaded Ark;
Tafseer Commentary
3988 Besides the beauty of the Night, with the stars and the planets "swimming" in their rounded courses according to perfect Law, suggesting both symmetry and harmony, there are other Signs touching closely the life of man himself, projected through Time, in the past history of his race and in his own personal experience. The past history of his race takes us to the story of the Flood, which is symbolical of the deliverance of man from the forces of nature. Noah's Ark is the symbol of that deliverance. But the symbol still remains as a memorial: the Ark was a "Sign to all Peoples"; 29:15. Man's own personal experience is appealed to in every ship afloat; see next note.
36:42
[ Original ]
وَخَلَقْنَا لَهُمْ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ مَا يَرْكَبُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And We have created for them similar (vessels) on which they ride.
Tafseer Commentary
3989 The stately ships sailing through the seas, heavier than water, yet carrying man and his goods safely and smoothly across the waters, are another Sign for man. Ships are not mentioned, but (vessels) like the Ark : they would cover all kinds of seacraft, but also the modern aircraft, which "swims" through air instead of through water.
36:43
[ Original ]
وَإِنْ نَشَأْ نُغْرِقْهُمْ فَلَا صَرِيخَ لَهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنْقَذُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
If it were Our Will, We could drown them: then would there be no helper (to hear their cry), nor could they be delivered,
Tafseer Commentary
3990 Were it not that Allah gives man the intelligence and ingenuity to construct and manage seacraft and aircraft, the natural laws of gravity would lead to the destruction of any who attempted to pass through sea or air. It is the gift (mercy) of Allah that saves him.
36:44
[ Original ]
إِلَّا رَحْمَةً مِنَّا وَمَتَاعًا إِلَىٰ حِينٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Except by way of Mercy from Us, and by way of (world) convenience (to serve them) for a time.
Tafseer Commentary
3991 Cf. 16:80. Allah has given man all these wonderful things in nature and utilities produced by the skill and intelligence which Allah has given to man. Had it not been for these gifts, man's life would have been precarious on sea or land or in the air. It is only Allah's Mercy that saves man from destruction for man's own follies, and that saving or the enjoyment of these utilities and conveniences he should not consider as eternal: they are only given for a time, in this life of probation.
36:45
[ Original ]
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّقُوا مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَمَا خَلْفَكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
When they are told, "Fear ye that which is before you and that which will be after you, in order that ye may receive Mercy," (they turn back).
Tafseer Commentary
3992 Man should consider and beware of the consequences of his past, and guard against the consequences in his future. The present is only a fleeting moment poised between the past and the future, and gone even while it is being mentioned or thought about. Man should review his whole life and prepare for the Hereafter. If he does so, Allah is Merciful: He will forgive, and give strength for a better and higher life in the future. But this kind of teaching does not suit those steeped in this ephemeral life. They are bored, and turn away from it, to their own loss.
36:46
[ Original ]
وَمَا تَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Not a Sign comes to them from among the Signs of their Lord, but they turn away therefrom.
Tafseer Commentary
3993 The Signs of Allah are many, in His great world-in nature, in the heart of man, and in the Revelation sent through His messengers. They turn away from all of them, as a man who has ruined his eyesight turns away from the light.
36:47
[ Original ]
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ أَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ قَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنُطْعِمُ مَنْ لَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ أَطْعَمَهُ إِنْ أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And when they are told, "Spend ye of (the bounties) with which Allah has provided you," the Unbelievers say to those who believe: "Shall we then feed those whom, if Allah had so willed, He would have fed, (Himself)?- Ye are in nothing but manifest error."
Tafseer Commentary
3994 To selfish men, the good may make an appeal, and say: "Look Allah has given you wealth, or influence, or knowledge, or talent. Why not spend some of it in charity, i.e., for the good of your fellow-creatures?" But the selfish only think of themselves and laugh such teaching to scorn.
3995 They are too full of themselves to have a corner in their hearts for others. "If," they say, "Allah gave them nothing, why should we?" There is arrogance in this as well as blasphemy: arrogance in thinking that they are favoured because of their merits, and blasphemy in laying the blame of other people's misfortunes on Allah. They further try to turn the tables on the Believers by pretending that the Believers are entirely on the wrong track. They forget that all men are on probation and trial: they hold their gifts on trust; those apparently less favoured, in that they have fewer of this world's goods, may be really more fortunate, because they are learning patience, self-reliance, and the true value of things ephemeral which is apt to be very much exaggerated in men's eyes.
36:48
[ Original ]
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا الْوَعْدُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Further, they say, "When will this promise (come to pass), if what ye say is true?"
Tafseer Commentary
3996 In addition to the arrogance and blasphemy referred to in the last note, they not only refuse Faith, but they taunt the men of Faith as if the men of Faith were dealing in falsehood: "If there is a Hereafter, tell us when it will be!" The answer is: "It will come sooner than you expect; you will yet be disputing about things of Faith and neglecting your opportunities in Life, when the Hour will sound, and you will have not time even to make your disposition in this life: you will be cut off from everyone whom you thought to be near and dear to you, or able to help you!"
36:49
[ Original ]
مَا يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً تَأْخُذُهُمْ وَهُمْ يَخِصِّمُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They will not (have to) wait for aught but a single Blast: it will seize them while they are yet disputing among themselves!
36:50
[ Original ]
فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ تَوْصِيَةً وَلَا إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
No (chance) will they then have, by will, to dispose (of their affairs), nor to return to their own people!
36:51
[ Original ]
وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَإِذَا هُمْ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَنْسِلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
The trumpet shall be sounded, when behold! from the sepulchres (men) will rush forth to their Lord!
Tafseer Commentary
3997 Traditionally, the angel who will sound the Trumpet is Israfil, but the name does not occur in the Qur'an. The Trumpet is mentioned in many places: e.g., 6:73; 78:18, etc.
36:52
[ Original ]
قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا مَنْ بَعَثَنَا مِنْ مَرْقَدِنَا ۜ ۗ هَٰذَا مَا وَعَدَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وَصَدَقَ الْمُرْسَلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They will say: "Ah! Woe unto us! Who hath raised us up from our beds of repose?"... (A voice will say:) "This is what ((Allah)) Most Gracious had promised. And true was the word of the messengers!"
Tafseer Commentary
3998 The dead will rise as in a stupor, and they will be confused in the new conditions! They will gradually regain their memory and their personality. They will be reminded that Allah in His grace and mercy had already announced the Hereafter in their probationary lives, and the word of Allah's messengers, which then seemed so strange and remote, was true and was now being fulfilled!
36:53
[ Original ]
إِنْ كَانَتْ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ جَمِيعٌ لَدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
It will be no more than a single Blast, when lo! they will all be brought up before Us!
Tafseer Commentary
3999 Time and Space, as we know them here, will be no more. The whole gathering will be as in the twinkling of an eye (Cf. 36:29 and 36:49 above, and 37:19).
36:54
[ Original ]
فَالْيَوْمَ لَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا وَلَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Then, on that Day, not a soul will be wronged in the least, and ye shall but be repaid the meeds of your past Deeds.
Tafseer Commentary
4000 The Judgement will be on the highest standard of Justice and Grace. Not the least merit will go unrewarded, though the reward will be for the righteous far more than their deserts. No penalty will be extracted but that which the doer himself by his past deeds brought on himself. Cf. 28:84.
36:55
[ Original ]
إِنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ الْيَوْمَ فِي شُغُلٍ فَاكِهُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Verily the Companions of the Garden shall that Day have joy in all that they do;
Tafseer Commentary
4001 We now have the symbolism for the indescribable Bliss of the Hereafter, in the four verses, 55-58. Notice the subtle gradation in the description. First, in this verse, we have the nature of the mise en scene and the nature of the joy therein. It will be a Garden i,e., everything agreeable to see and hear and feel and taste and smell; our bodily senses will have been transformed, but we can imagine something corresponding to them in our spiritual being: delightfully green lawns and meadows, trees and shrubs: the murmur of streams and the songs of birds: the delicate texture of flowers and leaves and the shapes of beauty in clouds and mist; the flavours of fruits; and the perfumes of flowers and scents. The joy in the Garden will be an active joy, without fatigue: whatever we do in it, every employment in which we engage there, will be a source of joy without alloy.
36:56
[ Original ]
هُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُمْ فِي ظِلَالٍ عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ مُتَّكِئُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They and their associates will be in groves of (cool) shade, reclining on Thrones (of dignity);
Tafseer Commentary
4002 Secondly, the joy or happiness is figured to be, not solitary, but sharedshared by associates like those whom we imagine in spiritual Love or Marriage; in whose fair faces "some ray divine reflected shines" (Jami): whose society is enjoyed in homes of happiness, situated in soothing shade, and furnished with thrones of dignity and peace.
36:57
[ Original ]
لَهُمْ فِيهَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَلَهُمْ مَا يَدَّعُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
(Every) fruit (enjoyment) will be there for them; they shall have whatever they call for;
Tafseer Commentary
4003 Thirdly, besides any external conditions of Bliss, the Bliss in the Hereafter has an inner quality, expressed by the word fakihatun. The root fakikah means 'to rejoice greatly', to be full of merriment'. The ordinary meaning of 'fruit' attached to fakihah is derived from the idea that the flavour of choice, ripe fruit, delights the heart of man (Cf. n. 4062). Just as akala (to eat) is used for 'enjoyment', ( 5:66, n. 776 and13:35 , n. 1854 ), so fakihah, 'fruit', stands here for that specially choice enjoyment, which goes with a fastidious and well-cultivated taste. In other words, it suggests that highest kind of joy which depends upon the inner faculty rather than any outward circumstance. This is further emphasised by the second clause: "they shall have whatever they call for". Again using the language of this life, the musician's heaven will be full of music; the mathematician's will be full of mathematical symmetry and perfection; the artist's will be full of beauty of form, and so on.
36:58
[ Original ]
سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِنْ رَبٍّ رَحِيمٍ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"Peace!" - a Word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful!
Tafseer Commentary
4004 Fourthly, we reach the highest grade of bliss, the mystic salutation "Peace!" from Allah Most Merciful. Cf. 10:10 . The wrods sums up the attainment of the final Goal. For it explains the nature of the most High-He is not only a Lord and Cherisher, but a Lord Whose supreme glory is Mercy, Peace, and Harmony!
36:59
[ Original ]
وَامْتَازُوا الْيَوْمَ أَيُّهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"And O ye in sin! Get ye apart this Day!
Tafseer Commentary
4005 Notice how this finely balanced passage, after reaching the summit of sublimity in describing the state of the Blessed, in the word Salam, gradually takes us down to contemplate the state of the Sinners in a graduated descent. In the first place, it refers to their negative state, their state of isolation. From this Day of Judgement, they will no longer have the chance of being with the Blessed and perhaps of profiting spiritually by that proximity. The first feature of the Day of Judgement is that it is a Day of Separation-of sorting out. Each soul now finds its own true level, as the period of probation is over.
36:60
[ Original ]
أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ أَنْ لَا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"Did I not enjoin on you, O ye Children of Adam, that ye should not worship Satan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed?-
Tafseer Commentary
4006 Secondly, there is a gentle reproach to the wrongdoers, more in sorrow than in anger. They are addressed as "children of Adam", to emphasise two facts, (1) that they have disgraced their ancestry, for Adam after his Fall repented and was forgiven, and the high Destiny of mankind has been the prize open to all his descendants, and (2) that Allah Most Merciful has throughout the ages continued to warn mankind against the snares laid by Satan, the avowed enemy of man; and that Allah's Grace was ever on the watch to help all to freedom from those snares.
36:61
[ Original ]
وَأَنِ اعْبُدُونِي ۚ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيمٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"And that ye should worship Me, (for that) this was the Straight Way?
Tafseer Commentary
4007 Thirdly, besides the negative warning, a positive Way was shown to them-the Straight Way , the Ways of those who receive Allah's Grace and attain to Bliss, the Rope which would save them from shipwreck, the Shield which would save them from assault, the key to the door of proximity to Allah.
36:62
[ Original ]
وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنْكُمْ جِبِلًّا كَثِيرًا ۖ أَفَلَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْقِلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"But he did lead astray a great multitude of you. Did ye not, then, understand?
Tafseer Commentary
4008 Fourthly, it is pointed out that they were given Understanding ( 'aql), so that by their own faculties they could have judged their own best interests, and yet they betrayed or misused those faculties, and deliberately threw away their chance! And not only a few, but so many! They went gregariously to ruin in spite of the individual care which their Lord and Cherisher bestowed on them!
36:63
[ Original ]
هَٰذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"This is the Hell of which ye were (repeatedly) warned!
Tafseer Commentary
4009 Fifthly, the naked fact is now placed before them-the Hell-the state of damnation, which they could so easily have avoided!
36:64
[ Original ]
اصْلَوْهَا الْيَوْمَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"Embrace ye the (Fire) this Day, for that ye (persistently) rejected (Truth)."
Tafseer Commentary
4010 As they deliberately and persistently rejected all teaching, guidance, and warnings, they are now told to experience the Fire of Punishment, for it is but the consequence of their own acts.
36:65
[ Original ]
الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths. But their hands will speak to us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they did.
Tafseer Commentary
4011 The ungodly will now be dumbfounded. They will be unable to speak or offer any defence. {The consequences of all acts, which follow according to Allah's Law, are, in Qur'anic language, attributed to Allah). But their silence will not matter. Their own hands and feet will speak against them. "Hands and feet" in this connection are symbolical of all the instruments for action which they were given in this life, including their faculties and opportunities. The same extended meaning is to be understood for "eyes" in the following verse. Cf. also 41:20-21, where eyes, ears, and skins are all mentioned as bearing witness against such as misused them.
36:66
[ Original ]
وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَطَمَسْنَا عَلَىٰ أَعْيُنِهِمْ فَاسْتَبَقُوا الصِّرَاطَ فَأَنَّىٰ يُبْصِرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
If it had been our Will, We could surely have blotted out their eyes; then should they have run about groping for the Path, but how could they have seen?
Tafseer Commentary
4012 If it had been Our Will: i.e., if such had been the Will and Plan of Allah. If Allah had not intended to give man his limited free will, or power of choice, the case would have been different: there would have been no moral responsibility which could have been enforced. They could have had no sight or intelligence, and they could not have been blamed for not seeing or understanding. But such is not the case.
36:67
[ Original ]
وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَمَسَخْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِهِمْ فَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا مُضِيًّا وَلَا يَرْجِعُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And if it had been Our Will, We could have transformed them (to remain) in their places; then should they have been unable to move about, nor could they have returned (after error).
Tafseer Commentary
4013 If Allah's Plan had been to grant no limited freedom of choice or will to men, He could have created them quite different, or could have transformed them into stationary creatures, either in physical form as in the case of trees, or in moral or spiritual qualities, where there was no possibility either of progress or deterioration. Man would then have been unable to reach the heights of grandeur which are now open to him, or, if he goes wrong, to return through the door of repentance and mercy, and still pursue his path of ascent. But it was Allah's Plan to give man all these privileges, and man must shoulder all the responsibilities that go with them.
36:68
[ Original ]
وَمَنْ نُعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ ۖ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
If We grant long life to any, We cause him to be reversed in nature: Will they not then understand?
Tafseer Commentary
4014 This connects on with the last verse. Everything is possible with Allah. If you doubt how man can be transformed from his present nature, contemplate the transformations he already undergoes in his present nature at different ages. As a child, his powers of mind and body are still undeveloped. As he grows, they grow, and certain moral qualities, such as courage, daring, the will to conquer, unfold themselves. In extreme old age these are again obscured, and a second childhood supervenes. The back of the man who walked proudly straight and erect is now bent. If the transformations take place even in his present nature and constitution, how much easier was it for Allah to cast him in an immobile mould? But Allah granted him instead the high possibilities and responsibilities referred to in the last note.
36:69
[ Original ]
وَمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ الشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ وَقُرْآنٌ مُبِينٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
We have not instructed the (Prophet) in Poetry, nor is it meet for him: this is no less than a Message and a Qur'an making things clear:
Tafseer Commentary
4015 Cf. 26:224 and n. 3237. Here "Poetry" is used as connoting fairy tales, imaginary descriptions, things futile, false, or obscure, such as decadent Poetry is, whereas the Qur'an is a practical guide, true and clear.
36:70
[ Original ]
لِيُنْذِرَ مَنْ كَانَ حَيًّا وَيَحِقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
That it may give admonition to any (who are) alive, and that the charge may be proved against those who reject (Truth).
Tafseer Commentary
4016 "Alive", both in English and Arabic, means not only "having physical life", but having all the active qualities which we associate with life. In religious language, those who are not responsive to the realities of the spiritual world are no better than those who are dead. The Message of Allah penetrates the hearts of those who are alive in the spiritual sense.
4017 Cf. 28:63. If people reject Truth and Faith after they have been admonished and warned, the charge against them, of willful rebellion, is proved. They cannot then plead either ignorance or inadvertence.
36:71
[ Original ]
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُمْ مِمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَا أَنْعَامًا فَهُمْ لَهَا مَالِكُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
See they not that it is We Who have created for them - among the things which Our hands have fashioned - cattle, which are under their dominion?-
Tafseer Commentary
4018 If they are blind to other Signs of Allah, they can at least see the simple homely things of life in which they receive so many benefits from Allah's mercy. How is it that wild animals can be domesticated, and in domestication can be so useful to man? Man can use them for riding or for draught; he can use their flesh for food and drink their milk; he can use their hair or wool. Cf. 16:66, 16:80; and 23:21-22.
36:72
[ Original ]
وَذَلَّلْنَاهَا لَهُمْ فَمِنْهَا رَكُوبُهُمْ وَمِنْهَا يَأْكُلُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And that We have subjected them to their (use)? of them some do carry them and some they eat:
36:73
[ Original ]
وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مَنَافِعُ وَمَشَارِبُ ۖ أَفَلَا يَشْكُرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And they have (other) profits from them (besides), and they get (milk) to drink. Will they not then be grateful?
Tafseer Commentary
4019 Such as skins for leather, furs for warmth, sheep's wool or camel's hair for blankets or textiles, musk for perfume, and so on.
4020 The whole argument turns on this. 'Our teaching is for your own benefit. We confer all these blessings on you, and yet you turn away from the Giver of all, and run after your own vain imagination!'
36:74
[ Original ]
وَاتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ آلِهَةً لَعَلَّهُمْ يُنْصَرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Yet they take (for worship) gods other than Allah, (hoping) that they might be helped!
36:75
[ Original ]
لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ نَصْرَهُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُمْ جُنْدٌ مُحْضَرُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
They have not the power to help them: but they will be brought up (before Our Judgment-seat) as a troop (to be condemned).
Tafseer Commentary
4021 There is some difference of opinion among Commentators as to the exact meaning to be attached to this clause. As I understand it, the meaning seems to be this. Man is apt to forget or turn away from the true God, the source of all the good which he enjoys, and to go after imaginary powers in the shape of gods; heroes, men, or abstract things like Science or Nature or Philosophy, or superstitious things like Magic, or Good Fortune or Ill-Fortune, or embodiments of his own selfish desires. He thinks that they might help him in this Life or in the Hereafter (if he believes in a Hereafter). But they cannot help him: on the contrary all things that are false will be brought up and condemned before Allah's Judgement Seat, and the worshippers of the Falsehoods will also be treated as a troop favouring the Falsehoods and therefore worthy of condemnation. The Falsehoods, therefore, instead of helping them, will contribute to their condemnation.
36:76
[ Original ]
فَلَا يَحْزُنْكَ قَوْلُهُمْ ۘ إِنَّا نَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Let not their speech, then, grieve thee. Verily We know what they hide as well as what they disclose.
Tafseer Commentary
4022 If men are so foolish as to reject Allah, let not the men of Allah grieve over it. They should do their duty, and leave the rest to Allah. Allah knows all the open and secret motives that sway the wicked and His Plan must ultimately prevail, however much appearances may be against it at any given time.
36:77
[ Original ]
أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُبِينٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Doth not man see that it is We Who created him from sperm? yet behold! he (stands forth) as an open adversary!
Tafseer Commentary
4023 Man's disobedience and folly are all the more surprising, seeing that-apart from Allah's greatness and mercy-man is himself such a puny creature, created out of something that is less than a drop in the vast ocean of Existence . Yet man has the hardihood to stand out and dispute with his Maker, and institute idle comparisons as in the next verse!
36:78
[ Original ]
وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلًا وَنَسِيَ خَلْقَهُ ۖ قَالَ مَنْ يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
And he makes comparisons for Us, and forgets his own (origin and) Creation: He says, "Who can give life to (dry) bones and decomposed ones (at that)?"
Tafseer Commentary
4024 That is, man thinks that Allah is like His creatures, who at best have very limited powers, or man draws idle parallels like that mentioned at the end of this verse. 'Who can give life to dry bones, and decomposed ones at that?' Man certainly cannot, and no power in nature can do that. But why compare the powers and capacities of Allah's creatures with the powers and capacities of the Creator? The first creation-out of nothing-is far more difficult for us to imagine than a second or subsequent process for which there is already a basis. And Allah has power over all things.
36:79
[ Original ]
قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنْشَأَهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Say, "He will give them life Who created them for the first time! for He is Well-versed in every kind of creation!-
Tafseer Commentary
4025 Allah's creative artistry is evident in every phase of nature, and it works every minute or second. The more man understands himself and the things within his reach, the more he realises this. How foolish, then, for anyone to set imaginary limits to Allah's power? There are more ways of creation than are dreamt of in man's imagination.
36:80
[ Original ]
الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ الْأَخْضَرِ نَارًا فَإِذَا أَنْتُمْ مِنْهُ تُوقِدُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"The same Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, when behold! ye kindle therewith (your own fires)!
Tafseer Commentary
4026 Even older and more primitive than the method of striking fire against steel and flint is the method of using twigs of trees for the purpose. In the E.B., 14th edition,9:262, will be found a picture of British Guyana boys making a fire by rotating a stick in a round hole in a piece of wood lying on the ground. The Arab methord was to use a woodden instument called the Zinad. It consisted of two pieces to be rubbed together. The upper was called the 'Ajar or Zand, and the lower the Markh. The Markh is a twig from a kind of spreading tree, the Cynanchuin viminale, of which the branches are bare, without leaves or thorns. When they are tangled together, and a wind blows, they get ignited and strike fire (Lane's Arabic Lexicon). In modern Arabic Zand is by analogy applied to the flint piece used for striking fire with steel.
36:81
[ Original ]
أَوَلَيْسَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَىٰ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ ۚ بَلَىٰ وَهُوَ الْخَلَّاقُ الْعَلِيمُ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
"Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like thereof?" - Yea, indeed! for He is the Creator Supreme, of skill and knowledge (infinite)!
Tafseer Commentary
4027 Cf. 79:27. Which is the more difficult to create-man, or the heavens and the earth, with all creatures? Allah created the heavens and the earth, with all creatures, and He can create worlds and worlds like these ininfinity. To him it is small matter to raise you up for the Hereafter!
36:82
[ Original ]
إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
Verily, when He intends a thing, His Command is, "be", and it is!
Tafseer Commentary
4028 And His creation is not dependent on time, on instruments or means, or any conditions whatsoever. Existence waits on His Will, or Plan, or Intention. The moment He wills a thing, it becomes His Word or Command, and the thing forthwith comes into existence. Cf. 2:177; 16:40 , n. 2066; etc.
36:83
[ Original ]
فَسُبْحَانَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
[ Abdullah Yusuf Ali ]
So glory to Him in Whose hands is the dominion of all things: and to Him will ye be all brought back.
Tafseer Commentary
4029 All things were created by Allah; are maintained by Him; and will go back to Him. But the point of special interest to man is that man will also be brought back to Allah and is answerable to Him, and to Him alone. This Message is the core of Revelation; it explains the meaning of the Hereafter; and it fitly closes a Surah specially connected with the name (Ya Sin) of the Prophet.
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